Ray (Taste Radio Host) (2:49)

You know getting into CPG is tough. Getting into kids products is even tougher because at the end of the day you're really selling to the parents, right?

Gary Vaynerchuk (2:56)

Yes.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (2:57)

How do you effectively sell to both the parents and the kids who are eventually going to eat these products?

Gary Vaynerchuk (3:02)

Marketing, which is the one thing I'm most confident about, it's what I've done my whole life. And contemporary marketing is live shopping. It's GEO and AEO search result optimization which means showing up first. If somebody said what's the cleanest snack for my kids on ChatGPT or cloth like showing up so we'll be good at that. Live shopping is just something we're incredibly strong at. So I anticipate selling this on TikTok, shop on whatnot, on ebay, live in a very aggressive way because don't forget it's a collectible, not just a cpg. Very unique to what we're doing. I think in three years here you'll walk around and be like wow, Gary was really right about that collectible injection into cpg. Word of mouth influencer marketing. Again I'm going to say it nice and slow and I'm saying this because I'm bragging on my wife. This is the cleanest fruit snack in the market. I'm telling you the nerdiest nerd people that are walking around here, the far far far extreme health crew that is walking by is completely blown away by the ingredients. So I actually anticipate 15 to 30 hardcore clean advocates to realize this exists and create content that will be very influential because there competitive product yet and I hope there'll be many by the way. I want the world to be healthier so I think we have a very strong go to market plan on why this could be differentiated and gay and gain some heat.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (4:26)

Social marketing can be expensive. Yes, sometimes it can be effective just having influencers and folks who are just well versed in that type of platforms. Those type of platforms. But how are you going to approach social media in a way that is cost effective for very lucky?

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Gary Vaynerchuk (5:13)

I say this with as much I hope everyone doesn't get upset with me here, but I'm gonna go as humble as I can on this. I believe that many people would say that I am the godfather of this game.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (5:24)

Sure.

Gary Vaynerchuk (5:25)

How am I I'm gonna do it cause I'm good at it. I know the thumbnails. I know the first three seconds. I know the algorithms. I know what's going on in popular culture. I know the difference between a LinkedIn video and a regular post. I know what's going on on substack. I know exactly how to create content for Snapchat Spotlight, a place no one paying attention to. Facebook Classic Blue is huge for this because of the moms I'm looking at. I have an agency with 3,000 people that are spending billions of dollars in media and hundreds of millions of dollars in content creation of how to get organic views in that platform. That would be like asking LeBron James like how is he going to do in this new version of a basketball game? This is my great comfort zone. I'm very confident in it and it's disproportionately our biggest strength as an organization and organizations. And you know, in the same way I built up Empathy Wines and had a substantial exit to consolation, we're not looking to exit this brand. We're looking for this to be a brand builder for the overall veefriends universe. But I feel very confident in our ability to make day to day organic social content over index organically in views and then know what to do with paid or with campaign on top of that framework.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (6:37)

I ask because a lot of our listeners are going to be saying hey you know this is awesome that Gary's getting into this game but they want to learn about how you're going about. I'm going to introducing the brand and

Gary Vaynerchuk (6:48)

I and I did it a little bit there and now I thank you for the follow up. Let me go even deeper friends. The mid funnel organic social is the whole game right now. Creating more content organically in social and then responding to the content that gets views either in a performance paid environment or as a springboard to an experiential execution to a TVC to if you've got dollars running Amazon prime video ads from the creative you want using organic social as the starting point but being on every platform, YouTube shorts for Geo and AEO to show up on Gemini LinkedIn for B2B behavior like this event is. You know, there's a lot of people here will spend a ton of money to be here for B2B and build a booth, but won't post on LinkedIn when they could be marketing to the people who are trying to reach here. Every day substack writing longer form content about the great aspects of your business and then being psychotically great at the pictures and videos and animated GIFs on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, that is. You could not commit more of your time and effort to to social, organic, not paid, organic, creative. Hey everybody, hope you're enjoying the podcast right now. Make sure you follow the podcast. That's why I'm interrupting. Let's keep going on this show, but follow the podcast. It'll make my mom super happy.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (8:13)

I don't think I'm speaking at a turn when I say you're the ultimate hype man. You're the ultimate spokesperson. But how involved are you going to be is the face of the brand Gary Vee as much as it is the characters that you sell?

