The GaryVee Audio Experience

Episode: If You’re Losing Patience With Your Business, Watch This

Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode tackles the foundational mindset and soft skills needed to succeed in business—especially patience, gratitude, humility, and redefining what “success” really means. Gary Vaynerchuk challenges the popular hustle narratives based on external validation, “flexes,” and quick wins. Instead, he advocates for patience and introspective virtues as the bedrock of lasting entrepreneurial and personal fulfillment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Curiosity and Perspective in Life and Business

• Curiosity as an Underappreciated Virtue:
  • Gary reflects on his self-realization that curiosity is central to his success, even though it isn't often celebrated after childhood.
  • “We start to demonize curiosity pretty quickly. We get a couple of years of it as a kid, but then just subconsciously…we start going into places that overvalue how it's been done.” (02:20)
• Perspective Shift on Time and Expectations:
  • Societal norms around age-based benchmarks (marriage, accomplishment) are outdated.
  • “So much of what we're affected by is, is how our grandparents were affected by their parents and grandparents and those fuckers were dying at 40. Of course you should have your life figured out at 30 when you're dead at 47. But we haven't adjusted.” (04:16)

2. The Importance of Kindness and ‘Soft Skills’ in Modern Business

• Rejecting Old-School Cruelty in Leadership:
  • Criticizes excusing bad managerial behavior as “just business.”
  • “If you're a leader by nature, your job is to stop pressure at your level, not deploy more of it underneath you.” (05:48)
• The “Honey Empire” Approach:
  • Gary believes you get further with “honey than vinegar,” but still aims to build an “empire” (i.e., you can be ambitious and kind).
  • “I'm incredibly ambitious and tenacious. I'm incredibly fast…But I'm incredibly patient.” (06:59)

3. The Entrepreneurship Mindset: Patience, Grit, and Self-Judgment

• Biggest Disadvantage of Small Businesses:
  • Mindset—not resources—is most often the true vulnerability.
  • “The biggest Vulnerability that a smaller medium sized business has is their perspective, that their size is their vulnerability.” (08:16)
• On “Scaling the Unscalable”:
  • Small businesses should play to their strengths, like personalized service, not try to out-Goliath the big players. (09:15)
• Preaching Accountability:
  • “People love capitalism and entrepreneurship when it's working for them… The alternative is go get a job and shut down your company.” (09:44)

4. Growing Exposure: The Power of Documentation and Engagement

• Consistency and Engagement:
  • Documenting the journey is more important than chasing viral content.
  • “It took me two years of wine library, TV before anybody gave a shit. I did it five days a week for two years.” (12:25)
• Replying to Comments is Non-Negotiable:
  • VaynerMedia employs staff specifically to read and respond to comments, drawing actionable insights.
  • “If you are not replying to every comment you get…you are audacious.” (13:41)

5. Happiness, Simplicity, and External Validation

• Key to Happiness is Simplicity:
  • “I think the key to happiness is being content while being ambitious. And I think being content comes from gratitude.” (14:28)
• Quieting the Mind:
  • True worth comes from internal values, not societal kudos.
  • “Addicted to outside affirmation, to acceptance…I wish people lived in their own cocoon and just did the things that made them happy.” (15:15)

6. Redefining Success and Coping with Setbacks

• Decoupling Self-Worth from Business Outcomes:
  • “If this company goes out of business, I'll be beyond okay.” (17:54)
• Embracing Change and Perspective:
  • The greatest gift: Comfortably changing your mind about what matters. (18:42)
• "Hang Out with 90-Year-Olds":
  • Spending time with people nearing the end of life reframes what really matters. (18:58)

7. Letting Go of Judgment, Perfectionism, & Outside Noise

• Work-Life Balance is Subjective:
  • “There is no such thing as work life balance. Every family is different. There is no such thing called balance. You're the judge in the jury.” (26:00)
• Escaping Others’ Judgment:
  • “High school is over. Stop playing in it. It's over. You left. You're not in fucking high school.” (27:35)
• On Perfectionism:
  • “If you're a perfectionist, you're insecure.” (24:06)
• Gratitude as an Anxiety Antidote:
  • “There are almost 2 billion people on Earth that don't have access to clean water. Are you a fucking asshole? Think about what I just said.” (31:46)

8. Gratitude, Adversity, and Humility

• Gratitude Rooted in Background:
  • “Adversity is the foundation of success. This macro prosperity is the foundation of anxiety.” (34:06)
• Roots of Gary’s Motivation:
  • His perspective shaped by immigrant experience and humble beginnings.
  • “I know what I'm saying is special and important…In a world where anger and darkness is loud and happiness is quiet, what you're seeing…is the loud, dark minority.” (33:08)

9. Dealing with Negativity, Anxiety, and Haters

• On Negative Comments:
  • “They're not good, they're hurt. So they're trying to drag me down to be hurt with them. Don't feel bad for you. Feel bad for them.” (37:34)
• Perspective—It Could Always Be Worse:
  • “I'm very imaginative…it could be worse. It's just completely one big game of gratitude.” (37:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Perspective:
  • “So much of what we're affected by is…how our grandparents were affected by their parents and grandparents and those fuckers were dying at 40. Of course you should have your life figured out at 30 when you're dead at 47.” (04:16)
• On Soft Skills:
  • “As technology eats up things that people can do with AI and many other technology advances, robots, they'll kill us in the end. We'll probably all be gone. But the robots will win. Your children will probably get killed by robots. Kidding. But maybe not.” (06:00)
• On Accountability:
  • “Everyone's like such a great entrepreneur and then somebody bigger comes along…it’s not working for them…Stop being soft.” (09:51)
• On Simplicity:
  • “I think the key to happiness is being content while being ambitious. And I think being content comes from gratitude.” (14:28)
• On Social Media Growth:
  • “If you are not replying to every comment you get…you are audacious.” (13:41)
• On Work-Life Balance:
  • “There is no such thing called balance. You're the judge in the jury.” (26:00)
• On Comparison and Anxiety:
  • “Too much prosperity. This is where, again, humility comes in.” (30:52)
• On Dealing with Negativity:
  • “They're not good, they're hurt. So they're trying to drag me down to be hurt with them.” (37:34)
• On Success:
  • “We have to change the definition of success. We have to. It cannot be the flex.” (16:25)
• On Regret:
  • “People looking backwards, backwards dwelling. It’s over…I don’t know if you guys heard, we have not invented time machines yet.” (36:23)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Curiosity & School System’s Impact: 01:55–04:00
• Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills in Tech Age: 05:30–07:00
• Small Business Mindset & David vs. Goliath: 08:16–09:36
• Exposure through Documentation: 11:57–12:42
• Replying to Comments: 13:04–13:53
• Principles of Happiness & Success: 14:19–15:40
• How to Stay Grounded in Crisis: 17:06–17:59
• Changing Perspectives & Hanging with 90-Year-Olds: 18:58–20:07
• Work-Life Balance & Non-Judgment: 25:55–26:37
• Comparison, Affirmation Culture & Keeping up with the Joneses: 27:32–28:44
• Gratitude and World Perspective: 31:46–32:28
• Adversity as Foundation for Success: 34:06–34:25
• Overcoming Anxiety & Handling Negativity: 34:37–37:46

Conclusion

Gary Vee delivers a raw, motivational, and often humorous message about what truly drives sustainable business and personal fulfillment: a combination of patience, humility, perspective, resilience, and gratitude. He pushes listeners to engage deeply with their community, question outdated norms, and embrace both ambition and simplicity. The episode is a passionate call to redefine success—rejecting the “flex” culture for deeper satisfaction rooted in purpose and self-defined meaning.