How to Scale Your Business and Personal Brand in 2026

26:09I learned it in the trenches, because I didn't have the luxury of growing up in the world where I could have looked at the Gary's. I like, you know, Ted Turner. I feel like I have some really similar comps. So there was no way to understand what he was doing. I was also, and you know this about me, I'm incredibly intellectually generous. I put out that deck for free that everybody would have sold. Yeah. All of you sold it. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like I really am that person. No, I know. I know you know. You're the only person that, John's starting to, John actually knows more today than before.

26:44You guys know. No, I'll say this. You guys, you really know. you're like really getting to know. I have more. There's a lot that happens behind the scenes without the cameras. Of course. That happens. There's never been a time where I've texted Gary where he didn't answer within like five minutes. Where he's just like answer this question. You know and I don't do it often. I do it when it's really important. But there's never been a time where it's been like I'm going to hold that. I'm going to hold that so that someone else doesn't win from that. Yeah. I just, I, I'm competitive. I'd like to be the best businessman of all time.

27:19But I do get joy of people winning. Yeah. I get joy when people win on my derivative and shit on me. Really? Yeah. Forget about even just giving me credit. It's one thing to be like a real derivative of me and not give me my flowers is what you were asking. Doesn't bother me. Yeah. I'm even so psycho that there's people that have fully built their whole thing and like to razz me because it makes them feel better. I'm not bothered. I feel bad. I'm like, oh, damn. Even with all this financial success, they're still in a place where they're insecure. I hope they get better. And then I just move on.

28:01To be clear, most people do give you credit. I agree. It's behind the scenes. It's behind the scenes. Behind the scenes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. But I get it. Like, you know, if you're making money through the audience and you're like, hey, let me tell you, everybody, you know how you're paying me? By the way, you know where I learned this all? Him. And, like, I get why some people might think that would be a mistake. They would be scared of that. Yeah, I'm just, I just am very, very fortunate mentally. And so I'm good. I'm very much the same way. Like, I want more people to know. Yes. That's the whole point.

28:31That's the game. And when you were doing these DailyVee vlogs, you had to know that people were going to take it and run with it. It was more extreme than that. The fucking deck we just talked about, that was really, and by the way, everybody you just mentioned has been in this office asking direct questions and like, I have hired my employees and like all of it. It's all good. It's really all good because no one's taking from me. That's the key. You got it? No one's taking from me. And like, you know what the best part is? No one's taking from me. Many will be bigger than me. Many of the people you mentioned will have different moments where they'll be, more financially successful.

29:11But here's one thing, we both know. They know and I know. And for me, that's worth the whole game. Like when I look directly in their eyes, passing in an airport, at an event, we both know. And that fucking feels the best for me. I like that, that's what gets me off. like can you humans went on to like make I mean I'm writing by the way I'm writing a book right now my next book it's called The Individual Empire it's about all of us that the next great corporations corporations I'm talking like GE and Coca-Cola are built on the back of the human I'm doing it right now by the way with all like and again Bartlett, Alex the Paul brothers Alex Earl Alex Cooper they're all having what's that nice to have they're all exact case Well, Casey actually inspired me in a different way.

30:07Casey was vlogging, but I knew that I couldn't do it. And that's how the DRock thing got invented, which became the thing. You know? You invested in him? Yeah, I did a ton for Casey. Yeah. I mean, it goes, you know a lot. Like, you have no idea. But that, you know, that makes me feel good about my life. Like, I'm a good person. Like, I get my self-worth from how you talk about me behind my back way more than how many books I sell. So that is my North Star and I'm gonna build a trillion dollar thing. You know, like I'm doing both. Like so for me it's like what? Like definitely no one's stopping me and I'm happy for them and I'm a human.

30:51Are there competitive juices? Sure, but not the way you would think. Like a lot of people are having their moments right now. I'm like, I'm happy. Like I'm just like, I'm like great. You know, I don't know. Like it just doesn't, even if I have a human moment where I'm like, can get a little competitive, it may sit there. Here's something for all of you. I would tell you that my anxiety or any feeling that I have that I would deem lesser than. And I mean, when I tell you there are not many humans on earth that walk around with less jealousy, envy than I do, which is the big one. Such a great thing that I got lucky.

31:28Just, again, DNA, parenting, circumstance. But anytime I have anything, I would call probably, I would call it angst or like anxiety. Like the things I think, now I've come to realize a lot of people deal with every second. If it even gets in for like a nanosecond, man, that shit sits for seven minutes. I would argue that the biggest concerns of my life, like the most challenging moments of my life have had a half a day in me and then like it already started to transform. I have this chemical capacity to take really significant emotional and financial challenges and turn it into pure offense and opportunity.

32:15Gary, can you walk through what your process is to process things emotionally so quickly? Perspective. I just go very quickly into counter chemicals. This is happening. But if somebody just called me and said my mom was dead, how would I feel? This means nothing. That's like the first pill I take. The second pill is like, I can live in a cardboard box. That's just real fucking talk. Like that's why I always say, come from nothing but have love in your family, you will never lose. Not everybody, that's a, unfortunately it's a rare group. But I actually often think that's why an immigrant wins a lot more than people realize.

32:54I think people defaulted immigrants win because they come from nothing. Immigrants win because family values and the way family works is, America is amazing. It's like, it's my favorite country in the world. Next. Its culture's a little different. It just is. It's a newer country. It's different. Like, it's just different. Immigrants from a lot of other places in the world are like way more into their grandma as like way more into like kissing their father in the cheek, way more into like, it's different. Not everyone. I know unlimited immigrant families that have very bad, But I often think that immigrants do well and risky entrepreneurship, other things, because they grew up with nothing financially, but there was joy throughout the house.

33:40So for me it's perspective. Very quick, very quick. I mean, I hope this helps someone. Like every time something horrible happens, horrible. I go to something that's actually horrible in my brain. It quickly is like the first pill I'll take. The second pill I'll take is just really playing it out. Like, you know. One thing that's helped me is like, the grass isn't always greener. People have this thing of like, the what if. It is biased towards like, and it's like, what if that went worse than it seemed like it was gonna happen? Well, I talk about that with my Uber investment, right? I lost a half a billion dollars.

34:16Cash. One decision. That made no sense, by the way, on paper. Literally, Travis, at the time I was friendly with him, was closer to me than Sid, J-Mo, Arlen, and John combined times two. For you two, that's how close we were. He's the only person I thank and crush it besides my family. And I had just bought an apartment and I was less liquid than I wanted and scared money doesn't make money. And I just did something against my core principle. The part that hurts the more is fuck the money. I went against what I believe in. I played safe. and I didn't invest and I would have made$450 million on the IPO.

34:56That's a lot. But like the butterfly effect is always in my mind. Like I would have been a totally, you know that's my number one. I always believe that I choke on a chicken bone in China or a bus hits me in Dallas. Like I just believe in it. Like I just choose to believe that everything that's bad actually is good and here's what's crazy, I believe it. Not on like, not on like, yo, I, you know, like, like, in like, like, like, I don't know what to tell you. I believe it. I don't know what you believe in the most. I don't know. Some of you believe in God the most. Some of you believe in very logical things like you believe the sun will come up tomorrow.

35:34I believe in that quite a bit. I believe that everything that's happening to me is happening for the benefit every time. in all of my personal struggles that people know, in all of my professional struggles, many of which, in all of it, all of it, all of it. In tragedies, whatever, it's all part of, and I believe it, thus it becomes. It's not a, everything I'm telling you is not a band-aid. It's not makeup. It's my fucking DNA. You're gonna win a Golden Globe. I'm gonna win a Golden Globe. All right, now I get it. Yeah, now, probably more likely for the V Friends animated movie than me being like in Marty Supreme, but who knows?

36:16Awesome, let's keep it going. How do you balance the... I like the sneakers. You notice that? Of course. The financial stress of like being the breadwinner, it's funny, like, so literally while I've been here, my wife didn't send me texts. We were gonna take advantage, she's traveling with me, we're gonna take advantage of the fact that we're in the trip, have a contractor just like, there were some loose tiles. We have black mold everywhere. so they're like tearing up. Yeah, it's real. You have to rent a house. Life. So how do you balance the very real? By running the marathon. Let me give you advice right now based on this real thing.

36:51I think it is wildly logical for you to consider getting a job for the next six months.

37:00That's how my brain works. I'm like, what's the problem? I get that you don't want to and I get that it's all exciting and here we are and yay, but there's black fucking mold. I don't know what you have in savings I don't know what's coming in but if you said to me like think about what I'm saying I know everyone wasn't ready for that one but what's the problem? I just said it earlier back to the living in a box my capacity to take a step backwards for a minute or for a decade is why I'm not scared of anything I would work for someone I've never worked for somebody in my life I ran my dad's business the second I was 15 My dad worked for me.

37:40If everything fucking fell apart, I would work for someone. What am I gonna do? Like, I got a lot of skills and obviously at this point in my life my brand will protect me in perpetuity, but if my face fell off and I had a new face and people didn't believe that I was Gary Vee, like I would get a job. Like I'm not embarrassed. And the skills you've acquired in this period, is like everyone wants characters like yourselves in. I think it's really important for you to hear that from me because it's just super interesting. It just gives you tons more optionality. And by the way, an employer is not owed loyalty and perpetuity.

