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Gary Vaynerchuk is a name that is well-known in the social media world. He runs a successful social media agency in New York, called VaynerMedia, and is a guru when it comes to all things social media. This book, which is his fourth, is the product of answering over a year’s worth of questions, related to business, entrepreneurship, social media, and more, on his YouTube show, called #AskGaryVee.

Clouds and Dirt

The ‘clouds’ are Gary’s high end philosophy and beliefs, when it comes to his family and his business. In business, he believes, you have to bring more value to the customer, than they bring you. Think 51, 49.

You provide them with 51% value and they provide you with 49%. Another key aspect of ‘clouds’ is that you have to play the long game in business, because patience matters. He often speaks about entrepreneurs, particularly millennials, being too impatient in business, and thinking of the short term.

Business is a marathon, not a sprint. Also, you have to challenge yourself to always evolve your product or service, because your competitors are always trying to take your spot.

The ‘dirt’ is about being a practitioner and executing towards the ‘clouds.’ The ‘dirt’ is basically all the hard work that you have to put in.

In your personal life, the ‘dirt’ is about communicating with your family, and having a good relationship with your spouse.

Professionally, the ‘dirt’ means knowing the tactics, whether that is, Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, Instagram ads, YouTube ads or whatever other platforms you use. Gary mentions that ideas are worthless without execution. If you have an idea for a business, and you don’t execute on that idea, then that idea is worthless. Ideas are nothing, execution is everything! In order to be successful, according to Gary, you have to start pushing at both ends, the ‘clouds’ and the ‘dirt’.

99% of businesses and people are in the middle. And the middle sucks, because businesses in the middle don’t really change the marketplace, and people in the middle aren’t really practitioners. You must push on both ends, the ‘clouds’ and the ‘dirt’.

How much time do you give to ‘clouds’ and ‘dirt’? You have to be self-aware. You must execute because ideas are not enough, you have to take massive action. Somewhere around 70/30. They both matter but you have to lean towards what comes naturally to you. You have to strive to find a perfect balance.

What do you prioritize as a one person business? Gary says, cash. Cash is oxygen. Only do things that you’re good at, and outsource the rest. You have to give up the rest of your life in order to build a successful business.

Starting Out

It’s an exciting time to be an entrepreneur. Heck, to be a human being, and Gary is pumped at how many people are going out into the world with their ideas and hustle.

This is a book written in a question and answer format. So, I decided to pick some of my favourite questions and summarize the answers.

“Finding a marketing job out of college is tough, especially one that’s not sketchy. How do you find one that’s not sketchy?”

Find internships at start-ups/growing companies. You could also work for free. You have to be a lot less entitled because nobody cares about your degree. And lastly, network.

“What was the hardest thing about starting VaynerMedia?”

Leaving Wine Library (his first business), the birth of his child happened around the same time, his first book “Crush It” went viral, and the economy sucked.

“Is it irresponsible giving up a stable job, to become an entrepreneur, when you have a family?”

You have to have constant communication with your partner to determine what’s right for you.

“I love my job, but I want to start my own blog and hustle, but I’m crippled by execution.”

You’re crippled by fear. You have to speak to your family members. Ask yourself, what are you scared off? If it’s disappointing someone, speak to them, because regret is bad. You’ll regret it at 70 or 80 years old, if you don’t.

“How do you get the first ten customers?”

You literally grind it out. Go through your address book and email everyone and ask them to buy from you. It literally comes down to effort.

“What do look for in a co-founder?”

They have to be the opposite of you, when it comes to skills, and they must have the same goals as you.

“How does a teen blogger get brands to pay attention?”

You have to have a following that is strong. You have to look at the data, and make sure you got your followers in a good way, an ethical way.

“What are the big mistakes you see entrepreneurs making?”

They are soft, they lack patience, and they have the audacity to think it is going to be easy, they grew up in good times, in a good economy, they have a false sense of entitlement, they have classic naivety, and with a bad economy, these companies will be wiped out.

“Should I have a plan B?”

Having a plan B is practical. Focus 80% on your plan A and 20 % on plan B.

Education

Gary was a D and F student at school. He quickly realised entrepreneurship was his passion, not school. He had self-awareness and self-confidence, from an early age.

According to Gary, university can lead to debt, and free education can be found on the web. The marketing and social media you learn at university is outdated by the time you graduate.

“How do you decide if you want to go to college or not?”

If you want to be an entrepreneur in 2016 and beyond, don’t go to college. If you want to be an employee, go to college.

