For the uninitiated, Gary Vaynerchuk is the Director of Operations at Wine Library, a retail wine and liquor shop based in New Jersey and the creator of Wine Library TV, one of the hottest video blogs on the internet.  He is quickly “changing the wine world” with his unique approach to wine and how you enjoy it. While in middle school he had a lucrative trading card business, pulling in $1000 every week at card shows, only to be forced to give it up and  work in the family business, a liquor store, for $2/hour. In his early 20s, he grew that liquor store into Wine Library, a $50M retail company and one of the largest independent liquor distributors in the United States. Upon turning 30, in his own words, “he freaked out” and began doing Wine Library TV which has lead him to appearances on Late Night with Conan O’brien, Ellen, The Big Idea, and Mad Money.

He is a strong believer in finding your passion and executing on it. His approach to business of passion first, is a concept that has resonated strongly with me and lead me to eventually leaving my job to dedicate more of my time to my companies. A decision which I do not for a second regret.