38:20There's nothing wrong to go work for someone for six months and then leave. Now, if in the interview process I'm like, hey man, if I'm going to give you this opportunity, I do this sometimes, by the way, especially my inner circle. I need two, three years from you. And you know in your heart that's not happening. I think it's respectful and good karma to be like hey this is where I'm at and maybe you figure it out but almost no one's gonna ask that question like we don't ask it at Vayner I ask it on Team Gary just because I know what I'm up to I think you need to hear that because I think that takes a lot of stress off your chest especially if you historically risk adverse you're not like visceral to what I just said you don't want it it's maybe not necessarily exactly what you want me to say in this micro moment but I think you need to know it's an option the other option is go make more money.

39:08The intuition of starting more business is stressful. I can tell you, this man, when I get asked, oh, Gary, he's a true entrepreneur, he cannot help himself but start another business when he has an opportunity. Where it's like, but Gary, you have so many. VaynerX has so many. It's like, but there's an end. Yeah, but it's not an ideology. VaynerX had eight companies underneath it. I just announced a reorg. We have five now. So I don't get like some weird pride of it. It's just what I think is right. So, and again, you need to deploy that here. I do not think there's anything special about being an entrepreneur over an employee other than if you're capable to be an entrepreneur.

39:50I think it's a really good thing to consider. And then if you're a sicko like me and some of you in this room where you're just not capable of anything else, well, what the fuck are you supposed to do? If you're a fucking butterfly, like how do you be a rhino? Like you just can't. You know, so again, you have both capacities. I actually think in this exact moment of fucking mold, that's a strength, not a weakness. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah. It just comes down to your risk. It also comes down to your tolerance. Like, right? Like, again, like what blows me away is how many people are unable to live more humbly as an option to address the thing in front of them.

40:29People literally, literally making catastrophic decisions because they're unable to cut out Uber and Starbucks and another handbag. Like catastrophic decisions. Like I watch employees here leave for shitholes for an extra 10 ,000 to not take care of their crack addiction, to take care of their shopping addiction. But by the way, fine, other than I know they would have made 100 ,000 more in a four-year window. Like it's just like, that's the discipline of like, what are you doing with your money, how do you live? Obviously, the lower you go down, you're not like, I think it's unbelievably easy to live with$100 ,000 a year.

41:10I'm aware that on Instagram, everyone feels like they need to make 17 million now a year. But like, this is the real world. And like a lot of people make 100, you might not be able to live in fucking Hudson Yards and a tower. You might have to live in a rural suburb, but like you could, you know? And so I don't know, I have unlimited optionality because of humility. I think that that's one part of it. The other part is the complete reverse. Go super hard. Go super hard. Like right now you know what it takes to get another three people to sign up. Well just fucking bleed out of your eyes for 18 hours a day, because that's what you want.

41:47Both are great in my mind. Taking a job for six months and burning out and hustling hard for six months, all are fine when you have responsibilities. I love how everyone's opinion of going hard is based on people that don't have responsibilities. Thanks, trust fund baby, for telling everyone not to burn out. This person has three kids and a mortgage. What do you want them to do? As someone who is an eight-month-old, but also has an entrepreneurial bent, out labor's hand, working for an entrepreneur, and a trust member, Gary, he needs the ball at the end of the game to shoot the game winning chip.

42:23he just, he's like, pass me the rock. I'm like a, I would love to assist. I want to be on the court. Working for an entrepreneur, here's a lot of times about this. You can be successful and be your own, but also have a loss. And you can change your mind. Back to what I'm really saying, which is I don't know how dire or something like that is, but don't eliminate that because there's momentum on this. You can restart that momentum in two seconds. I always use health and fitness with business because I think it's just a good comp. Like, yes, good news. Like, congratulations, you crushed it for three years.

43:00You lost 15 pounds, you gained a ton of muscle. Yes, you're a normal human that doesn't fully love it. Like me, I don't fully love it. You've had a bad six months, all the weight's back. That doesn't mean that tomorrow you can't get right. Like, it's just like tomorrow, like it's crazy. That's what's so awesome about life. I don't give a fuck about what you did yesterday. In fact, there's a reverse of it. I don't give a fuck of what I've accomplished in my career every single day for the last 28 years. If tomorrow I start making bad decisions, the movie ends poorly. Did that help? Super helpful.

43:33Good. I'm gonna work really hard. Yeah. That's the solution. And that's it. I can't go back. And then you gotta, then in your situation, you gotta look at wifey and be like, here's what's up. The mold, like Friday night, like we've been doing a good job, just us, you know, every two weeks, Friday night, I might lose that because I need those four hours now because I got to get a Saturday. This is where I hate societal, like what's supposed to be. Work-life balance. Who's what? Yeah, there's no should. This is something that I just know Gary would say. Is you're going to make social content, I assume, for your younger.

44:09You find someone in your neighborhood who does black mold, and you go, yo, I will make your content. Like I will like give you. It's a really good call. my dad had to get a new$30 ,000 sign he didn't want to pay because he's my dad and I've been consulting this Long Island sign guy where it's like this guy made out like a fucking bandit it looked at first like oh my god he's giving a$30 ,000 I'm like I was like he's gonna win and sure enough he really won and to your point based on this so something worth considering and by the way you literally put that post out because there's somebody who you just helped lose 50 pounds who's a black mold expert who might do it for free because humans are good.

44:53100%. That might have been the one. Good job, J-Mo. Awesome. Humans are good. Humans are good. That's the fucking biggest aha of it all. That's where people are confused. We're so good at focusing on the bad 0.01 % right now. It's got us all fucked up. Humans are fucking good. Straight up. The math is so obvious. Yes. Like I built my entire business while working at that job. Yeah, I worked full time. A hundred percent. And then when I did the stand, like when I started my stand store, I was still working full time. It was like 60 hours a week as a great strategist. My community and then my mentorship and yeah.

45:34It was a lot, but I did it a lot. You ready for this? I built GaryVee while I had a 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. job. That's actually the truth. By the way, I made content, 2006, 2006, I made content for eight years before I had one person on my team helping me make content. Wow, I think we all needed to hear that. Real talk. I found it made me less desperate to be good at the thing. It just made me good at it because I wasn't desperate for the results because I had some experience. Yeah, exact, for sure. Everyone's different. Some people, back to JMO, he's right about me. I need to be down one. I need the whole world watching.

46:12and I need to take the shot, because I'm okay with missing it. I need that. If you win the game, if you won the game, you'll be like, this is nothing. Yeah. But, yeah, I have something that I have to figure out. They're like, this is real, I've said this a lot publicly, but like, even just right now, like I can feel, like I weirdly want to lose. I really do. Like, I'm very, very comfortable being the underdog. I would tell you one of the challenges, probably answer, probably ground a little bit in your answer to your question. Like, you know, this part of my career is like different in that like I liked it when no one knew and no one understood and I was underestimated.

46:51Like now it's like when I'm like, Vayner hot dogs, everyone's like, oh, he's gonna sell a lot of hot dogs. I'm like, no, no, no. I need you to think I'm not gonna sell any hot dog. You know, like I need that. I like that. Yeah. Good to see you. You well? I'm doing great. Doing great. Tell me about your stand journey. Yeah. Yeah, so I started on Stan. It's not really because I really wanted to. It's almost, it really became like this weird necessity because I was just creating content, something that you said, I gotta get your flower, sir. You said, give people value and don't ask for anything.

47:26Do it for three years and then individuals will come to you. They will gladly give you your money. 100%. I didn't do it for three years. I couldn't wait that long. That's a long time, yeah, I get it. Because my DMs was just full of people's like, take my money, take my money. And I was like. And what kind of content were you making? I was just making stuff about real estate, acquisitions of businesses, how to, just anything. Entrepreneurial stuff. Entrepreneurial stuff. And I did that for a while, and just people just kept DMing me. Hey, I will pay you, I will pay you. As soon as you say I'll pay you, I say, well how much?

47:56You know? I really wasn't even that good at, you know, like giving people value. But I said, let me, I'll do free consultations, right? which I set up and stand, free consultations. You know, build an email list and that type of stuff. I did that and my email, my calendar filled up in 20 minutes, I was like, wow, 50 bucks, 20 minutes, $100 a day,$200. You guys all remember the calls where I was like, whatever you think it is, double? Was that a good learning? Yeah. Yeah, but you know, something that you said is that people, you know, at first I didn't really value my time because I didn't know what I was worth.

48:40Correct. And I didn't want to like, oh man, people are not going to pay$100 to talk to me for an hour. Correct. It doesn't seem natural to all of us. Yeah. When I started speaking, it was crazy. Like I just didn't even know that existed. I was like, I was 31 years old. I was like, really? I was like, this is crazy. Talking? Now I can really, I'm in. Go ahead. But yeah, so I just did that for years. I just started building up. But my bread and butter, I own a real estate company. I own multiple companies. Where do you live? I live in Florida. I commute from Florida to Orlando to Tampa, and I have houses in Atlanta, too.

49:22Very nice. I'm everywhere. Good. How much did you make in the challenge? I'm not to brag, but I did pretty good. I have like five stand stores, though. So we put them all together. I really won. But I think I came in second by like a couple grand or something like that. I'm not sure. The money is relevant. It just was, it almost was a side hustle. And I want everybody to kind of take this away from it, whoever's listening, regardless of where you are in your journey. I started as just because people asked for it. Or you don't know what people wanted until you present that information out there.

