“would you say the “T” in
timing is way more important “than the “T” in talent?” – Not even close for me. – Uh, what? – No, Isham. – Isham. – Isham. – Do not disrespect this show. – The show. Timing is a talent in itself. – In 2006 after carefully
watching YouTube for five months, I just got lucky I decided to go on it. Luck timing for me. Oh weird. No, no, no. There was talent and understanding That this platform was
going to be meaningful. You got so lucky with
your timing with YouTube. Bullshit motherfucker. I fucking paid attention. It’s going there. There was talent in understanding that this was going to be important and I put time and effort to learn it. Weird here I am. Weird here’s YouTube. Timing is a talent in itself. One of the most important talents, Chase. – For sure. It’s Isham? – Yes. – Isham talent, cultivate it. What are you good at? What do you love? That’s what matters. Timing I guess it matters in the sake of getting hit by a bus. But that’s about it. – Too many people think
you were at the right place at the right time. Let me tell you something Isham and everybody else, if the internet didn’t come along, I would have 17,000
liquor stores right now. Would’ve been a great timing
for bricks and mortar. Talent trumps all. It is the absolute variable. Period end of story. – Hardwork’s in there. I love the hustle, I love the hustle. – Talent without hard work is pretty much. – I do think talent is a variable. – Timing it’s not even close. – Timing, but I will say this. If I work 16 hours a day
on my basketball game I am not going to be an NBA player. – For sure. – Talent is the variable. What hard work does is
it maximizes that talent of whatever you’re deploy
that hard work against. – Isham I’m sorry about that, real.

“You seem to be everywhere! “Are you democratic about
your talks or do you “have a strategy in place
for public speaking?” – Irina, I have a
strategy about everything. So I have a strategy
for my public speaking. At this point in my career
I try not to speak much unless I’m getting paid
my very expensive fee. It’s a promise I made myself and my wife. So there’s that. But when I am not getting paid, it is absolutely a
disproportionate opportunity to do one of two things. Which is build my brand. And if I have to speak where, I spoke recently where
Hilary Clinton was first and Steve Forbes was behind
me and I was in the middle. That’s good brand positioning. Ninety percent of the
crowd, 98% of the crowd, they didn’t know who I
was, but they sure knew that I was one of those three people and that means something
and that makes them Google me up a little bit more. The other thing that I do is that I really want to support
certain communities. New Jersey tech scene,
the Harlem tech scene is something that I’m going
to be doing in the future. You know, interns, young people. So if there’s something that
emotionally feels right to me, that I know that if I do it, people in the future will do it as well cause that organization
can leverage my name. And I’m giving back to something
that means something to me, Jersey, kind of like the come-up, underdog
area, you know, youngsters. Those are things that
I’ll invest my time into. But there’s no, like, sure! No, it’s all like, (clicking noise) No, “Sure!” – [Voiceover] Matthew asks,

“services I provide for
clients in the same market “while respecting their
competitive advantage?” – That’s interesting. And we kind of play with that
a little bit with VaynerMedia. Not that we have any direct competitors, but sometimes they’re some nuances. Providing value to different
companies or individuals that are competing in the
same environment is tricky. First of all, you know, I
would never be in environment of like, Pepsi and Coke,
or where there’s complete direct competitors, you’ve
got to be very, very careful. Number two, I think
that you need to really, really give thought about
how many different thesis’ and strategies do you actually have? How many different things can people do? This is where you cannot
just put one, kind of, blue print and deploy
it against each client, you’ve got to come up with
unique value propositions creatively and strategically,
that allow them to kind of offset the competitive set. I think the answer is very carefully. I think this is a massive
challenge and I think that one of the things that I would
recommend to you is actually broaden the industries your
in just for that reason. Because I think that humans
are emotional and they may not, even if you think
that you’re proving them separate value, they may not. And the consumer’s perception is king. But I think, to me, it’s not that hard. Because I do think you can
get very different strategies, very different creative executions
amongst those strategies to make an action that those
companies or individuals want to happen. I think the bigger problem
is, those individuals feeling as though that is happening
and that’s the vulnerability of your actual business. Perception, my friends, is
absolutely reality because that’s what people are
making judgements on. I mean, who else is making
the reality as a reality decision? There’s no reality lord that comes down. I am the reality lord! Like, there’s no reality lord. Perception is reality
because human’s perception is their reality. They’re making decisions
on that and that is the vulnerability in that question. I can’t wait to see the graphics of.

