How to make content when you have no time: lessons from Gary Vee

Executive overview

Most people claim they have no time for content, but the real problem is poor time management and a narrow view of what content-making looks like. Filming your everyday life and public appearances generates content without requiring dedicated production time. Pair that with a multi-platform distribution mindset and the barrier effectively disappears.

You don't make content — you film your life, then distribute it everywhere.

Time management is the real bottleneck

• 30-minute meetings are really 15; 1-hour meetings are really 30 — compress aggressively
• If you have a two-hour lunch meeting, you have time for content
• Invest in an admin or assistant — it's a revenue multiplier, not a cost
• Meet with your admin weekly to audit and reprioritise the calendar
• Stop attending meetings that produce no outcome

Content volume and platform strategy

• One post beats zero; six to ten beats one — the output scales the result
• Spread across all platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, Facebook Reels, Instagram, Instagram Stories, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube Shorts, YouTube longform
• Most people are one-dimensional — single platform limits reach massively
• No such thing as too much content; eight billion people means vanishingly few will see any single post
• Stay active in your craft — you can't speak credibly about platforms you don't use

The local podcast hack for sales professionals

• Start a podcast focused on your local market rather than cold-pitching prospects
• Invite high-value targets as guests — you give them a platform, they become warm contacts
• Nobody has ever asked that dentist, accountant, or local business owner to be on a podcast
• The dynamic flips from seller to host; relationships and referrals follow naturally

Paid advertising for DTC brands

• Facebook remains the strongest paid platform for $30–$50 price-point DTC products
• TikTok ad product is less refined than Meta; content requirements are harder to meet
• Brandformance: post organic content at volume, then convert top performers into ads
• Add a call to action, price overlay, and direct offer framing when converting to paid
• Let the market tell you what works organically before spending on distribution

Advice for a 17-year-old (and anyone early in their career)

• The biggest mistake at 17 is believing you're "supposed to" follow a prescribed path
• You have more time than you think — Gary was still working in a liquor store at 34
• Chase what you actually want for a decade before concluding it won't work
• Live humbly while chasing it — don't let others fund your dream or you'll become entitled
• Regret is the worst outcome; the goal is to reach 80 having tried on your own terms

On NFTs and blockchain

• 99% of NFTs went to zero, just as 99% of internet stocks did in 1997 — the technology was real, the speculation was not
• The blockchain's core value — immutable records for deeds, mortgages, leases — hasn't changed
• NFTs need three to four years to shed the stigma of the speculative bubble
• Like trading cards and sneakers: 99% worthless, but the 1% is highly valuable