49:57And people just kept asking, asking, asking. I just raised the phrase, raised the phrase. It's one of the bigger things I think I brought to the game a decade ago. People just thought you should, like people were told that they should ask for money right up front. And I was like, no. Jab, jab, jab, right hook really changed a lot of things for a lot of people. Wrote that book 12 years ago. It was just give value. Everybody you love the most and admire the most is giving you value. Whatever it is. Super handsome. Like, you know, good advice. whatever someone that you love the most is giving you, they're giving you value.

50:36And the more they give you, the more you like them, the more you're connected to them. Yeah, but I just, you know, I was trying to think of a question to ask, but. You know all the answers, right? I don't know everything, but. But you've got a sense. We're similar. We're almost the same person. When I listen to you talk, it's almost like someone's. Reading your mind. Like my brain hopped out and said the same thing that you're saying. and I'm just like. Well, you sound very smart. Is there anything random? No. I want to give you something. Please. Well, this too. This is how long I've been a fan, you know what I mean?

51:12Oh, wow. Can I sign up for you? Yes, sir. That's all right. You got it. This was a good one. But then in 2017, that's the first time I came across you. I love it. Is this what made you aware of me? Yeah. I love it. But then, you know, I do a post about the give value and it just stuck in my head. And it was like give value. And you doubled down. And I just doubled down and made good money from it. I also want to give you a gift ticket. Please. Five seconds, five seconds. I'm gonna keep it short, keep it short. No worries. I'm gonna give you a Jets man. Yes sir, this is already good. This is already good, thank you.

51:43Alright, well keep going, you gotta go. Yeah, I'm going in, I'm going in. Signed football. Alright, see if you can identify any of the names. Oh my god, this guy's just on the 69 Jets. Yeah buddy. Very nice. Oh, this is the 69 Jets. That's incredible. That's all the people that signed it. It's not authenticated, but you know. Maybe I wrote some names on there too. So you don't know this. This is a really, really important thing for me. I think a lot of you are going to find. This is a replica. I very much believe in vintage toys as a collectible. And there's a company called Mego, which is this.

52:19And this is a replica of it. This was a very big action figure. Guys, Joe Namath was like the most famous person in America. He like, Joe Namath is one of the reasons, one of the significant reasons that American football is popular. He was the biggest heartthrob literally in America. He was literally the biggest heartthrob to all the girls. And like, he won a, when the Jets won their Super Bowl, they were, Sports Illustrated, which was the most important magazine at the time, predicted they were gonna lose 41 to nothing. They were 17 point underdogs and they won. And it's the greatest day of my life.

52:53unfortunately I was negative six. One more thing. It's one more thing. It's at the bottom. It's at the bottom. So there's a little story behind this too. This is another replica. The ring. Yeah, the ring. But it's going to bring you luck. You only can wear it on the games you want them to win. But you only can use it once a year. I'm going to wear it once a year. I need it 16. I need it 17 times a year. We need it 20 times. Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Let's clap it up for him. It's awesome.

53:25Do you have an opinion about why you think, and no offense to anybody, but why you think women dominated this contest? I just want to say on this too. I would love to hear. That's so funny. Obviously, when I walked in, I saw, like, you know. The first thing I noticed when I saw the list. Yeah. You know, it's funny. You may know, because you know me pretty well. I'm just going to say it. Man. God, I got so lucky. My mom was my hero my whole life. It never, I really genuinely, nobody cannot see gender, race, religion. Like I don't believe that's how humans work, but fuck man. Like I take note, but to me that's like not surprising, not like, it didn't make me feel like overly curious.

54:14It didn't make me think like. Anybody else notice it? Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I will say that I think currently in the landscape, women that do things for women are dominating. Women that do things for women are crushing right now, which I think is wonderful. Like, obviously men that do things for men or men that do things for women or women that do things for men all have the play. But there is currently, when you look at Substack, when you look at Stan, when you look at, you know, like the girls, girl thing. that women trust women in a way that is unique to the gender that's a little bit of a different version of that.

54:54But like, no, it didn't. Does that mean that more women are buying? Well, that's what I'm curious about. There has to be more than it's just women. It has to be like there's... I feel like we buy digital products all the time. I'll give you a broader thesis. Go ahead, go ahead, John. Please. Social media, but not just connection at scale. And so if you were to generalize the genders, which gender is more emotionally intelligent, is more inclined to connect with other human beings. It's women. Yeah, I mean, my whole life. Yeah, my whole life. You know, look, I think there's so many, I used to say this a lot until women and men, doctors and scientists and therapists would just bombard my inbox and say, there's no truth to this.

55:38I would used to say this, my whole platform for a little while was like, I'm just girly and I think that's a competitive advantage. like real talk because I am so empathetic and compassion sympathetic and I did like you know I grew up in a way where I'm like oh that's I did get that from my mom and I'm like oh it is even though by the way my grandma and sister don't have that at all so it's like you know like it wasn't like it wasn't like like anything there's no 100 % but yeah I mean we definitely see data in like selling online that the woman to woman thing is really working and again you know even in podcasting if you look at like the Giggly Squad or you know Alex Cooper and things like that.

56:19There's some indications to that. So you should take it seriously. Is Stan, like does it skew that way? Across the book? 70 % of our top 100 earners are women. Yeah. There's something that's worth it. What's crazy is for me during this challenge I think I became myself the most. I put more men in my community and I signed my first male mentee. Yeah. So I think that it really is the messaging. I'm very the opposite of a girly pop. I'm very honest. My students make a joke. They're like, marry me because I think it's so real. And the F word's my favorite word. But I literally tell them, you can't do this.

56:58So good. They appreciate it. Yeah. Most women, typically, with a softer approach, I guess. But that's also not true. It's not. 15 women in my program. Yeah. One boy, but still. Yeah. Yeah, it's, you know, again, I mean, like, I don't know. Like, I, by the way, I think stereotypes come from a place of truth. Let's start with that. Yet, I give no weight to stereotypes. I'm just not interested enough in the gen pop of it all. I'm just interested in you and you. Like, so, I don't know. Like, I think way too many people lead gender, race, income level, where they're born, country. now society's trying to get us to bucket ourselves into generations like boomers and Gen Zers.

57:45I mean, I got it. I understand. I just don't think it's that real when it comes down to the, I think I'm so practical and operational. I'm like, sure, all blah. Like, here's the stereotype. But Ricky is a 23-year-old Gen Zer who wants to work 19 hours a day. So where's his lazy? and here's a boomer that is wildly lazy. Like what's the, you know what I mean? And like to me, that's what shows up in my day to day. So I struggle, I really do think most people lead with what they see and I think it's a mistake. I think it's a strategic mistake. I think it's an emotional mistake. But I always take, to your point, right?

58:32Like I always take note. If you're seeing more women, then you're saying, or we're doing something, like if it's bringing money in. then it's like, oh, do we double down on that kind of messaging? Can we find that there's messaging that's resonating? I mean, I think, look, I think there's a lot to it. Obviously, I think a lot of you know this. I'm obsessed with live shopping. Yes. Right? And I've studied. What I'm very good at is when I get into something, I really go there. So I'm studying the origins of QVC. You know what I mean? Like why and how. And as you can imagine, those businesses, predominantly sold during the day, skew wildly women.

59:18And you look at department store behavior, like car salesmen skewed more men, department store on commission women, there's genres. I think it's just a good era right now that whatever the stereotype or the norms, because boys and girls are different, are happening, are very conducive. Yeah, exactly. It's awesome. But it's a really, I think there is, back to your 70 and 30, back to what I'm seeing in live shopping, yeah, I think it's a nice era if you're a lady that wants to sell, you might have a higher percentage from upside. I believe that to be true. I got, yeah, most of my mails came from TikTok Live when I was selling on TikTok Live.

1:00:02And I was like, what you're doing is fucking stupid. Like, stop doing it. And they're like, oh, we love this girl. And they were guys. and they came join my community. Yeah. Yeah. TikTok Live is an uncomfortably big opportunity and I love it because it pushes what I push on everyone to the limit because it's nasty in those comments. Because it's all people that don't know you. Yeah. They're calling you the keyword warrior. You know what I mean? And like it gets dirty in there. I mean, I would say every 50th, every, I mean, I get a billion comments when I go on. Like almost every other comment's like, Gary V's fall off needs to be studied.

1:00:36Like, all right. Like, because they think that me being live is like bad. Or like, I don't know, like not below me. Or like, you know, it's like, it's nasty in there. And it is the most worth it. Just got a struggle for an hour. Why do you say that? There's no platform on earth right now that you can have more people discover you that don't know who you are than TikTok Live because they just pound it in the FYP. I'm doing something to show my community at every time. Anybody watching my TikTok lives? Have you seen how many? About$2 ,000 worth of cards from you on your TikTok live. You see what I'm doing on there, right?

1:01:13Every time. I'm literally to show everyone. Because I'm always watch what I do, not what I say. I want you to replicate me because I know what I'm doing is right and it'll be good for you. In there every like 40 minutes, I'm like, hey, real quick. How many people here on this, the thousand of you on right now, how many of you have never seen me before have no idea who I am? I'm not talking about like you saw me once or you were interviewed for two minutes. in 17, I'm talking right this second, you're like, who the fuck is this? I've never seen this person. And then literally like 100 people say me.