“with any of your businesses?” – No, I don’t think
I’ve ever been reckless with my businesses, hence
why they’ve been successful. I think the only reckless
thing I’ve ever done which has caused me
non-successful ventures is trying to bite off
more than I can chew. Sometimes I’m doing way too many things including now, including always. So there’s a level of
recklessness within it, but on an overall collective, it’s not reckless because
it’s a net net score game and I win in business. And so no, I don’t find
myself to be super reckless. I think I’m very much on the offense, but there’s a level of practicality. I’m very P and L driven, profit and loss. That means cash flow, understanding how not to
put myself out of business. I think I leave a lot of
profit on the table each year. I definitely could have a
lot more take home money from Vayner Media, for example,
in the last three years, but I continue to invest in my businesses. Some may think that’s, not reckless, but maybe leaving something on the table? I look at it as long-term investing, not worrying about short-term cash. So no, I don’t think I’m
a reckless businessman. That’s it. No.

is a great question selection pick the
South incentive to the team because I felt that I finally had picked
up my rhythm and momentum on Instagram if you look back at some point when I
was really pushing that narrative as a function of this show I was hoping the
thirty forty fifty thousand dollar range not the following matters but they get
on the internet matters a little bit more because I feel the attention
grabbers there and everybody seeing everything but rather have a hundred
thousand there then maybe a million per cent email list or million Twitter
followers some with believing in Instagram I knew I needed to build it up
and really I created a function on this show to create more awareness more
behavior more interaction between me and you and Instagram and you and your
friends on Instagram finding out about me on instagram so it was very tactical
very strategic I stopped asking because I feel as though I’ve gotten to a place
where I got a better kid in some momentum there’s ads now I don’t want to
create unlimited friction with you in the eye and myself so like I want you to
be able to ask questions the way you want to ask them so it was a strategy in
a moment in time for three to four months I executed wanna eat out of it
and I want to make strategy in researching this question is a very
evergreen to everybody and make them understand that strategies have life cycles what works
for you three forty years ago where 34 months ago or 34 days ago can be debated and switched and I i
think way too many people find something that works for them and they milk in
until there’s nothing left in the account was asked what service do you use to
make these amazing images charles is a

I’ve got a question for you, my man, but give me one second first. So, I’m a photographer and a director, and I’m also the CEO of Creative Live, which is the world’s largest live streaming education company. My question is about creativity and what role does creativity play in business in the future
of business leadership and strategy. Please tell me, man, I’m dying to know. – Well, Chase, let’s talk about strategy. When you are a Seattle Seahawks fan in the last 36 months, and you decide to finally send the video that we’ve been waiting
for for a year now, on maybe the only Sunday
in the last 36 months, on the Monday after a Sunday where the Jets won and the Seahawks lost, I would argue, if
somebody’s nerdy about this, please tell me the other weekends, and there’s probably, I
mean, the Seahawks lost like, two, three games
a year for the last two, so maybe serendipitously, but there is probably the
likelihood of, 16, 48, you know, a 48 Monday shows after Sundays, there was probably three, maybe two, that have the situation
that we had yesterday, where you put on a Seahawks jersey and dissed the Jets, right, like, that makes me so happy that your timing is so off strategy that
you so poorly planned the strategy of this video, it makes me happy with that
move that you just pulled. Creative strategy, I forgot the question. I blacked out with the
Jets thing, gotta get done. What role does, give me the punchline? And replay it, Staphon. – My question is about
creativity and what role does creativity play in business, in the future of business
leadership and strategy. Please tell me, man, I’m dying to know. – I mean, Chase, first
of all, an amazing guy, every photographer watching should watch, every entrepreneur should
catch up with Chase, he’s an amazing guy. Creativity is the variable of success. All the strategies you
create come to the punchline. This is a creative process, this show. This content, content
is a creative output, and everything you planned to that moment, you could have the greatest strategy ever to ask that girl out, right, ever. Like, planned out everything, but that moment where
you go in for the ask, that content is the variable possibly of a yes or no, right,
there’s other variables, but, you know, creativity
is the absolute variable. Like, you might’ve understood
who you’re going after, what to do, when to
release that video game, let’s make it Steve-esque,
but if the graphics suck, or the gameplay suck, or if it sucked, like, creativity is
the variable of success in our society. Including things that we
don’t have control of. Like, if you were just born gorgeous, if you’re just a massively
good looking dude, right, your strategy might’ve
sucked on that ask out, but your creativity, the creative, maybe the words sucked, but what you said might’ve just been enough, like, you’re just a pretty
boy, you’re just pretty. I mean, you know how that is, Staphon. I mean, guy’s got no game, but he wins, he’s just pretty. (laughter) I mean, look, that’s real, and you know what’s funny, actually, using looks and the way
you spit game to girls is actually a tremendous concept of strategy and creativity. Like, the way ugly dudes
get chicks is strategy and the creativity of
their words and charisma. Just the way it is, I know.

