#AskGaryVee

by Gary Vaynerchuk

  I think the business value of learning foreign languages is going down. I think tech is coming where we’ll be walking around with earpieces or some other tech that will translate to us while we’re traveling. For now, our phones do it.

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  What’s your travel schedule like to and from the office? Car, train, Uber, walk? How do you spend that time?

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  I live on the Upper East Side in New York City and work on Twenty-Fourth and Park, so my commute is a straight shoot in the morning. I travel a lot to JFK airport so I’m always buckled up in the back of an Uber, a black car, or taxi. During my commute I call my mom and I call Brandon at Wine Library to catch up on the day and strategize (I talk to my dad and sister more spontaneously during the day). I check my email and Twitter and look through Instagram. I check up on my fantasy baseball team (whereas of this writing I am still in the running). I check Nuzzel for news. I check for NFL news when the Jets are in it. Every morning, that’s what I’m doing.

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  Star Wars or Star Trek?

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  I don’t like Star Trek at all and Star Wars is the only sci-fi thing I like. In 1981 my parents bought me two Star Wars figures for my sixth birthday, and I remember being blown away because we were still poor, and I was stunned they would do that for me. Star Wars was a big part of my culture. I was a chaotic kid, and I’d lose my light sabers right away. In 1983 I was super-pumped for Return of the Jedi. I was there at midnight in 1999 for Jar Jar Binks and I wasn’t mad at him. I will be there on Christmas Day 2015 to see the new one.

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  What’s the fastest way someone can piss you off?

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  Despite my intensity I’m a love and Zen kind of guy, so it takes a lot to piss me off. Hypocrisy, cynicism, complaining . . . Man, if you complain about stuff it drives me up the wall.

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  What’s the most significant thing you get out of your show?

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  I video blogged every day for five and a half years, and it feels really nice to be back in the game. It’s fun for me. But by far one of the best parts about this venture is that it has drawn together a little family of characters who are each becoming an integral part of the show, much the way my cameraman Mott was back in the days of Wine Library TV. India, Stunwin, Staphon, Zak, DRock—I so appreciate that they care enough to help me create the shoooooooow!

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  What should I get my mom for Mother’s Day?

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  Your new strategy needs to be recognizing that the mothers are on Pinterest. So go there and see what she’s pinning, and buy it. Poke around her other social media sites like Facebook. If that doesn’t work, call your mom’s best friend or your aunt, because they will always know. That’s the kind of effort you need to put into buying gifts for the people you love.

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  You’ve repeatedly mentioned your love of root beer over the years. Why root beer specifically, and any we should give a whirl?

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  I grew up drinking Coke and root beer and loving it. Incredibly, I’m about to hit a one-year mark of no soda thanks to the efforts of my trainer Mike. But if you are looking to try something wonderful, Henry Weinhard’s is incredible root beer. I’m also a big fan of Hosmer Mountain in Connecticut; Pirate’s Keg in Rochester, New York; and Thomas Kemper. Virgil’s is an entry-level root beer and often easier to find than the others.

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  Do you ever have dreams at night about your business?

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  All the time. I go to sleep and tell myself to dream about Jets Super Bowls and instead find myself in a meeting. Not that you can remember many of your dreams. We actually looked it up and people dream four to six times per night, but we remember hardly any of them.

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  What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this week?

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  I got this question in the summertime, so I had spent that weekend watching my kids play outside at a house my wife and I had rented for the season. So if you consider Sunday the beginning of the week, it was spending time with my kids. It felt different. I saw a preview to the next four or five years with them that really excited me.

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  What environment is best for you to have successful business meetings in? Conference room, restaurant, in-flight?

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  Anywhere possible at all times. I will sell and “biz dev” and make the action happen in the bathroom, on the toilet, outside, at the game, anywhere. A funeral parlor. It doesn’t matter. I’m comfortable in all environments.

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  Do you believe in aliens?

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  I do. I even think there’s another GaryVee in a different galaxy. I just want to know if he’s crushing it or a loser.

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  If you could go back to your twenties, would you prioritize health, or was neglecting it necessary to get where you are today?

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  I know I always say I don’t regret a thing about the way I’ve lived my life, but I guess I lied, because I do wish I had prioritized my health more. I should have slept one hour less, played one hour less of Settlers of Catan with my brother and brother-in-law, Justin, worked one less hour, done less of a whole lot of things so that I could make room for that one hour per day to prioritize my health. So if I could go back and start working out and eating the way I am now, I would.

