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𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝟐𝟓. 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐝-𝟑𝟎𝐬. Growing up, I thought your interests were something you locked in early. You played certain sports. You followed certain teams. That was your lane. I was wrong. Golf didn't enter my life until 25. Now it's my number 1 hobby. I track it, practice it, think about it constantly. It's become part of how I compete and clear my head. MMA wasn't on my radar growing up. In my mid-30s, I got involved in the business through VaynerSports and started studying it. Now the UFC is one of my favorite things to watch. And practically speaking, late Saturday fight nights fit my life as a husband and father. It complements my responsibilities instead of competing with them. Skiing was the same story. A few scattered trips in my late 20s. Nothing serious. Four years ago, my wife and I committed to it with our 3 kids. This year alone, we've skied five weekends. All three of my kids are on skis (ages 8,6,5). We go from the top of the mountain to the bottom as a family. None of that existed in my first 25 years of walking this planet. The people who keep growing into their 30s and 40s are the ones who stayed curious in their 20s. They tried new things. They let themselves be beginners again. They allowed new interests to reshape their schedule, their friend groups, even their worldview. If you're 22 and you think you've figured out who you are, you haven't. And that's a good thing. Add layers. Stay curious. Keep evolving. Your future favorite hobby probably hasn't even entered your life yet.

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐔𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛, 𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲. In the late 2000’s and early 2010s, while building VaynerMedia, I was spending a lot of time in Silicon Valley — right in the middle of the emerging iPhone + social media wave. I had the good fortune of spending some time with Travis Kalanick before the launch of Uber. As Uber thrived in San Francisco, Travis picked my brain on how the Taxi ecosystem in New York worked and how Uber would fit in. Fast-forward a bit, and Uber was ready to expand beyond San Francisco. When it came time to launch in New York, Travis called me. He said, “You want to be the first person to take an Uber in NYC?” Aka, Rider Zero. For context — Rider Zero is the first person to ever ride Uber in a new city. It became a thing they did with every new market. Actors, Politicians, Celebs of all forms participated as Rider Zero as Uber expanded into their global dominance. I was in our Manhattan office (24th Street between 2nd and 3rd) when he flipped the switch. I watched the “Uber’s coming to your city soon” message disappear… and suddenly one lone car appeared near me on the map. I booked it. The car pulled up, I got in, and we did a simple loop — down 2nd Avenue, three rights, and back to the office. A five-minute ride at most.  That was it. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐔𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲. A bit later, I got a message from Uber’s NYC team and the receipt for the ride. Small artifacts from a much bigger story: watching technology reshape everyday life in real time. Moments like that remind me how lucky I feel to have had a front-row seat to that technological boom fresh out of college.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐐𝐁 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. Massive congrats to Aidan Hutchinson and his family!!! This one’s earned. a 4-year, 180 million dollar extension! Aidan just secured the largest contract guarantee ever for a non-quarterback - a historic deal that cements his place among the league’s elite. What makes it even more special? Less than a year ago, Aidan suffered a gruesome leg injury. Most people don’t come back from that the same. He came back 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. His resiliency is unmatched. His work ethic is relentless. Congratulations are also in order for our Head of Football, Mike McCartney, who led this negotiation with poise, experience, and care. There's no-one in the biz I'd rather have leading the charge for our football group. At VaynerSports, this is what we’re built for — elite athletes, high-stakes moments, handled the right way. We talk a lot about betting on good people. This is what it looks like when the bet pays off.

Twelve founders booked me on @Intro this month. One of them hit $6M ARR in ten months. What stood out wasn’t the revenue: it was how he thought. He’d already pivoted once. Knew his industry cold. Handled every question with a rare blend of IQ + EQ. We’re now working on a pilot together with a portfolio company and exploring what more we could do after. Calls like that remind me why I love entrepreneurship. The early stages of building a business, there’s nothing like it. He asked me some great questions about where to focus, where to attack, where to scale. That’s where these sessions have been the most fun & valuable… helping people scale, hire, pitch, negotiate, or avoid mistakes I’ve already made. So I’ve opened more time. I’m unlocking more 1:1 sessions on @Intro. If you want direct, tactical advice on scaling, fundraising, brand, or deals… I’m here. Comment “Interested @Intro” and the team will DM you a private link.

I’ve taken a lot of @Intro calls this year. And most founders ask a version of: “Where should I focus next?” My first question back is always the same: What does “winning” look like for you? Because you can’t answer “what should I do next” until you define the finish line. Here’s the framework I use:   • Define the finish line in one sentence: Sell the company? Lifestyle business? Category leader? More time with family? Retire by 40?   • Write the scoreboard: Revenue, margin, users, retention, team size, hours/week. Make it measurable.   • Work backwards 12 months: What must be true a year from now for that finish line to be realistic?   • Choose 1 constraint to solve first: Hiring, distribution, pricing, product, or cash. Pick one. Ignore the rest for 30 days. Most founders don’t need more tactics. They need clarity on what game they’re actually playing. If you’re building and want help reverse-engineering your next move, I’m on @Intro. Comment “Interested @Intro” and the team will DM you a 20% off code to book. Offer ends January 1. The link to book is in the comments.

