#QOTD: Rank these four platforms in order of YOUR preference: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.

Last night, I started using Twitter's new video reply feature. That platform is playing a lot more with video. When I first started putting out content in 2006, it was video because that felt most natural to me. The best way I could communicate. But it was hard for me to execute on it. In 2007 and 2009, I would carry a Flip Cam around with me and use that as my main medium. The fact that I can now do that straight through the Twitter app is awesome. 

So video does seem most natural to me. But I don't over think my content. Way too many people over think the stuff they are putting out there. We're living in a culture where kids are growing up scrutinizing every selfie they take. It takes them forty-seven minutes to post because they have to make sure the lighting is right. Then when it doesn't get enough likes in the first four minutes, they pull it down. I have the reverse of that rigor. I would take the most unflattering selfies, not caring about the lighting (this is actually the first year I've started to understand lighting...).

Bottom line: I really don't care about the angles. The look. The feel. I care about the substance.

P.S. Twitter Video is available now for verified users, so if you're verified, check it out. :)

#QOTD: Which historic figure would you like to have dinner with? ;)

#TIMESTAMPS
01:23 - In episode 63, you say you watch and can tell if people are hustling. How do you tell? Engagement, frequency, or gut? 
07:00 - What are your thoughts on the marketing opportunities in the new app Yik Yak? 
09:33 - We spend all of our time pouring our creativity into projects for our clients so that when it’s time to shift gears and focus on our brand, we’re fucking exhausted. How do you keep it burning for both? 
11:55 - What have your children taught you about life and business? 
14:14 - Who is the historical figure you would have lunch with if you could? And why? 

#LINKS
https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/what-y...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4bAV...
http://instagram.com/lexvalishvili/

How do you work 100% for clients and another 100% for your own brand? The answer is simple: you need to work harder. And faster. There's really nothing else to it. I'm exhausted every day, but I'm making all sorts of things happen in my eighteen hours. Not only am I working eighteen hours, I'm working fast as hell in this eighteen hours. And, I'm prioritizing what's important and what's not.

We're all different. We work in different ways. If you're Type A, maybe you just need to schedule non-negotiable time for your personal brand if it's that important to you. But really, there is no magic answer here. The answer is just more time, and faster within that time.

Now, the faster part might confuse some people. I always tell people to start working harder, stop watching Lost, but there's another variable: be much faster in the hours you'er already in. There is not a second that's down for me. Some people say they work ten minutes day, but then when I audit them, there's fifteen minutes here and there where they watched a YouTube video. We fight for minutes on my team. Even seconds.

I used to think I was the biggest workaholic that lived. From twenty-two to thirty, I really thought I was all in. But I had enough time to bullshit about baseball with friends. I had time. Now, I'm dramatically faster. And I'm working more hours. That's how it's happening.

So that's the answer. More hours. Faster. Better. Stronger.

#QOTD: New York is about to get CRUSHED by a blizzard, so I want to hear about your favorite memory from a snow day.

Social Media is the plumbing to the word of mouth in our society. If you make a great product and you can get people to taste it, both literally and metaphorically, then there's a tremendous opportunity for your name to spread on its own. There are tons of brands that don't spend on marketing and win simply by making a great product that people can't help but talk about. 

In this day and age, you may not have the budget to put towards marketing your product or service, but that shouldn't stop you. If you're putting out a strong product and service then your name may very well spread through the eyes and ears of those that are able to experience your offerings firsthand. 

Social Media has put us in a very interesting space. If you can leverage the social "influence" of one individual who's had a great experience with what your business offers, you can be well on your way to surpassing the attention that any paid budget would get you. BUT, you need to make sure you actually have a good product. For instance, if you're a small time restaurant that happens to have great food, all you need is that one person on Instagram or Twitter to talk you up because they love what you have to offer. 

The brands and the products that will break out in the next decade with zero dollars may end up being anomalies in the grand scheme of things, but that's all predicated on them having tremendous products. You can have all the money in the world but if your product sucks, you'll end up losing the long game. HOWEVER, you may very well be piss poor and not in the position to spend money on marketing, but if your product is good enough to entice people to talk about it, then in this day and age, you can most certainly win.

#QOTD
Part 1: Give me your feedback, are you excited about instagram bringing a visual element to the show? 
Part 2: Are you going to submit a question via instagram? 


