The Mello Millionaire with Tommy Mello Gary Vee's No BS Advice for Building a Business Empire
Feb 6, 2026
Gary Vaynerchuk, serial entrepreneur and CEO known for scaling Wine Library and VaynerMedia. He recalls early hustles, immigrant-driven work ethic, and spotting the internet and crypto early. He explains operator-first thinking, investment criteria, kind candor in leadership, and ambitious projects like VeeFriends and owning the Jets. The episode also fires off rapid social media strategy takeaways.
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Spotting The Internet In A Dorm Room
- Gary recounts seeing AOL and immediately realizing the internet would change everything and registered winelibrary.com.
- He launched one of the first e-commerce wine stores in the U.S. and used the web to scale the business.
Wasting Time Is An Investment
- Don't fear wasting time exploring new technologies because one discovery can change everything.
- Gary says early-stage experimentation is worth many hours even if most efforts never materialize.
Invest In Jockeys And Visible Products
- When investing, evaluate both the product (horse) and founder (jockey) and demand to see the product live when possible.
- Avoid overvaluing pedigree or ideas alone; prefer demonstrated product and operator execution.
