From Soviet Immigrant to Social Media King
He arrived in America at three with almost nothing. He stocked shelves in his father's store. Then he put the store on YouTube.
In 2006, a young man sat in the back of a New Jersey wine store and turned on a cheap camera.
He tasted wines, spat them into a New York Jets bucket, and talked like he was chatting with a friend.
That show, Wine Library TV, helped grow his family's store into a giant business. The man was Gary Vaynerchuk, and he was just getting started.
An immigrant kid
Gary Vaynerchuk was born in 1975 in Babruysk, in the Soviet Union, now Belarus. In 1978, his family moved to the United States with very little. They lived in Queens, New York, and then New Jersey.
As a kid, Gary ran lemonade stands and sold baseball cards. He loved making deals.
The family store
Gary's father ran a liquor store in Springfield, New Jersey. Gary worked there as a teenager, bagging ice and stocking shelves.
After college, he joined the business full time. He renamed it Wine Library, put it online early, and later started Wine Library TV. The business grew from about $3 million to around $60 million in yearly sales.
VaynerMedia
Gary saw that social media would change marketing forever. In 2009, he and his brother AJ founded VaynerMedia, an agency that helps big brands on social media. That same year he published his first big book, Crush It!
He also invested early in companies like Facebook, Twitter and Uber.
VaynerMedia grew into VaynerX, a group of media and marketing companies.
Content everywhere
Gary became famous for posting content constantly, on every platform, and for his message about hard work, patience and kindness. In 2021, he launched VeeFriends, a collection of digital art characters that grew into toys, trading cards and a brand.
Where he is now
Today, Gary Vaynerchuk is chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia and creator of VeeFriends. He still publishes content daily.
Why the story matters
Gary Vaynerchuk's story is about seeing where attention is going before others do. He moved a family store online early, and then helped brands follow.
For young builders, the lesson is simple. Show up every day, document your journey, and bet on the platforms people are really using.
He did not chase trends. He got there first and stayed.
The Record
Born: 1975
From: Babruysk, Soviet Union (now Belarus); raised in New Jersey, USA
Built: Wine Library, Wine Library TV, VaynerMedia, VaynerX, VeeFriends
Book: Crush It! and others
Timeline
1975 Born in Babruysk.
1978 Family moves to the United States.
1990s Joins his father's store; renames it Wine Library.
2006 Launches Wine Library TV.
2009 Co-founds VaynerMedia. Publishes Crush It!
2021 Launches VeeFriends.