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But I truly had nothing at 34. Truly. Actually, like when I started VaynerMedia, my biggest company, we started it in a conference room the size of this podcast studio in another company's conference room because I couldn't pay rent. How big is it now? Now it's 2,000 plus people. 350 million a year revenue, not valuation, you know. Oh, you run a profitable business that actually makes money. Shocking. So you know, it's a big business. And that's only one of yours. Like how many? I was looking it up today. It's like Vayner 3, VaynerSports, Vayner RSE VFriends, which I think is a different entity. How many like vayners you got? There's Vayner X, the holding company that holds like. That holds like seven or eight of the. That's the marketing agency holding company outside of it is vaynersports because that's a separate business. That's me and my brother. My brother runs that with Greg Gensky. Veefriends is the other biggest business I run. That's my Marvel Pokemon. It's an entire intellectual property that's. I do actually believe in my 80s, that's what I will be known for more than anything else I've done. This is the GaryVee audio experience. I am looking at the Veefriends collaboration with Topps, like tops that we grew up collecting. Yeah. Can you please tell us all about this? Look, I'm trying to build the next Pokemon, the next Marvel, the next Disney IP is one of the things that is gonna be the big winner. So for the last 40 years I've been building this. This is a huge moment for us with Veefriends. Today's the day Topps Chrome comes out. There's cartoons on YouTub YouTube Kids made by the people that make Coco Melon. There's Digital Collectibles and NFTs. There's a kids book that is crushing. But this is a signature moment because today in a thousand gamestops around the country, people will walk in and see Veefriends cards in hundreds and hundreds of local card shops. They will see Veefriends on this new live shopping. The QVCification of social media is here. So whatnot TikTok shop, there will be hundreds of people opening up packs of Veefriends cards. Veefriends is a universe of 250 characters that are obsessed with practical positivity, with optimism but accountability. And you know, it's very inspired by Marvel and DC and Disney and you know, Hanna Barbera and you know, DreamWorks and all the great IP storytelling things going back hundreds of years to astrology, Zeus and Romeo and Juliet and all the great stories of all time. I'm gonna give it a real run here for the next half century and try to have the world fall in love with patient panda and with rare robot and vibing vampire and motivated monster. And obviously this is a big moment. It's almost impossible to articulate what I'm feeling, you know. Cards are the foundation of my entrepreneurial journey. They represented a time when I was getting Americanized as an immigrant that was born in the Soviet Union at an age where I was really getting into my. When I was 12, 13, 14, 15, that was the early seeds of who I am today. I was starting to get strong emotionally and knew that bad grades in school weren't going to define who I was and that I was a business. The word entrepreneur wasn't out there yet. If you told 15 year old me that I would have my own top trading card, I'd be like, what happened? How did I get good at sports? And then if you told me, no, no, no, you invented a Disney, Transformers, G.I. joe, this is at the time Pokemon hadn't happened yet. You know, universe, Hanna Barbera, Scooby Doo universe, Sesame street universe. And those are the cards. I'd be like, you mean like garbage fell kids? And you'd be like, yeah, I'd be like, get the F. That's what would have happened in 86. That's so cool. How did you even come up with the idea of V friends? I'm an 80s, baby. Like the 80s was crazy for intellectual property. If you go from 1975 to 1985, here are the things that were invented out of thin fucking air. Star Wars, E.T. donkey Kong, Atari, Pac Man, Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears. I can go on and on and on. And I was affected by that. I thought that was cool. But I was also super into sports. That's why I was into cards. And then later I got into comic books and a little bit more of like collectible toys was very blended in the Comic Con and the national stuff. I mean, I am a public figure known for being a successful entrepreneur. And there is no question that what I learned at baseball card stores, in the malls and the firehouses and the elk stations of New Jersey in the 80s is the foundation, foundation of who I am today, you know, and so yeah, it's like, it's my true first love. You know, in a lot of Ways somebody just said, why are you showing us Pokemon? That was the highlight of my day. These are Veefriends cards which I'm hoping to build into the next Pokemon. So thank you for that comment. Why? Because I'm the creator and the builder of this ip, I always talk to all of you about going for it, going for big dreams. This is my big dream. Like, I want to be Walt Disney. I want to be Jim Henson, I want to be Stan Lee. And I'm building universe. What would you say if someone Was starting from 0? How to apply patience to their life? Well, there's many things when you're starting at zero that you need to understand. My favorite thing about starting at zero is you have no fucking choice. Like, good news when you're starting at zero, you have no choice. Like, what, are you gonna cry on the couch and be like, I'm starting to get. Like, what's great about zero and the dirt? And the start is you have no choice but to be patient. Meaning you can go the get rich quick scheme route. And a lot of people do drock. They're always chasing the next trend and this and that. And I feel like, you know, I'm a big fan of, you know, people understanding that to build something meaningful takes real work, it takes real time. And you know, patience has been a huge partner in my success. I wish on you guys, besides health for you and your family, the biggest thing I wish for you is to dream big as fuck and then watch it unfold because you actually worked for it, not because you hit the lottery. So how does it feel? Fucking insanity. What are you talking like I can't. I'm like, I'm like. There are Topps Chrome products. That is a good product of a world I fully invented in my own head in hundreds of the best card shows shops in the world right now. And 1000 Gamestops are about to open across the country and have blasters in. Do you what? Here's what's going on for everyone that's brand brand new. Vfriends is a universe that I created five years ago. It is a world of 260, 270 or so characters. Empathy. Elephant. Entrepreneur. Elf. Resilient. Red Devil. Ambitious. Angel. You know, Charming. Cheetah. Reliable. Rat. Notorious Ninja. And our Pikachu, Mickey Mouse, the very very, very, very lucky black cat. It's a universe we've created and it's a collectible universe with incredible characters. We're developing all the characters through comic books so you can learn about these Veefriends. If you go to veefriends.com comics, you can literally go read a bunch of those comics for free. But we're massive in trading cards, as you can see. We were just showing. We're exploding in comics right now. The holy grail of our world is the NFTs. And we have apparel, we have cartoons on YouTube. Kids, if you go to veefriends.com cartoons. And most of all, we have an incredible community of collectors. The coolest part about our world is we have a saying here. Strangers become acquaintances, acquaintances become friends, friends become family. And it really is that way. And so if you're going to Fanatics Fest, if you're going to the Sports Card national in Chicago, or if you're going to Comic Con at the Javits center in the fall, please stop by the Veefriends Activation, which I'm really excited about. Last year was the first year of this, but here you could see sold items. These are prices that are also. This is all sold yesterday on ebay. This was all sold yesterday. So as you can see, there's a huge amount of demand for Veefriends physical collectibles. I think this will blow people away again. This is 2025, right? And 26 comes out on June 10th. So excited. So excited.
Release Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk
In this episode, Gary Vaynerchuk dives deep into the concept of legacy, focusing on what he wants to be remembered for as an entrepreneur and creator. He uses the occasion of the Veefriends x Topps Chrome launch to reflect on his journey from humble beginnings to building multiple successful businesses, including his newest passion project: Veefriends. The conversation centers around entrepreneurship, the power of intellectual property, patience in building something meaningful, and his hope to inspire others to dream big.
This episode provides valuable insight into Gary Vee’s mindset around building legacy, entrepreneurship, and the process of creating an enduring intellectual property. It’s a passionate call for patience, big dreams, and authentic engagement, all tied together as he celebrates the launch of Veefriends trading cards—a meaningful milestone in both his professional and personal story. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a collector, or a fan of Gary Vee’s outlook, the episode is a testament to the power of vision, hard work, and community.