In 2012, VaynerMedia had 25 employees. By the end of the year, we had 250. The year after, 450. 425 hires in 24 months. That kind of growth breaks most companies. Clients weren’t the problem. (gary solved that) Operations were. Hiring was. Systems were. My job as COO was to make sure we weren’t building a house of cards. Here’s what I learned: Founders struggle to let go. They chase perfection. They spend time on work that someone else could do. That’s the ego trap. If someone can do the job at 88% of your quality - let them. Because that frees you up to focus on the bigger problems. Scaling isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing less, but better. That mindset helped us scale VaynerMedia from a 2-person startup to 750+ employees and $100M+ in revenue. If you’re scaling fast and want clarity on operations, hiring, or pricing, I can help. The link to book is in the first comment:

Ok, time to try something new here – After co-founding VaynerMedia ($100M+ in revenue), VaynerSports, and being an early investor in Uber and Venmo, I’m opening up time for 1:1 mentoring calls on @Intro. I’ve scaled from a 2-person startup to 750+ employees and negotiated nine-figure athlete contracts, and I’m excited to share my insights with other founders and builders. Things I can help with: ✔️ Scaling agencies and startups ✔️ Fundraising strategy ✔️ Brand building that lasts ✔️ Negotiation and deal structure ✔️ Scaling operations without breaking them ✔️ Sports and media growth strategy Honored to join @Intro alongside experts like Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), Alli Webb (DryBar), and Spencer Rascoff (Zillow). The link to book is in the first comment.

VaynerMedia Story Time: When Thanksgiving rolled around during the early VaynerMedia days, we'd see something special happen. #VaynerThanks would light up Twitter. Not top-down mandated gratitude. Not HR-driven recognition programs. Just people genuinely shouting out teammates who made their work better. Department heads celebrating their teams. Budding talent thanking mentors. Peers recognizing peers. What started as a simple hashtag became the heartbeat of our culture. Here's what I learned watching it unfold: Good people attract good people. When your team sees leaders publicly celebrating wins, especially the small ones, it creates permission to be positive. When department heads take time to recognize individual contributions, it builds loyalty that equity alone never could. When gratitude becomes part of your operating rhythm, not just a November thing, you build something different. When I was at VaynerMedia, we scaled from 2 to 750+ people. The companies that survive that kind of growth? They're the ones where culture compounds as fast as headcount. #VaynerThanks still exists today. Now within the company slack channels. Because some traditions are worth protecting. This year, I'm bringing it back in my own way. Leading up to Thanksgiving, I'll be doing my own round of public shout-outs. Back to Twitter. Positivity isn't soft. It's strong.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝟬. 𝗠𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟱𝟬 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟱.𝟬 In honor of the milestone and his favorite number, here are five things (plus a bonus) I learned from him that shaped how I operate as a founder, leader, and human. 𝟭. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. "Speed kills" was never a slogan. It was a standard. In sports, speed creates separation. In business, speed creates opportunity. He pushed me to stop polishing things that didn't need polishing and start moving. Fast. Test, learn, adjust. That rhythm became the backbone of how I operate. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. This was one of my earliest downloads from him. Yes, operations matter. Yes, product matters. But revenue is oxygen. Everything else is nice to have. Drive sales and you buy yourself time, flexibility, and options. Ignore sales and all the tight operations in the world won't save you. It's not glamorous, but it's real. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱. Just last night, Gary mentioned losing a major piece of business. Didn't even skip a beat. It's as if it didn't happen. Growing up together and then building companies together, I've watched this for decades. Big wins? Same energy. Painful losses? Same energy. He taught me that emotional consistency is a competitive advantage. When the highs don't make you reckless and the lows don't make you panic, you make better decisions. Period. 𝟰. 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹. A lot of people hit their 40s and 50s and cling to the past. They stop exploring. They stop evolving. Gary went the other direction. He stayed hungry, fascinated, and open. He treats new platforms, new tech, and new waves the same way he treated them in his 20s… with genuine excitement, not skepticism. That mindset is rare. And it keeps him young. 𝟱. 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴. Nobody has more fun experimenting than Gary. He taught me that staying stagnant is the real risk. Pushing into new ideas, even when they're unproven or uncomfortable, keeps the work fresh and keeps you growing. When you enjoy innovating, success becomes a byproduct. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 #𝟲: 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘁/𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. It's not about being perfect. It's about progress and growth. You're going to make mistakes and break things along the way, and that's ok as long as you're marching toward progress and success. The scoreboard at the end is what matters. Grateful for 38 years of lessons. Here's to Gary at 5.0. Still teaching, still learning, still curious, still moving fast. Happy Birthday G! 𝗪𝗵𝗼'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲? 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀!

