Truly like no, who do you think, really benefits from this book and what stood out in the book writing process of this one, for you did it flow easily? Were you more challenged than you thought? What is your favorite social media platform right now for you, the human being the garyvee audio experience, podcast nation? What is good uh? It is so nice to be recording an original podcast uh. Thank you all so much for listening to the show every day and uh. I'm incredibly excited, as you know these days, i'm just not doing a whole lot of interviews but incredibly excited for today's guest uh, because she's been an inspiration for so many of my friends, uh and fellow entrepreneurs over the last 20 years and i've had the luxury Of interacting with her here and there and she's got a new book and one of the funniest things is, you know i write more books than i read them, but uh, but i know how many people, because i write them so often how many people learn from Them love them and it's really truly one of my favorite platforms of expression and information and - and i i love to really you know it's funny - i don't read the books or the galleys. I i read and believe in the people that i put on uh and the feedback of all the authors that we've put on over the last year and a half has been overwhelming.

So here's another one, uh rebecca minkoff, is an entrepreneur to me i'll. Let her jump in and explain who she is to all of you right now in her words and then we're gon na get into the book uh current events and thematics around the book so rebecca thanks for being on the show gary i'm so excited the last Time we were together pre-pandemic, we were talking about buying your wine and how good it was, and then the world ended. So i'm glad to see you've been leading the world very well since then. Thank you.

Thank you. So much tell everybody a little bit about who you are. What how do you describe your bio in in three minutes? You know it's funny. I was transitioning more into like you introduced me founder.

Obviously now best-selling author um and the president of my company was like you are a designer to these women stop talking about being a founder and entrepreneur. They want to know that you are a designer and i was like okay. I will re-add that to my my list of things that i am she's like when people are buying a 300 bag, they want to know that you designed it, which i do but i i like i was proud of identifying as more than that and now she's, Like own it babe, this is what got you here: yeah yeah and by the way, because it's both right, i'm uh, you know i'm a you know. Sometimes people like he's a speaker and i'm like ugh but i'm like, but i am and and a wine person and an operator so to your point, because you are you're both and more correct and uh just got to embrace that too now um what uh, when You think of being a designer or an entrepreneur and an author.

What are the? What do you think has gotten you here and when i say here you've had success. You have good relationships. You have a good reputation like if i asked you like. What's gotten you quote-unquote here uh? What do you think that is and then we'll and then i want to segue into the book? Yes grit relationships and asking for help asking for what you need, i should say not asking for help.

I think the grit comes in because you know this: it's hard, no matter what business you're in you're gon na get punched in the face more times than you care to admit, and you need to just get back up like those dolls that you punch and get Back up like and then relationships, you know before you go there before you go there dig into each of them yeah. So do you humbly, which is the third one, by the way we'll get to that in a second humbly? Do you do you feel, like you were gifted the dna and and your circumstance of your childhood have put you in a position where you have really good tenacity yeah, but i don't think i was born with it. I think i was raised with it in my household. No one got what they wanted unless they earned it, and you know the simplest things you know we're told no, unless you made the money for it and so growing up, i had to know how to figure you know out, and i had to know how to Earn money and get what i wanted, because it wasn't your parents, your parents, weren't into spoiling no definitely the opposite and and you and you see that as like a remarkable gift in hindsight right, yes and i'm trying to raise my kids with it, it's not working! Not because i'm not doing it because they don't even care, but i really cared.

I wanted that thing bad enough that i was really willing to work for it am i getting like meaning your children are so not materialistic and want things or, thank god, to the luxuries of your life, because i'm dealing with this they have enough by collateral of Their realities that they don't need, they don't really like it's okay, they like because that's what i'm struggling. I don't feel like my kids or other kids that are in a better financial place than i was as a kid. It's not that it's a spoilage, it's just even their normality, is so much greater than what i had that it's different right. It's a mixture of both their normality, which is not excessive.

It's not what you read about with these hundred thousand dollar bar mitzvahs, and you know we're not we're not living this lavish life, but i think what they have. They don't have to want for a lot but anytime. They want something outside of you, know: food and a birthday present and a hanukkah gift. It's like well you're gon na earn it and they're like eh i'd rather not, and they just go about their life, and i'm like how do i inspire you to get grit? You know it's, it's tough to you, know it's tough to fake environment.

