What AJ Vaynerchuk taught me about scaling myself out of my business

Lessons worth $1 million from a $1,000 call

Last week I booked an intro.co session with the mythical AJ Vaynerchuk.
I paid $1,000 but it was probably worth $1 million. Let me share the lessons with you.

But first, let’s go back in time.

It’s December 24th, 2024, and I just opened my company, Growth Vision Partners.
Yes, you read that right. Christmas Eve.

Why? Because that was the only day I could finally slow down and had enough time to set everything up.

Fast forward nearly one year, and I’ve officially become an overwhelmed founder.
Too many clients. Too many calls. Too little time.

So I decided to reach out to AJ.
Here’s what I told him in the call:

“AJ, I’m an overwhelmed founder. I need your help.”

He replied:

“Yeah, when I read your briefing I said: I’m your man.”

AJ Vaynerchuk is the co-founder of VaynerMedia, which grew from a 2-person startup to 750+ employees and $100M+ in revenue.

He also built the foundation for VaynerX, now the largest independent ad company, and co-founded VaynerSports, negotiating nine-figure athlete contracts.

So when AJ talks about scale, you listen.

Here’s the million-dollar knowledge I got from him.

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1. Transfer founder equity

When you move from freelancer to business owner, clients need to understand they’re not just buying you anymore, they’re buying your team.

I asked AJ how to make that transition clear.
He said:

“Grab somebody and have them do most of the work in the presentation and have you just stamp them. Build them up.”

That’s how you transfer trust.

You make it clear that clients don’t just want you.
They start wanting Amanda. They start wanting Rick.

The biggest win?
When your business wins deals without the charismatic founder present.

And as AJ put it:

“The less you’re doing the grunt work, the more you’re making the special magic happen.”

That’s how you buy back time.

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2. Coach your way out of every room

As a founder, you should “be there at the very beginning to make sure the client doesn’t feel like the founder disappeared.”

But then you gradually reduce your presence.
First 30 minutes, then 10, then none.

“It’s an investment because, on the other side of it, as you empower your copilot, you buy back a lot more of your time.”

That’s leverage.

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3. Stop doing commodity work

Every hour you spend doing commodity work is an hour stolen from growth: meeting new people, learning, improving your offer.

AJ faced this all the time.
Clients often asked for his brother Gary.

His response?

“Gary’s in Dubai meeting princes and sheikhs.”

He turned it into a story, positioning Gary’s absence as strategic.

That’s how you frame it: your time is better spent opening doors for your clients, not pushing slides.

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4. Always be reachable

AJ’s take was simple:

“You always want to be reachable. But you almost need to train them.”

Train your clients on what’s a good use of your time and what’s not.
Commodity work? Not. Strategic input? Yes.

And with your team, the key is psychological safety.

“Don’t be afraid to tell me if you need me. People often don’t reach out because they don’t want to look like they’re not doing a good job.”

Communication builds trust.

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5. Hire the big guns early

One of AJ’s biggest regrets: waiting too long to hire a senior operator.

“We didn’t hire a proper finance person until we were at $24 million in revenue. That was a mistake.”

(That’s what I call a “different kind of problem.”)

He admitted they were “a little egotistical” at first, afraid that traditional agency people would “poison the well.”
But once they hired experienced leaders, they scaled faster.

His advice?
If you can afford a senior hire, do it early.
And in parallel, “find and train your future CMO before there is a CMO.”

Fun fact about me: one of the key reasons I started my company was to have a team I could coach, people who could grow with me from day one.

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6. Build the plane while flying it

I asked AJ whether to hire the team first or secure the business first.
His answer was clear:

“Do it and just figure it out.”

When VaynerMedia won a big client starting in January, they hired 35 people in one day.

Don’t wait for perfect.
Move, then adapt.

But AJ warned:

“But again, measure your success. If you’re signing up clients and hiring on the fly, and those clients are firing you fast, then maybe this is not the right approach for your business because you want to protect your reputation. You don’t want to become a company that does bad work.”

Speed matters but quality keeps you alive.

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7. Give them an appetizer

VaynerMedia’s sales process was simple:

“Give them a taste, give them an appetizer so they want to buy the entrée.”

Don’t just show case studies. Use what you already know about the prospect to give them real insight: a mini audit, a small taste of your thinking.

That’s what builds desire.

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8. Let the market tell you to f*** off

I omitted it from Linkedin not to be banned because of the language.

“Keep raising the price until the market tells you to go f*** yourself.”

That’s how Gary positioned pricing.

VaynerMedia started at $5K a month, then $10K, then $15K, and at some level, conversions dropped. That’s how they knew they hit the ceiling.

How do you know where your ceiling is?

“Track your success rate and be honest with yourself.”

And think long term: sometimes a higher price can hurt retention.
Margins mean nothing if you lose clients too fast.

The KPI I’m most proud of: every single client I’ve ever worked with came back for a second project. I take that as a sign we’re doing something right.

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Closing thoughts

These lessons helped reframe how I think about scaling Growth Vision Partners.

My biggest takeaway?
Scaling a business is about less Enrico time.

I’m not trying to disappear, I’m trying to build an amazing team and give them the space to showcase how amazing they are.

And when clients need me, they know they can reach me.

That’s it. If you liked this issue, hit “like” or let me know in the comments. I appreciate you.

Enrico