The GaryVee Audio Experience

Episode: Starting a Business, Building Brand and Overcoming Doubt | Tea with GaryVee Ep #86
Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk

Overview

This "Tea with GaryVee" session dives into pressing questions from entrepreneurs, creators, and professionals about building businesses, creating authentic brands, pushing through self-doubt, and leveraging modern content platforms. Gary provides candid, no-nonsense advice about education, content volume, brand differentiation, the reality of entrepreneurship, and the necessity of persistence and self-reflection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Re-Evaluating College and Traditional Education

• Question at [01:48] — Valens, a college student, asks if they're wasting time in class as opposed to working on something meaningful.
• Gary’s take: Classroom learning has value, but it's not where meaningful impact is made.
  • “If you're trying to do something meaningful, it's going to happen in real life.” ([03:32])
• He criticizes outdated curriculums, especially in communication and marketing, and promotes learning skills through real-world experience and free online resources.
• Advice: If you’re not incurring debt, enjoy the college experience as a “last vacation”—but real value comes from action outside the classroom.

2. Standing Out as a Creator in a Saturated Space

• Question at [04:11] — Carl asks Gary how creators can catch attention amid trending formats.
• Gary emphasizes:
  • Consistency and tenacity are crucial.
  • Audience focus over self-obsession: “The best way to be a creator that pops is to be 100% focused on the audience.” ([05:08])
  • Value comes in different forms—comedy, knowledge, beauty—but everyone has unique value to offer.
  • The addiction to affirmation and outsourcing accountability is rampant.
  • Memorable Moment: A frank statement on accountability:
    • “The great addiction is getting affirmation for their bullshit.” ([07:32])
• Bottom Line: Don't just follow trends—be original and care genuinely about your audience’s needs.

3. Content, Consistency and Doing the Work

• From [11:26] onward:
• Ryan’s Story: A financial advisor pivots to working with millennials but hits a plateau in social growth.
• Gary’s Response: Calls out “compliance” as an excuse, asserting the real issue is lack of content at scale.
  • “The answer to your quiz is social media content, organically, at scale, at scale.” ([12:46])
  • Recommends 50 pieces of content a day, not one.
  • “You have to be a 1 percenter if you want a 1% outcome.” ([16:28])
• Pablo (Team Gary) jumps in ([15:32]) to explain the team’s obsession with algorithmic detail—hours spent refining thumbnails, hooks, and analyzing platform performance—and the necessity of that level of focus.
• Gary contrasts his seven years of being a “one-person shop,” doing 15-hour days, with people seeking “1% results” on average effort.
• Suggests live streaming and using LinkedIn and TikTok, constantly iterating content, and “stitching” (clapping back at bad advice online).
  • "Stitch the fuck out of them." ([18:01])

4. Mindset and Overcoming Self-Doubt

• Question at [20:05] — Cody, 39, lost everything in 2021, feels unworthy, and cannot hold a job.
• Gary blends empathy with tough love:
  • “You’re definitely worth it, but if you’re on your fifth job, you’re doing something wrong... four companies in a row aren’t wrong.” ([20:21])
  • Suggests radical accountability: reach out to ex-bosses, get candid feedback, be humble, take notes, and act on constructive criticism.
  • Emphasizes that adversity reveals character, and recovery starts with owning one’s role in setbacks.

5. Rapid-Fire: Overrated/Underrated & Agency Insights

• Fun Segment at [21:56] — Jake from Tampa asks “Overrated or Underrated”:
  • Being the face of your business: Underrated for those comfortable with visibility but not required.
    • “It has become another moat, another differentiator, another non-replicable advantage.” ([23:20])
  • Post Malone: Underrated, especially for his humility and entrepreneurship.
  • Brands doing social in-house: Overrated for big companies, underrated for small startups who get it.
    • “If you don’t know how to grade the homework, how do you know if the homework’s good?” ([25:31])
• Jake, who owns a social agency, and Gary trade advice on honesty and client fit. Gary suggests agencies should be candid—even if it means losing a client—when in-house is the better move.

