How to Build a Business Others Want to Buy

Chapter 20Get some skin in the game

They say don't meet your heroes. If you work in accreditation that is certainly true (more on that later). But sometimes meeting your heroes can be life changing. Meeting Gary Vaynerchuk changed mine.

Widely known as Gary Vee, this Belarus-born American entrepreneur took his dad's bricks and mortar wine store and turned it into a $30 million internet behemoth. Gary was also an early investor in Facebook, Uber and Twitter and funnelled those millions into his own enterprises, and is now one of the world's most popular entrepreneurs on social media. Gary says that if you want to build a brick wall you need to put bricks in it.

Meet Gary Vee! Live in London!

In November 2019 I attended an entrepreneurs’ conference in Sydney. It was morning tea time. Everyone had exited the room but I was still in my chair making some notes. An advertisement appeared on the big screen above the stage:

GVX. The Gary Vee Experience. Get up close and personal in this fully immersive experience! Live in London! Text us now!

I was interested until I read the ‘London’ bit. I had heard of Gary, had read about his incredible success stories and was super keen to work with him. The price tag to do so? $100 000. My business was not going well at that time. I was barely making payroll. There was no way I could divert $100 000 to personal development. I parked the idea. Maybe next year, when we're doing better.

But the thought of meeting Gary Vee in person nagged at me ...