Competition existed long before strategy. As we trace the evolution of strategy, we find that the founding principle is still in play today: Strategy is about achieving the competitive advantage! If there were no competition, there would be no need for strategy. Gaining a sustainable edge over your competitors, as efficiently as possible, is the #1 priority on any (more…)
Appropriately described as “the first wine guru of the YouTube era,” Gary Vaynerchuk is helping change the image of the stodgy wine connoisseur of the past with an unpretentious and energetic style that has seen what he refers to as the Vayner Nation grow exponentially since his insightful and entertaining video podcasts debuted in 2006.
Washington state wine producer Rob Newsom has praised Gary Vaynerchuk’s efforts to widen the circle of wine lovers, calling him “probably the most influential wine critic in the United States, outside of Robert Parker.” The self-trained wine expert rebranded his family’s business as Wine Library, an online wine store and general wine resource, and watched it go from a $4 million company to a $45 million business in just five years. In 2003, Vaynerchuk was awarded the Market Watch Leader Business Award, making him the youngest-ever recipient of the prize.
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV webcasts, which debuted in 2006, attract some 100,000 enthusiastic viewers per episode, and his influence in the wine industry was recognized by his making the 2009 Decanter Power List. Gary Vaynerchuk’s fame and fortune are set to reach greater heights in the foreseeable future, as he inked a lucrative 10-book deal with HarperStudio in March 2009. His latest book, Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion was released in September 2009.