30 Minutes with Gary Vaynerchuk: My Thoughts I'€™ve never classified myself as a fan boy. Growing up as a first-generation Italian-American, we were taught that no one is better than anyone else, and that if you want to achieve something,you work hard until you can do justthat. Well, the message from my parents and grandparents has now come full circle when I spoke to Gary Vaynerchuk for the Brand Boost Podcast. There was a time I really didn'€™t like what Gary had to say. Not because I thought Garywas a bad guy, or because the things he said were wrong, butbecause it was information I had heard every day, for my entire life. I would listen and think to myself, are people really listening to a man tell them what to do and who is saying what mydad had been talking about for 30 years? As with most boys, we finally get it at some time around the age of 30. I began to realize that Gary'€™s message wasn'€™t what you should be doing, rather, what he is doing and how it works for him. It all seems so obvious, however, at the time, I couldn't distinguish my ass from my elbow. Making Unlikely Connections Social media has allowed us to connect to people from all walks of life, all over the globe,at any time we want. Twitter has really allowed me to make global connections that would have been nearly impossible to cultivate any other way. Of course, this doesn’tcome through osmosis. (Not sure if that even make sense, but my dadused to tell me all the time, so its become a habit. Thanks pops.) I was fortunate enoughto connect with Gary on numerous occasions here and there on socialmedia channels. Quick tip: if you’re looking to get on someone'€™s radar, add value to their conversations. If they see no value inwhat you have to say, you won’t land on their radar anytimesoon. Gary is no different. Gary takes note of people that interact with his posts, people that comment, people that share and people that add real value to the conversations. This couldn'€™t have been more evident after my interview with him. The VaynerMedia Experience I can'€™t say enough great things about how awesome the team is at VaynerMedia. From the moment Amy Schmittauer and I walked in the door, we were treated great. We were a bit early, so we were asked to hang tight in the lounge while the smiling young lady offered us water and other beverages. As show time got closer,D-Rock and India came out to greet us and welcome us to the office. (We got to record in the same room Gary records all his episodes of #AskGaryVee. Pretty freaking cool.) As hard at work the employees are, they make time to say hi, flash a smile or offer you something to make you comfortable. Mad props to Gary and team for building an awesome environment for people to actually want to beat work and be happy to be there.