The GaryVee Audio Experience

Episode: "Why Every Business Needs Long-Form Content"

Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Gary Vaynerchuk
Guest/Co-host: Tommy (A)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the enduring importance of long-form content for businesses, unpacking Gary Vaynerchuk's entrepreneurial journey, content strategies, investing perspectives, and leadership lessons. The conversation navigates Gary’s early immigrant experiences, his evolution as a business operator, the mistakes and wins in his investing portfolio, and his actionable advice for both established and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Long-Form Content

• Long-form video is not dead: Gary directly challenges claims that long YouTube videos are obsolete. He positions long-form as the cornerstone of content strategy.

  "Long form video, I would argue, is the starting point. Long form video is crushing on Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Podcasts." (00:02, 38:05)

• Content Multiplication: Long-form content can be divided into smaller pieces for extended reach and efficiency.

  "Now we have a piece of content that we can chop up into 13 pieces of content." (00:05)

Immigrant Mindset & Early Hustle

• Roots in adversity: Gary credits his early success to his upbringing as an immigrant from the USSR, arriving in the U.S. with nothing but being surrounded by love and optimism.

  "When you're from the fucking dirt, you're like. You're a different animal." (03:05)

• Process over profits: From a young age, Gary was more motivated by the process of business than making money.

  "I'm just that person that's process over profits. Even the money has shockingly not been at some level the motivator." (01:35)

Lessons from Family & Leadership Influence

• Mother's influence: Provided unwavering love and encouragement.

  "...no one was gonna fuck with me because my mommy said I'm good." (03:45)

• Father's influence: Taught hard work, discipline, and principles, despite being emotionally distant due to exhaustive work.

  "His best claim is word is bond...He showed me how to live a certain life. He didn't tell me; my dad wasn't. I didn't have a dad that told me life lessons. My dad showed me life lessons." (04:56)

Early Business Lessons & Transforming the Family Store

• Transition from self-employment to family business: Initially disliked working for his father versus his own card trading but started making meaningful business improvements.

  "First, I was into merchandising...I was very good at listening to the customer." (09:25)

• Treating employees as partners, not enemies: Changing the culture from skepticism to teamwork.

  "So I think I transformed him from seeing the employees as enemies to seeing the employees as teammates." (12:08)

• Customer-centric culture: Enhanced signage, embraced the 'customer is always right,' and shifted focus to higher-margin products by listening to clients.

Recognizing and Exploiting Emerging Trends

• Betting on the Internet: Quick to spot transformational potential during the early Internet days.

  "...20 minutes later, I swear to God, on my kid's health, I was like, this is gonna change my life." (14:07)

Investor Mindset

• Evaluating founders: Focus on the 'jockey and the horse'—actually seeing the product, work ethic, and ambition, not just resumes or pitch decks.

  "I'm now looking for the jockey and the horse and I want to see the horse. Show me your little pony...now when I meet with people." (19:43)

• Lessons learned: Early successes led to overvaluing pedigree (school background) instead of character and execution.

Leadership & Culture: The Gift of Kind Candor

• Candor as a gift: Early in his career, Gary struggled with honest feedback but now sees it as a necessity for growth.

  "I wish in my twenties I understood that candor was a gift you were giving to people, not a scare tactic." (20:19)

• Establishing ‘Kind Candor’: Cultivating a culture where feedback is honest but delivered with humanity.

  "People are going to weaponize it by calling it kind candor and holding our leaders accountable to it..." (21:44)

• Real-world example: Emphasizes the importance of intent and delivery in feedback, not using candor as an excuse to be harsh.

Operator vs. Investor Mentality

• Always building, rarely selling: Prefers to grow businesses for the long-run versus building to sell. Considers himself a 'business juggler' and operator above all else.

  "I'm starting a business that I'm in charge of...You could take my connections away. And I'm doing the same thing because I just know how to. I'm an operator, bro." (23:29)

• Seven meaningful businesses: Ranges from sports agencies and restaurants to media firms and collectibles.

Fulfillment, Motivation, and Legacy

• Process over trophies: Fulfillment is found in the act of building, not in the financial payoff or selling.

  "I just need to. I just am curious and am enjoying to see how big I can build all this juggling. I don't need the financial payoff." (28:16)

• Personal impact and giving: Actively gives back through philanthropy and by helping people through his content.

Speed Round: Myths & Truths About Content (34:47–39:43)

1. You need a niche before you start posting: False. Vast topics can work—focus on what interests the audience. (34:57)
2. Posting too much will cause unfollows: Not true. Most people don’t see everything; frequent posting nets more followers. (35:07)
3. Taking a posting break helps reset the algorithm: False. Quality, not breaks, recalibrate your audience. (35:27)
4. You need one big viral moment: False. Consistency with small wins beats a single hit. (35:47)
5. Only viral content gets followers: Yes-ish. Viral helps, but steady, smaller hits build over time. (36:06)
6. Being too broad confuses the algorithm: False. Make content people care about, regardless of breadth. (36:43)
7. Trends matter more than originality: Both matter. Context and substance essential. (37:15)
8. Use trending audio on 90% of reels: False. Mixing, originality, and pre-trend audio are stronger. (37:36)
9. Long-form content is dead: "Uncomfortably false." Long-form still crucial and repurposable. (38:02)
10. Monetization punishes reach: Only if you over-sell. Value-first always wins. (38:28)
11. Controversy wins: In the short term, yes, but “protein beats candy” for longevity. (39:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the immigrant advantage:

  “Does a zoo animal beat a...lion that grew up in the jungle? Never.” (03:05, Gary)

• On long-form content:

  "Long-form video, I would argue, is the starting point. Long-form video is crushing..." (38:05, Gary)

• On candor and feedback:

  "I wish in my twenties I understood that candor was a gift you were giving to people, not a scare tactic." (20:19, Gary)
  "We call it Kind Candor." (21:11, Gary)

• On building vs selling:

  "I want to die and leave it to people… I want to keep playing. I'm intoxicated by the holding the breath of it all, and that's how I roll." (26:18–28:16, Gary)

• On personal drive:

  “I'm not trying to impress anyone. I'm just in it for me. It's me. I'm the man in the fucking arena. That's how I see life.” (31:23, Gary)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Long-Form Content: 00:00–02:00
• Early Hustle & Immigrant Story: 00:46–04:56
• Family Influences: 04:56–09:04
• Transforming the Family Business: 09:04–12:17
• Spotting Internet Opportunity: 12:17–15:23
• Investing Philosophy: 16:39–19:43
• Advice to 20-Something Self: 20:07–21:17
• Candor & Company Culture: 21:17–23:11
• Operator vs. Business Seller: 23:11–28:16
• Fulfillment and Motivation: 28:16–33:57
• Professional Aspirations (VeeFriends, Jets): 34:15–34:47
• Rapid Fire Myths/Truths on Content: 34:47–39:43

How to Contact GaryVee

“Gary Vee is a very easy way to find me everywhere.” (39:52)

Tone & Language

Gary stays grounded in his personal, candid, often irreverent style — weaving in F-bombs for emphasis, speaking from hard-won experience, and pushing listeners to take action, not make excuses. The tone is both motivational and pragmatic.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking deep takeaways on business, leadership, content strategy, and entrepreneurial mindset—without needing to hear the full episode.