Gary Vaynerchuk's Blog, page 13

3 Ways To Become A Better Leader

First up, it’s important to define what a leader is. A leader, especially in a post-Covid world, is someone who has a clear vision and is able to rally her or his community to achieve that goal. The greatest job of a leader, whether that leader is a parent, a CEO, or a counselor–is to find a way to build self esteem without crossing into delusion. That means, in a business setting, it’s important to remember that you work for your employees, they don’t work for you. Your job is to build your team, provide value, and give them space to grow while holding them accountable.

With that out of the way, there are so many leaders and managers who want to be better. Sure, they want to accomplish their own desires but they want to accomplish them in a way that helps them sleep at night. No one is trying to run a dictatorship (I actually fled one, so I’m especially mindful of the feelings and needs of my employees) but so many leaders are confused. They don’t know how to build a business and meet their goals without being a real obstacle to their employees and team members. Some leaders may have great relationships with their employees, but they want to be better about meeting goals and finding the balance between empathy and ambition. If either of those sound like you, or you fall somewhere on the spectrum of those two leadership types, this article is for you. Below are three, tactical methods to become a better leader. 

1. Remember: you work for your team.

I know I said this in the intro, but the number one thing you have to remember is that if you’re a leader, you work for your team–they don’t work for you. As a CEO, it’s ludicrous to expect your employees to work as much as you do. It’s your business; of course, your employees don’t “love it” as much. So much of life is a “them” game and entrepreneurship is no different. If you want to be an effective leader you have to give, give, and then ask. 

The biggest mistake people make, and why they can’t build scalable businesses, is that they have selfish expectations of their employees. You may be a hard worker, you may have fought to get to where you are–but that’s it, it’s your business, not theirs. They have no reason to be as invested as you are, even if you think you’ve given them a reason to be. You can’t ask an employee to work as hard as you because you believe you compensate them well. That’s like asking someone to love your child as much as you do; it’s not natural. 

You’re going to have much more successful interactions if you set expectations and give your team the means to reach them.

Now, what does that look like in practice? A lot of leaders have arbitrary expectations about how new hires should perform and act. This affects their growth in a big way. Here are two tips to keep in mind when hiring new employees:

a. Give trust easily.

I give trust a lot easier than most CEOs. To me, it’s just faster. I blindly trust all my employees. If they prove themselves to be incapable, I’ll put restrictions around them. I genuinely believe that the phrase: “Trust is not given, it’s earned” is slow and egotistical. 

B. Don’t compare your hires to yourself

This is where a lot of leaders get caught. They measure candidates against themselves, and then inflate their egos by finding ways candidates don’t match up. For this reason, I don’t hold employees to the same standard that I hold myself. On the contrary, for me it’s all about offense. I don’t care if my hires don’t perform as well as I would because they’re freeing up my time. Even if they’re not performing at “100”, that’s okay because they’re allowing me to go on the offense in other ways.

Keeping these two things in mind will help you become a better leader because it’ll train you to really internalize that you work for your employees (not the other way around), and then things start to change. Ultimately, they’re reminders to be grateful. 

2.  Stop micromanaging and teach your team how to swim.

If you have trouble structuring your business, if you go through rounds of hiring and firing–listen to this. If you have trouble finding the “right” team members…the problem may be you. This may be tough to accept but I know good leaders can handle the truth. I’m not trying to be impractical, but as I said before, good leaders don’t caste judgement on their employees. 

Good leaders don’t yell and scream, or try to watch their employees’ every move. Good leaders are supportive and ask how they can help. Instead of being upset that their employees are drowning, they teach them how to swim. 

3. You must build a strong company culture. 

After you’ve internalized that you work for them, it’s time to establish what sort of legacy you want to leave behind. What does it mean for someone to say they’ve worked at your company? What do you want it to say on your tombstone? For this reason, among others, I call Vayner X my “honey empire”. 

The way to build great culture is not in words that are written on the wall, but in your actions. You have to make every one of your employees and team members understand that you care about them more than you want them to care about you. I know that sounds impossible, but you can’t be crippled by the task. It’s tough. But, if you do it, you will build a great culture. If you do not, every day that you work will take you further and further away from that culture. 