Gary Vaynerchuk (8:23)

We prefer for me not to be if we can get away with it because it's more scalable. But what's nice about being a personal brand that has scale and equity and conversion capabilities is if, God forbid, it doesn't go well, I'm not scared to come in and be the firefighter. My preference is that we market this well. We've also got another personal brand and my wife who has a pretty big platform for health and wellness. And again, it's a really fun product. We're going on two things that are pretty extreme. People talk about healthy products here. Let there be no confusion.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (8:55)

I hear you.

Gary Vaynerchuk (8:55)

You know where I'm going. By my wife's standards, 90% of things are not healthy here. And then on the complete opposite me, I believe that collectibles are about to drive CPG behavior in a way that 99% of people don't believe here. If we're right about those two things, it will not need me to be in the content. But I am not too proud to not go in and have to save it with my personal brand if I have to, because I'm very proud of it. I may choose to not and do a different I may decide, oh, we didn't hit the mark on fruit snacks. That wasn't the right thing to attack.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (9:30)

Right?

Gary Vaynerchuk (9:31)

So the thesis of CPG and collectible and clean ingredients is now set in stone for me for the rest of my career. I just might come out with something else if this doesn't have the traction and I have the humility to be okay with. We didn't hit. This is the hits business. It happens. Not all of Steven Spielberg's movies were the best. Like you're in the hits business. Not all of Michael Jackson's songs are iconic.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (9:56)

I might disagree with you on that.

Gary Vaynerchuk (9:57)

Well, I agree, by the way. Give me something on that. Me too. But you know this on Thriller, you know me and you might love PYT and that's a classic. But there's even songs that I can't name on Thriller that are even below PYT in a world where remote most people just know a couple of them, which is absurd. I mean that albums I picked the wrong album. Every song's a banger. But I think we all know where I'm going here, which is I'm also okay if our subjective strategic opinion of trying a better for you fruit snack was the wrong one. And we might come back in three years with a cereal or a protein shake or a cupcake. But the concept is very in my head, extreme clean, extreme collectible is a differentiation to the 75,000 products out here.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (10:41)

Gary, I'm glad you brought that up because not everything is a hit. And sometimes it can be hard for founders to admit that they made a mistake or they need to start over or they need to quit. I know you're not big on quitting, but what advice would you have for an entrepreneur that's kind of just stuck in the mud with their brand right now and thinking about their next move?

Gary Vaynerchuk (10:57)

I'm obsessed with micro quitting. I'm not pumped about macro quitting. Like living in your B.A. you like you fail at your startup here and you move into your parents basement and cry for the rest of your life. Bad micro quitting. AKA being thoughtful and self aware and humble enough to be like wait a minute, this isn't the right product, this isn't the right business, this isn't the right career for me. I'm in love with that level of self awareness. There's a very fine line between putting not quitting on a pedestal and not being self aware enough to realize you're in the wrong spot. And so I micro quit all the time. Let me give you a real life example. 15 months ago I had this idea called Podcast with Friends where I do a podcast with three random people that I thought were cool in culture. I quit it halfway through the first episode in my brain because I did three or four of them, but I'm like, this isn't it.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (11:55)

Okay, well, I mean, I think that's such great advice because don't give up completely. Just give up on the small things that aren't getting you to where you need to be.

Gary Vaynerchuk (12:03)

Don't be a quitter, but don't be delusional that what you're doing is right. And that's a very, very fine too. But I think of this macro, micro. In the macro, never give up fighting for happiness and prosperity. In the micro, always be self aware enough to know when you might not be in the right spot.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (12:20)

Well, I'm self aware enough to know that you have a booth of people who are crazy who want to see you right now. So, Gary, thank you so much for the time. I really appreciate it.

Gary Vaynerchuk (12:28)

I wish you well.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (12:28)

I'm excited for the future. We're very lucky for you guys.

Gary Vaynerchuk (12:31)

Thank you so much.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (12:32)

Thank.

Gary Vaynerchuk (12:32)

Glad we're here.

Founder Story Host (12:33)

So we have a new. We have a show we've been doing for six years called Founder Story. So we interview amazing founders just so you. Great get the, the concept.

Gary Vaynerchuk (12:40)

Thank you.

Founder Story Host (12:41)

I have to say before we get into the question, your ability to connect with fans is incredible. I was listening how much people pour into you. It's just amazing. Like the fact that you keep up your energy.

