“a cofounder who isn’t
as ambitious as you?” – I’d break up with them. I think that if you
have a cofounder that’s not as
ambitious as you are, you’re leaning to
an inevitable breakup and I would try
to cut it earlier so that feelings aren’t as deep. It’s easier to break up with
somebody after three weeks than it is after three months than it is after
three years, right? And so there’s less baggage. Now, the cofounder may be so
talented and brings you value that maybe you don’t have
to judge them on ambition. But I would say that when
you and your cofounder are not aligned, you’re headed towards a negative and so, I would
communicate first. I’m giving you the finish line
but what I would start with is I’d be like, “Hey India,
can we have a coffee?” – Sure, yeah. – So, listen, I really think
– [India] (laughs) – that I have bigger
ambitions for this business than you do and I’d like
to talk to you about that. – That’s probably true. – Yeah, it’s definitely true.
– [India] (laughs) – And so, I think you
have that conversation. One of the things
that it’s led to, and I’ve given
this advice a lot, is that India and I who
started off at 50/50, India recognizes that and
sees that I’m putting in 18 hours a day and
she’s putting in seven. And she may say, “You know what, “I still want to
ride that train. “I believe in us, I can’t do
that, I’m not as ambitious, “I don’t have as much
energy, I don’t want to, “I have things at home
that I want to do, “dah dah dah dah dah. “Maybe I should give
you back and now, you have 70% and I have 30.” And so really, there’s
always a deal to be had. If the deal ends
up being 100/zero ’cause I don’t value India,
even at 30, or even at 20, or even at 10, or even at zero, well then you have to break up. But everything in life,
every relationship, you know, boss and employee,
boyfriend and girlfriend, partners in business,
cousins, Mom and Dad, every relationship on Earth
is predicated on communication and you have to have the backbone to step up and
actually have that conversation and have it in
a truthful manner. And it’s super scary
and a lot of people are intimidated by it. And I’m not, it took me a
long time to get good at it. I still don’t always
get great at it but, it is the only answer
to this question. It’s about having the
conversation and seeing where the things fall
because a lot of times, the other person doesn’t
want you to bring it up. They may, you know,
recognize it. Sometimes they
don’t even recognize it. Some people are blind
and lack self-awareness. So, you need to make
sure you’re connected in whatever that arrangement is.

you meet a co-founder of a start-up. What can I, or, that person do? – Oh, this is a hypothetical question. – To convince you to meet their team. For five minutes. A minute. – Well, you, that, I would be
more than happy to do for you. In general, it’s just a
little bit of serendipity. I get asked all the time,
I get pounded all the time, like, living my life, like,
going to school functions with my wife, or parties, or
just living life right now, I am fully in, I get pitched mode. Right, which is, for me, super flattering. I’m humbled that I’ve hit a status where that’s what people want from me, and so, my money or my time, or
attention, or points of view, all of it is still
humbling and interesting. So, you know, for you, that’s a done deal we’ll schedule that. For everybody else who’s
watching, they’ve all tried. I’ve got, there’s people
who are watching right now who have emailed me 90
times, who have hit me up on social media 90
times, and who will never get that at bat. It’s literally just the
serendipity of it all. There’s other people on their first email, or their first tweet, or
their first, you know, thing, get that at bat. I have so much volume
that I have no real way to truly have a system. My Vayner/RSE has a structure
where you can definitely go through that process and
can eventually get to me, but you gotta go through
the Phils, and the Shauns, and the Kevins, and the
Ryans, and the Chloes. So, you know, that’s
it, that’s the answer. I think one of the really
smart, strategic ways, hypothetically, is to
actually get an internship at VaynerMedia, put… – Slowly. – Put in good work. Finagle your way into
the #AskGaryVee Show, where, on the spot, in
front of the VaynerNation, you can ask the question,
which then compels me to actually do it. That would be something
that I would consider. – That sounds like a very smart person. I think you should meet them. I’m just kidding. – Hit up Matt, let’s do it.

