Still One of the Best Talks I’ve Ever Done | Dutch Bros 2017 keynote/Q&A

The GaryVee Audio Experience

Gary Vaynerchuk

Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship

4.8 • 18.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I’m bringing you one of the most impactful keynotes I’ve ever done—my 2017 Q&A with the Dutch Bros Coffee team in Portland, Oregon. It’s been a fan-favorite for years and I totally understand why: the energy, the heart, the realness in this room was just unreal. No fluff—just practical, emotional, and deeply honest takes on leadership, burnout, ambition, and what it really means to care.

This wasn’t just a speech—it was a back-and-forth with some of the most passionate people I’ve ever talked to. Managers, baristas, social leads, and young hustlers all brought the heat with their questions—and I gave them everything I had.

💡 If you're trying to build culture, lead people, grow your brand, or just find your next gear in life, this is a must-listen.

We talk about:

Why most leaders screw up motivation (and what I do instead)
How to go from solopreneur to 800+ employees the right way
The underpriced value of empathy and listening
Real talk on firing fast, scaling culture, and staying patient
One of the most emotional moments I’ve ever had on stage… and why I’ll never forget it

This is pure gold—let’s get into it.

📍 Follow the podcast here first:
📌 @garyveeaudioexperience

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Gary V. Audio Experience. In this episode,
0:05.2	we're sharing one of Gary's most popular keynotes ever, his live Q&A with the Dutch Bros. Coffee
0:10.5	team in Portland, Oregon back in 2017. In this one, Gary breaks down why most leaders
0:15.5	screw up motivation and what actually works, how to scale a business without losing culture
0:20.1	or empathy, the difference
0:21.4	between leading and managing, and so much more. The Q&A starts off with Angela, who asks Gary
0:27.2	how he motivates his team to be just as hungry and passionate as he is. This is what he has to say.
0:32.7	I think it's crazy for CEOs and owners of things to expect their staff to bust their ass
0:39.0	and be as hungry as them.
0:40.2	Because when you own something, it's different.
0:43.1	And so what I do is I try to motivate
0:46.1	by meeting each and every one of them.
0:48.6	The reason you've seen it that I meet with all of them
0:50.7	and do those meetings is I don't need that,
0:53.1	I wanna buy the New York Jets
0:54.6	I need like seven billion fucking dollars I work 18 hours a day I wake up at 430 to be here
1:02.0	today I'm going back on the red eye this was originally I was supposed to sleep here nope need to I need to get
1:06.5	three meetings in tomorrow I'm taking a fucking bullshit red eye tonight like I don't don't expect that from others, because most people aren't insane to, like,
1:13.8	have this romantic point of view of, like, not being able to buy a jet jersey for 20 bucks
1:17.5	when he first came to America to owning the team.
1:19.4	I've got to fuck you on me, got it?
1:21.7	I don't expect that for anybody else.
	...

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