Gary Vaynerchuk (12:52)

Thank you, brother.

Founder Story Host (12:53)

Like it should inspire the world. But your new, this new line, very lucky gummies. Why is this so important to you right now?

Gary Vaynerchuk (13:01)

Many reasons. One, it's important because it's another building block in one of the biggest businesses I'm ever trying to build, which is V Friends. This is my Pokemon, Sesame Street, Marvel, Disney like universe that I'm building. Vcon was a piece of it. This is a piece of it. Two, it's taking two very substantial thesises that I have. One for me and one for my wife. So as you might have seen, it's not in the packaging yet, but my wife. There we go. Exactly. There she is. My wife Mona is one of the leading clean advocates in the world. Her standard of a clean, healthy lifestyle is dramatically higher than 99% of the people here. Like this event is not clean enough for her. So every ingredient in this, this is unequivocally, now somebody could be tied. I don't know what's new out here, but unequivocally, this is the cleanest fruit candy gummy in the marketplace. There is not one chemical based product in here. We like put a lot, 15 months of work to get this to work to like there's no compromising. So a, it's important to me because it's establishing a new category which is 100%. 100%, 100% clean. Like really clean. And then on the other side, it's executing on a thesis I have which is collectibles are about to impact cpg. That the cracker jack toy inside the cereal toys that real. I mean, this sticker, if somebody gets it in one of these boxes, will sell for $1,000 on eBay. That creates a new dynamic in food that doesn't exist today. So I believe those two trends, extreme clean and collectibles as marketing in cpg are about to be two much bigger categories of execution in the next several years. This brand accompanies that. It's going to be launched on live shopping first. I'm not even worried about meeting any store here. I'm not looking for distribution. This will be direct to consumer in a social and live shopping environment. And I'm proud of it.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (15:14)

You used to collect those exciting. That's right, Gary. You know, conference like this, where the floor is dominated by big brands, big budget. How can small, you know, no budget, small business can still win and get attention.

Gary Vaynerchuk (15:29)

I think humanity and creativity, you know, you don't need a lot of money. You can do something left field. In fact, you could go the opposite. You could have a booth here where you're just standing with one little purple table like this and you're just in a box. And I bet you actually a lot of people come because they would love the humility, right? So you just have to be creative, you have to be humble, you have to be human. I think if you're going to be a small brand here, if you're going to come here, you need to be very personable. If you're introverted and you're a small brand and you have no money, you're in trouble. But if you have no money to make a big presence, but you have a big heart and a big personality and great human skills, you can go up to people, you're like, anything can happen. You don't even need a booth that can do damage here. And so that's why I love these kind of events. I love when a lot of humans congregate. Comic Con, Sports Card, National Expo west, south by Southwest. These, you know, these things matter. And for me, you know, I was the person that had no money but had the human skills. And so I grew that way. And I've watched many others grow that way. And I think that's I hope that's encouraging to people because it's very real. I'm not selling a dream here. That's how many have done it.

Founder Story Host (16:45)

So we used to sell on Amazon.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (16:48)

Oh, my God.

Ray (Taste Radio Host) (16:48)

I did.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (16:49)

In 2012, Gary. For my garage. $20. So a million in 12 months. And me and one person and virtual assistants. I scale it to 20 million. But it didn't last. I get 10. 10 years, Runway.

Gary Vaynerchuk (17:01)

But I was able to. Good for you. Good for you.

Founder Story Host (17:03)

During that time, we were doing live selling on Amazon back in, like, 2016, but people didn't really buy because I

Gary Vaynerchuk (17:10)

think it was too soon and the tech wasn't right. And it was different. It was different.

Founder Story Host (17:14)

How do you see it now? I mean, because we also spend time in Asia, where it's crazy.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (17:18)

Oh, my God. They dominate there.

Gary Vaynerchuk (17:19)

It's everything. It's the biggest opportunity for people in the world right now. Live, social shopping. Especially. Especially in the west, in the east, to your point, China's been doing it. It's more saturated here. The opportunity is extraordinary. That's what I think.

Founder Story Host (17:35)

So we wrote a book called Unlimited Possibilities that just came out, and it's all about breaking through the barriers that we thought existed for us. What was an unlimited possibility moment for you?

