You are probably asking, “Aren’t you a videographer?” and “Don’t you want it to look good?” Of course I do, and it will keep getting better because I’ll get faster. But I want you to recognize that this situation applies to every aspect of life. Sometimes we overthink things and you need to just start. Get feedback and continue to make changes. You’ll get there if you put in the work. You can do it. It’s possible.
Andy Krainak—Growth Hacker
@krainak
My claim to Vayner Nation fame is that I’ve been on what many consider the best episode of the show to date, episode 118 featuring Gary’s father, Sasha. In it, Gary’s dad jokes that I made Gary famous via Facebook ads and Gary promptly corrects him: “No, Dad, I made Andy famous.” It was a special episode and I know everyone enjoyed watching his dad talk about GV growing up and how quickly kid Gary was able to give back the money his dad had lent him to start selling baseball cards. “Like that,” Sasha said, snapping his fingers. I’m consistently taken aback by the always-on energy and gusto GV brings, not just to the filming of the shoooow but to all the executional details. The texts that I get from Gary at any day or time with strategy/execution commands followed up with “ATTACK!!!” “ASAP!!” “Yayayayaya” not only fire me up but always give me the right perspective on what hard work and passion look like. Hopefully all the watchers and podcast listeners have learned as much about execution and hustle from the #AGV show as I have.
Andrew Greif—Design
@andrew_greif
So you’re telling me you’ve never heard of Rich Uncle Millford? Oh, well, neither had I up until the moment I was called in to the show (out of the blue) to create this one-of-a-kind character Gary imagined up that I knew nothing about. But on the next show he appeared on a T-shirt and everyone could finally put a face to the name, and it’s definitely my favorite shirt design so far.
Alex De Simone—Business Development
@TheRealDeis
A large part of my job around this book was to get it into your hands, so I thank you for making the purchase, or for kindly accepting it from someone I’d presume to be your new best friend .
At the writing of this blurb, I’m approaching a full year’s time on “Team Gary.” Prior to joining VaynerMedia, and subsequently Gary’s team, I thought I knew who Gary was—an author whose books I’d read, a public speaker whose videos I’d consumed.
Boy, was I wrong.
In my days before being on team GV, the show (and consequently Gary) not only served as a companion for my once two-hour commute to and from Long Island, but also a lens into who the captain was steering this beautiful and ever-expanding ship we call VaynerMedia.
Now that I’ve been a part of Gary’s team for quite some time, I’ve come to realize that both Gary and The Shoooowwww are much more than just a semi-regular video series/podcast hosted by a guy I call my boss.
Although we are very much a close unit, the roles we on Gary’s team fulfill vary quite a bit, which lends our respective day-to-day to be naturally autonomous. The show, in my opinion, is what brings us all together. It serves as the glue, the core of our relationship as a team, as we all contribute to its existence, be it through its preparation, production, or distribution.
And for that, I’m forever grateful.
Not only am I indebted to the friend I also call my boss, but also to the show that’s fostered lifelong relationships with the “dopes” I get to share it with.
Zak Moy—Designer-in-Chief
@Zakmoy
Like all things in my Gary-centric world, working on the production team of a show was not something I planned to tack on to my résumé. In early 2014, Gary declared to Steve and I that 2014 would be the “Year of YouTube” and he would return to doing video content. And, in true Team Gary fashion, that idea was put on the back burner. It wasn’t until a few months later when DRock was hired that the spark was reignited and, before I knew it, we had a show to produce on top of everything else we do. Yikes!
Aside from bringing the show art direction and working on visual assets, my early roles in the filming of the show have also included emergency voice-overs, temporary question-asker/hunter, and secondary cameraman. But those were the early days, and I’ve been too busy with other responsibilities (like designing this book) to go to every filming. Now I only appear on the show when GV wants to point out my choice in attire (e.g., pixel sunglasses and Pokemon hats) or when he needs to know what font something is. My behind-the-scenes stance is probably why I can’t recall a favorite moment.
But I’m cool with that because I think the true beauty that we (the cast, the crew, the viewers) have experienced with The #AskGaryVee Show is that it has presented all of us with the opportunity for growth. Gary and the show’s energy have pushed me through more doors than I expected as an early twenty-something and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. The show was definitely not planned to be part of my “clouds” or “dirt.” Perhaps it’s the “gray” that GV talks about—that middle part where all the magic happens.
THE #ASKGARYVEE SHOW PROP-WORD PUZZLE!
Every episode, the team puts three or four whole minutes of thought into what prop is going to sit on the table to give me something to play with. This puzzle is a list of our favorites from throughout the run of the show. See if you can guess the answers without referring to the episodes!
