#AskGaryVee Episode 16: Collecting People

- On this episode, I talk about the Apple Watch, setting goals, and I get deep. (dramatic music) Hey, everybody, this is Gary Vay-ner-chuk, and you're watching the #AskGaryVee Show, Episode 16. Fun fact about the number 16. I dislike the number. - [Voiceover] Santiago asks

"What do you think about the Apple Watch? " - Santiago, I, I've been here in Atlantic City all week and did not watch the performance, so I actually know very little about the Apple Watch. I think it's kind of ironic that Steve's asking me this question. But I chose to answer it, and here's why. I'm gonna answer it philosophically. I actually didn't see all the bells and whistles. I literally know nothing about the Apple Watch. I saw like some random picture in a Twitter feed, but here's what I do know. And then this becomes this. We are absolutely 100% going robotic. And I mean over the course of the next 100 plus years and so the evolution of information being closer to us started with something that looked like this, well, further back, you go back and then evolve to something that was always on us. Now it's gonna be like even closer, like not even going in the pocket. Google Glass and things of that nature I think are underrated. I think more of that kind of stuff is coming as well. And so I think it's evolution. The human evolution. - Hey, Gary, how's it going.

My name is Adorian Deck. I make YouTube videos, and I created the Twitter account, OMG Facts. Now I control and manage a network of many different accounts on many different social platforms. And my question for you today is do you believe creating my own website with valuable and original content to drive traffic to is a reasonable investment for long-term branding? Or do you believe that websites are going to be irrelevant eventually with this mobile revolution that's happening. Should I be looking more into app development or something that I'm not even looking at? Let me know, thanks. - You know, I think that's a really good question a lot of people are struggling with. I will say this. That, you know, I have garyvaynerchuk. com. Oh no, you can't link it out, but link there. Anyway, I have garyvaynerchuk. com for a reason. Not the kicks and giggles. I want to have a platform that I fundamentally control all aspects of. And so when you are building brand on Twitter with a bunch of Twitter accounts like you are, like I am, when you're building a Facebook fan page and then all of a sudden Facebook deems for itself and for its audience and for you, believe it or not, that they need to drop down organic reach and everything you're putting out is not being delivered, you start understanding why having your own email service, having your own website, matters. Having your own app matters if you deem that people are gonna spend more of their time within the app than on a mobile native website. Just because the world's going mobile or wristy or this, you know, or virtual reality, doesn't necessarily mean that the website is gone. It's really just protocol for a place that you can own. And so what I would say is philosophically, you wanna have your own house. But doing business in your vacation home or in a hotel also mattered. If you understood that analogy, you're on your way.

- [Voiceover] Kyle asks, "Do you set and track "personal/business goals - aside from owning the Jets? "What do you find useful in the process? " You know, I really don't set any business goals other than to continue to gain leverage. You know, pay forward. Provide value to the audience. Make money. Keep it practical and ambitious. But I don't have a goal of like, "I'm gonna get VaynerMedia to 100 million "and then this is gonna happen," or "The fund is gonna return three times "its 25 million dollar investment at Vayner RSE "and then this will happen," or, "In four years, I'm gonna get into the "car wash business. " I just don't go that route. My route is really my fundamental play is I always talk about my one goal being the Jets and for the hardcore people that followed my career, I'm gonna throw a little bit of a curveball to you, give you a little more fun fact. That's kinda the thing that I wanna do with this show. The only other core strategy I have is collecting people. You know, finding the individuals that I think I can jam with for the next 15, 20, 30, 45 years professionally. That to me is the global strategy. Who can I do business with as a teammate forever.

- What's up, Gary. So, you know, I just quit my job at radio after being on air since I was 16 years old. I kinda risked everything for this new Dash Radio app. I hope you've checked it out. You've gotta tell me your favorite station. But what was the riskiest thing you've ever done in your career? Because it was tough for me to leave something I've been at for so long, especially an institution like traditional radio, in order to try something new with zero listeners today to disrupt that industry. What was the toughest choice you ever made in your life or in business about leaving something that you've done to do something new? - You know, again, the enormous excitement I have behind doing this show and thank you all for allowing me to do this show, is predicated on the fact that I get to tell you things you've never heard before. I'm gonna say something that I've never ever ever ever have talked about before. Which is the toughest professional thing I've ever done. My cliche answer historically has been, you know, leaving the Wine Library with is my first love, and that's a very big truth. But as I've started becoming a little bit more in tune with my own feelings and have given this thought, the toughest thing I ever had to do, and Steve, pay attention to me. You'll like this answer. The toughest thing I ever had to do, believe it or not, was make the decision that I was okay with putting myself out there. You know, a lot of you probably have at this point forgotten because the Gary Vee persona and narrative has taken over my career and my Wikipedia and things of that nature. But the first 10 to 15 articles that have ever been written about me in the AP and the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal was, "Wiz Kid Builds Business. " That the establishment, the business world, the people that I look up to in ways, maybe not specifically because I don't really have heroes, but respect their opinions and their accomplishments. I went from the narrative of being a great business operator that saw trends and executed it for financial gain, which is like something everybody deems to be so noble in business to being a self promoter, to being a social media guru. To being an author. Making the decision that I could accept the rolling of the eyes of the Ivy League grads or the establishment to get bigger reach, to build audience to jam with people, to be human and extroverted and taking that step back or two or three in the minds of the top two or three percent was a pretty interesting, difficult decision for me. Knowing what the consequences were of putting myself out there and that I would be respected less for my business accomplishments because of it wasn't the easiest thing that I ever had to deal with and something that's very honestly I still continue to deal with. I, now, this is where you start getting into the, I don't know, DRock, if you wanna make it dark. But this is where you start getting into the darkest stuff. In a weird way, I like the underestimation that comes along with it as well. Because the truth is the reason that entrepreneurship and business speaks to me especially in an American context is that the truth is undefeated. That ultimately, you know, if I go and execute multiple hundred million dollar businesses and make smart investments, it's all net net, right? Like you may not like the fact that I don't dress up or that I curse on stage or that I self promote or whatever you wanna call it. But if I execute, you just have to eat it. And so that was clearly, DJ, that was clearly the toughest thing for me, which was that I was consciously self aware that I was entering a realm where I would start becoming more disrespected even though my accomplishments were gonna be greater. That mis-positioning was something that, that was tough. Question of the day. Let's just actually, you know what? That was such a profound question. What is the hardest thing you ever had to do professionally? Because let's be honest, there's way tougher things of raising a child with a disability or bankruptcy or pain or a lot of emotional stuff. So in the context of business, what is the toughest business challenge that you've ever had to deal with? You keep asking questions. I'll keep answering them. (lively music)