You have to practice this everyday. It means not being afraid to fire your top salesperson because they’re also not a nice person…it means knowing who your employees are, what drives them, and if their needs have changed. It also means promoting and compensating people based on how hard they work, not on how well you know them. A great work culture is one that “works” for everyone. It should work when things are easy and it should work when, God forbid, tragedy occurs. 

The second you slack on your culture is the second you lose. Meritocracy is important, empathy is more important, and knowing the culture that fits you and your employees is the most important thing of all. 

Remember, my words mean nothing if you don’t listen to them and internalize them, so they’re a part of your everyday life. So, what do you do now? Share it with a leader you admire or someone you know that is actively trying to become a better leader. While you’re at it, tweet me your biggest takeaways. Oh, and of course, practice, practice, practice doing these things yourself.

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Is It Too Late For Dropshipping In 2021?

Who’s ready to talk about dropshipping? I’ve gotten so many questions about it. Mostly, people want to know if it’s too late for them to start. Look, while it’s no secret that I think it’s never too late to start something you’re passionate about–there is a secret variable when it comes to making an impact in a certain space. Keep reading for my thoughts on dropshipping, timing, and talent!

For those of you who don’t know, dropshipping is a simplified version of retail where the seller accepts a customer’s orders but does not keep the goods sold in stock. Put another way, when a store sells a product using the dropshipping model, it purchases the item from a third party and has said item directly shipped to the customer. Therefore, you, as a seller, don’t have to handle the product directly. It’s been a popular form of retail for over ten years and it’s continued popularity makes some emerging entrepreneurs nervous. The question I’m asked the most is, “Do you think it’s too late for me to start dropshipping?

Here’s something many people are unaware of: the timing on something that works is not the variable, it’s your talent. 

People say, “dropshipping is dead” and “you’re too late for dropshipping” and that’s just not true. The reason it’s not dead is: most things don’t die. It’s hard for things to die. Sure, it may be harder to make an impact, but it’s not impossible. There is always a supply and demand issue on things in society.

Breaking through on social media, say on Youtube, is harder today than it was when I did it. It’s harder to break out on Clubhouse today than it was even seven months ago. Years ago, I could have told people that think they’re OG dropshippers now (because they’ve been doing it for 5 years) that they were too late. I could have taken it further, made fun of them, and said they were 10 years too late. 

Again, timing is not the variable, it’s your talent. You see, when you’re not as talented but you’re good at finding things early on–it doesn’t take as much talent because you have so much more arbitrage. Later, as more people begin to do something, it’s harder and requires more talent. That’s the difference; it’s not dead, it’s just more challenging.

As time goes on, your success is more predicated on your skillset. There were a lot of people that looked like social media “experts” on Twitter in 2007. A lot of them are gone now, because it got harder. More people had opinions, more platforms came up– but I wasn’t afraid in 2007 and I’m not afraid in 2021. I won’t be afraid in 2031 either.

Something else to keep in mind, even if you don’t make any money doing it, you’re gaining skills. You’ve already won. Don’t think of anyone else’s process besides your own. The second you look at somebody else, you’re already vulnerable. When you start that comparison convo it’s not good. I see _____ doing ____ is the worst way for anyone to start a sentence. 

So, if you’re interested in dropping shipping or just passionate about entrepreneurship, just start. I guarantee there is value in the process.

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Dropshipping Article

Who’s ready to talk about dropshipping? I’ve gotten so many questions about it. Mostly, people want to know if it’s too late for them to start. Look, while it’s no secret that I think it’s never too late to start something you’re passionate about–there is a secret variable when it comes to making an impact in a certain space. Keep reading for my thoughts on dropshipping, timing, and talent!

For those of you who don’t know, dropshipping is a simplified version of retail where the seller accepts a customer’s orders but does not keep the goods sold in stock. Put another way, when a store sells a product using the dropshipping model, it purchases the item from a third party and has said item directly shipped to the customer. Therefore, you, as a seller, don’t have to handle the product directly. It’s been a popular form of retail for over ten years and it’s continued popularity makes some emerging entrepreneurs nervous. The question I’m asked the most is, “Do you think it’s too late for me to start dropshipping?

