Why Does GaryVee Say He’s Actually a Businessman? | DailyVee 169

TL;DR

GaryVee says he is fundamentally a businessman who only “moonlights” as his public persona, pointing to the 13 years he spent building a large business without publicly talking about it. He argues that self-awareness, patience, resilience, intent, and building real things matter more than immediate recognition, while decisive action can create opportunities that emails may not. Read on for his advice on criticism, influence, and taking risks.

Transcript

("Monday To Monday" by Saba) - Saba, I've been telling you. I don't think people realize how much money I'm leaving on the table. For humanity, for my legacy, for the good stuff. You know, being an interesting human being is a thing. - [Man] Yeah. - And so like the biggest thing I think that people the biggest downfall is lack of self-awareness. ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🖤 Lack of self-awareness and patience are major mistakes people make on their journey to success.
• ❓ Recognizing and embracing one's unique qualities is essential for personal growth.
• ❓ Overestimating oneself or being overly sensitive to criticism can hinder progress.
• 🥺 Building resilience and being an underdog can lead to success.
• 💗 The speaker enjoys being underestimated and despises his growing recognition.
• ❓ Intent is crucial in achieving success.
• 🔇 People often forget that the speaker has a background as a successful businessman.
• ❓ Producing more content is important, but quality and purposefulness should not be compromised.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does GaryVee say he is actually a businessman who moonlights as GaryVee?

He says people forget that he spent 13 years building a large business without publicly saying anything about it. He describes GaryVee as a side persona, his “Batman”, while identifying his underlying work as business.

Q: What does GaryVee consider the biggest obstacle to becoming an interesting or successful person?

He identifies lack of self-awareness as the biggest downfall. People may struggle to admit that they are not yet interesting, smart, clever, or otherwise strong enough in the areas they want to pursue.

Q: Why does GaryVee consider lack of patience a major mistake?

He says people do not go from zero to 100 in one day. Proving critics wrong may take one, two, or three years, so progress requires accepting that recognition and results will not arrive immediately.

Q: What are the two forms of impatience GaryVee describes?

The first is complete tone-deafness, when people believe they are exceptional despite evidence that they are not. The second affects more empathetic people who understand what friends may say about them but struggle to endure that criticism while pursuing influence.

Q: How should aspiring influencers respond when friends criticize them?

GaryVee says they must hear and accept the critical voices while still knowing when the criticism is wrong. They need enough patience and resilience to continue until their work gives them a chance to prove others wrong.

Q: Why does GaryVee like being underestimated?

He says being an underdog is one of his gifts and that he enjoyed the period when fewer people recognized his momentum. Even as admiration from younger people grows, part of him dislikes it because he prefers being underestimated.

Q: What role does intent play in GaryVee’s approach to content and business?

GaryVee calls intent the “North Star” of the conversation. He says his work feels like documentation rather than selling, even though he understands that documenting it can lead to other opportunities.

Q: What does GaryVee recommend instead of emailing someone to ask for an opportunity?

He praises taking a bigger risk by doing the work first, as one creator did after spending about 40 hours editing something and sending the finished result. GaryVee says the person might never have received an answer to an email, but acting first created a useful outcome and new buzz.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Lack of self-awareness is a major downfall for many people, as they fail to recognize their own interesting qualities and potential.

• Lack of patience is another major mistake, with two manifestations: tone-deaf individuals who overestimate themselves, and those who are empathetic but struggle with accepting criticism and defying expectations.

• Overcoming these mistakes requires the ability to withstand criticism and prove others wrong over time.