Return to site

NJ Tech Meetup 63: Gary Vaynerchuk (author, investor, biz dude)

Entrepreneurship is an art. One of the keys to success is storytelling. How well you pitch your business, market your product and keep customers coming back are all part of the story you tell. If you are successful, you know people are really listening.
Gary Vaynerchuk is a brilliant entrepreneur because he knows how to tell a captivating, immersive story.
He mastered the art of online video years ago. He understood the power of social media from the beginning. He cornered the market in content marketing long before anyone called it content marketing. He has been first on just about every social media platform launched. He knew that he had a story to tell and used every tool available to tell that story.
But let's go way back. Gary was born in Belarus and his family settled in Edison, New Jersey when he was a little boy. Before long, he controlled the neighborhood lemonade stand racket.
In his early teens he had racked up over a hundred thousand dollars trading baseball cards. In his twenties he turned his father's local wine store into a multimillion dollar powerhouse. From 2006-2011 he did the daily video podcast, Wine Library TV.
These days, he runs VaynerMedia, a groundbreaking social media agency he and his brother started in 2007. The company services several Fortune 500 businesses on social strategy and tactics. He also recently started VaynerRSE, a venture capital fund.
He has written three bestselling books. Crush It, his first, details how you can follow your passion and make money in the digital age. Next, he penned The Thank You Economy, a guide on how to succeed in business with incredible, unparalleled customer service. His latest book is Jab, Jab, Jab, Right-Hook, a guide to marketing your business using social media.
Did I mention he wants to buy the New York Jets?
The man is a force, a consummate salesman who understands where we will be tomorrow and knows how to get there first. He has been building prosperous businesses since he took a piece of the action on all the local lemonade stands as a kid.
He knows a thing or two about how to succeed and you can see him at NJ Tech Meetup 63 on Wednesday, August 12th. Sign up here. To learn a little mor ebefore the meetup check out his website garyvaynerchuk.com listen to his podcast #askgaryvee or find him on Twitter @garyvee.
Bill Hartnett is a television marketer, social media strategist and creative  director. His current and recent clients include IFC, AMC, CBS News and  WEtv. He was the EVP of Marketing for Current TV and Senior Vice  President of NBC News & MSNBC Marketing, handling brand strategy,  digital and social media marketing and on-air promotion. He spent  several years as a staff and freelance producer for a variety of local TV stations and cable networks in the New York area. He also  co-organizes the monthly meetup Social TV NYC.