In his article “Google+ Is Not Dead”, Gary starts out by stating that he’s just going to say it because it’s what we’re all thinking which is Google+ is a failure. Gary says he doesn’t mean to diss Google at all because he considers the search giant the best tech company on earth but he says that Google+ is something that’s simply “outside Google’s DNA” wherein they tried to copy what they observed but that it was ill-fated. Gary states that he does use Google+ as he finds it to be a relevant platform for him to engage on. However, Gary believes that Google+ may not be around anymore in five years as like other ‘social platforms’ Google+ isn’t that social anymore as it’s more of a content distribution network.
In his listicle entitled “3 Thoughts on Competitors and Why You Shouldn’t Give a F*ck” Gary begins by saying he hates the fact that competitors are brought up so often in the business world. He says he does however, love competition and loves winning. However, when it comes to his actual competitors, Gary says he thinks about things a little differently as he doesn’t give his competitors any time at all because he focuses all his energy and time into what he’s doing with his companies so he can make them the best. According to Gary, the three ways people can stop giving a f*ck about their competitors are: Give your competitors zero time; ignore what they’re doing BUT remain competitive. Gary states that competition and being competitive are two different things that shouldn’t be confused. He says you should have that competitive strong streak to keep your company exciting and that it’s okay to be a little secretive as doing so is part of your advantage.
In Episode 62 of the #AskGaryVee Show, entitled “Franchising, Open Courses & Cash vs. Exposure” Gary was asked what his views were on franchising a company when you can’t be sure if others will care for the brand in the same way. Gary responded by saying if you’re building a business like a retail store or restaurant, then franchising is a tremendous model as we’ve seen it succeed with companies like McDonald’s, Sonic and Five Guys. However, Gary says that if you’re going down the route of actually selling your own name, that is something he himself is not and wouldn’t be comfortable with. But if the business is a retail store or restaurant, there are ways to insure the brand by instilling lots of rules, legal jargon and training so that the business is scaled.
In “How I Made the Choice to Suck at School” Gary reflects back to when he was in the 4th grade and got an F on a science test. Because he had to have the test signed by his mom, Gary hid the test under his bed for two days. But his conscious got the better of him so he told his mom about it. Fast forward three years and Gary was flushing every test and report card down the toilet.
He remembers clearly sitting in his bedroom, crying and trying to figure out why he was so upset about that test. Then it hit him. The thought he had changed everything in his life which was “Screw school. I’m a businessman”. It was then that Gary decided to endure the pain at report card time because he knew what he was truly meant to do. Gary says that of course he did continue to go to class and do the homework but he was concentrating mostly on what made him happy which at the time was selling baseball cards that later turned to wine which is now the WineLibrary and VaynerMedia. Gary’s point is that we should stop.