As soon as you finish, post a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #AskGaryVeeProps. The first person to do so will get something awesome.
ACROSS
3.
Ep 59—Keeping Gary in shape
4.
Ep 76—The original GaryVee giveaways
6.
Ep 32—Baller’s nickname
8.
Ep 97—Needed for jabbing and right hooking
11.
Ep 87—The book that started it all
13.
Ep 123—Budweiser on a diet #client
14.
Ep 105—The book before this book, short for
15.
Ep 120—Good for home runs, home security
21.
Ep 34—Go-to gourd
22.
Ep 101—@locomodem’s construction material of choice
23.
Ep 51—Tenuta San Guido’s star Super Tuscan
24.
Ep 11—Kingly headwear
25.
Ep 135—We can’t ride it, but it’s cool to have around
DOWN
1.
Ep 20—Necessary for long wine tastings
2.
Ep 95—Quintessential Napa blend
4.
Ep 117—Crossbreed-centric eighties cartoon
5.
Ep 62—Tom Brady’s weapon of choice
6.
Ep 44—Reply hazy, try again
7.
Ep 91—Some toys just want to watch the world burn
9.
Ep 41—Home-team headwear
10.
Ep 52—Pro wrestler who was also a regular on WLTV
12.
Ep 73—Ephemeral messaging app
16.
Ep 53—Gary just loves to give these away
17.
Ep 45—The official snack of #AskGaryVee
18.
Ep 5—The reason VaynerMedia employees have cavities
19.
Ep 54—For kids who play the long game
20.
Ep 71—Just _____ away from your dreams
INDEX
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific entry, please use your e-book reader’s search tools.
Airbnb, 175
aliens, 330
Amazon.com, 182
American university system, 44, 45, 48–50, 53–54
AngelList, 275
Apple, 139, 173, 271–72
apps
anonymous apps vs. Twitter, 155
creation of, 29–30
downloads and influencers, 195
investors for, 26
iTunes app store, 271–72
videos through Twitter app, 117
#AskGaryVee Show
overview, xvi
evaluating crap graciously, 314
getting personal, 290
guessing almonds in a jar episode, 268
GV’s demeanor over time, 341
GV’s return on, 134–35
launch, xiii
purpose of, xiii, xvii–xviii, 132, 153
Q&A section, xiv–xv
researching others’ videos, 106
right hooks on Instagram, 136–37
videos native on Facebook, 158
attention graph, 176
audience. See customers
authenticity, 340
automation, 123–25, 126, 325
bathroom ads, 176
best-case market scenarios, 38–39
betting on your strengths
overview, 337
as business strategy, 12, 166, 222
doubling down on strengths, 238
in interviews, 40–41, 127
as introverts, 289
learning as a child, 59
and Pareto’s 80/20 rule, 251
See also strengths
bionic body part, 324
Birch Box, 175
blaming, 91, 214–15
bloggers and blogging, xi–xii, 32–33, 106, 161–62, 271
book sales, 145–47
brands and branding
athletes, 111–12
brand ambassadors, 190
“Brand Gary” team, 261
building a brand, 81–82, 101, 186
and follower numbers, 106–7
and social media, 128–29, 143–44, 193–94
and storytelling quality, 97–99
viral loops, 121, 305
Brolsma, Gary, 300
bucket list items, 332–33
burnout, 86
business development, 110
businesses
for best-case market scenarios, 38–39
consumer-focused, 281
and emotional decisions, 57–58
investment potential of, 269–70
mandates to running, 224
in megagrowth, 264
new platforms for, 99, 151–52, 203
sole proprietors/freelancers, 11, 252–53, 303–4
strengths and weaknesses across segments, 237–38
See also entrepreneurs; family businesses; scaling a business
business ideas. See ideas
buyer’s remorse, 17
BuzzFeed, 104
cash cycle, 11–12, 306
changes
adapting to, 6–7, 84–85
and communication, 54, 322
content-driven, 142
in family businesses, 65–66
fixing a broken culture, 214–15
in GV’s demeanor over time, 340–41
with hustle, 75–76
to infrastructure, 55
Internet-related societal changes, 13–14
Twitter’s algorithmic feed, 154–55
charisma, 213, 214, 222, 326
charities and NGOs, 207–8
children
dating advice, 318
and family businesses, 59–60, 64
and influencer marketing, 186–87
and social media, 72–73
and technology, 71–72
time required for, 84
whiny stage, 216
See also education; parenting
China, 273
Chrebet, Wayne, 92–93
civility vs. rudeness, 227–28
cloning, 321
clouds, 1–4, 5–6, 10–11, 239
“Clouds and Dirt” (film), xii, 53, 93, 116–17
cofounder. See partners and partnerships
.com domains, 102
communication
overview, 172