Here’s something many people are unaware of: the timing on something that works is not the variable, it’s your talent. 

People say, “dropshipping is dead” and “you’re too late for dropshipping” and that’s just not true. The reason it’s not dead is: most things don’t die. It’s hard for things to die. Sure, it may be harder to make an impact, but it’s not impossible. There is always a supply and demand issue on things in society.

Breaking through on social media, say on Youtube, is harder today than it was when I did it. It’s harder to break out on Clubhouse today than it was even seven months ago. Years ago, I could have told people that think they’re OG dropshippers now (because they’ve been doing it for 5 years) that they were too late. I could have taken it further, made fun of them, and said they were 10 years too late. 

Again, timing is not the variable, it’s your talent. You see, when you’re not as talented but you’re good at finding things early on–it doesn’t take as much talent because you have so much more arbitrage. Later, as more people begin to do something, it’s harder and requires more talent. That’s the difference; it’s not dead, it’s just more challenging.

As time goes on, your success is more predicated on your skillset. There were a lot of people that looked like social media “experts” on Twitter in 2007. A lot of them are gone now, because it got harder. More people had opinions, more platforms came up– but I wasn’t afraid in 2007 and I’m not afraid in 2021. I won’t be afraid in 2031 either.

Something else to keep in mind, even if you don’t make any money doing it, you’re gaining skills. You’ve already won. Don’t think of anyone else’s process besides your own. The second you look at somebody else, you’re already vulnerable. When you start that comparison convo it’s not good. I see _____ doing ____ is the worst way for anyone to start a sentence. 

So, if you’re interested in dropping shipping or just passionate about entrepreneurship, just start. I guarantee there is value in the process.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk (@garyvee)

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Top GaryVee Quotes! 2021 Edition

Need a little extra motivation and insight? You’ve come to the right place. Even though only about 30 days have passed since this year began, Gary Vaynerchuk–serial entrepreneur, author, and CEO of VaynerX–gave us so many good moments, learning lessons, and fire quotes that we had to do a recap. Below are the top quotes of 2021 from our empathic leader, GaryVee! Hopefully, you can take them with you as you cultivate a more positive and optimistic outlook for the year ahead. Read through the list and let us know, on Twitter, which one is your favorite!

Check back at the end of every month to see which new quotes made the list!

What if you could just do whatever you wanted. What would you do?

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Please, live for happiness, eliminate regret, try to choose optimism and love. Go for it; you fear things that don’t exist.Every minute you spend trying to cut someone else’s tree down, is a minute you spend on not growing yours.  Don’t conform to doing something that doesn’t make you happy.The easiest way to be unhappy is to compare yourself to somebody else.You believe in something? Talk about it. Forever. Constantly. With everything from your fucking soul.

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Stop debating. Start making.Don’t beat yourself up. I was 30 years old before I made a single piece of content. What you listen to and who you listen to is what you become.

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Start by helping one person.Challenge yourself, come up with ideas, don’t be scared of showing different parts of your life.

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Pain is temporary and we beat ourselves up for not being productive or motivated during these cloudy days.

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There’s so much opportunity and happiness in front of you.

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Keep speaking your truths my friends – so many of you have great intentions and have something to share, don’t worry if at first people aren’t “clicking” sometimes it just takes them time. 

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It’s amazing to have goals and ambitions but I see so many people “beating themselves up” with unrealistic expectations. Love yourself!

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How does Clubhouse Voice Chat Work?

By now, a lot of us know what Clubhouse app is. People often ask, “What’s next?”. I’m not psychic but I do think voice is the next feature to look out for. This is why Clubhouse is having a moment of cultural relevance and is capturing all of our attention. With this in mind, let’s take a look at it’s Voice Chat feature and the future of voice app technology. 

Why Clubhouse Voice Features Matter

Not to get too heavy on all of Clubhouse’s features (we did that before in another blog) but, Clubhouse is a social, audio driven app. It has had tremendous success and that is not surprising. Why? I believe that similar to what the iPhone and the Andriod did to our society, voice devices have the potential to do, at scale, over the next decade. 