“What’s your top tip for a creative mind to start thinking like an entrepreneur?” – Derrick, this is a tough one, right? There’s so many creatives
that just don’t know how to be a salesperson, entrepreneurial. They don’t have that gear. They have incredible, creative chops. First and foremost, I
want to be very careful to try to mold you at tactics that you have no chance of winning at. That’s like me saying, how
do I want to start being a great painter? Well I can go watch YouTube
videos to be better at painting and go buy some good paint,
I can start painting, but I have a funny feeling
if I showed it to India, she’d be polite because she’s a wonderful human being,
but with her artistic eyes, she’d be like, yeah, no, Gary really, I could see some stuff there, yeah. I be like, fuck, she hates it. So to me, I’m very
concerned of forcing people. Just ’cause you may be excited about what I’m putting out there
or what society’s pushing with entrepreneurship, let’s make sure the right
answer to this question isn’t how do I go and find a
partner who is a business mind to team up with me as an artist. I can sell way more paintings
of India’s than India can, ’cause it’s just what I’m great at. That’s without me really knowing, truly, as much as we adore each
other, I don’t fully know your entrepreneurial sales abilities, but I just know mine are better. ‘Cause mine are better than all of yours. Just what I feel. That to me, is the answer
to your question my friend, and obviously I gave that answer
because I want to provide, one of the things I think
I’m hitting a roll on in this golden era, is
I’m starting to understand how to answer the question at hand, instead of picking answering
the question at hand or making it broad, if
you’ve been paying attention, this is my own self-critique which is why I think we have momentum. I’m finding a cadence
right now of how to answer the question and at the same time broaden it to make more sense. And so the real story behind
everything I just said, kids, is hey, don’t force
yourself into things that are not maybe naturally there. It’s okay to have a business partner, a team mate, an employee. You don’t even need a partner. Maybe you hire someone
to be the salesperson. Super important because
just like, how do I become X is a very dangerous game, especially if you just aren’t capable, really truly not capable of ever being X, or just being a two out
of a ten index at X. Were you better off spending four years to become a two instead of a zero, when what you could have
done is gone from an eight to a 12 in the thing that
you’re actually great at? Time is valuable, my
friends, time is valuable. – [India] Awesome. – Thanks India.

So I audited myself, and I’m
taking in serious consideration that I just might be a two or a three. My question is, man, is if I am, do I need to go get my college degree? Like what, how do I put
myself in that position? Because I really don’t know how to, I only know how to make doors. I don’t know how to walk through them, if you know what I mean, and ya know I’m all EQ and no IQ, so if
I have to go get my degree, that’s gonna suck. – Charlie, great question. I’m super into this. I think if you’ve audited yourself and you feel like, ya know, you need to have, you
need to attach yourself to a leader, a CEO, a
number one, a founder, and you can be a supporting cast member because I guess making doors
not walking through them maybe you, I don’t know, but maybe you understand
the tangible execution, not the architecture. Maybe you’re the greatest
mason in the world, and you need just a really solid
architect to be successful. I would say it has nothing
to do with getting a diploma. It has everything to do with if you’ve been auditing yourself, and you started with,
“I’ve audited myself,” which I appreciate, and you know, for anybody who’s watching this who doesn’t understand auditing themselves and I’m a number two or three, these are themes that
I’ve been talking about in the first 105, 106 episodes of the show which is if you know yourself,
you have self-awareness, you have a real chance to succeed. I would tell you, Charlie,
that you don’t need to get a degree unless
you wanna go latch up to a number one that values that degree, and the truth is you’ve
already lost that game because if that number one values it, they’re gonna wanna go with
somebody who’s got a degree from clearly, in my opinion,
based on the vibe of the video, comes from a better school
than you would go to. Take it from me, I mean
Mount Ida College isn’t like rolling up any like
unbelievable excitement for anybody who’s an educator. And so I would tell you your journey, your focus should be finding a number one who shares your DNA and philosophy. You guys can be similar, and
she could just be an architect and an incredibly strong leader, where you could be that support system. So find her, find him, find the number one that is the match to you. Not find the number one
that you clearly think society has created. To me, more number ones
actually look like you on paper, so I actually think you’ll
be able to find that. I think number twos, when
they’re not the straight man or the straight woman,
when there’s still also a little bit of magic,
a little EQ over IQ, make great number twos. I still think one and two
in that play is great. I think three, four, five,
six, somewhere along the line, you need that straight,
really straight person, and so your job is to really go out and find that person. Find that number one that
matches your skill set, that matches your philosophy,
that you can really jam with. Find your number one.