Big news! AJ Vaynerchuk, co-founder of VaynerMedia and VaynerSports, is now taking video calls on Intro. AJ grew VaynerMedia from a 2-person startup to 750+ employees and $100M+ in revenue, built the foundation for VaynerX (now the largest independent ad company), and has negotiated nine-figure athlete contracts at VaynerSports. He’s also an early investor in Uber and Venmo, and advises across media, tech, and sports. Book his time to get personalized advice on: ✔️ Scaling startups and operations ✔️ Fundraising strategies ✔️ Brand building and portfolio synergies ✔️ Deal negotiation and growth tactics ✔️ Sports and media ventures ✔️ And more! Learn directly from someone who’s executed at the highest level and turn your ideas into action. Comment 'INTRO' and we'll send you the direct link to book.

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐖𝐚𝐬 "𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥" 𝐒𝐗𝐒𝐖𝐢 𝐓𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 In the late 2000s, while in college, I spent my spring breaks with my brother Gary Vaynerchuk at the SXSWi conference in Austin, Texas. It was my first real glimpse into the collision of business, technology, and culture. I was hooked. I remember sitting on that striped couch (photo below, peep my Bapes btw), both of us glued to our phones, trying out apps like Twitter and Foursquare for the first time. No one knew it then (actually we did), but those platforms would go on to define an era. That week, every year from 2007 to 2015, changed how I saw the world. I met founders, angel investors, and early adopters who were shaping the future long before most people even realized it. It sparked a curiosity that’s stayed with me ever since. To this day, I think one of my biggest advantages in business is that same curiosity; the deep passion for understanding how technology changes behavior, culture, and the way we work. Looking back, I can’t thank Gary enough for bringing me along for that ride. Those early experiences at SXSW didn’t just teach me about startups, they taught me how to see what’s coming next. This focus on the intersection of tech and operations is something I still talk about in every Intro 1-on-1 I do. These days it’s hyper-focused on AI and how to leverage it. Been really rolling on the intro front so if you want to grab some time, I’ll link my booking link as the first comment 🤝

The Day 200+ People Wheeled Their Stuff Down Park Avenue: In the early days of VaynerMedia, growth was both a blessing and a logistical nightmare. We’d barely settled into one office before outgrowing it.  25 people became 50. Then 200. Then 350. Etc etc. As each year passed, we were out of space again. The move that stands out the most was from 27th and Park to 24th and Park. Just three blocks (key part of this story). I remember getting a moving estimate for all our furniture and random office knick-knacks. The number was… astronomical. I looked at it and thought, there’s no way this makes sense. So we did what scrappy startups do — we got creative. We decided to move ourselves. Not completely — we still hired a company for the heavy stuff. But the rest? “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” We sent a company-wide memo, coordinated with the new building on freight elevator timing, and built a schedule. And then… it happened. One by one, people started wheeling their office chairs down Park Avenue — boxes, plants, monitors balanced on top. A line of VaynerMedia employees rolling through Manhattan like a low-budget parade. It wasn’t the most professional approach. Definitely didn’t get any approval. But it was one of those moments that captured exactly who we were. Hungry. Resourceful. All-in. We saved a fortune that day. And I bet every single person who was there remembers that moment one way or another. (Anyone got any pictures from that day!?)

For me, there's one slide that kills more fundraising conversations than even traction. “If we capture 4% of a trillion dollar market…” That slide doesn’t make me lean in. It makes me check out. Not because ambition is bad. Because delusion is dangerous. Here’s the outcome founders actually want when pitching: Investors understand the business fast. They trust your judgment. They believe you know the game you are playing. That comes from three things. Show me you know your competition better than they know themselves. Ground projections in what is already working, not what might work someday. Replace market size fantasies with a clear path to the next 12 months of growth. Confidence says “here’s how we win.” Delusion says “everyone else is irrelevant.” If you want help tightening your pitch so it builds trust instead of raising red flags, I’m on @Intro. Comment “Interested @Intro” and the team will DM you a 20% off code. Offer ends January 15. The link to book is in the first comment. (pic below is when I hear "if we can just capture 1% of the market..."

Loved this chat I had with the Intro team a bit back. Should have a few clips coming out of it in the coming weeks/months!