For example, I believe there will be an Alexa skill built into the technology that is so phenomenal it catches virality. It’ll make everybody go, “Oh crap, I need that.” If you think back to the iPhone, a social network, Spotify, or iTunes itself–they had features that made people say, “Oh crap…”. MySpace did that for social networks and Tinder did that for dating. This happened before the 2000s as well. I remember eBay was looking for wide awareness in the late 90s and it was Beanie Babies that put so many people on eBay.

I will say this though, or I’d be remiss: although I do believe in the emerging voice technology, I think it’s still too early for anybody reading this to run home and build an Alexa skill–thinking that’s gonna change their business. People need to be thinking about how their brand plays in a voice AI environment, and a media/technology landscape that has reliance on voice features and capabilities.

You can make impactful decisions now if you want to be a part of the conversation; tap into the sonic tag for your business or brand. We need to make sonic branding, how does it engage, and how to build at scale, a part of the conversation at a briefing. 

After spending the last couple of weeks understanding and tasting the platform, these are my thoughts. I like it a lot and I think it has potential for many people. I’m excited to see what it looks like when you open it up at scale; the product itself is already incredible. The lack of friction, the walkie-talkie nature, it feels like you’re sitting around a dinner table. 

It reminds me of my favorite South by Southwest jam sessions, where I would sit with other entrepreneurs and just chat about random cultural events and debate which trends have staying power. It sits in a different place as a utility that has potential to evolve into a consumer product but time will tell.

What Makes Clubhouse Attractive 

Now let’s talk about the psychology of users–not just on Clubhouse, but users of voice devices and voice apps in general. User psychology is important any time you’re looking to create content or position your business as a brand. If you look at the cellphone, and you look at technology, and the integration of those things in our lives, what do you think is the next step? Drones, flying cars, nanobots?

Think about it. Every single person reading this values health, the well being of their family, and time. As we become more busy, time becomes a valuable resource. Therefore, when you’re looking at a video, that is actively taking up your time. Audio, meanwhile, is incredibly passive. Think about that word–passive.

Everybody kind of passively consumes. Listening to something in the first five minutes of you waking up and getting ready, for example, that information is being passively consumed. You’re not looking at your phone because you’re in the shower. Voice app technology takes this further by allowing you to save time and passively consume. Imagine brushing your teeth in the morning. Suddenly, you remember that you need socks, so you say, “Hey Google. Hey Apple. Hey Alexa. Hey Facebook”, or whatever else has come out, “Buy me socks.” The next search engine is voice.

It’s all about saving time. Uber won because it saved you time. Amazon Prime wins because it saves you time. Anything that saves us time, we like, right? We want everything right now, always, and fast. Slow internet is devastating, right? We’ve become addicted to speed and I think voice is speed. Even if you have your phone next to you…if you can say Alexa, or Google, or Apple..What is my schedule today? Now, the house is talking to you.. it’s just faster than turning on your phone. 

We hate friction. Alexa and voice is the future of a frictionless world. It is going to explode.

So, what does all this mean for Clubhouse? Why has it become more relevant in culture compared to Houseparty or Discord? The answer is Clubhouse embodies speed, real life, and passive consumption. It mirrors real life and also allows people to be a fly on the wall and listen to the conversations of others. It’s the most successful voice app we’ve seen so far because of things you might overlook. Like everything that has happened over the last 15 years with consumer apps, a couple of tweaks on the product, positioning, design, the initial community that started using it– these are all factors into the serendipity that is a successful app. 

By the way, it’s no different than what happens with restaurants and clubs. Sometimes people might ask, Why did this restaurant do better than this one that opened down the street nine months ago? They were so similar...the difference of a matradee, the first 100 people that went to the restaurant, a little tweak at the bar, the product selection of the wine; these little, subtle things matter.

Additionally, I believe Clubhouse can still maintain its appeal after it’s been opened to the public and even after the pandemic. Why? Because it filters by room. It’s not like everybody on the app hears everything. So, by the filter of the rooms, I can go into the 21 Savage room or I can go into the Mark Cuban room, or the How To Save The Environment Room–I’m in control. It’s no different than what Facebook Groups do today. Or any other social network, for that matter. 