asking for what you want, 238, 290
with automation, 123, 124–25, 126
and changes, 54, 322
and employee accountability, 249
expectations of investors and founders, 275–76
face-to-face vs. digital, 259–60
feedback from staff, 262, 280–81
leadership asking questions, 212–13
leadership challenges from social media, 212
with no-hustle people, 263
personal emails, 146
right hooks, 133, 135, 136, 144–45
simple truth, 138
and unmotivated employees, 255
See also listening; storytelling
competitiveness, 242
complaining, 216–17, 328
consumer-focused businesses, 281
consumers. See customers
content, 97–129
overview, 97–99
and automation, 123–25, 126
for boring product or stale industry, 200–201
brand representation on social media, 128–29
creation of, xii–xiii, 99–101
curated content, 112–13
for emails, 170
for Facebook ads, 184
and followers, 110
and foreign accents, 115
for funeral businesses, 202–3
growing with, 10, 27–28, 33, 103–4
increasing value with context, 112–13
of influencer’s spiel, 194–95
infographics on Pinterest, 122
as jab, 140–41
of music producers, 304–5
and non-English speakers, 116
owning and monetizing, 108
platform-based adjustments, 99, 113, 118, 131–32
posting, 107–8
preparations for, 117, 118–19
for product promotion, 29–30
for real estate agents, 128
recycling, 118
for Reddit, 170–71
RFPs from, 142
sources of, 121–22
value determination, 105–6, 112–13
value for customers vs. delay tactic, 103
and working in different spaces, 113
See also context; jabs and right hooks
context
and automation, 126
increasing content value with, 112–13
influencer’s skill in bringing to audience, 194–95
See also content
Cord Project, 173
“Creative Apocalypse That Wasn’t” (Johnson), 301–2
creatives, 236, 259
creativity
content creation, xii–xiii, 99–101
efficiency and, 259
opportunity creation, 146–47
critical feedback from staff, 262, 280–81
Crush It (Vaynerchuk), 54, 57, 128, 186, 267
culture
and asking for help, 238, 290
and business strengths and weaknesses, 237–38
competing for best quality, 242
and employee accountability, 249
fixing a broken culture, 214–15
in healthy companies, 225
sales experience and, 207–8
and success of company, 234–35
curated content, 112–13
curse words on stage, 296
customer base
finding your, 23–24, 29–30
innovation and, 28
customers
audience considerations, 128–29, 141–43
content as value for customers vs. delay tactic, 103
engagement of, 105–6, 144–45, 159–60, 192–93
gaining trust, 127–28
for musicians, 302
respect for, 100
and storytelling quality, 97–99
Daily Grape, xi
Dalton, Andy, 308
data
&nb
sp; evaluating influencer cost and success, 190–93, 195
on Facebook, 158
tracking customer engagement, 105–6, 144–45, 159–60, 192–93
deadlines of employees, 261–62
delay tactic vs. content as value for customers, 103
delegation, 252
De Simone, Alex, 342–43
digital marketing courses, 52
dirt, 2, 3–4, 10–11, 239. See also hustle
Disney, Walt, 215
Disney’s MagicBand, 173–74
DNA mapping, 5
domains, TLD extensions market, 102
Donnelly, Jason, 247
Dorsey, Jack, 93
dreams about business, 329
dress codes, 249–50
DRock (David Rock), xii–xiii, 53, 93, 116–17, 340–41
drug-testing employees, 236
eBay, 160–61, 182
education, 43–55
overview, 43–44
American university system, 44, 45, 48–50, 53–54
choosing topics, 47–48
for discovering your passion, 48–50
and entrepreneurs, 45–46
graduating, 41
mentors, 52–53
morale in public education, 55
online courses, 51, 55
parents pushing their child to get a degree, 41, 44–45, 49
efficiency, 31, 119, 259
Elliott, Missy, 7
Ello, 168–69
email, 170
embarrassing or taboo products, 183–84
emotions and emotional decisions
appealing to consumers’ emotions, 147
automation vs., 124–25, 126
choosing nice, 227–28
depressing content related to solving a serious problem, 202
in family businesses, 57–58, 61–62
gap between what we say and what we do, 165–66
happiness, 285, 335–36
hiring and firing, 234–35
of Instagram viewers, 107
in public speaking, 295–96
empathy, 245, 284
employees
accountability, 248–49
agenda of, 239–40
building retention, 225
compassion and fairness qualities, 212–13