How to Scale Your Reselling Business with AI 

0:00Where is Daredevil? I'm right here. Don't miss the return of Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again. So what's next? We're gonna take this city back. In an all new season, now streaming only on Disney+. They're hunting us. It's time we started hunting them. I can work with them. This should be tons of fun. Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again, now streaming only on Disney+. Every little kid now can sit and literally be in their room and have the power of 13 employees. That's insane. So you have to become incredibly good at vibe coding or using AI tools to scale you to get better information.

0:44But what you would learn if you're 50 is like, I'm going to actually do it because I need to know it well enough because this is a skill that's going to be so important that if I always outsource it, I'll never really know it. So I'll never be able to judge it over the next 10 years. This is the Gary Vee Audio Experience.

1:28So don't hold back. I won't. The context on this one, you may have seen it on social. One of the most viral moments of all time at a Got Soul event is Meek Mill negotiating at our event and bartering for a pair of sneakers. The same thing's happened with Fat Joe. It's happened with other celebrities. And there's a huge discourse over should celebrities, rappers, famous people be negotiating with resellers for prices on their sneakers or should they just take the price? So should rappers and famous people be negotiating for their sneakers? It's none of my business. Here's what I mean by that answer.

1:56I obviously have seen that. In a negotiation, there's a two-way marketplace and there's an exchange happening. Some people, if they bought an expensive pair of rare Jordans, are gonna be as a reseller. And I've been, by the way, what's crazy is I've been on both sides of this. As a kid, there were people with clout and importance negotiating with me. And then I became someone who could do that. I don't I let me break this all down because I think everyone will agree with me that's watching. What two men or two women or a man and a guy do in a transaction deal is really ultimately none of our business.

2:37I understand we live in this world now where everyone thinks they should have an opinion about every fucking thing. I don't live that life. Here's why. The answer is yes or no. If I'm a reseller, if I'm selling something and Meek Mill is at my table and it's being filmed I may see that as an investment for marketing. Right. That was his argument. Is that his argument? Yeah. He's right. There are companies that pay Meek to wear stuff. Tons of money. The fuck is a reseller not doing it for his ability or her ability to clip it and run it for their business? On the flip side, if somebody in the comments of this said Gary, no, no, no.

3:19like I fucking worked hard. Fuck Meek Mill. Fuck Gary V. Fuck. I'm like bet. You're allowed to do that. On the flip side, Meek. He's allowed to be like yo give me this. He's allowed. Like in real life it's not like that's illegal. Now some people might have feelings about that. Why are you using your class? He might say well because I really think this person is getting value. It's also on the follow up. If I give Meek a free pair of sneakers, if Meek's then putting on seven emerging artists onto my shit and I become that dealer, well, that feels better. But that needs to be pre-negotiated too.

3:58I can't just assume Meek's gonna do that. In that negotiation, you can't be mad at Meek if you believe in capitalism. The dealer's allowed to say no. A lot of people have that. Do you know how many people on my come up ask me to do marketing for free because I needed them? everyone I said no every time because I knew I was going to become who I was going to become but in my pockets I've done stuff and a lot of times I'll do shit for free before the person even asks because in the micro I think it's worth it so long winded to your answer none of my business my opinion I'm agnostic I think it can and cannot work and I think every dealer and every celebrity or person with audience are allowed to do whatever they want.

4:48Got it. Okay. So no hard yes, no, it's okay. Well, because I don't think, I don't think, you know, I guess if you were like, Gary, I'm not letting you off the hook, I would say yes, everybody can do whatever the fuck they want. Okay. You know what I mean? Like, in essence, I think I am saying yes. You know, like, again, it's not like someone's punking him. Right. It's not like, Meek's not like, my bodyguards are gonna beat the fuck out of you if you don't give me this sneaker. Like, you know what I mean? like Meek's allowed to use his equity, which is his fame, to negotiate if he chooses to. Some people will look down on that and say that's not classy.

5:22I'm someone who puts out all of my marketing for free, like my best advice for free. Tons of people sell it. Close Discord, close Telegrams, fucking courses. Everyone's allowed. Right. So let him do what he needs to do. Yeah, I mean, again, other dealers are always worried that some precedent is being set that's gonna take away their money. Yeah. That's who's, right? I get that. And I think one other argument, and we can go on to the next. No, no, I'm interested in this. That was one part, was like, oh, don't use your fame, you know, it's bullying, you know, this, that. There's no bullying if the other person is willing to say no.