When I was 16, ESPN turned Chris Moneymaker into a legend and suddenly everyone at my high school was playing Texas Hold'em. I was hooked. Friends, math, strategy, competition – poker hit all my sweet spots. My love just got re-sparked based on my nephew recently asking for some help on how to compete in poker with his friends. He's also got entrepreneurial ambitions, and I keep telling him: poker might be the best business education he'll ever get. Think about it: Pot odds = ROI calculations: You're not betting on having the best hand. You're betting on whether the potential return justifies the risk. In business, every decision is a pot odds calculation. That applies to team building, investing, client selection and more. Reading the table = Reading the room: The best poker players aren't playing cards, they're playing people. Same in negotiations, hiring, and partnerships. Stack management = Resource allocation: When you're short-stacked in a tournament, you play differently than when you're chip leader. Your business strategy should shift based on your resources too. Mixing up your play = Strategic pivots: Play too predictably and you're dead money. Business is the same – sometimes you need to bet big on pocket 7s just to keep competitors guessing. I'm a massive fan of zigging when people zag, and I think that applies in poker and business. The correlation between poker and entrepreneurship runs deeper than most realize. Both require emotional control, calculated risk-taking, and the ability to make decisions with incomplete information. My nephew's learning both games at once. Fun for me to watch along the way :)

𝗠𝘆 𝗫 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. I collect assets: angel investments, real estate, trading cards, NFTs. But my most valuable asset? My curated X / Twitter feed. In October of 2010, my feed introduced me to Instagram. Led me to making my first post within the first 5 days of the platform’s existence. Led me to driving the first ever brand campaign on Instagram with VaynerMedia client Brisk Iced Tea. In 2020, my feed surfaced Kaboom trading cards. That sent be down a rabbit hole. Enabled me to be one of the largest holders of the 2013 Kaboom set in the world. In April of 2021 I discovered Bored Ape Yacht Club via Twitter. I know many here like to dunk on NFTs, but hard to lose when you bought your Apes at $2000ish a piece. Last month? Found an AI tool that's already saving us 20 hours per week at VaynerSports. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱? I treated mine like infrastructure, not entertainment. Here's exactly what I did:   • 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀   • The people creating the future sometimes have small followings. I’m not using follower count as my signal.   • 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆   • Every insight worth revisiting got saved. Built a personal knowledge vault.   • 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵   • Created lists: "Early AI," "Crypto Builders," "Consumer Behavior." Tracked patterns across groups.   • 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁   • Watched the 15-minute videos. Read the technical threads. The algorithm learned I wanted depth.   • 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀   • Amplified good thinking. Built relationships with the sharpest minds.   • The compound effect after 15 years? My feed is now a prediction machine. It shows me what's coming 6-12 months before mainstream coverage. Social media in late 2000s. Crypto through every cycle. ChatGPT on public launch. The pattern never changes: 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: 10x10 Unfollow 10 accounts that only entertain. Replace them with 10 builders in an industry you care about. Do this for 10 days. Watch your feed transform from noise to signal. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄.

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆... 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. 30% success rate. Hall of Fame career. And I’m not talking about baseball. Sounds impossible, right? 𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗸𝘀 played basketball in the 1940s with the worst field goal percentage you've ever seen. By any standard today, he was terrible. But Fulks was the first player to regularly use a jump shot. Before him, basketball was flat-footed. Set shots only. Safe plays that worked. He kept jumping. Missing. Looking foolish. Except he wasn't missing because he was bad. He was missing because he was first. And because he kept taking those shots, he changed basketball forever. Became a Hall of Famer. One of the few names from that era anyone remembers. There's a lesson in that for every entrepreneur: If you're trying something original, your "field goal percentage" will be ugly. You'll miss more than you hit. People will question your judgment. But that's the price of being early. 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝗜𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲. When Gary and I started 𝗩𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮, it was all about speed. We went from a handful of people to 400+ employees in less than 4 years. New industry, No rulebook. Every week felt like we were breaking something just to rebuild it faster. That’s what a rocket ship feels like — adrenaline, urgency, chaos that somehow works. Then I built 𝗩𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀. And suddenly, I wasn’t flying a rocket, instead I was running a marathon. This business has more variables than I can count: Injuries, coaching changes, timing, system fit, etc. You can do everything right and still lose due to circumstance. That forces a different kind of discipline. You learn to control less, adapt more, and focus on endurance. VaynerMedia taught me to move fast. VaynerSports taught me to last. Different games test different muscles. And if you’re lucky, you get to play both.