The Future of Voice App Technology 

I want to be clear: voice app technology isn’t Clubhouse’s only appeal. The real appeal is that it replicates real life. In real life it is very uncommon for you to just roll up to someone and start talking to them. That is very rare and that is what Chatroulette (and other voice apps) offered. Clubhouse is more similar to having a conversation at a dinner. It’s closer to a conference, or an event like the Grammy’s; you know the person, or you’re aware of the person, and you observe that person having an open dialog. Or, you could join in. Clubhouse is successful for the same reason every social platform is successful, it’s replicating an actual human truth. 

In the next three years, Clubhouse will either be one of the top ten social apps in the world or overly affected by Facebook Inc, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the other platforms. By that I mean feature copying may slow down it’s macro growth and have it become a little bit more in the middle of the pack within the hundreds of top apps. Or, it’ll be integrated into one of the companies that I just mentioned through an M&A deal that happens within the next year and a half.

 
After all this, what does this mean  for the future of voice app technology?  As I’ve been screaming, yelling, screeching, preaching,pontificating, roaring, and crusading for the past however many years: voice is a passive consumption product. It is why the car radio was remarkably powerful. You could listen to it while you did something else. Humans are now multitasking at a level that makes our great-grandparents headspin. This makes voice an incredibly important pillar of human society and I believe that it will continue to grow in importance.

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Advertising Through The Years: The Evolution of Attention

Traditional advertising has done one thing really, really well over the past 70 years. It’s stolen attention. What I mean by that is, advertising was created to take time away from content consumption and shift it to brand/product awareness. Think of it this way: back when we used to watch cable TV, what would happen every 7 minutes or so? A slew of television commercials that lasted for 4 to  6 minutes. 

As you were reading an article on Forbes.com what would happen as you scrolled down? A thumb stopping ad for BMW that took up your entire computer screen. If you were reading an interview in Sports Illustrated magazine 25 years ago, what happened as you turned the page? A full page ad that took your attention away from the content you were consuming. The same thing happened if you were in your car 30 years ago, listening to Howard Stern. Suddenly, you’d hear an ad for prime ribs–even though you were a vegetarian. We used to encounter countless ads from various places that had varying degrees of applicability to our lives. But social media and streaming services have started the process of changing the game entirely.  

Think about it. How much cable television do you currently watch? Can you name even one close friend who doesn’t subscribe to a video streaming service? Studies show that close to 70 percent of US households have a TV/movie subscription, so even if you have a friend that uses cable, it’s likely he or she is using Netflix as well.

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Don’t believe it? This year, Netflix racked up more views on their platform than viewers of cable and satellite TV combined. Although I haven’t done the research myself, I live by common sense and by paying attention to culture. The growth potential of HBO MAX, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, etc and Hulu is alarming or exciting depending on what side you sit on. Conservative estimates show that up to 30 percent of households were “cord cutters” ,meaning they turned away from cable altogether, in 2017. That was in 2017, now let’s think about that number in 2021. 

What does all this mean? It means that television commercials are in major friction against the market. Collectively we’re watching less TV and we’re spending more time on our phones. Entertainment has continued to evolve, and with it, so has human attention. With this in mind, it’s key to understand a few pieces of information.

Number 1, this is not a childish phenomenon. Yes, the pandemic accelerated cord-cutting, but this isn’t a new trend. Social media isn’t just for teenagers–in fact, there is no “social media”. There’s just media–a media landscape that has changed rapidly. Today, more than 80 percent of each generation uses social media. Meaning, your GenZ kid is just as likely to have a social media presence as her grandma. The internet doesn’t care if you believe me or not, it doesn’t care if you’re not willing to learn its language. It will move on without you. Therefore, your marketing strategy needs to evolve. 

Number 2, influencers are the new editors in chief. You, as a marketer or business leader, cannot underestimate the importance of internet culture. That doesn’t mean that the traditional way of advertising has died, and you should forget about old methods that may have worked in the past. It does mean that you can’t afford to write off these new creators who are disrupting your space. DoggFace208 is a perfect example of this.  Through the years, Ocean Spray has spent millions upon millions of dollars to grasp less attention and cultural relevance than DoggFace208 garnered in 1 minute. Side note, kudos to Ocean Spray for jumping on to that attention and adding to the narrative (I’ll go further in depth on that cultural moment in a later article). 