– What are the differences
in the way you deal with small vs big accounts/clients? – There’s a ton of differences. When you’re dealing with
small or big businesses senior or junior employees, big or small in all shapes and sizes in business really dictate very different strategies. Small accounts a lot of times don’t have the same budgets. Small accounts often have
chips on their shoulder and lack confidence. I think one of the great things we do for small accounts is
actually bring a little bravado to them. I’m more comfortable actually coming from small to going big, because that’s what I do. You need to be scrappier. You need to build self esteem more. I think big needs the
reverse a lot of times. We need to make sure they
don’t waste their money, because the sorrows of riches, or what is it, help me. What is it called? Anyway, right, thanks for being there for me Andy. The spoils of riches or
whatever it’s called. They have so much money sometimes they just mail in and waste a ton of it. I think a lot of time our biggest brands need a huge level of humility. It’s really the yin
and yang to each other. I think the small
accounts need that bravado and self esteem and like we can do this, screw the big guy. If we’re smarter we can beat them. They’re wasting money on TV and other dumb shit. Big accounts stop wasting money on dumb shit, you’re not as big and as cool as you think you are. Somebody small can come and catch you. Those tend to be the two
different religious pillars and they’re very important
and having those strategies at the top really really do matter.

“What’s your strategy with
Facebook long form posts?” – Been waiting for this moment,
this is the one I picked, I’m super excited about this question. You know, it’s really interesting. I’ve been really challenging
myself, you know, we’re a buck and a quarter into this show, and I’m like, what can
I do to make the show better and better and better. Clearly, the entertainment
value has gone up, because we’ve found the
characters, the context, some of the fun little things, you know, but how do I make the show better? Depth, right. Entertainment, utility,
entertainment, utility. I need to balance them. And so, this falls into probably
the strongest utility play that we’ve executed on this show, and so really get cozy, you
may wanna even pause this right now, go get yourself
a nice glass of wine, really settle in, because this
is a very important moment in the show’s history. The question is, what
is my strategy, right? Two great things are gonna
come out of this answer. This is gonna be your
favorite answer of all time. Because two things are
gonna come out of it. Number one, I’m gonna make you understand why when I do things on social
networks that confuse you in lieu of me writing a book called Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook,
and then you telling me that’s not native, and many
of you have commented like, Gary, isn’t that what you
say not to do in your book? Yes, in a net-net score
if you look at my stuff, I’m following that blueprint, but things change, and more importantly, the number one thing
that I’m worried about that so many people here do is they don’t challenge themselves. Back to the first question. I always wanna put myself out of business, wanna call my bluff before
somebody writes a blog post saying Gary Vee is wrong,
I wanna write a blog post saying Gary Vee is wrong, right. God, I hate their person. I wanna do that, so I’m
always testing myself, so I wrote a long form piece on Facebook two weeks ago, right, two Saturdays ago. I just did it. Like, not talking to the team
on a Saturday, just did it. Xander just went to sleep,
Misha and Lizzie were tied up with something, like,
alright, got a minute here, let me just, this has been on my mind, you know, I’ve been seeing
some things in the trenches, I’ve been feeling something
in my gut, my intuition, let me write a long post. Let me treat Facebook like
a blog, like a website. That’s really been sitting in my mind. I did it, it did extremely well. A lot of reach, a lot of
sharing, a lot of engagement, and I’m like, huh, so I
wrote another one that day. Actually, not wrote another one, reused things I wrote on
Medium that we did months ago. And that did really well. Did another one, and that did really well. As a matter of fact, DRock,
let’s roll it out right now. Here’s some screenshots
of the same exact article being written natively, longform, doesn’t feel like a native execution, but in the feed of Facebook, versus a picture and a
link to go out of Facebook. And that, my friends, what
you’re seeing right now, and, D-Rock, I want you
to take over the screen, jump into, like, splitting me, I don’t know if it’s here or if it’s here, but let’s keep going, just keep kind of going here, I want them to really grasp the numbers. It’s just working. And so, that’s what I’m doing. I’m always challenging
myself, I’m always testing. I did longform Instagram,
actually doesn’t feel native, right, the, you know, I
think we could all agree that the right hooks, tag your friends, all that things, that doesn’t
feel native to Instagram. It’s supposed to be nice
pictures and artistic. These are the things that happen, right, these are the things that happen. You’ve always gotta test, and I think I’ve hit on something, and I’m really excited
about passing it onto you, and I expect the
disproportionate amount of the Vayner Nation right now to write a longform Facebook post within the next 24 hours,
in whatever shape or form, you’re an NGO trying to
raise money, tell a story, you’re trying to sell some
t-shirts, you just wanna talk to your friends, this is a page dynamic, this is my page, not my account, so you’ve gotta take that into account. If you’ve got a business page, roll it, write it, try it, big picture, longform, feel it, I think you’re gonna see results. And again, I look at Facebook’s algorithm the way I look at Google’s search results. They’ll keep changing things, they keep doing that, and
so, right now it feels right. By always challenging myself,
I was able to get results, and double down on them, and
I will squeeze that orange until I get every ounce
of juice out of it, and then I’ll just find another orange. And that’s what you do. And so, whether that’s another orange within a Facebook environment, or if that’s Snapchat, of if
that’s boogaboogadooga.com, wherever it is next, I will
squeeze the mother (bleep) orange.

