Well here we are.
What is this?
What are we about to do?
What are we jumping into?
We're jumping into my,
release, my sneaker foot action.
The line is pretty long.
(upbeat music)
We are here with Gary V, in his offices.
Thank you so much for taking the time
to sit down and chat with us today.
- [Gary] Thanks for havin' me.
Yeah, absolutely.
What is it about K-Swiss
that you decided they are the one to go with?
I didn't.
They came to me. Got it.
A lot of people come to me.
And I say no a lot
because this scares me.
This moment.
Because you gotta be able to answer to them.
Right?
Wearing them on the first day
of fifth or sixth grade,
I'm still trying to remember.
I asked me mom,
we never took pictures as Russian immigrants.
So I don't really remember.
So the fact that I wore 'em.
The fact that, you know,
I grew up in the 80's
when ice T,
or you know,
or Dre or other people actually wore them.
And this entire thing,
the whole thing that I'm up to
is to build an empire of marketing and communication
to buy nostalgic brands and flip them.
So for me this was something I was passionate about,
I felt like I could tell the story
'cause I've rocked 'em in the past.
And it's like nostalgic.
It's not Adidas, or Under Aromour, or Nike,
which is even more interesting to me
because I want the nar--
You know, waking up this morning,
last night the site's crashing over and over and over
you know, whether it wins or loses in the macro,
in the micro,
you know, looking at Twitter this morning
and people saying ridiculous things like,
what Yeezy,
what Kanye did for Adidas,
Gary's doing for K-Swiss,
that's ludacris.
I'm not gonna be able to pull that off.
I'm not on that level.
But, even though,
a little micro version is executing my thesis.
- [Interviewer] Sure.
Which is giving me confidence and training,
- [Interviewer] Right.
For my longterm vision.
That's why.
The fact that I, me, me me,
at 17 would be in line right now at Foot Action,
like a bunch of people are
to get this sneaker.
Not 'cause I love Gary V,
but because I saw the opportunity to make
a hundred dollars on a flip,
that is a big deal for me in this whole thing.
I walked into ComplexCon and in two seconds
I looked at Tyler I'm like,
that's a baseball card show.
- [ Interviewer] Yeah.
I did not feel that in twenty years.
Right, yeah.
I mean there's such
a parallel between what you did with wine
and what kids are doing with shoes.
- [Gary] A hundred percent.
I mean, they flip shoes and they build businesses
on top of that.
- [Garv] A hundred percent.
It's exactly the same thing.
- [Gary] I pretty much know
that 10 of my business partners
where, I'll be an invest--
Not my deepest business partner,
I'll be an investor,
they'll be a partner, or equity owner,
in something I'm doing.
Literally right now are sixteen year olds
flipping supreme backpacks.
A hundred percent.
'Cause that's who I gravitate towards.
- [Interviewer] Absolutely.
Not Harvard, you know, CFO's.
- [Interviewer] It's a way of seeing.
It's a way of seeing.
That's a great way to say it.
I think we have to go to your event.
- [Gary] Okay.
- [Both] Let's go.
(jazz music)
Put in those three extra hours.
You know, put in all the extra that you can,
but then also take care of yourself.
Yes.
Where do we take care of ourselves
and how do we take care of ourselves
in a way that doesn't undercut the work?
I think, you know,
this is where self-awareness is everything.
You know, like,
not everybody wants to make a million dollars a year.
Not everybody wants cameras on them all the time.
I think that's a very personal question.
You know,
I would say that for me,
I don't make decisions or live my life
on anybody else's wants or needs.
I do them on mine,
which means I work a lot
and I do all that stuff.
I don't think I'm,
or anybody else,
is in a position to give that advice.
Even to people I know, like Justin.
Let alone all the people watching right now.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
Here's what I would say.
There's a lot of people I know
who make $200,000 a year in their business
and then go to 275,
and at 200 they were the happiest ever.
- [Interviewer] Right.
And at 275 the business got bigger in a way
that fucked them up.
And so for 75 thousand dollars
off of 200-- It screwed up
their whole life.
That's right.
Or the reverse.
There's a lot of people watching right now
making 87 thousand dollars a year
hating life,
but could make 77 thousand a year
loving life.
- [Interviewer] Right.
And just need to live in a one bedroom,
or rent a studio instead of a one.
Like there's so many ways to do it.
Are you just fuckin' fired up when you wake up,
and if you're not,
hack.
And so, to me,
there's a lot of people who want a lot more
and don't want to spend it on Surpremes, or Nike's,
or you know, Adidas
and just,
you know, whatever it may be.
It's not about buying a BMW because they're insecure.
I mean,
I think sneakers hide insecurity.