There’s a quote I’ve always loved from Warren Buffett: “𝐁𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥.” 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦! Back to my POV: The above is easier said than done. If I’m being honest, I’m probably a “C” at best on this one — still trying to build that muscle. And maybe this post is part of that muscle building. Today’s a rough day in the markets I play in: tech & crypto. Both are spaces I’m heavily invested in, emotionally and financially. And I’m not a financial advisor (again, this isn’t advice), but here’s how I try to think through days like this: 1️⃣ Never invest what you can’t afford to lose. 2️⃣ When the panic hits, I look for long-term companies I believe in that have taken the biggest hit. For me today, that’s Netflix. The stock dropped about 10%. Industry-wide turbulence, tax issues in Brazil, etc, but I still believe in their vision, their product, their leadership. So, I bought more. Could I be wrong? Absolutely. Maybe it keeps sliding. But over the last 15 years, this quote has served me well  and I’m sticking with it. Just one entrepreneur trying to turn panic into perspective and fear into opportunity.

𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟯𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝟯 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. It wasn't some magic content calendar. It wasn't "finally prioritizing my personal brand." The real shift was simple: My schedule and my personality found a partner: AI For most of my career, creating content felt like a chore. Another item on the list between meetings, deals, and kids' schedules. It never felt fun. It felt like homework. Then something changed. Between ChatGPT and Stanley by John Hu's company Stan (full disclosure I'm an advisor), the process flipped from a burden into a game. Literally. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. I drop a voice prompt run using Typeless (no involvement). Try a new angle. Call back an old story from the early VaynerMedia days. I mess around. I experiment. I get surprised. And when something surprises me, I'm having fun. And when I'm having fun, I keep going. And when I keep going, the volume takes care of itself. This post right now, with a 15-minute gap between meetings, I was able to pump out what I think is a great original thought. That's the real secret no one talks about. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. It's the fun. When content stops feeling like work and starts feeling like play, that's when you really scale. AI didn't just make me faster. It made me enjoy the process for the first time. It became a partner that fits into the cracks of a busy operator's day. I'm still running companies, raising kids, thinking about drafts and contracts and hiring and strategy. But now I can also spin up a post, a thread, a script, or a concept in minutes and actually enjoy doing it. I'm not forcing it anymore. I'm playing. And for me, that made all the difference. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐈-𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞?

One of the most valuable tools in my day-to-day workflow isn’t a new AI model or some shiny platform. It’s my X algorithm. And it didn’t happen by accident. I was intentional about what I read and ruthless about what I bookmarked. Especially around AI, tools, workflows, and real operator thinking. The result is a feed that consistently surfaces things that actually make me better at my job. To push it one step further, I built a simple Claude script that runs every morning. It pulls the AI-related bookmarks I saved the day before and automatically publishes them to a public Notion page. No curation theater. No “thought leadership.” Just the raw inputs I’m learning from in real time. Hope this link gives you as much value as it gives me: https://lnkd.in/e-nYJV-G

Hanesbrands Inc. newest campaign with Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, featured in ADWEEK, finds a creative way to turn uncomfortable moments into memorable storytelling. It’s a fresh reminder of how athletes can connect with fans beyond the game, and that uncomfortable moments can happen to anyone. #VaynerSports #NFL #sportsbiz Ryan H. Zachary Rubin Jennifer Cronin Douglas Enga Steven Karp Kennedy Jane Taylor Hayley Cohen

Entrepreneurship isn't a straight line. It never was. People worship the viral moment. The unicorn round. The overnight success story. That's rare. More commonly it looks nothing like the highlight reel. More frequently, growth looks like 10 customers becoming 20. Then 40. No spotlight. No dopamine. Just quiet revenue compounding while everyone else refreshes their analytics. When we scaled VaynerMedia from 2 people to more than 750, the magic wasn’t the spikes. It was the thousands of invisible reps. The days no one remembers. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁: While you’re stacking bricks, you ALSO need to be ready to sprint. At VM, When Instagram launched, we didn’t “evaluate the opportunity.” We moved. Immediately. Brisk Iced Tea ended up running the first brand campaign on the platform while the industry was still arguing if filters were a gimmick. When NIL became legal, VS didn't "wait to see how the dust settles." We sprinted towards disruption. Launched the first ever TV commercial featuring a paid appearance by a collegiate athlete (DJ Uiagalelei x Dr Pepper). You can’t coast your way into momentum. Speed is a skill. Maybe the most valuable one. And then comes the part most founders pretend doesn’t exist. The steps backward. The $50K burned on the wrong channel. The product launch that falls flat. The hire who flames out in 90 days. I’ve had all of them. More than once. Gary and I always look at it from the perspective of "net/net" If you aren't failing, you aren't pushing the boundaries hard enough. Progress has a price. If you can’t stomach the hit, you don’t get to stay in the game long enough to enjoy the compounding or the fast breaks. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯. 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. The reps that compound. 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀. The moments you can’t hesitate. 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. The ability to take a punch and stay upright. The operators who can switch gears without losing themselves are the ones who build something real. Something that lasts. Adaptation isn’t a phase. It’s the lifestyle. Which gear punches you in the mouth most often?

