3 Lessons in Entrepreneurship I Learned from Gary Vaynerchuk

When it comes to entrepreneurship, Gary Vaynerchuk couldn’t be any hotter right now.

He’s taken his family’s wine business from $3M to $60M in just five years, built a digital agency that has several Fortune 500 clients, and has a social presence or as some call a “personal brand” with millions of followers watching his every move.

Vaynerchuk is both motivational and realistic. That’s honestly one of the things I respect about him is that he tells the truth about his opinions. This isn’t something most of us are used to. Especially not in the public eye which Vaynerchuk is always in.

In his videos and during his speeches Vaynerchuk shows that he enjoys teaching, and is pretty damn good at it.

Here are three lessons on entrepreneurship I’ve learned from Vaynerchuk that I want to share with you:

1. Self Awareness Sells

This is so important because it deals with how well you know yourself, but also figuring out how other people work as well. Knowing yourself will allow you to clearly communicate your vision and who you are while giving you insight into the inner workings of others. Vaynerchuk echoes non-stop for people to be self-aware.

It’s an important attribute for any entrepreneur because it allows you to identify the skill set others and yourself have. You know what you’re good at it and not so good at.

Being self-aware is a huge competitive advantage in today’s world of constantly moving, changing, and adapting. Knowing where your strengths and weaknesses lie will allow you to double down on your strengths and find others that support your weaknesses. Resulting in a team that has complementary skills and strengths.

There is no other solution as an entrepreneur than being self-aware so stop kidding yourself.

2. Hard Work Beats Talent

If you want to succeed in anything you got to put in the work. Work ethic is something that is hardly taught and more ingrained in you as a person. You’re willing to the extra mile or you aren’t. Pretty simple stuff.

Vaynerchuk is someone that always goes the extra mile. It’s not always about working all hours of the day though and getting no sleep. Working hard and smart is equally as important.

Being talented is one thing, but if you don’t put in the work, don’t expect the results you want. Hard work beats talent when talent slacks off.

Don’t slack off and instead have that fierce competitive nature inside of you willing to go the extra mile to hit that deadline or close that sale. In the end, the person or company who works the hardest is usually the one on top of the podium.

3. How You Make Money is Equally Important as How Much You Make

You see it all over social media these days. Online entrepreneurs who rent cars or planes and take pictures with them, even though they don’t own them. They’re playing an image of being an entrepreneur that is super wealthy to help them sell more of their lackluster products.

This fake success image is getting bothersome to many. Vaynerchuk is someone that believes that the way you make money is just as important as how much you make.

Being a good person, marketing and selling a quality product or service that does good in the world is what we all need to dedicate ourselves to.

We are all swayed at times to focus our efforts on where the money is. It’s extremely important that we stay true to ourselves.

Right now there is no better time to have a business or market a product that does good for the world’ widely known as social entrepreneurship. Today’s consumers are starting to demand more from companies than just a product or service. This has led to the rise of social entrepreneurship – or those willing to leverage their business to give something back and/or offer a solution to a wider social, cultural or environmental challenge.

A great example of a company like this is TOM’s Shoes that has become close to a billion dollar brand by giving shoes to people who can’t afford them with their “One for One” program

As a customer we know that when we buy a pair of their shoes, they are supporting others who need shoes. This makes us as a customer feel good about ourselves and provides a sense of giving back. An absolutely amazing business model that many new startups and businesses are starting to adopt.

Learning First Hand

To bring all of these lessons together in person a man by the name of Connor Beaton has organized and assembled The Real Talk Summit taking place on March 18th in Vancouver, Canada.

The focus of the one-day summit is bringing together business trailblazers, philanthropists, and leaders to discuss what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, make an impact, as well as elevate your brand. The keynote for this event is none other than Gary Vee himself. Which happens to be the first time he is speaking in Western Canada.

If you live in North America, or want to travel, now is your time to see Gary Vee in-person dishing his raw and real takes on life and entrepreneurship.

This is going to be an amazing event and to help those that are interested in attending I was able to score a discount code. Just use the code influencive when you checkout online and let them know we sent ya!