1:01:43The other 900 people are like, what the fuck? And I'm like, yes. I'm like, millions know me, billions don't. This, right? And this is the platform of discovery and it's going to go away like everything that goes away in day trading attention. I think John should do it two hours a day. He's running a very big business and he's got a lot on his plate. I think he should do it two hours a day. I'm trying to do it two hours a day. I'm trying to do it two hours a day. I'm not, I had a bad week, because I know how it is, but like fuck man, all of you should be on it all the time. I was like struggling with leads, and so I went on lives, and I sold over 100 courses, and then I added them all to my community for one month for free, so that I could just funnel them into my mentorship, because they're gonna get access to me for four weeks for free.

1:02:28Correct. And I had so many guys join, because they were like, oh I've never joined a community before. Right, because your Instagram is now, most of your other, even your TikTok itself, they're kind of formulated to who you are. Like this just is super random, the FYP right now. That's it. Were you pitching in your live? No, I just, so I get a whiteboard and then I yell at them and I tell them everything we're doing is wrong and then they should do this instead. But you never pitch, right? I don't know. It's so interesting. No, at the end, at the end, I'll say, that's a mistake. That's a mistake for you.

1:03:02At the end? Yes, I'm trying to help you right now. I've tried both ways. No, no. I've made more sales too. You should do it at the end. But you do understand how many people you're losing along the way. So are you whiteboarding? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have to write on their link in bio. So I have like a text bubble like on the actual screen. Yep. That tells them where to go. Oh, good. Then you're fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, got it. Of course the hard push. I got it. Because they went the deepest. I just wanted to make sure you had the thing you have. You're good. Then I put it in the mirror. You're good.

1:03:32Oh, I love that. That's cool. Sense of urgency. Gamification. Sense of urgency. Human psychology. All right, so go ahead. Question. Oh, I did a countdown challenge to leading up to this day because I thought, I mean, I've been struggling for years. How do I actually scale what I do? Because I see patients one-on-one. I'd really love to see one to many. I've tried a lot of different things. As a countdown challenge, I launched a membership, enrolled 18 people in the last seven days. That's amazing. Made$8 ,000. Wow. So now I think that's proof of concept, but now I'm thinking sustainability, and I'm thinking future, I'm thinking AI, I'm thinking what could this grow into, and I just kind of wanted to open that up first.

1:04:16I think you quadrupled down on how the 8 ,000 happened. Before you worry about all the other tools, more content, more live streams, more content, more going live, building more connection, and then putting out a piece of content to see, like there's a lot of steps to get to, but like that's very good and has real potential. And I think back to like just working out, like just, you don't need to do anything fancy. We haven't maximized what the basic pushup is doing for you. Got it? You're in a basic pushup. We don't need any peptides. We don't need any fucking Iron Man. Like we're just starting to see a lift.

1:04:57It happened to me. I had no muscles in my life. and one time I was like, wait a minute, there's something here. And I didn't need to do anything crazy, more, better, a little bit more and so I think you're in that place because that 8 ,000 for you, based on everything I just heard, is four seconds away from 80 ,000 if you just stay disciplined for 100 days. Maybe pull back on some of my patient care hours and go deeper into the community aspect. Maybe. I also don't know what is happening in every other hour that you're doing in your life. so if you're watching four hours of Bridgerton at night like I'd like one back for more of this but if you are actually in your life like the work you put in like that's the maxima then yes from there but like it depends on when you're this is very important your hunger, your ambition where you are at this moment in life the first place I always want to pull from is not another place of resource of value and revenue it's from tell me every other hour right?

1:05:54Like for example I really I mean, I sometimes sleep six and sometimes four if I have to take a red eye or something like that. But if I can control it, I'm seven. So that I don't want to touch. But that means the other 17 I need to know. I'm a dad, I have a wife, I have life. But before I get into another hour where you're making money or doing something, I just want to know all the other hours. If those are not, what's that? Where would you put them? One hour a day, where first? TikTok Live. Yeah. I'm telling you, I'm telling you it's scary. What do you want from me? I've been very good at this for a long time.

1:06:35It's very real. And again, using ChatGBT of like, how do I get more viral? Because I'm getting 1 ,000 to 2 ,000. But there's a lot of tactics. Getting them to share, double tap the screen. The algo's very advanced at ByteDance. You mentioned, I mentioned Stand Store a couple times. it goes down because it doesn't want us to take off play. It's AI is sick. Like I've had a thousand I'm like go to befriends.com and I look up for a second and I'm down to 600. They like suppress your reach. They can, like it's the cre - you're like battling the algorithm of like how you, so I'm like oh TikTok's the best.

1:07:11Like you know, you're just like playing things but I would do that. I would get into your DMs. How many comments do you get on a social, how many social media posts do you post a day? One. Great. One a day. How many comments do you get? Not a lot, maybe five. Seven, great. DMs, two. Two or three. All of them need a reply. And you need to make a second piece of content. And you need to go live for 30 minutes. And all of that will lead to 80 ,000, not eight. All of it. Awesome. Thank you. You're welcome. And you know what the best part is? And now you know it. Again, it's back to you when you jumped in in week six.

1:07:46And now you know it. Like the key is to get first people to get there. right like that hump I mean having a dad like that having your whole life again just because I just lived it I know what happened in those five hours prior to the sixth one I there was a lot of good stuff that could have gotten you there you know like but once you taste it and you know it to be true then you're cooking how's it going man good to see you my biggest question because I know you're short on time isn't going to be for me it's okay for everybody else okay is uh because I know it's a big bottleneck for people if you were stripped away from everything your brand your name, your face.

1:08:21Yep, I got it. How would you start over? Like in YouTube specifically, just because that's like my world, or maybe not if you want to go broader, how would you start over right now if you had like 90 days to get to... I would make as much social media content as possible of either something I was passionate about, something I knew, or something that I was willing to document me learning about. Period. End of story. Easy peasy. Black and fucking white. Period. That. Documenting over creating. Yeah, in that scenario. You know, just like, this is insane that this exists. You couldn't afford baby food, you made$90 ,000.

1:09:02I don't know what to tell you. Like, you're not special. That's what I'm trying to tell everyone. This is now real. I wrote this book. It came out in 2009. It's called Crush It. It's profoundly maybe the best thing I'll ever do in my career. I myself don't respect what I did. It was all there. Go read it. The internet's here. You can make money on YouTube and Twitter and Facebook. Everyone laughed. They laughed at me. In there I say 100 ,000. They laughed. Impossible. Snake oil. Now it's like scary how real this is. So it's content. It's fucking content. Now why I got addicted to Stan in a world where 9 million things I'm like ooh, that's a nice thing to send the content to that has a lot of flexibility that I think is built in a way that the normals will understand.

1:09:52And here we fucking are. I'm wearing a purple fucking hat.

1:09:58Right? Yeah, yeah, 100%. That's it, it's the content. The key is, back to the carrots analogy, what content? Are you better to, most people got fucked up in the early days because they thought they had to be an expert and people postured and they bullshitted. I'm a business expert. I'm like, that person is not a business expert. You know, like I was saying to John earlier, a woman right now is starting to make content on literally the day she felt the beginnings of menopause and it's going to crush. She's just documenting it. Like, you know, super easy. Like, since her life, I mean, I get why so many women would choose not to share that.

1:10:35That doesn't confuse me. By the way, I choose, you guys know me, I choose to share none of my personal life. like everyone gets to choose but like it's going to work because she just has to talk about what just happened today i think there's a lot of massive content creators yet to be done i'm we have not yet seen someone fully i'm sure it's out there everything at some point's out there but the person that has their husband walk out on them and their first post ever starts right then the documentation of going through a separation. Do you know how many fucking people that would? Now let me do something a little more positive.

1:11:13Like literally the mom and the daughter that decide to document their daughter learning how to ride a bike. An incredible three to five weeks content. Like the documentation opportunity, if you're really willing. So, but like there's just, like anybody can do anything. Like somebody's gonna break out for making content around getting a haircut once a week.

1:11:37I'm a bit serious. You like that one, right? See, see? Some of you are like, yeah. Just like, I don't know, everything. All of it. When you say everything, all of it, like I know right now the landscape's very interest media focused. How would you document over create like you're saying, but while keeping it like interest media focused so that you could scale with, going not against the grain of the algorithms, but kind of with - The algorithm is not anything other than people's interest. The algorithm doesn't exist. It's audience, yeah. It's audience. Audience and algorithm are one interchangeable word.

1:12:14This is an important thing to understand. It's just, are people interested? Most people cannot get the world interested in them by documenting their weekly trip to the barber. But everyone here knows some can, because they are magic. I have a funny feeling I can do anything and it will work. And I think that there are, I think most people have a version of what, I think I have more options, but I think everyone has some options. Right? What do you think that trade is? This is something interesting. I've read a lot of autobiographers like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos to try to figure out the disruptors, quote unquote.

1:12:53What is the one thing they do different than most other people? Those guys are inventors though. We have to also talk about that part. But like Mark Zuckerberg, for example, MySpace existed before Facebook, right? He just, I feel like he had this similar thing to you where like he took something. He's an op, all those guys. So Steve's not an operator. Steve's an inventor and a salesman. Bezos is an operator. Mark Zuckerberg is an operator. You know, I'm not on that plane, but I'm an operator. So, you know, Elon's a real inventor, like Thomas Edison shit. That's like an inventor inventor. And has operational capabilities.