If you are building a consumer facing business, like a restaurant for example, then a franchise is a great thing to do. But, something to ask is—are you trying to franchise your name? A lot of people have tried to franchise me. Yeah. Me. As in Garyvee. I got so many pitches when “Crush It” came out in 2010. People wanted to build courses that they would teach, but it would syphon up to me. That was something I wasn't comfortable with because I don’t feel like it represented me. I wouldn't want to franchise that route.

So if you're asking me about franchising yourself, I'm going to say no. Having other people represent "you", to scale your "brand" as a franchise, just doesn't make sense any more. With YouTube and all the other forms of social media available, you just don't need it. 

BUT let's say you're franchising your restaurant or retail business. If that is the case, I am comfortable saying: go for it. You can make suer your brand is ensured with lots of rules, lots of legal jargon and intense training. Whatever you need to do to scale that, do it. It might be tough, but it will be worth it to keep the core values of your business intact. 

#QOTD: What is your favorite morning beverage? 

I think that "hustle" is something that you're born with. Let me explain.

Work ethic is definitely a trait people are born with but ultimately I think that the hustle meter is fundamentally affected by who the work you're doing is for. Sure, if you work for yourself, it's really easy to give yourself that high grade hustle. However, if you work for someone else, I think your attitude and effort are solely based on how inspired you are and how protected you are by that leader. I truly believe that because I instill trust and protection (as well as some high standards) for those that work for me, they're able to go all-in and deliver and work as hard as they do due to the culture and the context that comes from within the workplace. 

At the ground level, everyone is motivated by their own selfishness and there's nothing wrong with that. But then there's a side of it where if the leader presents a workplace based on meritocracy they're going to do whatever they can to not let that leader down but they'll also work hard enough to take advantage of the opportunity to grow and rise through the ranks. It's super fascinating to me see the levels of motivation that are on display among those that work for me as opposed to those that work for themselves. 

There are so many variables that dictate one's work ethic, but there's no question that a lot of our motivation stems from our life's circumstances, be it traumatic or triumphant. So for me, it's most definitely a nature vs. nurture thing. A lot of our drive comes from our DNA but it's the circumstances of our years that shape the level at which we perform.

#STATEMENTOFTHEDAY: I want you guys to reach out to one person that you haven't spoken to in over a year. I'm serious. And for you over-achievers, try and think of somebody you haven't spoken to in more than 5 years and give them a call. I want you to comment and let me know who that person is and what happened when you hit them up. You'll thank me later :)

The brilliance of this show (#humblebrag) is that when people look back and realize what I've done (and what I'm doing), they'll notice I'm creating the base, the foundation, for all the other pieces of content that I'm able to create. If you pay attention you'll realize that all the content we're putting out is (for the most part) based on the seed that is the #AskGaryVee show. 

Just take a look at the last 6-8 weeks and you'll see the substantial increase in output we've been able to tackle because we're taking advantage of what this show provides -- whether that's Medium posts, GaryVaynerchuk.com articles, animated GIFs, etc. In essence, the #AskGaryVee is just one giant jab that allows for the further awareness that I'm trying to create with the other pieces of content we're putting out there. People gravitate to different mediums and different messaging and this show allows us to capitalize on all those needs.

Think about it. We're putting out this show that is supplied by the questions and thoughts of the fantastic community that is #VaynerNation. This show is the foundation to what has become the latest stage of my personal brand. Not only can I create this show that provides a lot value to a number of people but it also provides me the leverage to create other pieces of content consumed by people that may not otherwise hear my messaging.

#QOTD: Can I get your wine business? YES? NO?
#QOTD2: What are you looking forward to in 2015?

The best way to push employees above their own means is to guilt them into it. 

Everybody is driven by things, so first and foremost, you need to use your ears and listen. You need to sit down with your employees and understand where they want to take their careers. What’s their ambition? By sitting down with people and actually listening, you’ll be able to set up your employees for success in order to achieve the beneficially mutual goals at hand. 

Don’t think for a second that money drives all motivation. It’s simply not true. People are in the game for multiple reasons and the only way for you to understand that is to listen. Once you understand then you can set them up to be in a place for them to deliver. 

The only way someone will over deliver FOR YOU, is to attack THEIR OWN selfishness. You may be selfish in asking for people to over-deliver for you, but the only way for that to be executed on is for you to over-deliver for them. The single best way to win is to provide for 51% of the relationship forcing them to be good enough to deliver on the other 49%. 

Listen, deliver, and guilt them. 

Period.