This was one of the first lessons Gary taught me. Price discovery can be difficult when creating/entering a brand new market. This Is the way we did It In the early days of VaynerMedia / Social Media

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱… 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. I’ve probably tried 10+ to-do list apps over the last 15 years. Todoist, Notion, Things, Apple Reminders, Due, You name it. They were all good. But none of them were me. So I built my own. Using Lovable, I created a fully customizable, bespoke to-do list that fits exactly how my brain works. The coolest part? Whenever I think of a way to make it better… 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵. Like this morning: • I wanted a one-click button to move any task to the top of the list. • I told Lovable in plain English. • One minute later… it existed. • No waiting for feature requests. No hoping a company with millions of users sees things my way. Just me, shipping my own product, one micro-improvement at a time. And here’s the part I want more people to realize: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. You can describe what you want in English, Tinker a little, Ask AI for help when you get stuck… That’s it. It’s easier than you think! AND it’s transformational for how you work. Stop waiting for someone else to build the perfect app for you. Do it yourself (I couldn’t bring myself to say “Just Do It” - IYKYK)

Yesterday I met with an entrepreneur who wanted to explore a new tactic to boost awareness to his startup. A shiny idea. The kind you read about in headlines. Before we got into the weeds, I asked one question: What is your end goal? I am a big believer in reverse-engineering. You cannot give real strategic advice until you understand the North Star. Without that, every tactic looks good. Every trend feels urgent. Once he described what he actually wanted to achieve, the path became obvious. The solution was more traditional. More practical. And completely different from the tech-forward idea he assumed he needed. 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐛𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧. Just because something is hot, new, or trending does not mean it belongs in your business. The right move is the one that aligns with your terrain, your customer, and your true objective. The work is asking why. The work is knowing your North Star. Otherwise you are just collecting gear that slows you down.

𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧. But every now and then, someone earns it. I invested in Adrian Solgaard and his company a long time ago. 2017. Before the traction. Before the charts. Before it was obvious. What stood out wasn’t just the product. It was the rare combination of creativity & persistence. Consumer physical goods is brutal. Capital intensive. Unforgiving. You get punched in the face early and often. Adrian kept building anyway. He has that rare mix: Deep creative instinct Obsession with design and function The willingness to stay in the game when it would be easier to quit That combination compounds. Over time, Solgaard Design Inc. became more than luggage. It became a platform for thoughtful design, sustainability, and products people actually use. And now they’re entering their next phase of growth, and for those who like backing real operators in hard categories, there’s an opportunity to learn more. Mostly, I just wanted to publicly acknowledge a founder who kept showing up. If you want to explore further, you can find more here: 👉 https://invest.solgaard.co And if you’re a founder reading this: Talent matters. Timing matters. But perseverance is the multiplier no one talks about enough. Can't win if you're no longer playing.

Had a great time catching up with my friend Adam Brown on his podcast. I think a lot of people know what VaynerSports does on the surface, but I get asked a lot for the details - so here it is! Also, fun that we did this last week and I kinda teased the launch of Baseball!

Fun excerpt of a raw conversation with iqram magdon-ismail from last night using his new platform jelly. We reminisce about the early days of Venmo. I wrote a TINY TINY check into their seed round in 2010 but loved jamming with the team on the product and the API. and yes... it was dark in there and the flash was way too much in the beginning

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐕𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 (𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐨) In the early days of VaynerMedia, we were growing fast, faster than we had space for. So, we came up with what felt like a genius idea: Let’s turn our old office into a co-working space. We called it 𝐕𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞. (image below of the entrance from way back when) We sublet desks, filled it up with tenants, the vibe was buzzing. I was feeling pretty smart! Then about two weeks later... A letter shows up from our landlord. In short: 𝐒𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲. Apparently, our lease didn’t exactly allow us to become a random co-working space. So, there I was, tail between my legs, calling every tenant we’d rented to, explaining that we had to unwind this whole thing. I tried my best to make it right with every single one of them. To everyone’s credit, they were flexible and understanding.  It was humbling. Embarrassing. Naïveté personified. Moral of the story: When you get excited about a new idea, do the boring stuff too. Read the lease. Ask a lawyer. Because even the best operators, in the early days, make rookie mistakes. And sometimes those mistakes come with a cease-and-desist letter…

