Here’s my conversation with @ajv
AJ co-founded @VaynerMedia & @vaynersports with his brother, @garyvee. They’ve also invested early in Uber, Venmo, and many others.
We discuss:
- the Vaynerchuk backstory and his formative years
- profitably scaling to multiple 9 figures in revenue
- how Crohn’s disease gave him perspective
- AI + the defensibility of live sports
And much more. AJ’s incredibly AI-forward, full of energy & competition, and simultaneously a great family man. Hope you get a glimpse into what makes him so special. Enjoy!
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
06:03 Earning $30,000 at 13 selling Bobbleheads
07:46 Making $2,000 at a Garage Sale
12:24 How Crohn's Disease Changed His Career
16:26 Scaling VaynerMedia from 12 to 400 Employees
18:38 The Contrast Between Gary and AJ's Partnership
23:49 Travis Kalanick's Call to Test the First NYC Uber
27:30 The Origins of VaynerSports: Acquiring an Agency
29:15 How to Think About Starting a New Business
31:18 How College Kids Can Get Hired in the AI Age
34:31 Why Live Sports is the Most Defensible Business
39:21 The Vaynerchuk Genetics of Extreme Competitiveness
41:57 Vayner HQ and the Future of NFTs
43:53 Why I Started a Podcast