Right, like i went on two family vacations, my entire childhood right like even if i don't excessively do things my kids went on two in their first year of life right exactly you know it's just different, yeah, um, okay, so tenacity, i'm a huge buyer tenacity and Grit uh relationships is where you were going next yep, so i am here because of women and men who saw something and i s and they they saw a spark of something. And then, when i asked because again you know i meet so many people and i was guilty of this waiting for someone to say gosh. You seem talented i'd like to do this, for you like that, never happens, the cavalry is not coming so they saw a spark or they were excited, and then i had to ask which a lot of times was uncomfortable. You know um, but a lot of the people who got me to where i got to is because i asked them for that.

I said: can you help me, do this one thing or can you get me on this magazine or on this tv show or on the celebrity or whatever it was that got me here now and so i think, did that come natural to you or did you Know i would argue that that is an incredibly difficult thing for me. You know um, it's a it's asking for something is not a strength of mine, yeah uh and i don't and i don't think it's ego or well. It's got to be ego and pride in some ways, but it was so foreign in my household. You know i never saw my parents ever ever ask for anything of anybody and it just became subconscious reality, but i i want to be better at it.

I don't struggle with humility because i don't think i'm, but i do struggle with asking. Did that come natural to you or or was that developed? I think it came natural because i feel like i got to new york, i was not making nearly enough money to survive on my own and the only way i could get ahead was to ask people. You know my friend: do you have any styling jobs? For me, i'll, prove myself or to the website the one website did you i'm sorry. I actually want to hear that the one website go ahead.

The one website that existed, i sold my goods to i'd, be like hey. Can you advance me the money, because otherwise i can't buy the goods like i'm not making any money here, so you pay me for the orders in advance and i'll go fund this this little company um, i think it was just out of there - was nothing. There was no cushion so i had to ask: did um uh that just sounds like good negotiations by the way, more so than asking you know, um why'd, you come to new york. I came to new york because going back to my parents and the lack of what we were given for hanukkah, we would have choices like you can have one magazine subscription or you could have an alarm clock.

I chose the magazine subscription and i would get my vogues or my harper's bazaar or whatever, and i was just like. Oh my god, what an incredibly beautiful world that new york city is through the magazines and that's where fashion is. It was either paris or new york and i didn't feel quite ready to go to a place where i didn't speak the language and i was like that's where it has to be. I love that i'm sorry.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in san diego great weather, great weather, right like crazy, like it freaks me out every time, i'm there i'm like i wan na you know as the world is now going remote and more and more i'm like man. I think san diego is a real shot of exploding over the next 30 years. Yeah it's going to have you know it's kind of gone downhill a little bit, but i had the most idyllic childhood there like. Yes, it's amazing, um and uh, and the third one i i transferred in my head is humility.

But what did you say asking for what you need got it yeah? It's one of this right. You used relationships to kind of touch it cool. What's the book, the book is called fearless, the new rules for unlocking creativity, courage and success, and, as i looked back on, i can't believe i say this 20 years of being in this business. Um breaking a lot of rules because again i was not deemed by anna wintour, the the darling designer um.

I really came from the outside and so the rules that i had to reinvent um. That got me here. I wanted to write down because i feel, like other entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs can benefit from these rules. They're basic, there's, nothing! You know so groundbreakingly deep, but people forget about them and it's simple stuff that as you're going along remember these things and when you're struggling you're like should i take a risk, i'm scared because again people, let fear stop them.

So i wanted these rules so that you had sort of guideposts that when you're scared to take risk or do something nuts, you you don't not have the fear. You just proceed anyway. What stood out in the book writing process of this one, for you did it flow easily? Were you more challenged than you thought? Did you remember that you completely forgot about? Do you feel one part of it really excels versus another yeah? So i had the opportunity to have a friend sit me down for four days and interview me and draw out things i'd forgotten in a way that we would. You know like what you said um, and so that was extraordinarily helpful to be able to then pick and choose okay.

