Immigrants ‘have it better than ever’ with ‘ungodly’ opportunities, says CEO Gary Vaynerchuk
Self-made millionaire, Gary Vaynerchuk, knows what it means to rise to the top.
An immigrant himself from the USSR, Vaynerchuk is now chief executive and co-founder of the digital agency, VaynerMedia.
Unconventionally, his path to leading an 800-employee business did not start with education, something he told CNBC in an episode of Life Hacks Live is “unheard of for immigrants because education is the way out.”
Instead, self-confidence and entrepreneurial acumen led Vaynerchuk to become the self-made millionaire, venture capitalist and social media guru he is today.
But Vaynerchuk’s humble beginnings do not limit his expectations for the immigrants of today.
If anything, with an ever-changing landscape, the CEO believes there’s never been “so much opportunity” out there. And it’s all down to one thing.
“The internet has created ungodly amounts of opportunity.”
“I think immigrants have it better than ever - no matter where you emigrate - because it’s not about the establishment giving them a chance. The Internet gives them a chance,” said Vaynerchuk.
“The biggest change is opportunity has grown, not decreased. And what immigrants have is humility and work ethic because they’re often starting from the bottom. And I think that’s their biggest advantage,” he added.
But on the gap between being an immigrant of the 70s, and of today, Vaynerchuck added that the new challenges todays immigrants face are “devastating.”
“Unfortunately there’s a lot of hate and fear in the system right now.”
“The great news is a small-minded non-educated hatemonger can’t stop you from building your business.”
But what could be construed as a thinly-veiled jab at U.S. President Donald Trump, Vaynerchuk added was simply not the case.
“I just want to make this clear, I’m not talking about a president. I’m talking about a boss. Or an educator. Somebody who thinks they can stop you.”
“Nobody can stop anybody into today’s environment. So I would say that I think it’s better in the U.S. for an immigrant than it was when I came.”