AJ Vaynerchuk
Cofounder, VaynerMedia
Discussion
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
* 2:03pm: Thanks guys, that was fun!
Hey there, I'm AJ Vaynerchuk, co-founder of VaynerMedia and Partner at VaynerRSE. I have spent the last 7 years neck deep in the world of social media marketing & startups, and on many occasions, the convergence of the two. Excited to chat, ask me anything!
Think it is also important to add that I recently left VaynerMedia and have no idea what's next. More context here: https://medium.com/@ajv/doing-so...
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Dan Fennessy
@dan_fennessy · Founder at Party with a Local
Hi AJ. Are you coming to Amsterdam next week with Gary for TNW Conference? If so I wanted to invite you guys on a pre-conference event... on a boat, cruising the Amsterdam canals with my startup @partywithalocal & a bunch of local & visiting people from the tech scene. Would be awesome to have a couple of Vaynerchuk's on the boat :-)
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@dan_fennessy unfortunately I will not be going to Amsterdam, but thank you for the invite!
Patrick Onyekachukwu Udeh
@patrick_udeh · COO, Bosko.ng
1. How has your agency evolved over the past seven years?
2. What is the average tenure of your clients?
3. What is your talent acquisition process?
4. What is your vision for what the future of digital marketing and advertising will be in say five to ten Years?
My sincere apologies, if it seems like I'm bombarding you with too many questions. It's okay if you can answer just one.
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@patrick_udeh
1. The agency has gone through many stages over the years. There is a huge difference between a team of 10, a team of 50, a team of 150, a team or 300 and so on. I would say the culture has evolved, but has remained with strong roots in family & communication. We have opened various offices around the country and now in London and the work has changed as the industry has changed.
2. I don't have the exact data at my fingertips, but our team tells me we are extremely strong in this regard compared to industry average.
3. We try a bunch of different things. We're also very fortunate that a lot of great talent comes to us.
4. Hmm, I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about this subject. With my departure from Vayner, I'm not sure if marketing/advertising will be a primary focus in my future.
Will Chou
@willc · Personal Development: willyoulaugh.com
Top 5 pieces of advice for success and standing out when applying for a company?
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@willc
1. Try to get a warm intro. Maybe a friend works there or a friend knows someone at the company. That always helps.
2. Research the company, important to show you have a genuine interest & understanding in the company and industry.
3. Use alternative means of contacting decision makers. I've had folks tweet me their interest and I've always rewarded that hustle.
Not sure I have a #4 or #5!
Alex Mulhearn
@alexmulhearn · Creative, VaynerMedia
Oh hey AJ ;)
As COO at VaynerMedia, you championed technology as means of improving internal communication and increasing efficiencies. Slack was one example of a product we implemented to take on tons of email and bring a company of 600+ closer together.
What other areas of 'corporate' or agency life (like email) do you think are ripe for disruption?
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@alexmulhearn sup bud :)
1. Meetings. Millions have tried, and I still don't think it's been cracked.
2. Reviews/Feedback. Lots to do there.
Both things VM still needs to work on in my opinion!
Brendan Hufford
@brendanhufford · HustleHeart.Co
What is one thing you wish you would have done differently at VM when you started it?
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@brendanhufford thanks for the question! I would say one thing I would have done differently is bring in an employee or two with more agency experience earlier on. I feel as if we wasted a lot of time in the early days on things that are routine to those with experience and if we brought in someone earlier with that experience, we could have ran faster.
Brendan Hufford
@brendanhufford · HustleHeart.Co
What is your best advice for small digital agencies looking to get their first clients? Would you advice focusing on cold-calling, content, or something else?
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@brendanhufford I would focus on your own network and try to get a warm intro. Maybe your friend's friend has a contact at company A. Or your cousins' best friend's father is the CEO of company B.
Brandon Rubinshtein
@brandonshtein · Founder & CEO of @Verrehere
@AJV thank you so much for doing this! I know in your medium post you spoke about stress and how you left Vaynermedia because of the damage it was doing to you. Would you ever take a role as a startup advisor where stress would be minimal? If so what startups would you like to advise?
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AJ Vaynerchuk
@ajv · Founder, VaynerMedia
@brandonshtein Hey Brandon, I'd like to clarify that while stress is an aspect, in no way was stress the driving force of me leaving. In fact, I was more stressed 3/4 years ago than I was in my last year or 2 at Vayner. Re: advising, absolutely something I'd consider amongst other things. As far as which startups, haven't thought about it, trying to not think about it for a few months.
Brandon Rubinshtein
@brandonshtein · Founder & CEO of @Verrehere
@ajv Thanks for the response. Would love to help in any way possible, maybe I can have my chauffeurs take you to the best golf courses around new york?