6:03Like, instead of bullying, how about, we're not talking about fourth graders in science class. We're talking about fucking people that's decided to buy a table and sell in a fucking commerce environment. Right. The other argument was Meek Mill's a multi-millionaire. He should just pay the price. I don't impose my opinions of what people should spend their money on. Right. I personally think he should. I think there's a lot of people that have that opinion that are dealers that make a million dollars a year that don't tip people. Right. Yeah. Like this concept of should, imposing your perspective on what is virtuous in the world on other people blows my mind.

6:38The same people that are Meeks a multi-millionaire that make$200 ,000 a year slinging jewelry, cards, sneakers and then fucking don't tip people at a restaurant are doing the same shit. It's all relative. It's all different scale. Again, I just, you know, unless someone's doing something illegal, I struggle to get into the virtues because virtues change. I believe in tipping. Not everyone does. They're allowed. They might have grown up in a different environment. I believe in charitable events. I'm very charitable. I don't publicize it but I write real checks. others don't others don't I do not think someone who's not into charity is lesser than me I don't want a peacock you notice I mean I bring it up now we're having a conversation but I don't make a lot of content about my charitable in fact I'm very quiet about it and I definitely won't judge another man or woman just because they have a hundred million I just I don't know when everyone decided they were God social media has done that no social media exposed that people sat in their kitchen tables and were God It couldn't be more true.

7:43Next one. I think I already know your answer to this, but people will definitely disagree, which I'm on your side. I know your answer. Are resellers entrepreneurs? Yes. A lot of people say no. They're just hustlers. They're just taking advantage of a market. They're not really an entrepreneur. They don't start a business. Well, I think it is a business. Like, if you buy and sell something, I mean, I think it's the actual depth. I don't know if anyone could argue, like, what's the, can someone like chat GBT or claw like what's the definition of an entrepreneur the official Webster let's play right now I mean in my mind it is to me it's you don't have a job you work for yourself you pay for your dinner and your rent through your money I view entrepreneurship as independent yes sir entrepreneur is someone who creates organizes and runs a business usually taking on financial risk in hope of making a profit that's it I mean how are you not taking on a risk you are not you know now Now, if you're saying I have a job and my side hustle is reselling, then you're both-ish.

8:43It's a side hustle. But anyone, in my opinion, if you listen to that definition, takes the risk. If your whole life, the way you pay for your roof over your head, the food on your table, is based on buying and selling product, if that's the definition of a reseller, well, I would argue that's an entrepreneur. Okay. And I would argue that it's an entrepreneurial venture if you have a job and it's your side hustle. anyone who's saying it's not first of all I don't think it means anything to debate I don't care if somebody thinks I'm an entrepreneur or not. There's also that for every reseller who actually cares if somebody else thinks they're an entrepreneur or not that's a whole other conversation for another day which is like who gives a fuck?

9:24Yeah I agree. Okay next one I think people will definitely disagree or agree with this one too you obviously have gotten in the trenches, you've done the garage sales, the whole thing, you've talked a lot about that hustle culture, reselling, you know, flipping world. Is reselling a better actually let me rephrase this. So is reselling a better business education than going to college? Yes. Because supply and demand and buying and selling and learning how to market and create sales and marketing DNA is a better education because you're doing and a classroom is listening. But I think working at a retail store as a cashier is a better education in business.

10:12And a lot of the business teachers now, I went to Babson, they say the number one entrepreneurship school in the world for 30 years, and I'm very happy that I went there, but a lot of those entrepreneurship teachers didn't even start a business or don't run a business themselves. Yeah, and I've spoken at Babson multiple times and other places. Listen, I love people learning finances. I think colleges do a good job. And by the way, it's not that I'm mad at college. I just think what you learn from college is very learnable in an AI back and forth today. And what you really need to learn is the trenches.

10:43Again, you can watch football film, you can read about football, but you have to get on the field and play football to be a football player. I really do believe entrepreneurship is like that. I'm not against the education. But you went to Babson. I go to all these schools and watch what they're learning. You're learning case studies and you're learning theories and you're learning good information of like this is what you should do but there is no should in entrepreneurship because the world changes. You were taught when AI did not exist. Right. Now what? Hey everybody, I hope you're enjoying the podcast right now.

