You may know him as Gary Vee or maybe you just know him as that social media guy. But whatever you call him, there’s no denying that Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our generation. From his early days growing his family’s wine business to his current role as CEO of Vayner Media, Gary has always had a knack for marketing and generating buzz.
So, what is Gary Vaynerchuk worth? Let’s take a look.
A Brief Introduction to Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk, otherwise known as Gary Vee, is a businessman, author, speaker, and internet personality. He is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media company, and the active CEO of VaynerMedia, a social media-focused digital agency.
He is also a grape farmer and wine expert, famous for his leading role in growing his family’s retail wine business from $3 million to $60 million. In addition to all that, he’s a New York Times bestselling author with several books under his belt.
Here’s more on how Gary Vaynerchuk’s net worth adds up owing to his multiple business ventures.
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Early Life and Education
Gary was born in Babruysk, Belarus in 1975. When he was three years old, his family immigrated from the then-Soviet Union to the United States in search of a better life. They settled in New Jersey, where Gary’s father took a job as a cab driver and his mother worked as a house cleaner.
From an early age, Gary learned the value of hard work from his parents. They instilled in him a strong work ethic that would serve him well throughout his life, starting from some hands-on working experience at the winery.
Gary’s first job was working at his father’s local liquor store, Shoppers Discount Liquors when he was just 14 years of age. He learned what it meant to run a business and also instilled in him the urge to learn more about improving the efficiency of his father’s business.
For college, Gary left his hometown to study in Massachusetts at Mount Ida College where he further crystallized his vision of how he would go about furthering his family’s wine business.
Gary’s Founding of the Wine Library
At some point during college, it became more than just a pipedream for Gary to contribute to his family’s business. He wanted to modernize the operations and show the worth of his family’s winery to the entire world.
Gary continued exploring more about wines and food as he made further investments growing up. Although he earned only about $2 per hour at the liquor store, his passion to keep learning kept him grounded.
Gary Vee already had plenty of experience in money-making as a child selling lemonade drinks. He knew the worth of earning and also managed to save enough to buy himself what he desired as a kid.
During college, and growing up, Gary was always interested in technology and the leading innovations, enough to always keep him ahead of the curve. It was later in 1997 that he founded WineLibrary.com to help spread the word and business to a larger target audience.
As time progressed, Gary and his father figured it would be a good change to match the website to the store name and bring in a new feel and vibe. And soon, Shoppers Discount Liquors became The Wine Library.
Online sales increased manyfold after the launch of the website but Gary had more plans up his sleeve than just being easily accessible. He was in search of a better way of spreading the word about his family wine business.
Enter, Gary’s foray into the webcast field on YouTube as the Wine Library TV in 2006.
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The Birth of VaynerX
It was in 2017 that Gary’s visions saw more fruitful collaborations and success. VaynerMedia’s new publishing branch, ended up purchasing PureWow, a women’s magazine.
Later, the two ventures would become one to form VaynerX and acquire the purchase of a second magazine, ONE37pm.
Gary’s Tryst as an Author
Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the most prolific entrepreneurs and authors of our generation. In 2010, he wrote his first book called Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion.
The book became an instant bestseller, and Gary’s career as an author was launched. Since then, he’s written five more books, all of which have been bestsellers. Here’s a look at some of Gary’s most popular books and what they’re all about.
Gary’s first book, Crush It!, is all about turning your passion into a successful business. In the book, Gary shares his own story of how he took his family’s wine business from a $4 million dollar a year business to a $60 million dollar a year business. He also provides actionable advice that anyone can follow to turn their passion into a successful business.
Gary’s second book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World was published in 2013. The book is all about how to stand out on social media. Given the crowded and noisy social media landscape, it can be difficult to get your voice heard. In Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary provides actionable advice on how to cut through the noise and tell your story in a way that will resonate with your audience.
It was after he took a step back and noticed the big picture that Gary decided to start a business advice Q&A Show called #AskGaryVee. Other ventures include a daily vlog following his life as the CEO of DailyVee and a daily podcast called The GaryVee Audio Experience.
The Birth of Empathy Wines
Spending almost decades in the wine industry, Gary decided to start his own line of wine with the goal of making high-quality wine affordable to all. This would happen not by cutting down on the ingredients’ quality but instead by cutting out the middlemen in the distribution and sales of the liquor.
Consumers would enjoy the benefits of savings on services like shipping and delivery while allowing the company to acquire high-quality grapes from renowned suppliers, blend, and age them in the ideal tanks, and altogether cut down on packaging costs.