(laughing)
Yeah.
I mean, like, I don't know anybody
who's a sneer collector who wasn't a total dork
when they were growing up
and wasn't like picked on.
Like it's all-- I get it.
compensation. The real ones.
The real ones.
- [Interviewer] I mean
Now you're cool.
- [Interviewer] Right right right.
Like now it's cool.
Well that's why. Of course
it's always the same game. It's one
of the only cultures where you can buy status.
You can literally put down 400 dollars
and everybody thinks you're cool.
Let me tell you another place.
New York City night life.
Sure, coddle service.
Yeah that's it.
Everything, listen.
It's all economics.
It's always that.
Well here we are, what is this?
What are we about to do?
What are we jumping into?
We're jumping into my,
releasing my sneaker at Foot Action.
The line is really long.
The best advantage ever is to come from nothing.
'Cause when you come from little,
you're fuckin'
you're just thankful for everything.
You know?
Even the losses.
- [Interviewer] Right.
Cause you've been there.
You're not scared of it.
Cause you can start, right? Right, right,
right, right. You didn't start
with a trophy.
(mumbles)
♪ Even the whistle ♪
♪ I can see your plan unfoldin' open in front of me ♪
♪ My walk is far from over ♪
♪ Strollin' holdin' on the pieces the beaches ♪
♪ I feel them choosin' rendered and completed ♪
♪ Trophy far from worthy ♪
♪ Never know what steady frame ♪
♪ That the seams of these dreams ♪
♪ Could be controlled with the holy spirit ♪
♪ Reignin' over pleadin' please ♪
♪ Come with the saucer this poem ♪
I appreciate it, man. I appreciate
your content, everything you do for us, man.
Thank you, brother.
I listen to you every morning.
Keep grinding man. Thank you.
First you gotta build an audience.
And the way you do that is by putting out content
and engaging with people.
Goin into people's comments.
Like, pick something you're passionate about,
put out content about it,
become part of the community,
close your eyes for five years,
and then wake up at 26
and start thinkin' about making money.
That's hard advice, but that's the real fuckin' answer.
Go to Instagram,
search the companies and people that you wanna get to,
direct message them and tell them you'll work for free.
And ask 200 people.
And somebody will say yes.
Keep grindin' baby.
Bro, I'm living in my storage shed right now.
That's what's up.
It's the patient game right now.
It's the shit and grim.
I love it. I love it man.
I love it every morning. Me too.
Five in the morning,
9:00 p.m, don't matter. Me too.
I'm just doin' it,
because of you.
Thank you so much. Proud of you, man.
Thank you so much.
I love you, so much,
you changed my life. I love you back.
Thank you so much.
Thank you (mumbles) I love you so much.
Insanely (mumbles).
Wow.
- [Man] Yo.
I love you guys.
I love you too.
How are you? Good.
You ever see my sneakers in a store?
This is ridiculous.
Tell somebody how to swim and jump into the pool.
You just keep fucking encouraging them until they go.
Yeah.
That's what my content is.
A hundred percent.
I just need you to fuckin' do something
that doesn't feel comfortable.
Patience. I know.
The biggest thing
right now, I'm 31 now, man.
And that's young.
I know.
The biggest vulnerability you got left
is thinking it's not young.
I know.
That's the only thing.
Right.
Just promise me that.
That's the biggest thing I feel from you,
you know what I mean? Yeah.
Just fuckin'-- Thanks, man.
Have that patience and you'll win.
Yeah.
Hard core. Yeah.
Like every day hustlin'. Yeah.
But macro patience.
A hundred percent.
I'm eleven years older than you.
Hundred percent.
So it's a long fuckin' game.
Yeah.
It is and I realize that.
Video, I know.
You give you get.
And when you give without expectation.
Yeah I do. Like, I don't
expect anybody to be here.
Right.
I mean it, I mean it.
Like if nobody showed up,
then that's just what it was, right?
Right. Like, didn't give enough.
Right. That was the game, you know?
You took responsibility for that
and not that you was like.
A hundred percent man.
You get to that place and the shit gets much more fun.
No shit.
Then you're fully bought
and then you've got nothing to lose.
It's always the human heart
that is the variable advantage.
Cause the technology always gets commoditized.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
So cute.
He's out like a light.
He's been like this -- How are you?
all the time.
I'm doing very well, how are you doing?
Happy birthday. Thank you.
I literally have waited an entire year
strategically planning this moment out.