11:15Make sure you follow the podcast. That's why I'm interrupting. Let's keep going on this show but follow the podcast. It'll make my mom super happy. Entrepreneurship is true sports. It's merit. The field changes. You can learn basketball but then Wemmy comes along and he's 7 '7 and he's got wing standing and you've got to play dip. I just believe in that when we talk about entrepreneurship and business. You have to adjust to the reality of the marketplace. I do not think college is built for creatives and entrepreneurs. I'm not against people going to college when their parents pay for it. I hate when creative or entrepreneurial kids go to college in today's environment and take on staggering debt.

11:53I do believe most real entrepreneurs will tell you they learned more in the trenches than they learned in school. It's not school's fault. you can't keep up with the market. Of course not. No, I completely agree. And I think it just boils down to just experience can't be taught. Correct. That's point and sound. Listen, I was destined to be a very successful entrepreneur. I had it. Fucking boy, I had it. The lemonade stands, the card shows. I learned in the trenches. But bro, Gary V, like me sitting here today against 25-year-old Gary who fucking built a monster business for his dad. I'm just better.

12:26You've been in it. I'm just too much inexperienced, too much pattern recognition. I figured out my kryptonites along the way like experience really fucking matters and unlike sports where your body breaks down like do you understand that if LeBron was still physically as talented as he was four years into the league what he'd be doing right now with his information but that's not how sports works out but it is how it works out in entrepreneur land you have no idea how much better you guys are going to be in a decade you're going to be like and I didn't really believe it when I sat in your seats meaning like I thought it was a natural talent like Kobe, like Serena, like, but it's very real.

13:03Well, I think everyone starts in a different point and then the time in is just gonna grow. Actually, let me stand on some business that I haven't historically. I've talked a lot about being a nice guy. You know, nice guys finish first, all that stuff I put out there, the propaganda that some of the players make fun of me for. It was funny, we were just talking, there's something else. Your reputation becomes your moat. One of the things that's going on with me now is just a lot of people in real life, not on social media, know how nice of a guy I am and that is giving me a lot of business opportunity.

13:35Right. Yeah. Cool. All right. Those are some of the hot topics. So that's another thing. I'm just saying it for all the kids. One of the reasons it's good to be a good person and not scam people and not fuck with people is when you get to 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, you're trading on your reputation. Right. That equity's enormous when you get to the big leagues. Yeah. At scale. At scale it matters. Cool. All right. You know? Yeah and you mentioned the kids and you also mentioned like tying all this in you know your past experience you've been in the trenches you've done it all but you mentioned today's world is much different than we grew up especially when you grew up.

14:08For sure. So I want to ask you how does someone become rich in today's world reselling? I mean it's easier than ever. Like I think about this every day. Like how dead I am that I didn't grow up in your guys' era. Like I would have fucked. Fuck man. I couldn't even imagine being 16 right now, vibe coding and using Claude and all these AI tools, using my insanity of passion, 15 hours a day being in the trenches, making relations, I mean, it's all the same shit. It's just super tools, right? Like I had flea markets and the malls of New Jersey. Then there was eBay, which I dreamed to wish I would have had.

14:48Then there was StockX and eBay. Then it was Discord and social and Telegram. And now it's AI. I mean, you've got to be AI usage. Like every little kid now can sit and literally be in their room and have the power of 13 employees. That's insane. So you have to become incredibly good at vibe coding or using AI tools to scale you, to get better information, to scale your relationship. I would sit down right now and create an app that automatically DM'd every person on earth. Oh, I'll pay for it. If you make it, hit me up. What you're still thinking, this is what's so crazy how old are you? 26. This is how fast the game moves.

15:2816 year old you listening to this would know you could build it. But because you're 26 you already are old enough to not think that I could build the app. No I know that I could build it. My focus isn't there. We're tunnel vision and what we want to do. But what you would learn if you're 50 is like I'm going to actually do it because I need to know it well enough because this is a skill that's going to be so important that if I always outsource it I'll never really know it so I'll never be able to judge it over the next 10 years. Did you see what I just said? Learning it is huge. But did you see what I said?

15:58Yeah, I get it. Because now you're gonna have 50 kids that are gonna DM you and be like, I can build it. You don't actually know enough to make the best decision. One of the things that's made me very dangerous is because I do the things, I can judge the kids. Right. So you start to realize it's worth your 100 hours even though you're busy as fuck. If it's worth my 100 hours, it's definitely worth your 100 hours and you start to prioritize the trenches. Right, okay. Makes sense? No, it makes sense. It makes sense. So how do you get rich reselling? You say lean into AI. Yeah, I think that's clearly one.