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  What do you splurge on?

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  Experiences. LeBron’s first game back in Cleveland against the Knicks because AJ is a huge fan and it will be something we can attend and remember together when we’re older. Vacations with my family. Paying for my friends to go on trips when they couldn’t afford it. I splurge on spending time with people I care about.

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  Back in the old-school days of hip-hop, were you East or West Coast?

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  Biggie changed my music life so I was East Coast. But here’s a curveball: During that era I was a bit more Cleveland. I was all in on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Take me to the crossroads every time, East 99 is where you’ll find me.

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  If it weren’t for the Fourteenth Amendment, would you run for president?

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  This question exposes a dark, selfish part of me. The single reason I don’t already have an eye on politics is that the presidency is out of my reach. I am not willing to play a game in which I can’t be the ultimate winner. If the amendment changes, I’d go for it. I pride myself on the fact that I eat pressure for breakfast. And if you look at presidents’ hairlines, you see they age fast in the office. I’m already losing my hair, so we’re good there.

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  My bro has been dating a girl for two years and refuses to acknowledge their relationship on social media. Red flag?

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  Your brother is in deep shit. Any relationship that is two years old and hasn’t been acknowledged on a social platform is scandalous. Period!

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  Did you have any bucket-list items that you wanted to complete before you turned forty?

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  I don’t have a bucket list.

  I don’t want to climb any goddamn mountain or jump out of a plane or meet a specific person or hit some random goal. I’m just not that dude. I really only have two goals in life, and guess what? I’ve already completed both of them. So I guess you could say I had a bucket list, but I already finished it. And before I turned forty, too. Not bad.

  Now some of you might be thinking, What about your goal of buying the New York Jets?

  I’ve never been motivated by the end result of a long-term investment. I’m all about the climb, and the battle that comes with it.

  I live my other major goal every day. It’s at the core of every business I’ve ever created, and is what gets me out of bed every morning: I gain leverage daily.


  Guess who you meet on a climb? People. Many on the same route as you. Find those who fascinate you, who challenge you, and who help you look forward to getting started every day. Treat them well, provide them with value, show them why you’re worth keeping around, and you’ll get tremendous return. I find the individuals I think I can jam with for the next fifteen, twenty, thirty years professionally, and I bring them into my circle to make them the next generation of operators.

  I don’t believe in bucket lists. If there’s something you want to do or accomplish, don’t put it off until you’re almost dead. Go do it now!

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  In the first thirty seconds of someone meeting you, what do you reveal about yourself?

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  That I’m different. But I don’t reveal it with words. I don’t have to talk (although I’ll admit it’s rare for me to stay silent for very long) because I’m so filled with energy. Forget thirty seconds: I can set the tone of a conversation within thirteen seconds. No one meets me without figuring out very quickly that I’m not your average dude.

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  What actor would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

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  The person who’s going to play me in a movie may not have even been born yet because I’m a slow grinder and 99 percent of the world still has no idea who I am. In twenty-five or thirty-five years, when a movie about my life does get made, I’d like to be portrayed by whoever is the most attractive actor of that era.

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  Do you watch your own videos?

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  I have never watched a whole episode of The #AskGaryVee Show or any of the thousands of episodes of WLTV. I know what’s on it—I’m living it.

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  What historical figure would you have lunch with if you could, and why?

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  Nobody. I know that’s an awful answer. It’s insane how little I want to meet famous people. Which doesn’t mean I don’t find people fascinating. I do. Like Winston Churchill; wrestler “Macho Man” Randy Savage; Pete Rozelle, the former NFL commissioner. (Hey, I read his book! That probably brings the total number of books I’ve read up to nine! See Chapter 3.) Walt Disney. But the truth is, if it were the month of August and you told me I could have dinner with any historical figure or I could watch the Jets’ first preseason game, I’d rather watch the preseason game. Maybe I’m broken. Maybe it’s ego. Or maybe when given the choice, I’d rather spend my time bringing value to the people who pay attention to me instead of paying attention to other people. For sure I would pass on every historical figure just to have dinner with the three grandparents I never got to know.

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  What was your first or most embarrassing screen name?

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  One of my AOL chat names was GeeNutz.

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  Would you rather have a pet dragon or be able to turn into a dragon?

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  I’d turn into a dragon called Revis Island.

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  I’m curious to know how you feel about the way you’ve touched and inspired people over the years.