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝟑𝟔 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫… In the peak of the NFT boom, I launched a project called 𝗩𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 - an extension of our sports agency into the world of Web3. I thought I was prepared. Had spent a ton of time in the ecosystem, helped launch other projects, had great people working with me on every facet… I wasn’t prepared. 𝙒𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 10,000 𝙉𝙁𝙏𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 15 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨. Demand was insane. It was the absolute peak of NFT hysteria. And then… 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀. The mint triggered what’s known as a gas war — people overpaying Ethereum network fees to fight for a spot in line. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 $𝟐𝟔 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐬. No one was forced to do it. It was pure speculation. But it happened on my project, under my watch. Within a moments notice, I went from feeling proud of the launch to becoming public enemy number one in the NFT space. I spent the next 36 hours on Twitter, taking every punch that came my way. No sleep. No hiding. Just answering every tweet, every angry comment, every disappointed holder. 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭? 𝐘𝐞𝐬. I didn’t code the contract, I didn’t tell anyone to speculate & overspend. But the responsibility? That was mine. That's on me. I was the one who assembled the team. I was the one who put my name on it. I was the one who had to own it. And so I did. Looking back, that stretch taught me more about leadership and accountability than any success ever has. The people who were willing to look at the situation objectively saw it. They saw I didn’t run, they saw I faced it head-on. Many still hate me for it and that’s okay. I’ll live with that. But the project didn’t die. We kept building. We’re even still active today, running raffles, showing up, executing. Far exceeding the life-span of 99% of NFT projects. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐫?  𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭. Because sometimes, the moments that test your reputation the hardest are the ones that prove your character the most. Major business headaches since? Pale in comparison… 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐳 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 ;)

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. 𝗦𝗼 𝗜'𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁. Starting a simple series: New and Noticed This will feature interesting companies I come across in the wild. No hidden angles here. I'm not an investor, advisor, I don't even know the teams. If I ever highlight something I have a tie to, I'll explicitly call it out. For post #1 - full disclosure: zero ties to these two companies. Kicking it off with this duo that happen to have similar names but are doing very different things. 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 - https://board.fun Board is a new style of family game tech. Physical pieces with a digital board that keeps everything organized and easy to follow. You can download new games as they release, and the setup is instant. I bought one for my family. My wife and I have three kids, ages 8, 6, and 4, and it has become a legit hit in our house. All five of us can actually enjoy the same game. That's rare. What surprised me most was how accessible it's been for my four-year-old. Traditional board games usually leave her behind. Something about the digital board removes the friction. I've even watched my eight-year-old and four-year-old play together on it. That basically never happens anywhere else. 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘆 - https://www.boardy.ai Boardy describes itself as an AI Superconnector. It connects professionals to customers, investors, talent, and more. Essentially an AI agent built to handle high-stakes outreach and networking. That concept alone fascinates me. Most consumers aren't ready to hand that type of interaction to an AI agent. Honestly, most founders aren't ready. It feels personal. It feels delicate. It feels like something only humans should touch. Which is exactly why I'm paying attention. Boardy is taking a big swing at how AI might plug into the real world of relationships, opportunity, and deal flow. I watched someone land a dream client through it last week. There's something interesting there. Something early. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. One's betting we want more human connection through games. The other's betting we're ready to hand human connection to AI. The tension fascinates me. Excited to watch these two continue to build. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄! 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 Every time you predict failure correctly, what do you actually gain? Being right that something won’t work has almost no upside. You get to say “told you so.” That’s it. No equity. No progress. No reward. Maybe a cookie. Being right that something new will work? 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚. Fortunes built. Legacies written. The math is simple:   • Be wrong about new ideas → lose a little pride.   • Be right about new ideas → change your life.   • Be right that something fails → gain nothing. Most people optimize for being right. 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙙. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗨𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯. “Why would anyone get in a car with a stranger from their phone instead of calling a cab?” 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗺𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. “No one will ever send money through their phone.” 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯? “Fake internet money.” 𝗡𝗙𝗧𝘀? “Stupid monkey pictures.” And honestly, as of this moment, they’re right (kinda). But I still believe in the long term. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙚𝙩. At the end of the day, the EV (expected value) is wildly skewed toward optimism and experimentation. That’s why I’d rather look foolish trying (doing) than flawless predicting (talking). 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘚𝘟𝘚𝘞𝘪 2015 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵

How a Backyard Game Became My Next Big Bet If you told me twenty years ago that Gary Vaynerchuk and I would one day own a professional Wiffle Ball team, I probably would’ve laughed. But the more I think about it, the more it makes perfect sense. That’s why we’re now the proud owners of the New York Green Apples in Big League Wiffle Ball - https://lnkd.in/eWr5m9sT We’ve always believed in the rise of emerging sports — where passion, creativity, and community form before the mainstream arrives. That belief has guided a lot of our recent ownership or league investments including: * Unrivaled — reimagining women’s basketball * Pro Padel League — bringing one of the world’s fastest-growing sports to the U.S. * The 5s in Major League Pickleball — Gary and Ryan Harwood have built a dominant franchise in that league And now, Big League Wiffle Ball (BLW) The league started with a teenager in his backyard — Logan Rose — who turned a fun idea with friends into a full-fledged national circuit. That type of entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what excites us. Gary and I are joining as owners of the New York Green Apples, part of BLW’s 10-team debut season kicking off this month. 🍏 .. peep the veefriends integration on the logo ;) For us, this isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about what’s next — where sports, content, and culture collide. On another note, At VaynerSports, we see it every day in our brand consulting work led by Zachary Rubin and the team — how companies are eager to align with properties that bring real storytelling, community, and personality. Emerging leagues offer that in a way traditional sports often can’t. They move faster. They listen more closely to fans. And they create new entry points for brands, athletes, and audiences. That’s the opportunity. We’re beyond excited to help BLW grow, build real fandom, and scale from backyards to ballparks.

