031: Gary Vaynerchuk on Leadership, Self-Awareness, Empathy, and Bill Parcells

I originally sent a cold email to Gary roughly 6 months ago asking him to be one of the first guests on my podcast, The Learning Leader Show. He initially responded and said, “No, I won’t do it as I’m not recording any podcasts now, but maybe you can convince me to do it later.” Well, six months later (after many emails), Gary and I recorded an incredible episode. I’m extremely proud of this, and I was especially happy to hear the kind words Gary shared about me and the persistence I showed as well as how I handled a couple scheduling issues we’ve had along the way. Enjoy this episode with the Great Gary Vaynerchuk!

Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur, investor, author, public speaker, and an internet personality with millions of follows across multiple social media platforms. Gary has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Time. He’s appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Ellen.

Welcome To Episode 031: Gary Vaynerchuk on Leadership, Self-Awareness, Empathy, and Bill Parcells

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

The Learning Leader Show

“I want to build the single biggest building in town.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Some Questions I Ask:

What is the most common characteristic shared amongst the most successful people you know?
What is the #1 trait you look for in a business partner?
What is your interviewing process?
How do you prioritize your time?
How have you developed such a great network of successful people?
Do you care if people like you? Are you okay with being polarizing?
How do you always maintain so much energy?
Who are examples of great learning leaders?

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

The importance of self-esteem AND self-awareness
The characteristics you need to have to work with him
Gary’s method for “hiring fast and firing fast”
Why he chose to do this specific podcast, The Learning Leader Show
The most important values he learned from his Mom and Dad
The powerful of being full of gratitude
Why Bill Parcells is a better coach than Phil Jackson
Gary’s biggest flaw as a person

“Your energy level should come from always having a high level of gratitude.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Continue Learning:

Go to Gary's website
See why over 1.1 million people follow Gary on Twitter: @garyvee
Read his book: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
Read his book: The Thank You Economy
Read his book: Crush It!

You may also like these episodes:

Episode 003: The Incredibly Interesting Story Of Maurice Clarett And How He Built A 6 Figure Income After Spending 4 Years In Prison

Episode 002: How To Take Over And Set Bigger Goals With Chris Brogan

Episode 004: How Todd Wagner (and Mark Cuban) Sold Broadcast.com To Yahoo! For $5.7 Billion

Episode 010: Shane Snow – How To Accelerate Success Using Smart Cuts

Did you enjoy the podcast?

This episode was absolutely jam packed with great information on a variety of topics. Gary was incredibly inspirational. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

From www.garyvaynerchuk.com in his own words:

I have been a businessman for as long as anyone close to me can remember. You can be fancy and call it being an "entrepreneur," but at the end of the day, I do business. While most eight year olds were learning how to properly squeeze a lemon, I was managing seven lemonade stands across my neighborhood in Edison, NJ. When I turned twelve, I set my sights on my local mall, where I became something of a legend selling baseball cards on weekends. In high school I joined the family business, a liquor store called Shoppers Discount Liquors that my dad started. It wasn’t long before I became obsessed with collecting wine.

My core thesis has always revolved around one question: Are you marketing like the year you actually live in? That’s it. It’s not about where things are going to be in 5 years, and it’s definitely not about how we’ve always done it. Do what works. Right now.

In 1997 I was selling wine with an email list while most stores were still faxing their customers. Building on that, I quickly came to recognize the importance of e-commerce, and launched WineLibrary.com, one of the very first wine sales sites. As soon as Google Adwords came out, I was the first (and for a long time the only) person to advertise against people searching for “wine.” All of this helped me to grow the store from a $3 million business to a $60 million business, and it was just the beginning.

Within a year of YouTube popping up, I knew it would be an incredibly powerful platform. Armed with a Flipcam and a NY Jets bucket, I started Wine Library TV in 2006 to share my knowledge and passion for wine with a community that desperately needed a fresh voice. It wasn’t long before 100,000 people were watching my videos every day (shout-out to my Vayniacs – love you guys).

In the spring of 2009, my brother AJ and I launched VaynerMedia, a strategic creative agency focusing on social and digital. VaynerMedia has helped Fortune 500 companies like GE, PepsiCo, and Mt Dew execute against their KPI’s, and build their digital brands through micro content and other storytelling techniques. The idea took hold, and what started as a 6-person project 5 years ago has swelled to a 400-strong team spread across the country.

After years of angel investing in companies like Twitter, Tumblr, Uber and BirchBox, I just launched VaynerRSE, a $25 million seed fund that will help invest in and launch the next generation of world-changing technology companies.

When I’m not spending time with my family, who mean everything in the world to me, I speak and share my experiences in business with people around the world. I have also found a passion for storytelling, so definitely check out my latest book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. I’m so excited you have taken a few minutes out of your day to drop by. Don’t forget to say hey.

PS: I love to hustle!