Path to Success: How Gary Vaynerchuk or 'GaryVee' His Made Millions

Gary Vaynerchuk, an entrepreneur and influencer widely known as "GaryVee," has a wide array of interests and money-making ventures. The businessman is the CEO of both VaynerMedia and VaynerX has invested in extremely successful companies as well.

Born in the former Soviet Union (now Belarus), Vaynerchuk resides in the U.S. and has taken advantage of the lucrative business opportunities afforded by the internet. He’s a New York Times bestselling author, blogger, investor, and serial entrepreneur.

Vaynerchuk gained entrepreneurial experience as a child, starting with simple ventures like a lemonade stand and selling baseball cards. Those businesses gave way to his work with the family wine business, which he later grew in sales from $3 million to $60 million in the five years following college.

GaryVee’s online biography explains that a 2008 keynote speech at Web 2.0 changed his life and led to a million-dollar, 10-book deal with HarperCollins.

GaryVee is the bestselling author of multiple books:

• Crush It! Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion

• The Thank You Economy

• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How To Tell Your Story In A Noisy Social World

• #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take On Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness

• Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business And Influence—And How You Can, Too

VaynerMedia is the entrepreneur’s full-service advertising agency that provides service to Fortune 1000 clients across the company’s four locations. Vaynerchuk also chairs VaynerX, which is a media and communications holding company.

One of GaryVee’s many entrepreneurial pursuits is his co-founding of Vayner/RSE, which includes RSEVentures. The firm is a private investment company that focuses on sports and entertainment, media and marketing, food and lifestyle, and technology. GaryVee is a co-founder along with Matt Higgins and A.J. Vaynerchuk.

Some of Vaynerchuk’s success came from early investments in major companies like Uber, Twitter, Tumblr, Coinbase, and Snap

In a 2019 interview with CNBC, Vaynerchuk offered the advice of investing in companies you like and understand. He emphasized the importance of diversification because “you may pick the wrong company.”

Patience is also essential to investment success, Vaynerchuk insists. For any stock or asset you buy, he said, “Put it super-duper long term, and do it sooner rather than later.”

VaynerX announced this week that it will venture into the world of NFTs. VaynerNFT is a new segment of VaynerX—Vaynerchuk’s media holding company. “I wholeheartedly believe that NFTs can simultaneously build brand value while delivering community value,” wrote Vaynerchuk in a blog post.

Vaynerchuk is certainly financially successful, with his net worth estimated at $160 million in 2019, according to CNBC. The number was recently updated to an estimated $200 million. He was named to the Forbes list of Top Influencers for Technology/Business in 2017. He has 9 million Instagram followers.

Although GaryVee’s social influence is impressive across multiple social media channels, he said in an Inc. interview in 2017, “I am so business talented that being GaryVee is my side hustle. I do not need to make money by being an influencer.”