This is a book that's supposed to help people, it's not my autobiography. So what stories am i going to tell you that matter and that will teach you a lesson that was hard to sort of pick apart? I think the chapter that resonates with me, the most was i've, talked about it a lot, but last year you know 70 percent of our business evaporated um overnight and we had to rebuild our company, and so, as i'm sitting there writing a book about how to Get started i sort of had to get down and cozy with reapplying those same rules to succeed, and so that was that chat. The final chapter was kind of you know the the publisher was like. Please don't write about the pandemic plea.

We want this to be an evergreen book and i'm like, but it's pretty central to what i'm going through right now, yeah so yeah, i i i never. I never write evergreen books weirdly. I actually just did it's coming out in november. It's my probably only my second evergreen book.

The thank you economy was, but the thank you economy had a ton of contextual things going on at the time. I think i think i think, publishers don't realize that the context of the current actually helps books more than the one in one million evergreen book that gets printed, seven hundred thousand editions totally and it needed it needed it to frame this book, because i went back To my rules and i tested them as i rebuilt my company and they worked so yeah - i mean you know it's funny. I think a lot of us i mean i i i 100 am most proud of my last 14 months there. Besides, what i did at the day after 9 11 for my young business, my dad's business at the time, except for that six months - i've never been more proud of you know, being an operator than i've been the last 14 months.

I mean talk about being in such a curious position and to be here, 14 months later in such a power position um. I really thought that this was a chapter where operators and take out a couple of industries like restaurants and others, where you really in certain scenarios or like events, businesses, because restaurants adjusted because they had delivery. But can you hear me yeah, yeah, yeah yep? I think a lot of opera, a lot of us went back to our roots these last 18 months and it sounds like you did as well. You had to because all of a sudden, why would a woman need a handbag right now she wasn't going anywhere.

So how to navigate that slippery slope was quite challenging, but we did it. We emerged stronger and uh 10 up over the year prior, so it was definitely through through a lot of grit tenacity relationships. You know and asking for what i needed for sure. What um, who do you think, really gets like truly like no, like not like a today show interview like on some real, because i know you'll give it to me when you now see the book, because you know i had an idea for the my book and Now i'm seeing it it's done and i'm like: oh okay, it kind of tweaked and went little left a little right a little.

This way, who do you think, really benefits from this book and why, like i'm sure, there's a lot of people because fearlessness i mean fear, is the poison of society. So i love your title because i hate fear hate it um and especially when people weaponize it and everybody, and so many people do um. But you know like before we talk about the second or third or fourth group that will really get a lot out of this. If i, if i asked you, which is not like an author's favorite thing to do, but i'm asking you go very narrow to the group that you think this really crushes for is there anything that stands out yeah and it was someone's else's perspective.

That made me go, oh my god, maybe there's a layer to this that i didn't even realize i was doing. I think there has been um this girl, boss, culture of i look perfect. I act perfect, i'm strong and i'm a girl who's, a boss, and i think my book is more about like this is hard. This is up.

Here's 21 different nightmares that i've gone through to then learn this rule or lesson, and so i think it's for the person who's like that. Didn't ever seem real to me like she had it all, and i'm not just talking about one person, but these feminine icons. That have been put up on this bar and never talked about the struggle in a in a more in a meaningful way, or they talked about the struggle as they were, hitting rock bottom, but never on the way up, and so i think it's for that person. Who's on the way up who needs the truth and who's like? Oh, i got to click buttons, my whole life to get my car and my amazon, and i thought my career would be this way and i'm like news flash.

It's not and you better be prepared to work yeah. I love it good for you. What do you think? Where do you think it uh? What are the some of the satellite groups of people that you think will work for? I think anyone who is fearful uh, whether it's again should i quit. Should i start a company? Should i raise money, you know fear which protects us from bears and scary men in the woods.

Uh shouldn't be an emotion that is used that we use to stop us in life from succeeding, and so, while i would never say my book is a self-help book and you're definitely not going to finish the book and say i'm fearless. It just means that you're, like yeah, i'm scared, and what here i go right, it's it's it's getting a relationship with fear and letting it sit with you. Instead of demonizing it or or letting it you correct. I like that uh.