Gary Vaynerchuk (17:45)

Being born to a mother who created that framework for me at such a young age that I've never known anything else. The book you wrote and what you believe in, you learned along the way. I never knew anything else. Not because I'm great, but because I got put into a great spot because I had a great mentor, a great mother. And then also, like, I got lucky. Like, I immigrated to the United States. We had no money. I was poor. Like, everything just kind of stacked up in my favor. So the real answer to your question, without bullshit, is being born.

Founder Story Host (18:22)

I hope we can all be the same to our kids.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (18:23)

No, Gary, this is a whole new ball game. Working with your wife. How does that work together?

Gary Vaynerchuk (18:28)

Yeah, it's great. I mean, you know, Mona, I would just talk to her this morning. She would sit here and be like, hey, I only just did the formula. I'm not really working with him. But I told her, hey, baby, like. Like, this can't be what it is without. Without you. Right? Like. Like, this brand, I believe, has two levers to take it to the moon. The collectible is marketing and how clean it is. Erewhon, right, Is successful for many reasons, but most people understand the optionality of such purely clean food is a huge addressable market that a lot of people are not feeding. So how is it? It's been really fun. I'm also very good at letting people, like, do their thing. So I'm not trying to go into Mona's territory. She knows this shit better than I do. Like, when I look at these ingredients, I'm like, okay, now I'm more educated and I actually do know, but I don't know better than her. She made a late change on like, the honey had to be organic from this far. Like, she's in it. She's in it. And I'm very good with strangers and empowering them to do their thing that I think they do better than me. I'm definitely willing to do that with my life.

Founder Story Host (19:43)

And it sounds like this is like us to buy and conquer. Right. The only time we argue is when we try and get into each other's hands.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (19:50)

I said, this is my lane. I'll ask you, but that's your expertise. I'm not gonna jump in.

Gary Vaynerchuk (19:55)

Yeah, my brother and I did that. Very successful. My father tried to bleed into my stuff a lot. And that created a lot of friction when we were building that business. And anytime I wanted to go into his territory, it caused the same issue. And so I do think partnerships are at their best where you could divide and conquer. You can over communicate with each other, bounce some ideas, but you've got to have. It's almost like a football team, an offense and defensive coordinator. You might talk to each other, but like, you're making the decision. There's no such thing as two cooks in the kitchen. There's no such thing as two co CEOs.

Podcast Sponsor/Ad Voice (20:31)

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Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (20:50)

Yeah, absolutely.

Founder Story Host (20:51)

I always tell everyone that I'm her executive assistant.

Gary Vaynerchuk (20:53)

I get it. I can sense it.

Co-host or Guest on Founder Story (20:55)

As long as I'm the boss now. How do you avoid date nights? Not talking about business. It's hard not to.

Gary Vaynerchuk (21:01)

For you guys, it would be. If I was as deep with Mona in business as you guys are, it would be impossible. But again, this is kind of a lightweight project where. And it's early. If this gets going, I could see that becoming a bigger. But honestly, I prefer that. Yeah, like, I love. I think the best relationships is when people have similar interests. You both are interested in your business. It gives you a lot to talk about. I think we demonize it as something as, like, don't bring your work to dinner. But you guys both like it.

Founder Story Host (21:34)

Yeah, it's like, don't. After 8pm, don't talk about it. That. We tried that, but it didn't work.

Gary Vaynerchuk (21:39)

No, you like it.

Founder Story Host (21:39)

Yeah, we like it.

Gary Vaynerchuk (21:41)

And it works for you.

Founder Story Host (21:42)

Like, you love. I can tell you love it. You live your business. You. You love that. Like, watching out here. Like, I. Even when we went to Vican, I always tell everyone, like, it's the only place I've ever seen where somebody shows their arm and they have a tattoo of your face. Like, it was so amazing watching this. I'm like, I am so freaking inspired, man.

Gary Vaynerchuk (21:59)

Yeah. Thank you.

Founder Story Host (21:59)

I mean, thank you so much for this.

Gary Vaynerchuk (22:01)

I wish you well and everything you do. Pleasure. Thank you.

Founder Story Host (22:03)

Thanks, Gary.

Gary Vaynerchuk (22:03)

Everybody. If you enjoyed this podcast, please go back and look at the prior episodes. They're loaded. I appreciate your attention, and thanks for being part of this journey. See you later.