First launched in 2019, the company now ships its wines internationally across countries like New Zealand, Singapore, America, and Canada.
Gary’s Founding of Resy, the Restaurant Reservation Software Company
Gary has always been ahead of the curve when it came to investing in technological innovations and it wasn’t that far ahead that he decided to start his own app-based business venture. The result was Resy, started with co-founder Ben Leventhal.
Resy was designed to work with restaurants and make the concept of reservations more convenient and seamless. Many restaurants in New York suffered from having empty reserved seats and lines of customers waiting to get a taste of their food.
Resy ensured that customers didn’t have to wait 30 days in advance for a reservation and that other customers didn’t have to wait in line when empty seats were available at restaurants. Resy placed a reasonable price on the empty seats, allowing restaurants to have a consistent flow of customers and not face rush hours even until closing time.
Resy operated distinctly from other apps in the sense that it allowed restaurants to serve customers consistently even into the night. According to Gary, the app would present customers with options and they were free to choose based on their personal interests and the restaurant itself.
Gary’s Tryst with NFTs and Cryptocurrency
After Gary’s notable interest in technology comes his investment history in cryptocurrency, Ethereum in particular. As for NFTs, Gary acknowledges that NFTs will soon face a historical downfall but his belief in the same saw him spending 1,600 Ether on CryptoPunk, a rare and valuable NFT almost equivalent to $3.7 million in value.
He even launched his own series of NFTs called VeeFriends, a collection of pieces hand-drawn by himself, including animals like the Logical Lion and the Curious Crane.
Next in line is the launch of the first-ever NFT Restaurant-to-be – The Flyfish Club – in 2023 in Manhattan. The restaurant is an exclusive enterprise serving seafood dishes with entry limited to people who know a Flyfish NFT.
The Flyfish NFTs were purchasable with Ether, initially sold for 2.5 Ether each. Once customers decide to sell the NFTs, they would go for sale on a secondary market. Currently, the first month of sales brought in a whopping $15 million that was pushed into launching the restaurant. The NFTs are now circulating in the secondary market, available for 5.2 Ether at the low end.
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Gary Vaynerchuk’s Married Life
Gary’s official status is happily married. In 2004, he married Lizzie Vaynerchuk and had two children, Misha Eva Vaynerchuk born in 2009, and Xander Avi Vaynerchuk born in 2012.
While Gary is active on most social media platforms, he is proactive primarily on Instagram and Twitter with numerous famous personalities as part of his 8.3 million or so followers.
What Are Gary Vaynerchuk’s Main Sources of Income?
Gary is known as a Belarusian-American entrepreneur and a serial investor. He’s built companies from the ground up, including VaynerMedia, a full-service agency, and VaynerX, a holding company for all of Gary’s business ventures.
In addition to his companies, Gary has also written best-selling books, hosts a popular podcast, and gives keynote speeches at events around the world.
So, how does Gary make all his money? Here are his 7 main sources of income.
1. Companies
GaryVee owns several companies, including VaynerMedia, VaynerX, Gallery Media Group, and PureWow. These businesses generate the lion’s share of Gary’s income.
2. Investments
Gary is an active investor and has made investments in companies like Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Slack. He also has his own investment fund called Vayner Capital.
3. Books
Gary has authored five New York Times best-selling books on business and marketing. His most recent book is “Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can Too.”
4. Podcast
The “GaryVee Audio Experience” is one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes with over 400 million downloads to date. On his podcast, Gary interviews entrepreneurs, athletes, actors, and more about their hustle and how they’ve achieved success.
5. Keynote Speaking
As one of the world’s most sought-after speakers, Gary charges upwards of $100k per speaking engagement. He’s spoken at events like Web Summit and South by Southwest (SXSW).
6. Social Media
In addition to making money from his companies and investments, Gary also generates revenue through his social media channels. He has over 14 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube. Often times he’ll post sponsored content for brands or promote products that he endorses.
7. Miscellaneous
Finally, Gary makes money through miscellaneous endeavors such as consulting services, online courses, merchandise sales (e.g., t-shirts), and affiliate marketing commissions.
What is Gary Vaynerchuk Net Worth?
Gary Vee’s net worth is estimated to be $200 million. He has made his fortune through his businesses, investments, speaking engagements, and book sales. Not to forget his belief and investment in NFTs and Ethereum.
Final Thoughts on Gary Vaynerchuk’s Net Worth
Gary Vaynerchuk is a self-made millionaire who has built his fortune through hard work, determination, and innovation in a variety of industries, including media, e-commerce, and venture capital. And he shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
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