6. Written Content: Blogs, Email Newsletters Still Hot

• Question at [28:26]: Are blogs/email newsletters dead?
  • Gary: “Absolutely not,” referencing Substack, Beehive, resurgence in long-form email.
    • “Long form written content is massively hot. ... The medium is hotter than ever.” ([28:36])
  • If it’s not valuable, people will unsubscribe—but platforms themselves are thriving for those who deliver real value.

7. Small Business: Live Selling & TikTok

• From [29:42]: Peyton, who runs marketing for a family Angus beef company, asks about TikTok Live and time investment.
• Gary’s advice:
  • Go “all in” for 3–4 months; only then can you know if the platform is right for you.
    • “If you don’t do it, you’ll always wonder, could it work if I put a lot of effort into it?” ([30:26])
  • TikTok is unique because of random feed distribution; it’s a massive chance for discovery.
  • On the role of AI: Don’t worry about mastering every new tool—AI will come to you. What will always matter is your unique story and identity.
    • “You don’t need to come to AI. AI is coming to you.” ([33:10])
  • Individual quirks—even look, personality, tattoos—are brand elements that differentiate and drive buyer loyalty.
    • “Your tattoo on your left shoulder is potentially why you would sell Angus beef.” ([33:54])
  • For product sales, combine TikTok and Whatnot; even small live audiences matter if the buying process is frictionless.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:32] “If you're trying to do something meaningful, it's going to happen in real life.” —Gary Vee
• [05:08] “The best way to be a creator that pops is to be 100% focused on the audience.” —Gary Vee
• [07:32] “The great addiction is getting affirmation for their bullshit.” —Gary Vee
• [12:46] “The answer to your quiz is social media content, organically, at scale, at scale.” —Gary Vee
• [16:28] “You have to be a 1 percenter if you want a 1% outcome.” —Gary Vee
• [18:01] “Stitch the fuck out of them.” —Gary Vee (on responding to bad financial influencers)
• [20:21] “You’re definitely worth it, but if you’re on your fifth job, you’re doing something wrong.” —Gary Vee
• [23:20] “It has become another moat, another differentiator, another non-replicable advantage.” —Gary Vee (on being the face of your business)
• [25:31] “If you don’t know how to grade the homework, how do you know if the homework’s good?” —Gary Vee (on brands building in-house social teams)
• [28:36] “Long form written content is massively hot. ... The medium is hotter than ever.” —Gary Vee
• [30:26] “If you don’t do it, you’ll always wonder, could it work if I put a lot of effort into it?” —Gary Vee
• [33:10] “You don’t need to come to AI. AI is coming to you.” —Gary Vee
• [33:54] “Your tattoo on your left shoulder is potentially why you would sell Angus beef.” —Gary Vee

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:48 | Question on value of college and “meaningful” work | | 04:11 | How creators can stand out in a saturated space | | 11:26 | Financial advisor Ryan asks about content and business growth | | 15:32 | Content team’s obsessed focus on data, thumbnails, 3-second hooks | | 20:05 | Advice for someone struggling after losing everything | | 21:56 | Overrated/Underrated speed round | | 25:31 | In-house vs. agency debate for brands | | 28:26 | Written content, blogs, and newsletters still effective? | | 29:42 | Small business live selling strategies on TikTok and Whatnot | | 33:10 | On AI’s inevitability and what really matters | | 33:54 | Personal brand: uniqueness, individuality, and authenticity |

Closing Thoughts

Gary returns repeatedly to core themes: accountability, relentless effort, audience-first thinking, and embracing both technology and individuality. His tough-love encouragement is always paired with empathy and authenticity, making the hour valuable for any ambitious entrepreneur—or anyone stuck wondering what to do next.

Key takeaway:
“The answer to almost every one of these questions is more. More truth, more effort, more content, more patience, and much more accountability.”