Gary Vaynerchuk

From Belarus to Building a Media Empire

business tech
Gary Vaynerchuk

Net Worth

$200M

Born

November 14, 1975 (age 50)

Country

Belarus

Occupation

Entrepreneur, Investor, Author, Speaker

Gender

male

Generation

Gen X

Marital Status

married

Children

2

Single Parent Household

No

Education

Bachelor's

University

Mount Ida College

Industries

business, tech

Wealth Category

multi-millionaire

Wealth Origin

self-made

First-Gen Wealth

Yes

Immigrant

Yes

Overcame

  • • Immigrated to the US from Soviet Belarus at age 3 with virtually nothing
  • • Struggled with English and was bullied as a child immigrant
  • • Lived in a studio apartment with 8 family members in Queens
  • • Struggled academically before finding his path in business

Gary Vaynerchuk, also known as GaryVee, is a Belarusian-American entrepreneur, investor, and internet personality. He is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media and communications holding company, and the active CEO of VaynerMedia. He is known for his expertise in digital marketing and social media.

Career Timeline

1975

Born Gennady Vaynerchuk in Babruysk, Belarus (then Soviet Union)

1978 Age 3
Turning Point

Immigrated to the United States, settled in Queens, New York

1994 Age 19
Turning Point

Started working at parents' liquor store, ShopRite Liquors

1998 Age 23
Achievement

Rebranded family business to Wine Library and launched e-commerce

2006 Age 31
Turning Point

Launched Wine Library TV, daily wine video blog on YouTube

2009 Age 34
Achievement

Co-founded VaynerMedia with brother AJ Vaynerchuk

2009 Age 34
Achievement

Published first book 'Crush It!' which became a bestseller

2011 Age 36
Milestone

Early investment in Twitter before it went public

2017 Age 42
Achievement

Launched VaynerX as holding company overseeing all ventures

2019 Age 44
Achievement

Acquired PureWow digital media company

Notable Quotes

"Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless."

— The #AskGaryVee Show, 2015

"You have to understand your own personal DNA. Don't do things because I do them or Steve Jobs or Mark Cuban tried it. You need to know your personal brand and stay true to it."

"I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm the hardest worker."

— Interview, 2018

"Stop watching, start doing."