How to Build a Business Empire Starting from a Single Laundromat

I want to talk to you a little bit about building big companies. You've built a ton. And so with your current knowledge today, I'm curious like let's say you had to go back to your wine days almost. Let's say you owned a laundromat cuz I'm into those things. So let's say you owned one laundromat and you had to start your entire empire from one laundromat today. Like what would you do? What would be the playbook? Content. You and I are part of a breed that admires a single laundry mat owner and I think you have really done a good job of tapping into something that I think is black and white which you

know we talked about the last time we hung like this whole whether you call micro P or just practical business obviously main street is the way you think about it I think there's a huge opportunity for a lot of those people to build brand in fact that's what I did I built my brand. I am that person. I didn't even own the business. It was my dad's business. I was the person who built it. But my original content as Gary Vee after 5 years or during the 5 years of doing the wine show, my original first ever thoughts about business and life and perspectives were literally out of a liquor store, one store, and I built my brand. I could have easily if that's what I wanted opened up 10 more stores did micro M&A

and I would have built a very substantial franchise which would be worth a lot of money and in today's environment would be a very attractive PE acquisition as every small business is going to get consolidated it feels like these days. So I really the number one thing I would do is get into content for two reasons. One, if you're capable building your personal brand, I do believe is a moat. I've always believed that it was the moat. I've talked about it for 15 years that it's the moat. It is the one true asset that doesn't get commoditized. Even in an AI world, you still have your IP. It's your copyright. It's you. Two, if you learn to be a content creator, the other thing that worked with me, and this was

handinand, and this is what I want for this person, is you start getting good at running ads and doing content for your business, too. So, in my brain, what I'm dreaming up right now is Sally's building up her. She's like, I did this. This is how I bootstrapped it or I how I inherited it or whatever is real. Here's what I'm doing. Da d here's my day-to-day troubles here's how I think about it oh my god coins when people stopped having change on them we had to put in these you know uh swipe your credit card or you know like you know just like the battle stories of that business but also what she will learn in the story that I'm telling is she'll learn what really every and by

the way I know a lot of small businesses listen so let me give it to you very straight disproportionately the biggest opportunity to grow your business traffic to your business, average receipt size if you're a local business that people come to is to run 10 mile radius Facebook ads. And so Sally in this journey of building up Sally, the Laundry Mat entrepreneur, would also start to learn how to be good at these things, which she would then be able to use to run ads to her business, which is advertising matters. It's always mattered. It will always matter. And so content, you know what's so interesting too in your story? I remember looking back at those old videos of you in your wine

business and um today everybody wants to have a set, right? We're on a borrowed set. This one isn't mine, but you know, they want to have this fancy set, but you know what the sickest set is today? You're actually mat, I think. So, you know, cuz it's show don't tell. It's like, no, no, I own this. I'm not There's no fluorescent lights here. Watch me do this. You don't think I own it? Look, I'm right here. I believe the best studio in the world is the world. I tell my clients, which are mainly Fortune 500 companies, I'm like, "Look, let's make content at stores, in parking

lots, at festivals." Um, I genuinely believe that. I've always believed that. I was honestly the Pied Piper in 2009, 10, 11, 12 of no production value. Wine Library TV didn't even have a mic. No lighting. No lighting, no mic. Literally whatever the camera picked up. And so, yeah, I agree with you. I think that store is studio is a big idea. It's a good framework. Yeah, I think so. Stores studio is something that I've really championed more privately than publicly. So, I'm glad we're getting to pontificate about this. And uh I think it's