“if at all, should a brand
not use social media?” – Steve.
– [Steve] Chad. – Chad.
(all laughing) Chad, great question. You know, the funny thing is, is all that social media is is another, first of all, social media is a term, a slang term for the current state of the Internet right now. The term we used only
six or seven years ago was “web 2.0 sites.” Now we call them “social media sites.” We may call them something
else in the future, “mobile native,” “virtual this,” but there’s always a term to talk about the 20 to 30 sites that matter. Social media sites
happen to mean the sites that people actually go to, the apps that people actually go to in a mobile first world, which is what we live in now, and so people are confused if there’s something, if there is a thing called social media. There isn’t. I mean, anything that’s
a content site now, anything that, like, people refer to podcasts as social media. It’s just a term of relevancy, and so it’s a communication portal, right? And there are some high,
high, high end brands that think if they’re on Twitter or Snapchat or Instagram or Facebook that they cheapen their brand equity. I would say Apple, right? Apple is a brand that does very little. I still think they’re doing
basically nothing on social, or at least, definitely not on Twitter, I don’t think, right? So, you know, look, do I think that there is a place where
brands should not do it? Only if it’s a shtick. If it’s a very well-thought-out, “we are so exclusive, we’re
going against the grain,” and they make it part
of their overall thing, that they emphasize in other
channels of communication their lack of being there. It may position to a small group that is anti-establishment, that they think that’s cool, but more and more, what
people need to recognize is that social media is going through a legitimacy curve right now. Over the next five to ten years, this will be the establishment. Facebook and Twitter and Pin, well, I don’t know about
Twitter, I’m worried, but Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat, they’re gonna be the establishment. It’s like banner ads
or the Internet itself. It’s just gonna be the
establishment, my friends, and so I think eventually, that’s going to run out. If you wanna sell something,
you need to be able to communicate to the world, and if everybody’s eyes and ears are in a certain place
called the Internet, I think you need to be there, and I think you have a tough argument to justify the upside versus the downside of not communicating in the portals where people are living. Ben. Oh, I know Ben Phillips.

“your website’s landing
page be a jab like a blog, “or a right hook?” – Paul, you’re welcome for all I do. The answer to your question is, you know, I think it depends
on what your business is doing, and so to me, if
you’re selling something you need to have some level of right hook, ’cause you just have such infinite amounts of time when people land. But if you’re selling information, or you’re looking to
bring a brand awareness, or you’ve been so sell-y
as an organization for such a long time
you need a counter-move to soften your right hooks, and that’s it. That’s the theme of 106 episodes which is that every answer’s different. It’s a reason I can give
away my best advice here, have all my competitors at other agencies and other things come here. I mean I had a bunch of
competitors, literally, small VaynerMedias
asking me for advice over the weekend in email,
which I was answering because at the end of the day, I can give my best advice
because it’s all in theory, right, it’s all in theory. I can give this kind of detail,
which is pretty significant, but then you’ve still got
to get into one extra layer, the clients of Vayner,
the things that I work on have to get to one extra layer
of detail to be successful. And so to me, I’d have to audit what the business or organization
was doing for the last 12, 24, 36 months, if it existed. And then I’d need to understand
what it needs to achieve. But once you understand what
you’re trying to achieve, all your behavior has to match that. And that’s why a strategy,
a religion, a belief system is so imperative in what you do. The amount of people that
are watching this show right now, that are
wishy-washy on what they’re trying to achieve, caring about dumb shit, like oh, I want a nice watch or a car. Like, you’re gonna lose. If you understand how to level that up, I can get any watch and
any car I want because I leveled up, and I still
don’t want that bullshit. And so, I’m not judging you, you do you, you do what you want, but I promise you, push yourself to understanding
what you’re doing at one, two, three levels higher, and you’ll amass that
success along the way that are beneath you. If you want that thing
right in front of you, if you go above it, that
thing is a by-product of you shooting for a higher plane. So, I think it comes down to the details. – [Voiceover] Matthew asks,
“Why is it that people