♪ Motivated. ♪
♪ My definition of motivation ♪
♪ Is underrated by you people who never made it ♪
♪ I'm manipulated by your generation ♪
♪ Who generated this idea I hated ♪
♪ Of goin' to college my only option after graduation ♪
♪ Well look at my graph ♪
♪ I've got bars but can't rap ♪
♪ I did the math ♪
♪ You miscalculated ♪
♪ I'm better than every with every single letter ♪
♪ If I vinyl the mic I'm sicker than ever ♪
♪ Was never probably medicated ♪
♪ We can't debate it ♪
♪ The music I'm making ♪
♪ Has elevated ♪
♪ Like the bills I've been payin' ♪
♪ Since I graduated ♪
♪ From this overrated ♪
♪ Outdated education ♪
♪ Isn't it amazing how I educated myself ♪
♪ To maybe be the one to possibly change it ♪
♪ Seven years I've waited ♪
♪ And I've waited on tables ♪
♪ Not able to pay the payments ♪
♪ You're path you gotta pave it ♪
♪ Now follow the pavement ♪
♪ I've been patient ♪
♪ But losing my patience ♪
♪ I'm not complacent ♪
♪ I'm living in my parent's basement ♪
Yeah!
I love it, man.
Gratitude.
Gratitude, baby.
Like what's the alternative right?
Right, right, right.
You're younger than you think.
Get in here, Justin.
If you're fuckin' 56, you're fucking young.
You're gonna live Without question.
for another 40 fuckin' years.
What are you doin' here?
I have this idea that I'm 44 to 100.
So every year I go 43 to 100,
42 to 100. He's right.
Please wake up.
This is not just for these little kids.
Right.
If you're 56, you've got 40 years to grind.
Appreciate it.
Thanks a lot. Thank you.
You take care. Take care.
Stay well. Stay safe.
Thank you.
Repetition, repetition. Repetition.
Like, you know how you've kinda started
to think a little differently just by watching my stuff?
Yeah, yeah.
Well I'm in my fuckin' head 24/7.
(laughs) True that.
So if you guys are slightly moving
because you're hearing shit,
imagine what's happening with me.
Baylor nation!
Stand up.
Stand up!
No excuses!
Got it.
Pleasure to meet you, man.
Lookin' sharp man.
Thank you, thank you.
I appreciate it.
Yeah.
- [Woman] One, two, three, got it.
Blog, when I put up the five,
don't shake my fuckin' hand.
- [Woman] One, two, three
Got it.
You can go work for somebody
that you want to be as close to,
the center of the sun.
And fuckin' work at McDonald's at night.
I don't give a fuck.
Go humble as fuck,
live at home, live with 30.
I'm bussin tables right now, it's standard.
That's it man, so that's it, man.
You fuckin' know. I understand patience.
Clearly.
But now, now if you
that's the hard part.
Now do the easy part.
Make a list of 400 producers that you wanna fuck with,
DM them, be like,
I'll work for fuckin' free and grind it out.
Yeah.
One of them is gonna say yes.
Losing is better than winning.
I'm being dead fuckin' serious
and the second you figure it out,
then you'll start winnin'.
Yes.
Thank you.
The only thing you're scared of
is other people's opinions.
Facts.
Fuck them. That's so true.
Man bro.
Thank you, brother.
You mean a lot to me, bro.
That means a lot to me.
Bro, I've been following you since I was in Columbia bro.
I appreciate it, man.
Bro, you're my wake up call, bro.
Thank you, brother.
My grandparents just passed away last year
the last thing he left me was his house.
That's my first fuckin' passive income.
I get it.
I live in Colombia.
I'm working a part time job right now.
Yeah.
I'm looking for an eight hour shift,
just grind, grind, grind,
invest in Colombia.
A down-payment over here is 30 thousand dollars.
With 30 thousand dollars,
I could by two fuckin' houses in Columbia.
That's right. (mumbles)
Been watching you for like a year and a half.
Thank you brother. I just want you to know,
I know I'm gonna die
and I'm doing literally everything I can
to make that mean something.
(everyone laughing and singing happy birthday)
Ah, that's amazing.
What you don't sing?
♪ Happy birthday dear Gary ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
Thank you.
(applause)
I see what you've got.
- [Man] I didn't know they were tricking you.
I know what they did.
Fuck it, get outta here.
Are you good?
I'm always good.
That's great.
It's your birthday today.
Happy birthday, sir. Thank you, brother.
I would like to ask,
from a rapper,
your top five rappers of all time.
Biggy, Weezy,
Bone Thugs,
Don't sleep on Cleveland,
then it gets a little
(mumbles) One for me, and Too Short.
Too fuckin short.
I'm old.
I'm old, I'm old, I'm old!
See you guys.
See you later.
(people shouting happy birthday)
You wanna talk about a real
full circle moment in my life?
Seeing my sneakers being sold secondary on eBay right now
on a flip.