1:13:32You know, like everyone's different. I mean, Steve put operators around him. But Steve also went out of business. Like, because he's so much of a creator. You know, everyone's different. Yeah, yeah. Everyone's different. Awesome. Appreciate it. Cheers. So my question for you is, I'm also a teacher and a parent, and I just gave my 30-day notice for my teaching job. Wow. I love what I do. Is that because of this all? Essentially, yes. Yeah, it makes sense. Yes. But what worries me is about, I think that I'm so good at what I do because I'm in the dirt and I love coaching people and I love getting my hands in there.

1:14:06And I do one-to-one consulting as well and I coach people with kid videos. But like, I'm worried about getting that hands-on experience still to keep myself fresh and also potentially use as content. But then it's other people's children and so how that would work. Well, I mean, you can go generic. I talk about a lot of business meetings where I try to mask who I actually talk to. Right? So you can go thematics. You don't need to be like, little Ricky Magoo on 42nd Maple Street, son of John, right? You could be like, there was this little boy. Yes. You could even say there was a child. That's why I do that now, but I mean like working with a parent physically, like that aspect is what I'm worried about not having.

1:14:45Well, so do physical stuff. Yeah. You could create, for example, If you're saying you feel different physically than you do virtually in what you're doing, you could create a non-profit component where people apply to work with you physically once a quarter for two people or 10 people just so you can taste it. It could be content for you and it's a good give back. Or it could be a business. Right, yeah. Listen, people will fly in for you. This goes back to your worth. Like, you know, like, a lot of us didn't think somebody would pay$1 ,000 to talk to us for an hour. The next step is, wait, somebody, right, somebody would fly in and spend three days with me.

1:15:30So, like, you can replicate that in a different way. It's kind of like everyone's argument with me in college. I'm always bashing on college, especially if you're collecting debt and you're creative or entrepreneurial. And people are like, parents are really, really shook when I take it. They're like, yeah, Gary, but what about the experience of being around people and leaving home? I'm like, go to Europe. You don't need to, like, you can replicate growing up at 18 to 22, not by getting into$100 ,000 in debt. You can just go get a job in Kansas City. You can go to Norway. Like, you can grow up.

1:16:06You don't have to be a teacher to be in the trenches. You can replicate it in a different way. You understand? You can do boot camps. You can do a summer camp business. I don't fucking know. You can do anything. Like an in-person summer camp. 100%. You might love that. Yes. You like that one, right? I do a lot. Yeah, see. Isn't that good? Yes, I do. I like it. You like that? Give me some. That was a good one. Yeah. I appreciate it. Thank you.

1:16:31Yeah, I mean, that's why I use that college analogy. You're golden. I get why you value it. By the way, I value it. It's why my agency crushes because of Gary Vee. I'm the most practitioner of the craft. But you can replicate it. Okay. Thank you, Gary. Yeah, for me, I had deleted Instagram for four years. Completely. No social media at all. And then I decided I will start posting two times a day for two years straight. Why? Because I thought, I just knew I had to do it. I don't know why. You just sensed it. I just sensed it. It was hovering in your head for a long time or somebody said something somewhere and you just went?

1:17:05I just went because I heard it like everywhere and I was just like feeling like I cannot relate anymore. Like I was missing out. Got it. Got it. Yeah, by the way, that's my big argument to like, where the world, like everybody trying to protect their kids from technology. I'm like, by the time these five-year-olds are 18, we're gonna be in VR and AR glasses. Like, technology's coming in deeper, not like, but nonetheless, go ahead. Yeah, and I had an agency in Switzerland doing website designs, branding, so I kind of had to. I got it, got it. You're from a business standpoint. Now I understand.

1:17:37Yes, and just my husband and I, we had it together and he was absolutely against social media just for himself. So I had to do it. And I did it and I saw that there was a big opportunity for mobile editing. Mobile editing. Mobile editing. Yeah. Because people just love the way that I edit up my videos. Yes. And I sense that there was a market for it. Yes. And people were actually commenting under every single video, not about the content of the video, but how much you edit it. They edit it. I was like, okay, there's a market for it. Then I started a page called Mobile Editing Club where I wanted to teach that.

1:18:06Yep. And then the whole AI wave came. Yes. I was like, okay, wait a second. Let me just try that. Yes. I did try it and it just blew up. I had like 12 or 15 ,000 comments underneath it. And I was like, okay, I think there's opportunity there. Yes. And all of them wanted to like know how I did it. Yep. So we launched a$99 guide. And in the stand challenge we made 145K. So we were top of the year. So that was really cool. And now we've even crossed six figures a month. Wow. A month. A month, yeah. And now we're at a point. John got excited. and you were first too yeah

1:18:50go ahead at the same time we got more than 1 ,000 project inquiries that we could not handle because at the moment it was just like my husband and I and we were like now at the point where we have project requests from like big brands that could bring a lot of credibility at the same time we have the opportunity to launch more projects. Sorry, more products. I understand. By the way, as you can imagine, I've lived a chapter of that. I think you just have to, I obviously decided I'm going to monetize the boulders at VaynerX versus the pebbles of my community. I don't think there's a right or wrong.

1:19:30I think everyone just has to play their game. You know, I have monetized the pebbles through books or collectibles or wine. So I got to a place where I did both. You will, if this keeps going and you keep doing a good job, you will do both. My intuition is, you may know this because you had an agency, I want you to build more leverage with the pebbles for a little bit longer. The boulders are always there. Does that make sense? Yeah, it's like time sensitive at the moment. Correct. All the AI space, everybody wants to learn it. I think the, you can always go to the boulders. Does that make sense?

1:20:06Yeah, absolutely. So in this exact moment with very little details, but enough to make me, usually you can hear, like optionality, you can go hard, I like optionality, back to parenting, right? Like I don't think they're, you know? But I will say in this one, I think tripling down on the little pebbles, because your profile will get bigger. Yeah. Right? We're just at Instant Run right now. Correct, there's all the others. and you'll just, my intuition is that the pebbles are the right way to go. But if you're in the mood to take one big client because you and your husband want to, again, it's not a binary black and white, but my intuition is more pebbles.

1:20:42Okay, and then there's like life events. People want to have life events. Makes sense. So it's kind of like, Yeah, look, I mean, look, I would argue my biggest challenge professionally is that I'm crippled by opportunity. And I'm crippled by real opportunity. You know? So, I would say that you make choices. And then you live with them. As long as you're good at making choices that in hindsight were mistakes, as long as you can be that strong, then you're golden. Yeah, okay. All right? Amazing, thank you so much. You're welcome, of course, of course. Thank you. Congrats. The TikTok Live question.

1:21:20So like, I haven't gone live in 100 years and then I was doing a final push. And I'm glad you said that. Some of you have probably tried live. Live wasn't good for a long time. Instagram live, you go on, they ping your followers, and then your number, whatever your number is, 100, and then a second later, it's 12. I'm 1 ,000, and then it's like 150. TikTok's the reverse. It just keeps giving you people that don't know you. It just keeps, what else do we want? Is it quality? Ish. Ish. You heard her. The people sell to me is a micro commitment, so why not put them into a group? Ish. where they - No, I'm sold on that.

1:21:57I'm just saying is there - Ish. YouTube's is so good at finding the right person. Ish. Ish. But it's a real fire, but it's good. People are interested, they'll just swipe by for like a millisecond and then they stop. They're like, oh, you said the right word at the right second that they said it. Yeah, it's a whole science. It's QVC. The reason they used to pull people after one show is like, you didn't sell enough. But here you don't get kicked off. You just keep refining. Come. So my question is pretty much pertaining to, in a space where people are just obsessed with education, I coach UGC creators to build personal brands to attract brand deals and there's a lot of information out there.

1:22:32Everyone's obsessed with education. If any of them want jobs, I'm being dead serious, you should talk to Sid. We are just constantly hiring people here often with just enough UGC experience that we can teach them. I literally have a community of over 200 people and a mentorship for the over 50 and they would love that. Connect. That's for all of you to know. Let's do it. We're just hiring constantly. A lot of people know pretty quickly. they're like, okay, I can really do this by myself or this is awesome, I'm good, but I need to go work somewhere for a couple years to get better and we're that place.

1:23:01Yeah, so my community is called Six Figures After Five and I built it because I built my business nine to five, yeah, I got it. But then I eventually changed the meaning when I quit my job, which was only six months ago or seven, eight months ago now. And I changed the meaning to pretty much anyone, a parent, a student or whatever. Yeah, even a five-year-old. There you go, even a five-year-old. I'm good at commercials. From that logic, I want to know, I mean, I try to give different value. And this competition just forced me to just be myself. I'm like, if I'm aggressive, too aggressive for you, then I'm not your person, but if I'm aggressive enough.

1:23:36How many people here, when they first came across me, I'd like to think you like me now, but first came across me, did not love it. Oh, I was obsessed with you. Yeah, there you go. If you say the delivery. Yeah, yeah, by the way, you'll appreciate this. Whether it's the delivery, whether it's a word, whether it was the cursing, whether I was a white dude, like everything's allowed. It's a very binary question. Some of my best friends are white. I got it. But you know what I mean, right? So, right? That, like, that's very important. That's very important because whether, you know, I know for sure my personality is my whole life.