“You say one, play to your strengths, “two, don’t worry about small details. “What if my strength is
attention to detail?” – Adam, couple things, and this is for the entire VaynerNation, so many of the things that
I say are contradictions. I like pulling from both directions. That’s where I think
the strength comes in. I really do think of life,
business, as a bridge. If you pull equally very hard, ego, humility, right? I don’t care what anybody thinks about me, I care about what everybody
thinks about me, right? Big, big, big picture, clouds,
but I’m a practitioner. I know more about all the
details of social than you. Details, dirt. And so I love pulling
from opposite directions, so if I’m giving advice
and you’re listening to 105 composite shows
and things are coming from different angles
that are contradictions, this is where you have
to go within yourself and not listen to a
guru, ’cause I’m not one, nor is anyone else, this is
on you to figure out that, and so if your strengths are, you know, to me in that one, you bet on yourself. To me, look, I can answer these in detail, and I will this time. I would bet on the strengths. Cool, you’re detail-oriented. You need to recognize two things. If your skill set is detail-oriented, two things are gonna happen. One, if you’re the number one, if you’re the top dog, your company, your business is gonna be small. Number two, you’re probably an awesome number two, three, and
four to a number one that goes all the way out to the clouds and doesn’t care about the details, and you may be able to make more finances, or whatever you’re looking
for, and be happier and not have the pressure
of being the number one by laddering up or attaching
yourself to a number one and acting your two, three, four role. If your strength is the finite details, your upside is limited as the number one. You have two decisions to make. One, you’re cool with that, back to the first question in this show. Or two, you’re gonna latch onto somebody who’s gonna be able to elevate, and your 8%, your 20%, your 40%, your 2% of the whole nut is going to be greater than 100% of what you’re gonna do for yourself.

“Do you distinguish between
‘idea people’ and ‘doers’? “Is there value in someone
with great ideas “who needs others to execute?” – Ya know, I think that,
one of the things that I’ve pounded home in a hundred episodes here is how much pride I have
in being a practitioner. How much I am, how much
I respect practicality. Like, how much ideas are shit, and execution’s the game, that’s
one of my favorite quotes. Right? So, but it’s interesting. This question, as it rolled
off of India’s tongue, made me realize, ya know,
truth is there is value in it. Ya know what? Here’s a good way to put it. One of the reasons I think
I pound ideas are shit and execution’s the
game, is because I think the majority of people that
spend a lot of time watching me, aren’t at a place where they can afford the luxury of ideas. Silent pause for profoundness. Let me explain. Ideas are great. Ideas are, ya know, you can really overt, I like being a contradiction
of ideas are the game, right? Ideas are a seed. But so many people don’t have the luxury of being able to afford the
ability to have those ideas. For a long time, I
didn’t have the luxury of building a company that
had great video people who could come with me and
tape my garage sale show, and now I do and I can’t
wait, I’m so pumped. We have to find a town sale, that’s where all the action is. Anyway, so, I think there is a
place for idea people, India and VaynerNation, I think it is a, it’s a (chuckles), Ranger
people are excited. I think that you have to have
the luxury of those people. I think, the reason I’m
hedging here is I’m scared so many of you are like, “See? “He said idea people,
and I’m an idea person.” Ya know, ya can’t be, you’ve
gotta be in the right setting to get the right value of
ideas, which is a huge company that could afford R&D,
research and development, ya know, that kinda thing. You just got really
lucky that your partner is so Goddamn practical that he or she respects your
idea skills and wants them. But it is a really rare situation
for ideas to be valuable in its execution form,
especially for the far majority of the VaynerNation. (light bass-heavy music)
– [Nicole] Albi asks,