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  I think a lot of people think they know me well because we’ve been interacting for so many years. I’m probably a little more real, even tangible, than other online personalities because the engagement is so important to me. And yet, some people probably still see my intensity and hear about my commitment to buying the New York Jets and figure that money means more to me than anything. But it doesn’t. Money means much less to me than the fact that I’ve been blessed with a communication style that allows me to talk about what I believe in my soul with such conviction I can actually help people improve their lives. It blows my mind to think about how many people have been affected by Crush It and some of my other books and videos, even in small ways. So I feel thankful, and I feel that I’ve got reason to be proud if this is the legacy I get to leave behind.

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  When have you been happiest in life?

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  Right this second. And it’s true regardless of when you are reading this.

  It’s the truth. It was the truth when I answered this question back on episode 37, too. Because I’m a collector of good people and good moments. The birth of children. The Jets beating the Patriots in the playoffs. Getting standing ovations at important business conferences. I’m all about momentum and clout. Every day that goes by in which good things keep happening, and there is no sickness or sadness in my family, feels like the next big day. All I have to do is just keep building on each day, one after the next.

  You know, earlier I listed my biggest fears, but I forgot to mention this one: I’m afraid that eventually the climb will be over and I will become bitter when I realize all the things I wasn’t able to capitalize, all the moments I missed. That’s why I pray that I’ll never actually reach the other side, and that my life can always be about the climb. I hope I feel that way up until I take my last breath.

  So, yes, this moment is the happiest in my life because with every encounter, every adventure, every experience, ultimately everything always gets collectively better. That is, it does when you choose to focus on the positive, which I definitely do. You should try it.

  QUESTION OF THE DAY

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  I have a ton of strengths. What’s the best way to drill down on the best to move forward at a faster pace?

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  Shut the fuck up, pick the one you like best, and start winning.

  A FEW WORDS FROM THE REST OF THE CAST

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  YOU SEE STEVE UNWIN AND INDIA KIESER IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA ALMOST DAILY, SO WE THOUGHT WE’D ASK A FEW OF THE CAST MEMBERS WHO DON’T GET MUCH SCREEN TIME TO OFFER US THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT THEIR FAVORITE MOMENTS OR CLAIMS TO FAME ON THE SHOW.

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  Staphon Lawrence—Video

  @staphonlawrence

  Episode 45 was my first time sitting in on the show and actually meeting Gary. The prop for this episode was a jar full of almonds. Gary decided that for his question of the day, he wanted people to guess how many almonds were in the jar. Of course being the new guy, I was the one who would have to count them and I spent my first official day, outside of orientation, counting almonds. Good times.

  David Rock—Video

  @DavidRockNYC

  Don’t edit this, DRock! I’m sure if you’ve watched/listened to the show you’ve heard Gary shout this to me. Working for Gary has definitely been a change of pace, but in probably the most valuable way possible. I’ve learned that speed is super-valuable and quality is subjective to that. Gary values authenticity over everything, and it’s not often that you find someone as scrappy and fast as Gary; he’s super-entertaining. Ever since day one I’ve loved the energy that he brings to the camera. It makes my job that much more enjoyable.

  One of my favorite “editing” moments was the birth of the Share Monster in episode 129. “Share! DROCK do something there, like, actually you know what, I want you to create something right now, edit this and we’ll use this all the time Shaaare-Monsterrr!, and when you edit it, use fire and crazy stuff Shaaare-Monsterrr!”

  When we were starting I would always get frustrated with the “bad audio,” especially in episode 5, and Gary would remind me that it’s okay and we just need to learn how to get faster, so since then I’ve strived for a quicker turnaround time while still making slight improvements to the quality of the show (we’ve gotten great audio now, whew!).

  If you want to go and create your own videos, I want you to stop getting caught up on what camera to buy, and what mic has the BEST sound. You don’t need the BEST to start. Grab your iPhone, hold it at arm’s length, and start, and whatever you do—provide value. This is No. 1.

  Wanna see something really cool? Check out episode 1 of WineLibrary TV, then skip ahead to episode 598. See how Gary’s personality shifted from quiet and reserved to outgoing and absolutely entertaining? He found his
voice. Now for a more recent example, check out episode 1 of #AskGaryVee, then check the most recent episode . . . let me guess, you see that same difference? He had to find his voice again.

  Why the big difference? We began to find our cadence; we evolved. As we continued to crank out episodes we were able to make slight adjustments little by little and we continue to do so.