Marketing Agencies, Ashton Kutcher, & Hot Cocoa

12/12/14 • 7 min

**Listen Up: Ashton Kutcher's on this one!!**

Enjoy :)

#QOTD: Which social network are you hottest on RIGHT now?
Agencies in the market for awards is nonsense. I've been talking about this for a while in the halls of this world and within our industry. At the end of the day, these agencies are being hired to do work for THEIR CLIENTS, not for themselves. They're being hired to tell a story on behalf of the brand they're working for which in turn is supposed to sell sh*t.
Agencies are using their work and these awards to recruit more talent and to gain more clients. I get that. It's smart in one way, but it's not intended for the long game and it's not sustainable. I'm not trying to begrudge the agencies that do it because I get the business rationale behind it but it's just not a healthy culture. It takes the eyes off the actual prize of doing what's best for the client and I just don't subscribe to it.
Luckily for us at VaynerMedia, our proof is in the pudding. Our work is the word of mouth of our business and quite frankly, so is my personal brand, but if you've been watching this show, you can see that it's quite apparent as to why this is the place to be. And so, we're not here to win awards, we're here to win our clients over. We let our work and the results of our efforts speak for themselves. THAT'S IT.

**Listen Up: Ashton Kutcher's on this one!!**

Enjoy :)

Previous Episode

Values, Selfies, & Cornhole

**WARNING: DO NOT end this episode early. Stay tuned 'til the last second. You won't regret it.** Hint for you podcast listeners: ASHTON KUTCHER
#QOTD: Give me some feedback on the new settings of the show. How do you like us filming on the 15th floor? -- Since you all can't see what's going on, check out the YouTube episode and let me know what you think!!
THINGS I VALUE: I'm a humungous fan of patience. Lack of patience has caused so many people to not achieve the upside that they deserve and that just kills me. Another thing I value so greatly is an old school handshake. That really matters to me. Word is bond. Having people in your life that you can trust based on their word goes a long way -- you know, someone that you just know is going to deliver on whatever it is they say they're going to do.
On the other hand, when someone doesn't deliver on something, I have the understanding to realize that unexpected things can come up and change the course of action. So I completely buy into being nimble and empathetic because you need to be able to understand that things don't always go according to plan, and it's not always the person on the other end that's to blame.
I also think that people that are grateful are extremely attractive as well. NOTHING is more ugly to me than somebody who's spoiled and I also think at some level, hypocrisy is the thing that I hate the most, which I guess touches on my previous point.
So for me, there's nothing more important than having perspective on things and understanding that although people may have the best intentions in mind, not everything is going to work to plan. You need to be patient and empathetic and realize that when someone

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Leaders, Podcasts, & Young Entrepreneurs

#QOTD: How old are you?

Check out my new video channel on 5by!
http://5by.com/garyvee
There is zero doubt in my mind that I can run ANY company. I'm a reverse engineer, through and through. Heck, I don't know anything about 99% of the businesses out there, but I believe that it would take me only about 6 months to absorb the information - the data, the numbers, the culture, etc. - and reverse engineer the business to get it to a point where I can run with it. I'd take a look at the marketplace, understand the consumer that the business is selling to, whether B2B or B2C, and start making my chess moves. Frankly, as an operator, there is no business out there that I'd ever be intimidated by. That's just who I am. Fearless.
Look, this comes down to people and process. You need to have the chops to build teams around you while having the strategy and tact to sell the product at hand. I'm certainly not the only one, but it's few and far in between that you have natural born operators that can take a look at things, assess the situation, and really operate the business without ever having any real experience in that field.
As I alluded to earlier, this all boils down to sales and HR. People and process. That's why I think I've been so successful. My salesmanship and ability to build strong infrastructures with the people around me is why I have won. Period. If you're lucky enough to have those two traits where you can both sell and build teams around you, then you're sure to win. No question.