Confidence is an asset, but delusion is a liability. 🚩 AJ Vaynerchuk breaks down the fine line between believing in yourself and losing touch with reality. Know the market. Respect the competition. Stay hungry.

Really enjoyed sitting down my longtime friend Mitchell Slater - Mitch is one of the good guys, and I just appreciate the way he views the world

Doing the right thing is always the right thing. I’ve always believed in karma — when you put thoughtfulness, energy, and care into the world, it has a way of finding its way back. Recently, I bought a product called Zest, created by entrepreneur Jason Jin. It’s a unique idea: a caffeine pill you take before bed. By the time you wake up, the timing and science align so you feel the caffeine boost instantly in the morning. I was curious to try it — but because of my Crohn’s disease, caffeine is tough on my body. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me, and I ended up with stomach issues in the middle of the night. When Jason followed up, I was transparent with him: “I love the idea, but my body just isn’t built for it.” Here’s the part that stuck with me: Instead of brushing me off, Jason told me about another product called Ultra — which delivers caffeine differently and doesn’t go through the stomach. He didn’t have to do that. He didn’t benefit from that recommendation. But it solved my problem. That’s what “doing the right thing” looks like. It builds trust, goodwill, and advocates. I’m sharing this to give Jason some deserved love for how he handled that moment. It’s a reminder for all of us: doing the right thing is always the right thing. 👉 As part of this, I’m giving away five (5) one-month supplies of Zest. If you want to enter, you can do it over on X — here’s the link: https://lnkd.in/euhxFWbW

The #1 question I ask myself every day: "How can AI play a role in this?"

Life is long. Longer than your impulses want it to be. And most of the real work happens long before anyone notices. The quiet decisions you make with no audience, no applause, and no immediate upside are the ones that end up reshaping your career a decade later. I am living that in real time. Moves I made in 2011 are opening doors in 2026. That is why I stopped chasing the moment. The short term is loud. The long term is undefeated. Stack good decisions and let time do its job.

While it is just preseason, Josh is off to a great start in his career. This is just the beginning for him!

𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗩 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. For a long time, apps worked the way network television did. Finite slots. Gatekeepers. Big winners. Everyone else fighting for distribution. Then attention changed. Streaming didn’t just add more channels. YouTube and TikTok didn’t just add more content. They changed who gets to create, how things get discovered, and what “default” even means. AI co-pilots are about to do the same thing to apps. Think Wabi, Think Lovable, Think Replit, etc When users can spin up custom tools for themselves, their team, or their family, the idea of browsing an app store starts to feel dated. You won’t download a “stocks app.” You’ll build exactly the version you want. Same for clocks. Same for weather. Same for everything. Those default apps everyone relies on today? They’re M*A*S*H. Legendary. Culturally important. But a product of a system that no longer controls attention. The shift isn’t about Apple losing relevance. It’s about creation moving downstream. Whenever tools move from centralized distribution to individual control, the winners change. Can't wait to see this unfold...

Love what my friend Mitch is doing with his new podcast!

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 #𝟮: I try to surface the products, ideas, and people that actually make me stop and rethink how I operate. Two things hit that bar recently: 𝟭. 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 Ramp just launched something that was always coming: a web-based Excel with an AI agent baked into the foundation. Not a bolt-on. Not a plugin. Native. After 15+ years of living inside Google Sheets, I can feel my muscle memory breaking. In the best way. Because here's the truth: using Google Sheets right now feels like holding onto an old habit out of comfort, not logic. Ramp Sheets is the first "excel killer" I've seen that makes me say, "Okay… I need to retrain myself. Fully." If you build, analyze, forecast, or operate, take a look: https://lnkd.in/eyY9yYJa While Ramp is reimagining how we work with data, Matt Schlicht is enabling how we work toward goals. 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵𝘁 Matt's been ahead of the curve for as long as I've known him. He moves fast, plays with new tech without hesitation, and ships. He took the viral Ohtani dream-sheet moment (where the MLB all-star mapped his entire future) and built a simple, clean product around the same idea: one big goal, structured into pillars and habits. I did the exercise myself. It works. It forces clarity. If you have a major goal you're chasing, this is worth the 10 minutes: https://lnkd.in/eEnpe3Bi 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗜'𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.