4 Unusual Facts About Gary Vaynerchuk That’ll Turn Any Online Hater Into a Fan

Let’s face it, you all know Gary V (aka Gary Vaynerchuk). He’s the older-youngish-kinda-looking guy that wears white t-shirts & jeans all over your Facebook/Twitter/YouTube channels. Though you may want to hate the guy…here’s why you’ll be a fan after this article.

1. He came from humble beginnings

Vaynerchuk is a self-made hundred-millionaire. Though now you see only his success, I promise you it took quite a few years to build – over 30 years to be exact. But, with a devoted audience of over 1.1 million YouTube subscribers, 3 million Instagram followers, and 1.68 million Twitter followers, you’d think he was overnight success.

In fact, his first video project was as simple as they come. “I asked somebody on my team at Wine Library to run to Best Buy, pick up a little camera, set it up and hit record. I picked three bottles of wine and put them on a table. I reviewed the wines and filmed it.” That video was the first of many that just years earlier saw his father’s $3 million dollar business blow up into a $60 million dollar business. It was Gary’s marketing mind that helped a measly alcohol shop transform into an online GIANT.

What did Gary V attribute to his success? “Consistency, patience, and always stopping to appreciate milestones along the way…I think people underestimate those small wins. They’re so focused on getting to a million views, or a millions followers, that they forgot about how special it is to have 500 followers.”

Brian’s thoughts: Dude is a savage. Came from an immigrant family, they opened a store, he went to an okay college but learned a ton. Used that knowledge to take advantage of the “.dom” era and bought a domain called “winelibrary.com.” Changed his dad’s company from a stupid name to a better one, “Wine Library.” (creative :0) Was one of the first websites to sell wine online, then YouTube came around and he created a channel talking about wine. Such a simple idea, sure he was lucky & hopped on the trains at the right time, but dude is a savage. Sometimes all it takes is to create. If you create instead of coming up with a ton of excuses, you’ll succeed eventually if you persevere. This guy is a model example of that. Simple. Dude is a savage.

2. He cusses like a sailor

Gary Vaynerchuk is known for his cursing, and despite its taboo status in the business world…it works for him. The guy is a straight rebel. He’s a genius because he is vulgar, inspirational, and invokes emotion when he speaks – he makes you remember him. On the Ask Gary Vee Show he once said his favorite swear word is “dickface.” (I mean how cool is that?) Okay, it’s not that creative, but it’s cool he shared his favorite word with world – dickface.

What does Gary have to say about his use of constant swear words? “It’s just something that happens when I have a camera on me.” Great answer Gary V! I mean this dude isn’t afraid to be himself. You have to appreciate that. He doesn’t give a FUCK. (sorry mom)

3. He loves the New York Jets

I hate the Jets. I love the Giants, but I work for the NY Jets currently so hopefully I don’t get fired…but REAL understands REAL. And this guy is awesome for rooting for a team that hasn’t won a Superbowl in forever. This guy is awesome for rooting for a team that sent Tim Tebow to NFL Hell, and Mark Sanchez into the ass of his offensive lineman. (Didn’t mean for this to get weird) Bless up Gary V, I love you for loving the New York Jets.

(Also I find it cool that at age 5 you became a fan because your friend told you to…though I understand you had just moved from Belarus and didn’t have quite a grasp on the English language yet…so I forgive you.)

4. His priorities are straight, “Family 1^st”

I’ll be real. I hate people who forget where they came from. I also hate people who forget they have a family. I’m a big family man, and this guy always makes time for his family. (I am not Gary V or his child…if you are, please contact me at brian@thedayinthelife.org and confirm this). Though I’m not his kid, he seems like a nice dude. That matters right? I mean he makes his priority clear in his Twitter profile where his first words are… “Family 1^st!”

And though at times (like all of us) he may get caught up in his $100 million evaluation, he at least admits to the “constant battle” he faces balancing his family life with work life.

The dude is REAL. I fuck with that. Or as “Silicon Valley” quite pleasantly describes it, “That Guy Fucks.” (Okay, maybe they used it in a different context.)

So how do you build a small liquor store into a $160+ million net-worth?

Gary V’s answer is, have perspective: “I think perspective is what gave me the ability to keep moving. To be consistent and persevere and always try to provide value. I just understood that I had something and I felt that I could fight through. I was enjoying the process, I wasn’t doing it to become rich, so I was never impatient. I built my reputation brick by brick by brick by brick, and 12 years later I looked up, and I’ve got a building.”