As I mentioned before, traditional advertising steals attention from what the consumer actually wants to consume. Advertising execs do this with the hope that the consumer might want to buy or be aware of what he or she is selling. Take that and flip it, now you’re giving time to a consumer who you know will want more information about what you’re offering. Look at the big picture and understand what’s happening in social media. Most platforms give us a single stream of feed dynamics. People are consuming content from many different parties (individuals, brands, publications, etc.). If a brand were to understand how to make content or how to team up with influencers to create far more native and contextual content for that stream, they would have a far greater upside.

When a TV show goes to a commercial, you can feel it. When you integrate a marketing campaign, whether you’re doing it yourself or you’re working with an influencer, it can be a little more seamless. That is the point. What does this look like in real life? Collaborations and sponsorships with influencers; supporting the things and people adjacent to the target audience you want to reach.

Above all, you have to realize that the market decides what’s impactful now, not executives in a boardroom. Customers have always decided what they like, but television commercials and radio ads haven’t given advertising execs a feedback loop. They did not provide quant and qual metric. These metrics, created immediately within a social media environment, shape insights for social media marketers that can be used to educate brands and produce more effective messaging. The comments section matters, which leads me to my next point. 

Number 3, you might want to hire a post-creative strategist. You need someone who is willing to understand everything: the platform, the target audience, and how it relates to what you want to do. This person is going to be a key member on your team, the one who informs your content strategy. The PCS is a person that recognizes where the attention is and where it could go. 

Post creative strategists pay attention to the comments from the creative that you put out. This allows for 20 percent of everyone’s creative team to just be creative. Now, they can create solely to receive insights from the consumer. Whether it’s strategic and you made the content specifically to get insights about questions you have, or if it’s the serendipity of a volume of comments that you read when the intent was to just build awareness around your product–you now have this rich feedback loop. Somebody whose business is about being ears for your brand is completely imperative. We live in a world today where the majority of brands focus on their mouth, i.e. what they say. Using social media as a consumer insights tool is imperative, hence why the PCS matters so much. However, 99 percent of marketers aren’t thinking about this role.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that the media landscape is constantly evolving.

Effective social media strategies aren’t built overnight. They take patience, humility, and an abundance of empathy. You have to give something back to your community, find value in providing entertainment or information–you have to give something of value in exchange for the time that you’re taking away. For example, I’m very stressed with making sure this was a valuable 7 minute read for you. To summarize, you have to ask/earn their attention, rather than demand it. 

This might sound scary, and counterintuitive to everything you’ve been taught. But, you’ve got to make it about them. Once you approach your content strategy with the mindset of giving, rather than taking, you’ll be ready to provide so much value to your end consumer.

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What is Clubhouse app, and why does it matter?

Let’s talk about Clubhouse app.

The app is the beginning of a wildly underrated, emerging, social media platform. Why is it underrated? Because most people don’t know about it yet. While many of you might already know about Clubhouse, in the scheme of 300 million plus Americans and 7.5 billion people on earth, very few do.

The audio resurgence that I’ve been talking about for years continues as Clubhouse becomes a very popular place for many people to have conversations around a bunch of topics. It is an app many of you should keep an eye on. I’m very fond of it; it replicates real life. What if any number of people got together at a dinner table and just talked? Then, what if everyone got to listen to it? 

It makes sense why it’s working. I love the audio platform…I think, a year from today, a lot more people will be on it. I’ve been using the app for several months now, and I’m excited to share some of my thoughts and answer some of your questions. 

What is Clubhouse?

As I mentioned above, Clubhouse is an audio based, social media app. However, it’s notable for its big name users and for allowing these users to connect with their fans, critics, or whoever else. This is important because in a post-Covid world many casual networking events, and informal hangouts, have disappeared. So, it’s easy to see why the app has been compared to everything from Twitter to LinkedIn, and even Soho House. 