1:24:09I've moved multiple times. It is full obsession or full fuck you. But I am who I am. The fuck you, especially like when I moved to like schools or if you knew me, like give me three hours. The fuck you goes, wait a minute. You know, like, because I am who I am, online I don't get that luxury. So that fuck you can stay for a while until I pop up in the algorithm with the right piece of content or when someone that you trust really knows me, like, are you crazy? Do you know this? And then it's like, oh, wait a minute, maybe I'm, so you need to be you all the way. Oh, so yeah, I am now. I know. More or less.

1:24:42So even more. No, no, that. Yes. Whatever is, honestly, I mean it. Whatever is still left, know that that's the thing that has the most upside. By the way, I apologize because I'm just helping everyone. Go look at the first 80 episodes of Wine Library TV. I was so scared that all the people that were buying hundreds of thousands of dollars of wine from me at the time would watch one of these videos and see that I was silly. So the first 80 of Wine, literally you got to go look at this. The first 80 episodes of Wine Library TV, I'm chill. I'm like very straight. And then like out of nowhere, like episode 84, it's who you know.

1:25:22and literally the second I did that first episode of Who You Know was the rest of my life. And by the way, what you saw from 180 was me. Just, I was, you know, just had my foot, you know? And like you clearly put more on and I'm just saying whatever's left. And that's what I do on the lives, honestly, more or less. And sounds like the lives are going well for you. So weird. So that's my other question, like, or my question, but literally in a space where there's so much education available, how, and people are talking about the same topics over and over again. They want to hear it from you. Well, they're collecting education.

1:26:00How do you get them to actually. By yelling at them more. Okay, so I just have to keep doing what I'm doing? Correct, yes. Because I didn't know it was going to be the sixth one for her when I went. Yeah. Love, razz, joke, passive aggressive, direct to their face like you fucking suck. Like give up on them. make them come back. When you're obsessed like I am, to get people there, you're not in control. You're only in control of your effort and your ability to have different moves. Yeah. So I'll just keep it pushing then. I've been pushing for 20 years. No, that makes complete sense. My key for you is all the way.

1:26:40Because I think there's a little bit left and I think it's the real thing. Give that some thought. I will. I have one little tidbit. So right now, I push a lot of testimonial type of content because my students are always talking and whatnot. Yeah, of course. Do you think that that's still a smart move? Will people get exhausted? Then people get exhausted and I think people, over time, if you go just, if you're too much of that content, it's just... Oh, it's not. It's just like once in a while. Oh, then you're golden. I would say it's like food. Everything's good a little bit. You know? If you were 90, 80, 70 % testimonial, it would feel too salesy, but a little sprinkle of the testimonial, it's pretty good.

1:27:25Really good value. Can you put like a little bit like testimonial? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I would say, that's why I wrote Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook started writing for all of you in the world that were just selling in every post. I was like, no, no, you have to give, give value. You know who ended up helping the most? The people that were scared to throw the right hook. the people that thought selling was yucky. That's who it ended up helping the most. So yes, you should. Hi. Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Sophie. Hi. How are you? Thank you. How are you? Good, good. So my kind of stand journey is pretty, well, I say new.

1:28:01It's been like a year and a half, two years now. But I have something called endometriosis. It's a condition that, yeah, 10 % of women have it. It's crazy. And I was like bed bound 50 % of the month. It was awful. Wow. And so I had like all of these great jobs with Procter & Gamble and Amazon. So I was super capable, but the pain was just horrendous. And I was like, other people do social media. Why can't I give it a go? Because I had a hobby blog educating people on my kind of journey, but not giving anything else. Right. So decided to train to be a women's health practitioner. Learned about this crazy protocol and just started vlogging it.

1:28:34So to your point earlier about documentation, I didn't have a business. I was just vlogging day one, day two, day three. And it blew up. And then in all my comments, they were like, please, can you make a guide? So I made a guide, was like in the gym on a stay master being like, how do I sell digital products? Because I don't understand technology at all. And then Coco Mocha, a TikTokian YouTuber, made a video about Stan. It was like, people sell them on this. So I did it. And I went from making like£1 ,000 a month to the point where I was like, going to have to go back to my old job. And we made£100 ,000 in our first month just from auto DMs on like one guide that was like£25, which is insane.

1:29:10So John reached out on Instagram and has like since changed my life because anytime I need help, I'm like, John, that's the worst. And he, again, like you were saying with Gary, like text me back every single time. And then because of all of those sales, I was able to publish this book. Amazing. Which I would love to give to you. Thank you. So it's called Anti-Inflammatory 30 Day Reset. Because of the auto DMs on Stan, it's a number one Sunday Times bestseller, which is like insane. And it's just because of the auto DMs as well. And I know that you said your wife is like really into this house.

1:29:37Yes, loves. She will love that. Yes. My whole thing now is I'm so lucky and grateful that I've found the answers for myself. And I want to help other people find those two. I've started a women's health brand called Found. And the whole point of it is to be the home of women's health. So if you ever have any questions about periods, menopause, whatever it is, you come to Found. Yep. So we have. Like the not was for weddings. Yes, exactly. Okay, understood. Keep going. So at the moment we have guides. we've just launched a membership and we're going to launch a course, which is like a course version of the book.

1:30:11If you were in my shoes, what would the next 12 months be? Aside from content, because I know that content is absolute king, but aside from content. Surrounding yourself with talented people and paying them to do things that you don't like to do. What would be your key hires? Like what are the immediate - What don't you like to do? Yeah, all of the operations. Like I remember we were talking about this when you were in London. I love the creative, I love the talking like you. So you need a COO, you need an operating head. Yeah, and you think that would be sufficient over getting like a co-founder?

1:30:45Yes. Because that's something I've been thinking about. You can get a co-founder second. Okay. No, you know, you don't marry the first person that you think you want to date, you date them. Yeah. You could get a head of operations and you may be like, oh my God, Johnny, oh my God, Sally, you've been so profound to me, I want to give you equity. Sally and John are like, what the fuck? You're the best. We'll do it. Because they just signed up for a job. No, I would not do a co-founder. Okay, so CEO first. Okay, interesting. If you're pop committed to the content and you're pop committed to the content everywhere.

1:31:23Everywhere. Then the next thing in parallel is the hiring because you're starting to hit scale of people that you really want to be in the trenches with doing jobs that you don't want to do. Okay, and then my second question, my last one. We talked about how if you're a woman, trying to help women, this is actually the best time. My ultimate goal is that we have clinics that people can come to and retreats to have transformational experiences. Well, the good news is you know this is coming. Yeah. Right? The education's getting up. I know it because Mona's so deep in all the different things. So that's good.

1:31:58It's going to happen. You just want to be a part of it. Yeah, exactly. When it comes to some of that, there's like significant investment that you need into it. I want you to keep growing your top line revenue in your business so that you have more leverage when you decide to raise capital. Okay. Got it? Yeah. What's that? I said 100%. Yeah. Like everybody thinks, everybody wants to raise capital early because they don't have the capital. We now live in a world, especially with something like Stan, where you can make money. The more money you can make, the more leverage you have for when you raise capital.

1:32:30The end. So I started real estate agent. My college professor was like, you're going to be an amazing real estate agent. I went into that and I did great. I had two babies under two and I'm like, there's no way I'm going out and cold calling and knocking on doors. I'm going to do one to many approach. I got started in Idaho where no one was making content. And so they looked at me and was like, what are you doing? Like you're selling houses on Instagram and you don't have to leave. And you're the top producer in our market. And I'm like, yeah, I am. they're like, tell me what you're doing. I need to know.

1:32:59And so I started one-to-one, launched my course on Stan. This is like two, now three years ago. And it blows up. And I'm like making the six figures every month. And it's just crazy. I'm like, I can't even keep up with what's happening. How much was it? I went all high ticket. How much? So that course started out at like 2 ,500 bucks. And then I've just raised my prices since. Again, I just want to, there's certain people here that need to hear what I'm about to say. In real estate, there's a saying, it takes as much effort to sell a$25 million home as it does a million dollar home. Exactly. You heard me multiple times on the weeks of like higher, higher.

1:33:36You may be thinking, well, mine's not selling that well at lower, but I'm saying if you've been listening, recontextualize it to the four-week challenge for Valentine's. Keep tuning. Keep tuning. You understand? There's a lot more in this room. You might feel good. I feel like anxiety because I'm like, there's a lot more in a lot of you. tuning, recontextualize make it, whether it's a digital product or an access to you or a group or a sauce thinner like keep tuning but most of all understand if you keep tuning it allows you to do that right? LVMH is you know, Louis Vuitton bags is better than Kate Spade's bags as a business right?

1:34:17Average price but it's a bag go ahead. So true yeah like for this Dan Challenge I probably sold a third of what a lot of y 'all sold but my price point was just a lot higher so anyway all that to be said i take off end up not completely leaving real estate but obviously this becomes my full-time thing everyone and their mom wants to know how do you stand and how to use it and so now my dms of how do you sell on real estate on instagram are becoming jenna let me pay you to teach me what you're doing i want to do it makes sense and so i transition into that i'm also big Big on my family, big on faith.

1:34:51Love traveling and documenting and all these things. So I struggle with his conversation of build the personal brand, also having the business in my content because I'm like, I want to talk about, we do flips and we do so many fun things with our life and our kids and homeschooling and all this stuff and then it's like, and also I have this business to run that requires a lot of my time and content on that same page. Anyway, all this to be said. You do mix it. I do mix it in very much. and I know that's why a lot of people find me because they relate to me on something else. But the part that I'm struggling with the most is one year ago today at the top of my career making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month I step away.