What's your fear uh of the books because you're competitive, i am scary, i really am. I know you are it's so funny. I i that was just such a bad job as an interviewer i just i've. Had you know we haven't had the most interactions, but we've had enough where that just came so easy to me, because it's one of my favorite things about you.

It's really interesting, i'm at the time in my life, where i think i have to start really digging into competitiveness, because i think it's in a very interesting place in society. I don't talk about it at all, a lot. It's obvious it comes through, but it's not a big pillar of my content, but i want it to be because it's such a factor yeah. But i haven't really gone in my own self, with like the healthy and unhealthy parts of my competitiveness and why it works.

Um, but i love that about you, it's like literally my word cloud for you, like literally like when i i, like, i dm'd you the other day about something else that i want you to come to and, like literally i was just going through like a b Like my followers, i was like i've got a very small group to this thing. Who do i want to invite? It was like that random. It like had nothing to do with the fact that we were doing the podcast today. That wasn't why it was on my mind.

I was just literally going through it and it was funny what my brain did literally. I said to myself: i love that she's so competitive, and that was just like a random thought. Now i just brought it up again in a podcast, so i'm really excited about this, because i think this is the most from my author friends and authors that i know like. I laugh because all of them, no matter you know it's never about the money.

For a lot of people that have had a good career in writing a book for authors, it is it's their money maker, but it's just a competitiveness of how well the book will do, and i couldn't wait to ask you and i'm glad i got it. I was worried, i was worried. I was gon na forget and i didn't so i'm pumped like how. How did that? How does that feel how's it going like like what were you like, like some real talk, which i think would really help.

People like it's not beating this other book, i can think i can't remember the names, but i always knew like the book that like was doing better than my book every time they were out that i'd be like, and you know like like like how do you, How are you dealing with the competitive nature of this and, like tell everybody like how the process was and is around this book, for you competitively? Yes, so i was entering a whole new space developing an entirely new audience, and so that was that it was a six-month full-time job birthing this book and um, i'm very proud of it and the sales that we've hit and sales we continue to hit, and it's As i mentioned a bestseller, but you have certain things that you know someone was like. You can't really be complaining about this. Please stop uh. You know i wanted to hit certain lists that i didn't and i can't for the life of me understand why um there's such hard and there's wrapped up in that there's you know like it didn't.

You know. I know i'm still affecting women's lives because i'm getting these incredible letters, i quit my job because i read your book. I you know, i'm gon na you know demand a promotion because i read your book and i'm and i love that and then i'm still like damn it. I didn't make the new york times bestseller list and i know i sold enough books.

That's the problem. Right is, i know i sold week, one you know over ten thousand books so, and i know that other people on the list sold six. So i have no rhyme or reason and i and because they might and i'm in it because it eats away at me. Yeah, because they because they do a mix right like what is bulk, what is not which sources it's like nielsen ratings, they're, not real.

What is real is the fact that your book came out on june 15th. We're we're taping this on the 20th. I assume this podcast will be out within seven days. The fact that you're over a month in and amazon's data is incredibly real and the fact that you're at 2500 in the world right that it's the 2500 2589 right.

This second number, two in fashion textile number. Six in women in business, like number 103 in the world on personal finance, you know a lot of books fall off a cliff after the first week or two. When i see that - and i know you enough to know you're not on tv every day, you don't have the biggest podcast in the world every day, you're you're not pumping out 50 pieces of creative on social media every day. When i see those numbers and i've been in this for now 13 years, i know that you've got word of mouth going that the book yeah.

I can tell you from an outside perspective and very honestly, like i, i love you and i cheer for you, but i have no horse in this race. I can give a. I know that it if it's doing those numbers right now on amazon at this exact. Second, i just looked that knowing your promotion cycle and like your platforms, i'm like.

Oh, that must be a really good book, because the only way it's doing those numbers right now is that there's word of mouth going on nice. Well, that's that's very! I trust you because i know you know your so that's good to hear and what uh, who was the most fun person you hadn't talked to in a while that reached out to you because of the book, whether it was because of the business marketing strategy beforehand Or after the book came out or even more fun because they read it and wanted to say something to you, my high school english teacher, amazing yeah. She is the one that quit her job. She said, i read your book.