In Clubhouse, users create “Rooms” where they are responsible to curate discussions around a variety of topics, from How to effectively network during Covid to Is Kevin Hart Funny? Or, they have the option to join someone else’s room. Then, users can either speak on a topic or listen to everyone else’s opinion. It’s been compared to being at a house party, conference, or just walking around outside. I thought it was a great new medium to host this morning’s Tea With GaryVee Q&A. After looking at some of your comments on Twitter, I think you guys agree.

Users can follow other users who they feel curate interesting discussions or have interesting opinions. All conversations are wiped clean after the session is over, rather than being saved or archived, so if you want to hear someone’s session you have to actively participate. Finally, you have the option to receive a notification if someone you follow has curated a room.

How to get a Clubhouse invite?

It’s no secret that Clubhouse is kind of exclusive, it’s invite only. The app is still in beta and while they’re working through issues and fixing bugs, a select number of people have been given invitations to test features and further explore the app. Initially, invitations were limited to notable people in the tech, entertainment, and media industry. However, each person who receives an invite also receives invitations to share with anyone they feel would find value from the experience. So, you don’t have to be an influencer, or know someone who is, to test out the space.

So, how do you get a Clubhouse invite? Look around your circle, notice who’s a member of a creative or tech-focused industry, and ask. If you have an extra invite, drop a comment below.

Is Clubhouse only for Apple?

Right now, Clubhouse is only available on iOS. However, the company plans to create an Android friendly version of the app as soon as May 2021. 

How does Clubhouse work?

Here’s the fun part. Let’s talk about the layout. After you’ve poked around in your network and secured an invitation, you have two options. The app’s algorithm will provide you with a list of people you may be interested in following. After you choose to follow someone on the list, or not, you can sit in a room or curate your own. Again, it really is just humans discussing topics and listening to one another.

That’s it. Yes, some users may be celebrities or influencers, but ultimately, the app is another way for people to stay connected. You may end up catching the attention of a CEO or exec who likes to hear your idea–and maybe you won’t. But, regardless of the outcome, if your intent is to be authentic, provide value, and empathetically listen to others…you’re gonna have a lot of fun. Talking when you know, and not being afraid to say something AND staying quiet are the keys to clubhouse. 

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Will Netflix Put Movie Theaters Out Of Business?

Let’s talk about Netflix, the streaming giant, and movie theaters.

Recently, I had an interview with Drew Barrymore about the future of the movie industry, specifically the movie theater industry. Over the next decade or two, I think you’re gonna see a lot of innovation in the movie theater world. However, I think the quantity execution by Netflix is brilliant. It’s possibly enough to give movie theaters a run for their money. Here’s the thing, Variety is reporting that Netflix will release 70 new movies this year. Now the question isn’t if movie theaters come back or not. The question is, are we going to rely on streaming services entirely? 

I go on to say that, we’re humans. We need each other, we’re yearning for our lives to go back to normal. Sure, it will be a little weird when we get fully back to normal. It’s like coming back from summer vacation and going back to school. Movie theaters can come back but they need to innovate. These movies that Netflix is gonna put out are gonna be remarkable. Also, it’s cozy in your home and the popcorn is not as expensive…I mean, why can’t a movie night be 100 bucks? It could be similar to a Broadway show, but you would go to dinner upstairs and see the movie afterwards.

I think that in Hollywood, and in creative land in general, we demonize quantity. We say what about quality? Well, quality is subjective. You either like it or you don’t. But quantity is not subjective so while Netflix puts up all these movies and their competitors put up far less, it gives Netflix many more “at bats” to hit the homerun that Queen’s Gambit was. 

Overall, I think quantity is demonized in creative landscapes and it should not be in an internet, infasecure world. 

What are some innovations you’d like to see in movie theaters? Let me know in the comments down below.

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Allow Me To Re-introduce: Yummytext.com

A little over a year ago, I launched YummyText for my dad. It was similar to WineText but specialized in providing high quality, gourmet food (at an affordable price) to people who would appreciate it. Since then, this service has blown up, allowing us to expand our offerings and who we’re able to serve. Now we’re expanding again…check out YummyText if you’re…

A person who LOVES food

This service is for food enthusiasts– the people who love good food, convenience, and don’t like the overpriced options they might find in the store. For example, our recent deal on Parmigiano Reggiano takes 15% less out of your pocket than the leading discount store (and tastes 100% better). YummyText offers premium olive oil, cheese, chocolate, wine, and so much more! You can elevate your go-to recipes with our exclusive selection of rare sauces and patsas. Or, you can try something new by checking out our Instagram page for recipes and the deal of the day. 