1:35:30I shut the whole thing down overnight. Why? Burnout. Complete burnout. Makes sense. And it was... Why did that happen? Because I didn't hire leverage. Because I did it myself. Isn't that awesome? The fact that you can answer the question? Is that bad or good? No, it's so good. It's so good. It's so good. It's so good. It's like, I'm telling you, a lot of people, like one of the, actually, I don't give my dad enough flowers for this. My dad, there was always things in my, me and my siblings of like, dad loves the liquor store more than us. Dad loved the liquor store more than he loved himself. I grew up watching someone putting everything back into the business.

1:36:14So it just became my culture. I mean I ran this company, Vayner, got it? This is where it's, because a lot of us that come into it are like, ooh, now I got the money, now let's go buy a new bouncy for the kids, and a new car, and employees. Yes. We did that, but we invested it in like, real estate opportunities. Makes sense. But, makes sense, correct. And so I burned out on that, but now, I've got, I have something to show for the money, because we invested all of it. and so that's great but now it's like yeah now I'm restarting and I well I relaunched everything in the spring of this last year and so slow I'm like I can speak to any person who's relaunching and selling and not getting anything and I'm like you just it just takes time now I have a flourishing business again we've been hitting a couple of six figure months again and I'm like so you're on the cusp of being back but like something feels off yes you're doing the same pattern I know I know.

1:37:15And I did bring someone in. I did finally bring someone in. But it might not be right. I know. I know.

1:37:23I know. No, I know that's the answer. Of course it's the answer. You hit it though. That'd be like me saying to everyone, you have to make a pasta dish. You're like, okay, I gotta make a pasta dish. But if it doesn't taste good, like we defeated the, you have to make a delicious pasta. You have to hire the right employees. And you have to learn how to become a better boss. yeah yeah yeah and who you how you're raised plays such a big role in this you don't say parents were a tight wad and like give all the money of course right notice how I even preempted that by saying my dad loved the store more than him and gave the money all to the store we always are like man you know like we know what the financial like I know the financial journey I went through but I was like man it felt like Like we were way more poor than we should have been and I was like, oh, right.

1:38:15My dad actually didn't take any money. It was all going back to business and right, my mom is very cheap and never bought us anything. Like that's it. You know, like that was our life, you know? Is there, this is maybe a more practical question, but is there like a percentage that you look at like, oh, your business is making 500 ,000 or a million, like you should spend this much on, what is it? As much as humanly possible. Okay. Based on who I am, I'm trying to build an empire. You may not want to build an empire. Thus meaning you can take more for you to buy an umbrella or a Big Mac or another car.

1:38:50But the answer is the answer I gave you. Jenna, right now you're running like a 95 % profit margin business. I know. So you get this. And I don't have a mortgage anymore. So the average public company is somewhere, it depends on the growth level. Let's say anywhere between 10 to 30 % profit margins. So that's a large at-scale business. like billions of dollars, you guys have to recognize the difference between y 'all's profit margins. You can afford to spend 5, 10 % a year. You'll love this. Do you know who hates me most in this entire building? I'll walk you over. He's over there. He's the CFO.

1:39:20The chief financial officer. Do you spend too much money or why does he? I'm just, yes, but not on dumb shit. Like, hey, Sid, go take everybody out and eat dinner. In fact, I'm too tight on that. It's on more people, more investment in the company. Like, because we're going to live next year and I want to live next year. Back to what I said to you earlier when I had a bad year, over-invested against, we were slow, now I have a little bit of an understanding of how that happened and why. The more you put back in, and you know what you're going to love? I can already tell, you're emotional, like me.

1:39:52I'm emotional. I'm very emotional. You're going to love having the right employees. I love Sid, crazy stupid. I love Sid, like, no, but you know, like it's really, really real. You're going to love it. Once you get your crew, you're going to have a family business. You're going to have three new best friends. The only friends I have are people that work for me. They're the only friends I have. I hired my students. You're going to love this. You're now judging it based on what happened. It's the wrong hire right now. But when you get the right two, I can see it already. I can see it. I'm good at this.

1:40:29You're going to have four employees. It's going to be a fucking sisterhood. You guys are going to fucking cook. I can't wait. Thank you so much. You're welcome.

1:40:41You're going to love Jenna. I'm telling you, you're going to love it. It's going to be your social circle. You said you want to build an empire. Yes. What is the why behind that? And I just ask because... I got a real answer. Ready? I actually have my answer. I'm wildly curious. I'm wildly curious how big I can make it. Nothing else. Straight curiosity. I'm just wondering. It's like, you know, it's so funny. Back to health and wellness, never interested in how far I can run, how much I can lift, and I look at it in other people, I'm like, that's crazy, that's stupid. I don't, that's, but in this, it's the only thing I'm interested in.

1:41:21In terms of scaling? Yeah, just curious how good I am at the game. Mm. Because I know the results are the truth. Like, if I don't get it to where I think I can get it, I wasn't good enough. That's sick. Yeah, I think so too. I think so. When I finally had my, because I thought about it for a while, I'm like, is this, you know, because for a while, I'm like, is this insecurity? Like truly, like everyone's in your own field. And I knew it wasn't because of everything you kind of know about me. I'm like, is it delusional self-esteem? That was a big thesis for a little while. I'm like, no, this is my fucking game.

1:41:56Honestly, when the Kobe story started to come out about like how he like the day after surgery just desperately wanted to be in the gym and start practicing. I'm like, I get you. And then I've got another analogy. I really, it's my favorite one. I like beach vacations. Like when I vacation, I want to be off the grid, do nothing, nothing. Because I go so hard. I started going those nicer vacations at a point in my life. And there's this thing I want to paint to you. Yeah, I'll be able to get this one. There's a thing I want to paint to you. I would watch a kid like cliche Turks and Caicos I would just lay on the beach from 9am to 7pm right and just listen to music and think and draw in the sand and that's how I liked it but once in a while there'd be a kid or two kids and they would build an immaculate sandcastle all day and then about 5.30 5.45 like this is just I saw this this happened like two or three times and it finally clicked for me like the parents would call they'd be like Johnny let's go like dinner like we're gonna go eat dinner and this motherfucker spent eight hours building this immaculate thing and he would just look at it and be like and run and smile and I'm like that's me.

1:43:10I just want to see how big I can build it and then I actually don't give a fuck about it. I'm very detached from my career. I'm fully detached. I could give a fuck about Gary V. How did you get to the place where it doesn't define you? Because I feel like I'm still struggling with like so much of like I'm still trying to figure out None of it defines me. Because I have my definition somewhere else. Because it's a game like you said, right? My definition is if people think I'm a good guy. Was that always the case? Yeah, in hindsight. I didn't know it was always the case. Have you ever worried? About what?

1:43:48Anything? Yeah, I worry about everything. I worry about nothing besides health. Because I'm not in control. Got it? I'm in full fucking control. Do you believe God is in control? Yeah, to some degree I do. God, I believe in God. So yeah, destiny. I believe in serendipity. I believe in like shit happens. Like, I'm not sure God's like sitting up there like, I'm gonna put a chicken bone in that throat and they're gonna die. I'm not sure like that's how God, I don't think that's how God is cooking. So I believe in enough things that know that I'm not in control. But everything else, we're all in control.

1:44:26and this is what I want for you badly, now I'm starting to understand you a little with that sentence, when you can tune them all out. My greatest skill set by far is humility. It's not obvious, but like, and it's easy for, you know, it's a funny thing to say, I'm humble, right? But like, I know it because I don't hear all of you when you say I'm the best, which allows me to not hear you when you say I'm the worst. I can't hear it. I'm in the arena. I'm in the arena. You're the stands. We're all in the stands for each other. You're all in your arena and we're all the fans. And we're like, you can't score.

1:45:06You're good. We should trade you to another team. We're the fans. You're the only one in the arena. I'm in the fucking arena. I can't take your judgments, your praise, or your shitting on me to the field. I gotta play the game. The second you detach from that, everything changes. You know? You have nothing to prove to no one. Most of all, not yourself.

1:45:37Yeah. My stand journey actually goes back about three years or so. I basically help couples ditch the hug and waddle and learn how to slow dance. That's incredible. Yeah. That is what I do. That's so good. Thank you. Good for you. Okay. Yeah, and I started with Stan too. I was so grateful when I found it because I was teaching in person. I've been teaching ballroom dancing since I was 16. Yeah. And then I got this idea that I wanted to bring about a slow dancing revolution because I was starting to learn all the benefits of learning how to dance and I was just seeing what it was doing for these couples in front of me.

1:46:10And so I loved that Stan, you know, paired with social media, gave me the opportunity to a slow dancing revolution. So I've had over... What do you sell? So Slow Dancing 101 date night course and there are a couple of other ones but then I also choreographed first dances for people which is really, really fun. And so now over 8 ,000 people have ditched the Hug and Waddle through the Slow Dancing 101. So it's all digital products or there is some virtual components? There's a little bit of virtual when it comes to the first dance choreography but not on the date night courses. It's all filmed, everything's broken down.