“Are online courses usurping traditional education?”

Absolutely. There will be massive fragmentation in the next 20 years. Gary is a massive fan of courses and would hire a person who has done 5-7 courses, rather than someone who has a degree. Courses provide more value.

“I’m a self-taught media marketer. Should I take courses before applying for jobs?” Yes and no. if the place you’re applying to values them, then take some courses.

“How do you get a mentor?” Provide value. Figure out what’s important to them (check their twitter) and help them.

Hustle

Hustle is the difference between successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs.

“How do you define hustle?”

Maximizing every single minute. It’s like a Rocky movie, you keep going. It’s going the extra mile.

“Is hustle something that can be taught?”

Hustle allows you to work on 5 hours of sleep, instead of 6. Gary watched his parents, (who were immigrants) work their ass off, and this helped Gary develop a hustle attitude. 100% hustle can be taught.

“Any advice for small businesses with a limited budget?”

Content. Do lots of content. Have a YouTube channel, be active on many social media platforms, and network. Use Google Adwords, email marketing, attend networking events, work more, local listing, concentrate on SEO, and give up something in the beginning.

“Any practical hustle hacks?”

Do what you love. This will make you succeed. Also, spend your money on your health.

“How do you hustle faster?”

Take shorter meetings. “Stop focusing on dumb shit.” Don’t focus on things you can’t control. Don’t believe your own hype. “I fucking hate perfection.” It slows you down.

“Is it possible to hustle the way you do, outside the U.S?”

Of course. Stop looking for excuses.

“How do you balance speed and hustle, with patience?”

Be fast in the dirt and patient in the clouds.

Content and Context

Quality content appeals to the heart.

If you’re not putting out quality content on a consistent basis, you’ll be drowned by companies that are. Look for emerging platforms and distribute your content there.

“Can anyone create good microcontent?”

1. Respect the platform 2) Respect the audience. Understand what works on the platform.

“How to grow a following from nothing?”

Put out a lot of quality content. Be consistent and have a good work ethic. Say something a lot of people want to hear.

“How do small YouTube channels gain a following?”

Great content is only part of it. If you’re not getting engagement, the content is not good enough.

“Should I wait until my website is complete, or should I just pump out content while building the website?”

There’s no right or wrong way. Be self-aware.

“When do you use marketing automation? “

It’s not good when you automate human interaction. Non-human things are bad.

Jabs and Right Hooks

Jab: the content you put out that engages and builds trust. Hook: the content you put out that closes the deal.

“What’s the best advice for sales people in the social media age?”

Content is key. Read a prospect’s profile, know what they care about. Content matters, but context matters more. Facebook ads are important (right hook). Become a practitioner, an actual doer. Twitter.com/search can be used to sell. Build a relationship. Fix your LinkedIn game. Don’t spam everyone with the same email. Provide people with value.

Facebook Ads

“As a rookie, how much do I allocate to a Teespring campaign?”

No minimum. Spent $100 and see what happens. For example, design a shirt that says “Atlanta men love fishing,” then use Facebook ads to target Atlanta men who love fishing.

“Is it worth paying for a course to learn about Facebook ads?”

There’s free courses on YouTube. Also, practise using Facebook ads, by yourself.

Stop With the Excuses

When you make the shift from, “I can’t” to “I can” and shift from defence to offence, then you’ll be successful.

If you have passion, if you really love it, and you have expertise, you will win.

Leadership

Practise and model the behaviour you want to see in others. Ask questions, listen, and be fair.

“If you could teach everyone in the world one thing, what would it be?”

Depth matters more than width. Interact and engage with people. Impressions don’t matter, sales do.

“How important is failure?”

Failure is very good. Loses are important. If you didn’t lose, you wouldn’t know what winning feels like.

Self-awareness

“What was the biggest decision in your life that made you successful?”

I got an F on a test. From then on he knew he wasn’t a student, he was a businessman.

As a kid he had a lemonade stand and sold baseball cards.

“Can I be successful with low self-esteem?”

I don’t think you can. Whatever you can do to become more confident, do that. Maybe try therapy, or surround yourself with people that lift you up.

“Do you have to be outgoing to be successful?” Absolutely not.

“You get personal when building a brand, how personal is too personal?” Everybody has their own style. Don’t worry about anyone else.

Conclusion

This book is packed with valuable information and would benefit anyone who has an interest in entrepreneurship, marketing or social media.

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