A person with a small business/ speciality store

Maybe you’re more of a behind the scenes person? Do you have a great store or product that you know could help the next great chef take their recipe to the next level? If so, email Brandon Warnke at bw@winelibrary.com or hit up Brandon on Twitter. We always look forward to partnering with small businesses with exceptional products. 

Really serious about some of the amazing products we offer

Maybe you don’t like cooking and you don’t have an interest in gourmet food–but you know someone that does. If that’s the case, sign up and you may find the perfect Christmas or birthday gift for the emerging Gordan Ramsey in your life. Fill out this form to receive texts from us. Of course, if this isn’t for you then definitely don’t sign up (it costs money to send these texts ). 

As always, stay well, and I hope to hear from you soon. 

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Stress In The Workplace: Three takes for you to consider

2020 is gone and I know a lot of us are looking forward to what comes next. Rather than make resolutions about what you’re going to do, let’s take tactical steps to solve issues that affected us throughout 2020. Looking through recent LinkedIn comments, I noticed that stress was something that impacted many people in this community. With this in mind, here’s a list of things you can do to deal with stress at work. I hope it provides you value.

1. Use GAP. 

Gratitude and perspective are so important. There’s no question that so much of my happiness is due to my perspective. That perspective is completely predicated on the singular variable of health of the people I love.Therefore, when I practice GAP to manage my stress, I tend to think of my family. 

Here’s an example: every few days,I pretend a member of my family has died. What do I do with that information? I use it as the framework to keep everything in perspective. I know it’s ludicrous, but I’m being serious. It’s really easy for me to receive bad news about revenue loss at Vayner when I’ve imagined that my father passed away the day before. 

via GIPHY

When I use GAP, everything on my mind, everything on my to-do list, it gets put into perspective. If I lose out on a deal, that might suck, but it doesn’t impact the health of my family. When seemingly monstrous things happen you have to think, does it impact my family or friends? Once you realize that the stress you encounter at work often has no effect on the people in your life that matter–you become so much happier. 

The Three Ps. 

How would I describe someone that has the three Ps? That’s someone who has practicality, positivity, and perspective. It’s someone who is optimistic but not delusional. Someone who realizes that life is how you see it.

In today’s society, it’s very easy to find a lot of negativity if you look for it. On the flip side, if you want to find a lot of happiness and opportunity you can find that just as easily. Are you looking for the negative or are you looking for the positive? 

I’m a huge believer in this; practicality matters. It’s true, you can’t only believe in sunshine and rainbows and that everything is going to be okay–you have to be practical. Your positivity must be equal to your practicality. You have to work.

Stress doesn’t go away magically by wishing it was gone. But, you can be positive about it. Yes, life can be super hard. However, aren’t we so lucky that we’re able to try at all? Our grandparents couldn’t start a company by using their phones at the end of their workday. This is the greatest era of the “at-bat”. You’re not guaranteed a home run, but at least you can try. 

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3. Fix your well, not just your sink.

What do I mean by that? 

Well (no pun intended), if you’ve gained some perspective and realized that while you’re grateful for what you have–but you may be in a career you don’t like, or a role that you’d like to switch– you can do something to change it. You have to be very strategic about 7pm to 10pm. Of course, you have to be patient (because you should be mindful of your health, family, etc.) but if you execute properly over a 5 year window, you’re going to have a vehicle to get out of your situation.

What does that look like in practice? It could mean writing long, detailed posts on LinkedIn where you solve imagined scenarios. You could make a video talking about how you would solve a theoretical problem in someone’s budget, then post that video on  LinkedIn. If you do that in written, audio, or video format, it is my belief that a company reaching out to hire you because they know you can help them with contemporary marketing. 

If you liked this article, and feel it brought you value, be sure to share it on Twitter!

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