16:30I mean, like diversification. My big theory, and you guys know this, you watch me do it publicly, that the sneaker kids were gonna crush with cards, more inventory, less weight. It worked. I was right. I think there's more categories. Like if, and by the way, passions. Like I'll give you one. Getting into music. Physical music. Cassettes, DVDs, CDs. Like you see what's going on with, you know, So, you know, Ski's doing some stuff. I think Aoki did some stuff. Bit of everything. Like, I just think everything is gonna... That's essentially exactly what our expansion is. Like, we've talked... Correct.

17:01Started with just sneakers and now expanding into all these things because all these worlds now, and this is something we were gonna ask you later on, actually, they're all intersecting now more than ever. 100%. This was my theory. The person that is into sneakers... Yes, this was my theory. ...now enjoys trading cards. You guys see the video? This was my theory. So, I guess I would ask you then. You know, we've talked more extensively behind the scenes about the Gottsoul expansion. I'd love to hear, like, your candid thoughts on where Gottsoul's going, expansion to a culture festival? It's all gonna come down to execution.

17:24What do I think? I think everyone should do everything. That's what I'm trying to do. Right. I like really have my hands in everything. Like things that people don't, people don't know that I have a very successful hot TV production company. You guys don't even know that. I don't talk about VaynerWatt at all. Right. We're about to sell three major shows. Like there's gonna be a massive show on ABC and it's gonna be VaynerWatt. And you're gonna be like, you're gonna hit Tyler and be like, is that Gary? Like VaynerWatt? Like, so I'm in TV. Like now with AI music, I'm like, I'm gonna have the number one rap album in the world.

17:53What do I think? I think that your bravado and confidence and prior receipts give you a chance of pulling off what I think you're trying to pull off, which is like, why wouldn't you be the most important, you know, event covering all the genres of interest? Why wouldn't you? Right. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a no-brainer for us. I think God's Hall's positioned the brand in a unique way and already had all these other worlds prior that have come under our roof. So, yeah, it's almost a no-brainer, like you said. Yeah, like why wouldn't you add vintage clothing? Yeah, we have it. Correct. Why wouldn't you?

18:25Why wouldn't you add stamps and coins? Like you will when you eventually think it's worth your operational. I think everyone should achieve to as much TAM as possible. The addressable market, right? TAM. I'm obsessed with TAM. Like when I make things, like VFriends. I built VFriends not just to get like eight-year-olds that collect Pokemon. I'm also making gummies. I want to be General Mills, like Flintstone Vitamins, and Count Chocula fucking series. I always talk about VFriends. Three to 93. I want kids watching cartoons on YouTube kids and I want to fucking make adult fucking pampers. Depends with fucking a character on it.

19:09I don't give a fuck. Why wouldn't I want to sell to nine billion people? I think that's another piece of advice for the resellers though. Even for a lot of people who watch us, if you're just selling sneakers right now or you're just selling trading cards or you're just selling vintage clothes, like you should be exposed into all these worlds. And I would say if you do it based on passion, then you'll really crush. So there's people flipping sneakers, but they love music way more. They should spend 50 hours understanding what's happening with vintage music materials. DVDs, CDs, excuse me, CDs, cassettes, records.

19:40Like if you love music, like love it. Like you're hardcore and like you had an older sister that was into like Grateful Dead and Fish things, but you're a hip hop person. and your girl's fucking, you know, Hispanic and she's into rig a ton. It's your life. You love it. Like, why don't you spend 50 hours understanding how to flip music? Posters and tickets and memorabilia. Like, you like it more than sneakers. That's, by the way, the reason I knew sports cards was gonna work is the overlap of kids that were flipping sneakers that liked sports was high. The overlap of kids flipping sneakers that were gambling on sports apps was high.

20:16I knew sports cards was the mapping. Is sports cards a bubble? No. It's been around way longer than sneakers. True. It's been collected for 100 years. Do you think that there's any chance? No. Dude, I think the market could be frothy. A bubble to me is like something that bursts and dies. Right. Can it be frothy? Sure. So could the stock market. So could gold. So could Bitcoin. Art. Everything. I mean, sneakers were. Right. But they weren't. Like when sneakers were at their apex before the card movement, it wasn't that it was a bubble. it was that people didn't anticipate trading cards coming in and taking some of the market.