1:46:43They can cast it to their TV, have a little date night in the living room kind of thing. So I am looking to expand. I'm gonna do like a six month container. You were talking about implementation of like helping couples actually just work on intimacy and play in the relationship. Yeah, you just took that. Like, cause that's the first proc. Like you're doing something very important and I think there's some real building blocks. Yes, for sure. That gets into like, the value of salvaging of marriage is very high. Emotionally and for some people financially. Real talk though. Like there's a lot of people who are in a marriage that they're struggling with and the only reason they're staying in it is financially.

1:47:22So they would love the opportunity, especially a lot of people, the more money that's being made is actually the more they're staying in it, which means they could pay a lot of money for someone that could actually unlock certain parts of their marriage. Like my glute med, literally, by the way, I'm just very fascinated by this. It is literally not functioned for 30 years of my life. my brain has made literally I don't know John I'm very into this my QL and my ad doctor have done all the work for what everyone else here has their meat for it's literally not connected that is happening in marriages why I'm using that analogy they can't see it and you're doing a little a moose bouche with what you're doing I think you could have something that's 30 ,000 a month.

1:48:16For sure. For a person. I'm telling you, I'm around a lot of wealthy people. There are people that would pay$90 ,000 for three months to get a lot of access to you if they went through the whole funnel. Right? Right? Because it's worth it for them. Again, either through the way they put marriage on a pedestal emotionally or just very practical. I don't want to get a divorce because I'm going to lose half my wealth. Real shit. There's something very there. Anyway, nonetheless. I'm grateful. No, it's very validating because, oh, just a tiny bit more about my story before the question with it is, I was a very young entrepreneur.

1:48:53Like, I started my company when I was 18, and then I went through a startup incubator at Georgia Tech. I have a different startup that I work on that's building out a platform to connect in-person instructors with people. But it was interesting because, like, my first relationship was a three-year relationship. I thought it was my person. Fell apart horribly and very publicly. I have over a million followers across all platforms, and it was like a huge, oh my gosh, I'm a fraud. Like I'm - Right, right, right. I'm teaching you. Right, right, right. And so it was interesting because I was lucky enough a couple years later to meet my now amazing husband who dances with me and really helps with the business which is phenomenal.

1:49:27And so now, you know, that was the biggest stake decision. I realized that was the biggest decision I was going to make in my life is who am I waking up with every morning? What kind of person is this? And so I'm really excited to build out that container. Well, as I'm doing that, I am expanding my team and I'm finding like I'm a pretty type B entrepreneur. I'm also a vampire. I like to operate on night shifts. That's when my best work is done. Me too. But that doesn't really work with building out a team. Not true. So what are some? Not true. Oh, really? Okay, I would love to like hear how I can be there for my team if I'm a bat.

1:50:00Hire vampires. Okay. Oh, I love that. Yeah. I have a night owl too. Yeah. Yeah. I need to find my crew like Jenna does, yeah. Yeah, yes. Higher vampires. That's it. I don't know if you guys know, there's 8.3 billion people on Earth. There's other levels. Like we do this, we do this. By the way, everything is maybe. The worst thing that is stopping all of you is the default to no. The worst. everything is maybe and if you get really epic and I think I'm epic at this game it's maybe with a desperate want for it to be yes. I've actually had to get better at maybe and no because I'm just a fucking fat kid with cake.

1:50:55I just want to do every business. Hire night owls. Okay, yeah. That makes a lot of sense. In fact, you'll get some really cool people. Night owls will allow you to get a stay-at-home dad that would have never been able to get a different, you know what I mean? You're just gonna get different types of people. Yeah, for sure. And in terms of kind of showing up for them, like if I'm pretty type B and I'm all over the place, what is the best way, like a baseline skill I need to have to be a good leader? To be empathetic that you're that person. Mm-hmm. To yourself or to others? Yep. Both hands. I'm that person.

1:51:35Mm-hmm. but I will never ding Sid for something that's based on me being that person that he had to adjust to that, thus rendering something else to fall. That started with me being that person. So as long as I don't have the hypocrisy and the loss of trust by being like, hey man, and he's like, fuck you bro, you changed it at 12.59. Like, of course the thing, like you got it? Like don't make up bullshit out of your own insecurity that you're that person. Got it? Okay, yes. That nailed it for you, right? Yes, absolutely. You're doing certain things where you're a bad boss. You're so young. I mean, I did so many things poorly.

1:52:13I mean, this is where I'm the best. Candor, I've said it a lot, that candor as an actual boss continues to be a struggle because then it becomes, I'm very good at being passive aggressive with sweetness. I, in fact, I rebranded it to razzing. First, I didn't even know I was being passive aggressive. Then when I realized it, I'm like, no, let's keep it called razzing because that sounds better. You know, like you go through these journeys, we're all just human. But that's yours. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Question is, do you believe that you have to do what it is that you're coaching in order to teach the people that you teach?

1:52:48That's a great fucking question. Let me tell you why. You know where I first think about it? Football. Yeah, yeah, literally. You know, like some of the best coaches of all time didn't play the sport. So I'm like, fuck. Because I'm such a, I mean, my whole pride is I'm the fucking best practitioner. and then thus I only talk about shit I know. So my answer is I do not think that is required but I think it is really epic when you do do and have gone through and do know. When people talk about parenting and they don't have a child, I'm like, okay. You know what I mean? So that would be my answer.

1:53:27Yeah, because I tell people I'm a coach that still plays the game and I think that they like that. I mean, it's why I'm completely unstoppable. You're in the field. When I'm hiring a COO, what am I looking for? What are the key things? You know, I think it starts with a list of the things. Like, you're in a great spot because you're deep. So you can first write down a list of things that you think need to get done way better or at all. And then that becomes the fucking interview process. Got it? It's like, what do you know is not happening well or could be done that's not done yet in order? and then you know yourself, you're hiring your complement.

1:54:03Right? You're hiring your complement. Like, what do you know? And you're further along. That's why I'm confident that that's your answer. Because you're a little bit deeper in your business. It's a little bit more at scale. You know. And by the way, I have three admins and two chiefs of staff. That's clearly someone who knows that organization is the furthest and not interesting. Think about how much I've quadrupled down on the thing. It's not even one person at the scale I'm at now. Because I'm like, I don't want anything to fall with my time. And it's a lot going on. I need to keep throwing more resources at it.

1:54:40Gary, how do we build our brand for longevity? And not hoping to just provide like a hot moment if we're going very well. And this could very well be our job for a long time. Yeah, I think, you know, I've had a lot of longevity. And it's been based on two principles for sure that come very easy, top of mind with that question. One is the more you just continue to lean into yourself, you're not playing a role. You didn't have like a good role that like crushed on TV and then like you got a different role. When you're you, it's you. Two, I think it goes back to something we talked about early which is like just by not judging yourself.

1:55:17Like Gary Vee has had moments when he's been ripping hot and other moments when he's not been as hot and like my ability to be just as uncomfortable in both is gonna matter, that's why. not judging yourself you know that 2024 year at VaynerX did not cripple me and excited me weirdly okay I got two for you Dylan keeps trying yeah Dylan get it here no worries Dylan I don't know the boys are out in this go ahead no you I hear you sometimes talk about like leveraging certain opportunities for content yes so I wanted to do that today okay I have a very viral format on my YouTube channel it gets like hundreds of thousands of views every time I reverse engineer what a successful person did to grow on social media so I almost wanted a permission slip from you, that's cool to do.

1:55:58I had it planned. I was gonna do like Gary V. Reveals how to grow on social media. That being said, to continue the viral trend, would the advice that you gave me for my question be the one that you think should be the payoff for the video? Basically volume, focused volume, not just volume, focused volume. Would that be the advice that you think I could end that with? I think you could, yeah, for sure. If I have your permission. Yeah, you could definitely do it. No problem at all. So knowing that I have the three different companies, like if I wanted to be undeniable on social, what should I be doing in the next 90 days?

1:56:30First of all, understanding that it's just like a forever, this is a marathon. So the 90 days in my mind is, there's no payoff on the other side. It's the beginning of doing the fundamentals that will get you there. Look, I believe in volume. I believe in it the most. Anything that can put everyone here in a place to make more content is important. Highly important. Wildly important. The most important. Because it's going to go away. I have really bad news it's going to go away let me explain this is the only reason this is happening this is the distribution that TV those were the famous people you had to go home and watch them Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson Madonna there's awareness being known and social networks are free You know how insane that is?

1:57:26But this is coming. It's actually coming. And I don't know what's going to happen. Let me give you an example. If Meta wins,

1:57:40I don't know what they're going to do. If Apple also was Facebook, would TikTok ever happen? Would TikTok? Follow me here. This is coming.

1:57:59I do not, this is the gold rush of attention. It is not guaranteed. It had never existed before where normal people like us had access to the entire world for zero dollars except the effort it took us to make content. It had never happened before. Advertising was expensive. And Hollywood decided if you were on TV and there was only three channels, then 13, then 36, then a little bit more. This is not guaranteed. So if I'm right, how hard do you think you should go the next five to seven years to build your brand? Your person. Very hard. The end. Right? Real talk. It's coming. And I don't know.

1:58:48I don't know what it's gonna be. Will the social apps be in there and we're just scrolling through? I don't know. I have a funny feeling it won't be exactly the same. Yeah, I mean, so that's it. I gotta run. I apologize. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Great to see you. Hey, everybody. If you enjoyed this podcast, please go back and look at the prior episodes. They're loaded. I appreciate your attention and thanks for being part of this journey. See you later.