Is about as fuckin',
is AJ around?
He left right?
How you doin, lookin' good man.
That was a solid handshake.
That was!
That was legit!
That's a good indication of where this is goin'!
That was pretty good, that was really good.
Hey everybody this is Gary Vaynerchuck
and this is episode 272 of the Ask Gary V Show.
Actually, that little ooh in there
is exactly how I dreamt it up.
T-Pain is in the house let's hear it up for him.
Yeah!
No, no.
You need to be a lot louder.
(Cheering)
That was forced.
It was forced.
It was forced!
We basically got,
basically Justin was like yeah
and everybody else was in a coma.
Baylor Nation on Facebook
Put in your phone number,
you get an opportunity to now call
and ask some questions,
of a hiphop pioneer in lot of ways in my opinion.
And we'll get into that in a minute.
T-Pain, for the seventy people who are watching right now,
that don't know who you are,
give me a little bit your origin story.
You know, tell it as T-Pain, T-Pain.
I hail from Tallahassee, Florida.
I came up pretty much with my mom, did my thing.
And I got noticed by Akon.
Akon saw me.
- [Gary] What year was that?
This was 2005. Okay.
Akon saw me in 2005,
in the same year he took me to Jive Records.
Got me signed to Jive Records.
Which Jive Records is now RCA Records.
It's a lot happenin' in between that.
Obviously I skipped a bunch but,
you know, I'm super awesome.
(laughing)
That's a really good
way to put it. Sums it up!
Do you like being in the studio more
or do you like to perform more?
Aw man, that's hard to say.
Is it a 50, 50 thing for you?
It's a 50, 50 thing for me because if I'm in the studio
with somebody, it's basically me performin'
for that person.
Right, 'cause right now, this many people,
in the same way it does for me,
I can see it in you.
If there was two people in here,
you'd be at certain level.
But do you get compoundly higher?
Like I only need one.
But if there is four, I get a little crazier.
This has me goin' a little bit.
You give me 40,000 and I get fuckin' outta my mind.
Two people in here, I'll shut down.
I got crazy social anxiety.
I see.
So when do you go from shutdown to on?
Seven?
49?
If I'm performin' on stage.
If there's 100 people in there,
I don't-- You're good?
I don't know what to do.
- [Gary] Oh you don't?
Mhm, right.
(laughing)
And I'm like.
Give me, give me, give me,
give me. Give me 73,000.
Give me alcohol.
So when do you turn on?
1,000, 4,000, 90,000?
300.
300? 300.
So if we throw a show with 299 of my fans
in a show, shutdown.
301, crunk.
Out of control.
(laughing)
Outta control.
Let's get a call in.
You guys T-Pain's in the building.
Facebook, put your numbers and he's gonna get you goin.
We are unlocking secrets.
The magic number for T-Pain
is 300. 300.
300 is when he turns it.
T-Pain thank you so much for the fun.
Absolutely. Thanks for sharing
the struggle, which I think.
If it helped one person in this hour.
Then we won here. That's a miracle.
And I wish you nothing but the best.
Good health and all that. I thank you.
Thank you. Thanks for bein' on.
I'm probably gonna take-- Steal something.
See ya'. (laughing)
On this episode, T-Pain stops by!
When I was listening to Sabir, the book, my investments,
my career is win-win.
Planet of the Apps.
If it works, right.
I'm a household name.
If it doesn't work,
when Apple figures out it's shit,
I will always say that I was on Apple's
first original show.
It was win-win.
This sneaker was win-win.
If it rocked,
like it looks like it's about to,
well fuck, I'm the first entrepreneur
to have a sneaker that matters in culture.
Other entrepreneurs are gonna get sneakers
and it's a legacy that can get really interesting,
especially if you think about footwear,
in a corporate environments,
you start thinkin' about four, seven,
nine years from now.
If it lost, it was such ridiculous ammo
for my best friends to make fun of me.
(laughing)
That I thought that I could actually pull off a sneaker.
And what the fuck were you thinking.
So, I'm a big win-win guy.
It's why I tend to be happy.
I don't do things that have disproportionate downside.
I also don't do a lot of things that have
disproportionate upside.
Which is why I'm a tortoise
even though I wear a hare's costume.
My energy seems short term.
My strategy and execution
is about as longterm as it gets out there.
And I like that.
And so, you know, look,
I was a guy who got into eCommerce in 1996.
Gary, thanks so much man.
We really appreciate you comin' on.
You guys are awesome to work with.
I love working-- Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you Gary. Thanks (mumbles).
Bye guys I love you, see ya'.
- [Man] Thank you for listening
to Hack the Holidays podcast.
See ya'.
(tranquil music)