20:52Thus, once you take the market, if the demand goes elsewhere, all of a sudden, right? It changes. Can something come along and take away from the sports card market? Yes. I think comic books are under leveraged. I think toys are under leveraged. So that might, it might all grow, which is my theory. Just collectibles. Like, LeBuboos, vintage clothes, handbags. Like, the girls are in now. The girls are in now. More than ever. More than ever and gonna continue to grow. The 40 to 60 year old dude who grew up with it heavy in the 80s and 90s with me, more than ever. To this day, I'm getting pinged by very wealthy people saying I'm finally ready to, I just sold a piece of property to create liquidity.

21:35I've got 800 ,000. I'm going into collectibles. I collected cards and comics. Is there anything else I should be looking at, Gary? These are just friends, acquaintances. Right. Like we haven't even started. No, I agree. I mean, you're seeing people like Kevin O 'Leary who's spending all this money and people are putting together asset pools now. Of course. And investment funds. Of course. It's funny because you talked about that, what people call is a bubble of the sneaker market. And I agree that if something doesn't pop completely, it's not a bubble, right? It just has the - Corrections. But right, so I guess I would ask you now, going back to a hot topic, the number one narrative now that we see on social media in the world to the sneaker world, their sneakers are dead.

22:10That's crazy. In your opinion, are sneakers dead? Well, you know this because we actually had a regular business meeting the other day and I told you that I might be entering and buying some of the top stuff because my assumption, because I've not really been paying attention, my assumption is, well, it has to be a little softer than it was because all these new things have entered. I don't understand how people don't get, sneakers have been part of our pop culture forever. They haven't been collected forever. You know, sneakers looked more like trading cards. Trading cards really didn't get collected, collected, collected, collected as valuable until like the late 70s.

22:43by my subjective decision. People collected, some people got it, but you started seeing the late 70s, like shows, Beckett, like it started to happen and really popped in the mid 80s. Sneakers, they were unbranded, then we had the Converse and the Chucks and like nobody was buying Jordans on release being like, ooh, if Jordans ends up being really great all time, nobody was saving them, which is why they became valuable. But now it's a forever game. It will ebb and flow and I think it cycles. Like I, Don't like to predict, but I find it unlikely that sneakers aren't red hot, more so than cards or NFTs or comics or toys in some 20-year window.

23:25I don't know if it's three years from now. I don't know if it's seven years from now, but it's too culturally important. And it's on our feet. It's more functional. Like, I don't collect sneakers like that, but I buy sneakers to wear. So that's more functional than a trading card or a comic. You get to double play with sneakers. you get the collectability and you get the flex sitting courtside going out on a date you know your boys you know how it works like when I walk in the airport I'm looking at people's feet so that they got a proper like both me and some other guy was wearing the Ben and Jerry's Nike thing one day and we just fucking you know dapped it up like it's like a sports jersey correct it absolutely is so I know that it's not the red hot collectible right now in youth male culture the way it was five seven whatever the apex was it's definitely not dead and in fact if you're a long-term collector, investor, flipper like I am, you want to buy on down cycles.

24:18I think now's the best time. I mean, you literally heard it from me in real life off the record in our last meeting. I've never meaningfully collected sneakers. I'm like, oh, I should go and get three to five all-time pairs because I'm sure this is softer right now because of all the attention to the other asset classes. A thousand percent. Educate me. Give me an all-time top 10 sneaker that was red, red, red hot, let's say right before things started to move how much it was and how much you can get it for now. Give me one example. I would know right off the top of my head. A 1985 obviously the Jordan 1.

24:51The Chicago. Yeah the red and black. Chicago Jordan 1. The one that was banned. Yep. That's the bread. Okay got it. So the Chicago is the white and red one. Got it. Respect. Understood. Respect. Either way the 1985 model either the bread or the Chicago. No give the Chicago. Give it the real one. The Chicago would go anywhere from anywhere from 20 to 40 ,000 brand new. Which is obviously rare and all that. Yeah, of course. In the heyday. Yeah, in the heyday. In the peak of sneakers. Right now, you can get a pair for probably, if you can find it, $10 ,000 to$15 ,000. Yeah, it's awesome. I mean, if I heard that right, somebody on earth did pay$37 ,000 for a pair how many years ago?