- On this very special holiday episode,
I talk Russian accents, how to find a co-founder,
content before website and what's my almond.
You ask questions and I answer them.
This is The #AskGaryVee Show.
(heavy musical rap)
Hey everybody, this is Gary Vay-ner-chuk
and welcome to episode 47 of The #AskGaryVee Show.
Happy Thanksgiving!
In the time before I go into the questions,
super excited about Thanksgiving.
My favorite holiday of the year, looking forward to
in a couple hours driving to Jersey with the whole fam.
Me and AJ bought a very expensive case of
basketball cards from last year.
We're going to open up packs, trying to get
those Anthony Davis rookie cards.
That's his wingspan, mine's not quite as long.
I'm excited about that, might play football
tomorrow morning, little Friday traditional that is
not a tradition but I'm going to try to make it one.
Meaning we had it going for two or three years,
but I think AJ's friends have continued it so might do that,
but just a good time.
Might even stop by the Wine Library on Saturday.
We'll get back into that a little bit
at the end of the show.
Just super happy, appreciate all the support.
Big shout out to the podcast peeps listening
as they're working out or pissed off in traffic.
Let's get into the show.
- [Voiceover] Alan asks, "Should I wait until my website
"is 100% built before putting out content
"or put out content while I'm building it?"
- Alan, there's dude by the name of Tommy Mottola,
Google him up, who once said something to me
in a private meeting.
He said, "I never let any of my artists go on TV
"until I was selling something,"
and his notion was until the CD was out,
which is his world, why would I put Mariah on TV.
If she was a week early and the girl that got inspired,
or guy, couldn't run to Virgin Megastore and get it,
well that was a wasted opportunity
and I'm a big believer in that.
The only thing I wanted, so the answer is
I would wait, but I want to context this for everybody.
My question is what's the objective.
If the objective is to put out content that drives
to the website but then gets people to
sign up for something, buy something, do something,
if you're able to execute the business objective
outside of the website, I would do that now
because you're building up storytelling and
leverage and equity that later
you can drive to your website.
It feels like you're wasting time
and missing the opportunity.
That's a big problem I have with a lot of people.
They theoretically believe in a process
when you can ...
I think that a lot of brands should be
monetizing their social media content
and a lot of them are trying to use social media content
to drive to a website where they're selling banner ads
and I just think they should be selling against
the impressions of getting in social
because it's the same game.
They've made a religious and historical belief
that they need to sell to the dotcom.
I'm worried you're doing the same thing,
so my answer to you very simply is
the way you're going to make your money,
the reason you're doing it, whatever you're trying to do,
if you're able to do that through content
in its native space and not drive to a dotcom,
then do it there.
Even when you have the website,
I would practice doing it there.
- [Voiceover] Elliott asks, " How would you recommend
"looking for a co-founder?"
- Elliott, I think the best way to look to a co-founder,
look for a co-founder, excuse me,
is to first understand how honest and self-aware
are you with yourself.
The number one thing that you want to find in a co-founder,
in my opinion, is somebody who checks the boxes
and has strengths in a space where you don't.
Does she provide the black and white to your gray?
Does he provide the magic to your
very kind of straightforward?
Is he the salesman?
Does she love HR where you don't want to
deal with any of the people?
You need to yin and yang.
I think it's very important.
I'm a big believer in doubling down on strengths,
but I do think from a co-founder standpoint
you want to get the check boxes of the core things
that drive a business and so I think
you're looking for that counterpart.
The biggest reason so many of you
are going to struggle with this
is you're not willing to be honest with yourself.
You think you have magic and you're a good salesman.
Yeah, you think you can get by with your accounting skills.
You think because it hurts your feelings to not
bet on your weaknesses.
I'm a big believer in my weaknesses.
I would actually say, I don't think I've said this
very publicly, I've alluded to it.
I say that I suck crap at 99% of things.
I would actually, this is a new thought
maybe because India is here looking for more content.
Show India, I think she deserves it.
- Hello.
- You know, I think that my weaknesses
are as big, if not a bigger factor in my success.
It's my willingness to accept my weaknesses.
It's my proudness of my weaknesses
that has allowed me to win.
Are you willing to go there?
Way too many of you don't want to accept
your weak points, you're struggling with it.
As a matter of fact, I'm going right into
the Question of the Day.
I want you to list on Thanksgiving
the weaknesses you have that you're thankful for.
That's how important this is.
Let's move on.
- Dear Gary, My name's Tim
and I'm a marketing consultant.
I have my own blog, but I don't do any podcasts
or videos, basically anything that involves me speaking.
That's because I have this terrible Russian accent
and I'm worried that it might hurt my trustworthiness.
Do you think this is something I should worry about
or people from US don't care about my Russian accent
as long as I give them tons of value?
Thanks.
- Thank you, Tim.
First of all, clearly I might be dramatically biased
because you sound like all my relatives.
That Russian accent is so endearing to me
that made me feel at home.
I think the ...
Look, do I think there are certain Americans
in the American market will hear that
and jump to conclusions?
I absolutely do, let's live in the world
we actually live in.
Current events in our society prove that.
There's a lot of things still grounded in our society
that maybe many of us wish that wouldn't be the case.
Do I think that people look at accents as
a sign of inferiority, not as much intellect?
I absolutely believe that to be true.
On the flip side, I think, Tim my friend,
you're looking at the negative.
What about all the people that who do have accents,
by the way a crap load?
Let me tell you another thing.
As a marketing person, you're speaking to entrepreneurs.
Do you know the far majority
of pure entrepreneurs and who have that hustle?
Many of them in this amazing country
do have accents and so I think you're looking
at the negative instead of the positives.
