Fan-favorite entrepreneur and businessman Gary Vaynerchuk knows a thing or two about starting a business and building a brand — and now he’s sharing just how he taps into that mindset.
Appearing on New York Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist’s “Club 30 with Henrik Lundqvist” podcast, Vaynerchuk told the soon-to-be Hall of Famer about the importance of having a strong work ethic and thinking big when it comes to starting a business and succeeding.
“Hard work is not subjective, and it’s not debatable,” he said bluntly. “Work ethic is a huge variable in life.”
Vaynerchuck told Lundqvist that he started his sports agency, VaynerSports, after a particularly rough year and dealing with a family member’s health matter.
The entrepreneur explained how it shifted his mindset to focus on what would be fulfilling, and that meant starting a sports agency. Instead of fearing the unknown and being resistant to jumping into an already saturated market, Vaynerchuk’s attitude was, “Let’s become the biggest.”
“I love competing, and when you love competing, and you love the game, you hate to lose,” Vaynerchuk said. “But you have to expect the outcome. I think a lot of entrepreneurs hate on fellow entrepreneurs and it drives me crazy.”
It’s this attitude that Vaynerchuk believes separates successful entrepreneurs from those who fail.
“If you’ve said ‘no’ about anything, then that means it’s already over … If you say maybe, it becomes a whole different life,” he said. “I don’t think I’m [as successful as] my competitors, but I’m inspiring and aiming for it. And I may not get there, but I don’t understand why I wouldn’t try to. I don’t think I’m delusional, I think I’m capable.”
Vaynerchuk chalks this up to thinking on a “macro level” and how adopting a “go big or go home” mindset can pave the way for what’s to come in the future.
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“At 11 years old, I decided I wanted to buy the New York Jets, and I believe there’s a direct correlation to the amount of success I’ve had based on that,” Vaynerchuk explained. “I don’t operate to maximize money, I operate to maximize joy. Even though I’ve made a lot of money, I’m very aware that I could’ve accumulated more. I want to get to my goals my way, I’m about the process … even though I’m the entrepreneur and it’s all on me, I don’t control the world … I control my reaction to it.”