I was a principal out of school and i said i just want to be a teacher and i quit and i start my new job. You know september, and i was like hallelujah man, that's so cool that, like i took english from you, i took creative writing from you and you just reached out after you read my book and you quit your job because of it. My english teacher saw me at the javits center when i was doing a book uh event for my second book, and it was mrs horobat big shout out came up to me. There was like hundreds of people crowding selfies all this, and i was so good to see her and i gave her a big hug and, i said, miss horvath.

Could you have ever imagined me having this book when i failed all your classes and she went into no? No, no, you weren't that bad, i'm like miss hormat. It's amazing how history rewrites itself, but um, but that's really neat, made me think of that story. So what uh, as we're, wrapping up what um? What do you want people to know about this book? Why should they get it or what other things should we touch on before we get out of here? I think we should touch on the fact that you know i offer with my brand. You know clothing that is supposed to make a woman feel confident fearless um optimistic, and i was like oh when she reads this book.

She can now also embody that mindset. You know, and so i think it's the complementary second part of the woman you know and the world that we create with the brand. Have you seen any pictures with somebody having your book sticking out of your handbag? Not yet i've seen a lot of people. Posting pictures on vacation with a really beautiful drink and they're sitting by the pool by the way, you'll, never believe this.

One of the reasons i historically have liked to release books around spring break in the summer is, i want instagram photos with hot dog legs and my book, like, i literally think like that, like i literally this one's close to my birthday, but i real in winter, But like i've always wanted to do summer in spring books, i've pushed for that in the past because i've i love that photo. I don't know why, but it's just such a nice photo totally all right. Vaynernation. Do me a favor if you know if you've got uh one of rebecca's incredible handbags buy the book, stick it in there get on social tag me and rebecca.

I want to share it. I think she deserves that photo. It's a good feeling um. I have an offer for vaynernation if you want.

Oh sure, what do you got if you buy the book anywhere books are sold and you email me the receipt i'll give you 25 bucks off my website. Anything you order, so you're, basically getting the book. I like this hustle, i like this hustle all right. What's your name? What's your email, fearless rebecca minkoff.com, just put vaynernation in the subject line with your video, so cool, say one more time.

I love this right hook. This is one of my moves. Um fearless rebecca makeoff.com send me a screenshot and your address of your receipt of wherever you want to buy your book audio kindle whatever, and i and i'll send you a 25 gift card. I like this, is there anything that they can buy for 25 bucks on your site or will be or too expensive? They could apply no yeah, they could so what's the what's, the lowest thing: 95 bucks for like 65.

So if you got to spend 20 extra bucks, yeah yeah uh like some fun lightning round, what is your favorite social media platform right now for you, the human being like using or consuming. However, you want to take that question um. I guess i'm dating myself, but still instagram. I still you know, i'm i'm excited.

I think that's sad that we're moving on from picture to video, but it still entertains me. I actually think it's the biggest opportunity. I've literally been haven't, been able to get this out of my mind that if i wasn't so goddamn busy, i would start a social network that is picture only yeah just to take. You know because the opportunity has now arisen right.

It's true. You can put it on that phone. What about netflix hulu hbo max? What are you binging um on hulu handmaid's tale on netflix? I just finished the walking dead. I was a couple of years behind.

I just watched the queen's gambit, i'm also i'm a little bit behind on all these things, because there's three kids but yes, um and final final final thought. What are you most excited about? Uh post summer, i'm excited post summer about we have two three new brand category launches, so i'm excited about those babies to be born and you're gon na be really proud of me for our fashion week activation. I can't talk about it here, but it's definitely something you're going to be. Let me know i'm proud of you.

Listen, i i what i'm? What i'm really excited about is that i was able to give you this platform and i know a lot of people just discovered you uh and i'm glad about that, and so i highly recommend please vaynernation, don't do the cliche. When i tell you, i know this entrepreneur uh, this is not a female girl boss book every dude. Listening to this will get tremendous value because i read every dm and dudes are just as scared about, and you know, and so please don't let's do that cliche. Please check out the book, please understand this entrepreneur, uh and and designer and human, and i'm really glad we got to do this podcast.