I do also believe that there's enormous,
and I believe the VaynerNation is a big part of this,
because look, the way I roll
is something that a lot of people
don't think is the right way to go.
I have too much bravado, too much cursing,
too much oomph, too much all of that,
and so I think it's massively important ...
(laughing)
Nice work.
I like watching A-time.
He loves getting on the show.
This time, I'm just really enjoying.
I'm enjoying.
He doesn't like it as much when I know
which was a big victory for me.
I really think that people
need to recognize
that there's pros and cons with everything.
My intuition is that if you think that you can communicate
through video or audio podcast,
then that is something you should invest in
and that you should not worry about the market
because the market will come to you
if you believe that you're actually good at it.
Unless, you're not.
It comes down to are you good at it.
Look, you clearly want to go there
because you just made a video question
and you got the exposure here.
I'm sure you're probably even using
The #AskGaryVee Show as a little test case,
but don't let the VaynerNation who's all going to
jump in here and say "Do it, Tim, do it."
You're part of this community and
they're going to build you up.
The real answer is, once you start doing it,
do people give a crap and to me,
the fact that I know based on your actions
that you want to do it, the bigger answer
to your question is go and do it for the next 100 days
and then figure out was it a prejudice or
preconceived notions that didn't allow you
to have the upside and then you adjust
and that's the real answer, my man.
- [Voiceover] Danny asks, "In the past,
"what was your equivalent of that
"one almond moment from episode 46?
"What did you potentially miss out on?"
- Danny, I want everybody in the VaynerNation
to go to their copy of Crush It!, my first book
if you've got it, and I want you to go to the first
20 or 30 pages where I do acknowledgments.
You will notice that I acknowledge every one of
my family members and then a random name.
That random name is Travis Kalanik.
Travis is the co-founder and CEO of a company called Uber
that is rumored today to be raising at
a $40 billion valuation.
When they were raising money at a $4 million valuation,
I passed even though Travis is one of my boys
and I think is one of the best entrepreneurs in the world.
I, at that moment, just bought a new apartment
that liquidated me at a very aggressive level
and I wasn't so sure about the idea of Uber
that early on, but not that I didn't like that idea.
I just didn't think that Garret, the co-founder
of Stumble Upon and then Uber who came up with the idea,
and Travis, I didn't think they were actually
going to do it.
I thought they were going to hire somebody else
and as somebody who went through, and you've heard me
talk about in this past my failures where I put
other CEOs in place and I don't drive it,
if it was them driving it, I would have got in.
Hopefully, maybe, maybe not, but not once but twice
because Travis and I are such boys that I pass
on investing in Uber at the angel round.
Now, I later invested in them and I'm going to do
quite well, but the valuation differences are substantial
and that $25,000 investment that I probably would have made,
because those were the size of the checks that I made,
right now would be worth in the ballpark of,
if at this $40 billion valuation, I don't know what
the dilution was or the prorata, but you can
very comfortably say that you're looking at somebody
who missed an almond by passing
in a world where I was writing $25,000 checks
to a lot of dumb crap, let alone the guy,
the only guy that I gave a shout out to in my book
in 2009, two years before Uber came out.
That $25,000 investment is probably worth
in the ballpark between $75 and $200 million.
That's one big (bleep) almond.
Do you know, and I sit here in front of you
with ambitions to buy the New York Jets
and no question if I made that one decision,
that one simple decision that was right there
for the taking for me, I would be
dramatically further along to my goal
right this minute than I actually am.
Remember I told you yesterday that I can take
8,000 punches in the face?
That's 25,000 punches in the face in one punch.
That's what you have to do when you're playing the game.
That's where you have to understand
when you're an entrepreneur.
Those misses are going to come in my career.
That's as big of an almond as I know.
- [Voiceover] Mark asks, "What's behind
"the recent big surge in wine time for you?"
- Mark, what's up brother?
Great question.
I can't answer you fully.
I can just wink a whole bunch.
I can also refer to the fact that I just tasted this
insane Chateau of the Pop and it is remarkable.
Let's link it up in the section
if you're a baller looking for a gift for your family,
$82.13 of pure liquid magic.
Yeah, I'm flirting.
Stuff's brewing.
Also check out winelibrary.com, let's link it down there.
Stunwin, show his face, wrote
an incredible article yesterday.
Let's link that up.
There's stuff happening.
The question of the day was answered, or asked,
I apologize.
Really solid, interesting tone episode
on this holiday weekend, week.
I hope you enjoy your family.
I'm very concerned that the VaynerNation
doesn't answer the question at scale.
I don't expect a lot of comments
because I expect a lot of you not wanting to
write out the weaknesses you're proud of.
I implore you in this time when we're thinking about
all the things we're thankful for, family,
health, all these things.
I want you to be thankful for your weaknesses.
I sit in front of you and have your attention
because I so love my weaknesses.
This could be a breaking point for a lot of you
who are watching this show.
Please take it serious.
Give yourself 15 to 20 minutes,
start loving your weaknesses.
It will change the course of your entrepreneurial
and probably overall life
and that's that.
You keep asking questions.
Oh, Staphon, how about the fact that DRock,
let's clap it up for Staphon a little bit.
(applause) His first episode.
Look, DRock, you got sick.
This could be one of these Willy Pep moments.
I think that's his name, Willy Pep,
that Boston Red Sox that got hurt
and the either Ted Williams, I don't know the full story,
but this feels very Willie Pep.
We may like the way that Staphon edits this,
how it feels and we just may never see DRock again.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
On this episode, I talk about mentorship,
paying for jabs, and the single greatest decision.