” I have an app idea,
with my target market “willing to test it. “But I need to create an app
and I’m not a programmer. “Any advice?” – Jared, this question pisses me off because I’m asked this all the time. I probably get about 30,
40 of these emails a week. I’m not sure if you’re
trying to get on the show, or if you really mean it. This seems like the simplest
thing to do in the world. I mean, Meetup.com has 800
different developer meet ups. And if you want it bad enough,
you go to the closest one, even if it’s 75 miles away. There’s just 8,000 communities
of developers out there. Literally, when I get an
email from somebody saying, “Hey, Gary, I’ve got the next big idea, but I need a developer,” literally, immediately I go like this. I read it. I’m checking my…let’s reenact it. Oh, let me just catch up on my, DRock I’ll do that later, let me just read. Oh, let me check some emails. Hey Gary, love the show, you’re the best person I’ve ever met. Oh, by the way, I’ve got a big time idea except I need a developer. Out of (bleep) business. If you are not capable, if you’re not capable of finding your business partner developer, then how in the world are
you going to win in business? Ideas are shit, execution’s
the game, let’s move on. – [India] From Shady Giorgio.

– [Voiceover] Elliott asks,
” How would you recommend “looking for a co-founder?” – Elliott, I think the best
way to look to a co-founder, look for a co-founder, excuse me, is to first understand
how honest and self-aware are you with yourself. The number one thing that you
want to find in a co-founder, in my opinion, is somebody
who checks the boxes and has strengths in a
space where you don’t. Does she provide the black
and white to your gray? Does he provide the magic to your very kind of straightforward? Is he the salesman? Does she love HR where you don’t want to deal with any of the people? You need to yin and yang. I think it’s very important. I’m a big believer in
doubling down on strengths, but I do think from a
co-founder standpoint you want to get the check
boxes of the core things that drive a business and so I think you’re looking for that counterpart. The biggest reason so many of you are going to struggle with this is you’re not willing to
be honest with yourself. You think you have magic
and you’re a good salesman. Yeah, you think you can get by
with your accounting skills. You think because it
hurts your feelings to not bet on your weaknesses. I’m a big believer in my weaknesses. I would actually say, I
don’t think I’ve said this very publicly, I’ve alluded to it. I say that I suck crap at 99% of things. I would actually, this is a new thought maybe because India is here
looking for more content. Show India, I think she deserves it. – Hello. – You know, I think that my weaknesses are as big, if not a bigger
factor in my success. It’s my willingness to
accept my weaknesses. It’s my proudness of my weaknesses that has allowed me to win. Are you willing to go there? Way too many of you don’t want to accept your weak points, you’re
struggling with it. As a matter of fact, I’m going right into the Question of the Day. I want you to list on Thanksgiving the weaknesses you have
that you’re thankful for. That’s how important this is. Let’s move on. – Dear Gary, My name’s Tim

but I don’t feel like I’m
hitting much of anything. Any advice? – I have advice. I don’t know if you heard,
I’ve gotta show, #AskGaryVee. Subscribe. So, here’s my advice. If you follow boxing or MMA, one would understand that some people are great technical boxers. They know how to jab and when they land the perfect right hook on somebody’s chin who
wasn’t even expecting it, they don’t have the power
to knock that person out. Robert, the truth is, my man, there might be just a situation where you’re just not good at closing. And that’s something I want, you know, not to pick on you, Robert. This is something I
want everybody to hear. You just might not be a
great saleswoman, salesman to actually make the close. In fact, you may need two people. This is something I
haven’t talked a lot about. This is why the #AskGaryVee
show is a good show. It’s forcing me to say new stuff. I haven’t talked about and
probably blew it in the book, the reason I pointed there,
you want show them DRock, they might be like why did he point there? There’s a huge, Jordan! I’m kidding, I’m kidding. (laughs) That was the best. You may need a partner, Robert. You might be the greatest
jabber in the world and you may need a partner
right hooker, right? And so, I just happen to be
both in one amazing body, but the fact of the matter
is you may need a partner where you do the jabbing and she or he does the right hooking. – [Voiceover] Chad asks:
“How do I get the cute old lady