Thank you gary. So what uh as we're wrapping up? What um? What do you want people to know about this book? Why should they get it or what other things should we touch on before we get out of here? I think we should touch on the fact that you know i offer with my brand. You know clothing that is supposed to make a woman feel confident fearless um optimistic, and i was like, oh when she reads this book. She can now also embody that mindset you know, and so i think it's the complementary second part of the woman.

You know and the world that we create with the brand, have you seen any pictures with somebody having your book sticking out of your handbag? Not yet i've seen a lot of people posting pictures on vacation with a really beautiful drink and they're sitting by the pool by the way, you'll, never believe this. One of the reasons i historically have liked to release books around spring break in the summer is. I want instagram photos with hot dog legs and my book, like, i literally think like that, like i literally this one's close to my birthday, but i real in winter, but like i've, always wanted to do summer and spring books. I pushed for that in the past because i've i love that photo.

I don't know why, but it's just such a nice photo totally all right. Vaynernation. Do me a favor. If it you know, if you've got uh one of rebecca's incredible handbags buy the book.

Stick. It in there get on social tag me and rebecca. I want to share it. I think she deserves that photo.

It's a good feeling. I have an offer for vaynernation. If you want. Oh sure, what do you got if you buy the book anywhere books are sold and you email me the receipt i'll give you 25 bucks off my website.

Anything you order, so you're, basically getting the books. I like this hustle. I like this hustle all right. What's your name, what's your email, fearless rebeccaminkoff.com, just put vaynernation in the subject line with your video, so cool, say one more time.

I love this right hook. This is one of my moves. Um fearless rebeccamakeoff.com send me a screenshot and your address of your receipt of wherever you want to buy your book audio kindle whatever, and i and i'll send you a 25 gift card. I like this, is there anything that they can buy for 25 bucks on your site or will be or things too expensive.

They could apply no yeah, they could so what's the what's the lowest thing, 95 bucks. I think we have some earrings for like 65. So if you got to spend 20 extra bucks, yeah yeah uh like some fun lightning round, what is your favorite social media platform right now for you, the human being like using or consuming. However, you want to take that question um.

I guess i'm dating myself, but still instagram. I still you know, i'm i'm excited, i think that's dating we're moving on from picture to video, but it still entertains me. I actually think it's the biggest opportunity. I've literally been haven't, been able to get this out of my mind that if i wasn't so goddamn busy, i would start a social network that is picture only yeah just to take.

You know because the opportunity has now arisen right. It's true! You can put on that phone. What about netflix hulu hbo max? What are you binging um on hulu handmaid's tale on netflix? I just finished the walking dead. I was a couple of years behind.

I just watched the queen's gambit, i'm also i'm a little bit behind on all these things, because the hashtag three kids, but yes, um and final final final thought. What are you most excited about? Uh post summer, i'm excited post summer about we have two three new brand category launches, so i'm excited about those babies to be born and you're going to be really proud of me for our fashion week activation. I can't talk about it here, but it's definitely something you're going to be. Let me know i'm proud of you.

Listen, i i what i'm? What i'm really excited about is that i was able to give you this platform and i know a lot of people just discovered you uh and i'm glad about that, and so i highly recommend please vaynernation, don't do the cliche. When i tell you, i know this entrepreneur uh, this is not a female girl boss book every dude. Listening to this will get tremendous value because i read every dm and dudes are just as scared about, and you know, and so please don't let's do that. Cliche chip, please check out the book.

Please understand this entrepreneur, uh and and designer and human, and i'm really glad we got to do this podcast. Thank you. Gary youtube. What's up it's garyvee! First of all, thank you so much.

I hope you're doing super well during these times. I also want to ask you please subscribe, because my commitment and exploration of youtube is about to explode stories, polls, more content, more engagement, more surprise and delight. This is the time to subscribe. I hope you consider it and i hope i see you soon.