Gary Vaynerchuk, Spells, and Your First Business Year

Key Takeaways

• Your first three months are for shipping products, not seeking perfection or winning spelling bees.
• A misspelled word in an email or social post rarely kills a business, but waiting weeks to launch certainly will.
• Focus on the basic paperwork like getting an EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS over fancy branding in month one.
• Set a timer for 15 minutes to complete small tasks rather than letting them take up an entire afternoon.

Gary Vaynerchuk recently went back to basics when he posted on X that he "maybe misspelled everyone." It is a classic Gary Vee moment—acting fast, moving on, and not letting a small typo stop the message from hitting the feed. If you are sitting in your home office right now wondering if your logo is the right shade of blue, this is the wake-up call you need.

For a new shop owner, whether you are starting a landscaping crew in Florida or a solo bookkeeping service in Denver, the biggest threat is not a typo. The biggest threat is silence. If you are not selling because you are too busy proofreading your internal notes, you are going to run out of cash. Vaynerchuk’s point is that the work matters more than the window dressing.

The Cost of Being Too Careful

I see this happen with a 3-person cleaning service I know. They spent $1,200 on a website before they had their first five customers. They spent two weeks arguing over the font on their business cards. Meanwhile, they forgot to check their city's specific licensing requirements. They were so focused on looking like a business that they forgot to actually be one.

When you are in the first 0-3 months, your job is to prove someone will pay you. Perfection is a luxury for companies with massive budgets and PR (Public Relations) teams. For you, "good enough and out the door" is the winning strategy. If Gary can misspell words for millions of followers, you can send that introductory email to a potential client even if it has a comma out of place.

Prioritize the Foundation Over the Paint

If you want to spend your time wisely this week, stop worrying about your Instagram aesthetic and start looking at the paperwork that actually protects you. Before you worry about "hustle," make sure you have the basics handled so the government doesn't shut you down before you start.

First, make sure you have your EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the IRS. It is free, takes about ten minutes online, and acts like a Social Security number for your business. It allows you to open a bank account and hire people down the road. If you haven't done this, check out our guide on how to Get an EIN Online.

Second, check your local rules. A house painter in Ohio needs different permits than a baker in Georgia. Use the SBA (Small Business Administration) local assistance tool to find a mentor or office near you that can tell you exactly what papers to file. This is the unglamorous part of the hustle that actually keeps you in business.

What this means for you: Spending an hour on Google looking at fonts is a waste. Spending an hour on a.gov site ensuring your business is legal is a win.

Speed Beats Polish Every Time

Think about a solo handyman in Phoenix. If he spends his Saturday morning making sure his invoice template looks like a work of art, he misses two service calls. Those two calls might be worth $400. The fancy invoice? It's worth zero.

In the first 90 days, your schedule should look like this:

1. 80% of your time: Finding customers and doing the work.
2. 15% of your time: Legal, tax, and banking basics.
3. 5% of your time: Everything else (logo, social media bios, office furniture).

If you find yourself flipping those percentages, you are in trouble. We've talked before about how to Get Your First 10 Customers Without Spending a Dime. Notice that guide doesn't mention high-end graphic design. It's about direct action.

Dealing With the Fear of Looking Unprofessional

New owners often use "perfection" as a shield. If the website isn't perfect, they don't have to launch. If they don't launch, they can't fail. It's a mental trap. Gary Vaynerchuk's willingness to misspell a word and keep moving shows that he doesn't care about a tiny dent in his armor. He cares about the result.

When you are starting out, your customers usually won't care if you have a typo in a text message or if your business cards are printed at home. They care if you show up on time and solve their problem. A plumber who fixes a leak well but has a messy truck still gets paid. A plumber with a pristine truck who can't stop the water goes broke.

What this means for you: Give yourself permission to be messy. As long as your work is high quality and your taxes are filed, the small mistakes don't matter.

Action Items for Your First Week

If you're feeling stuck, stop thinking and start doing these three things today. They are more important than your brand colors:

• Open the Bank Account: Don't mix your personal money with business money. It's a nightmare for taxes later. Read about picking your first business bank account to avoid getting hit with $15/month fees.
• List Your Services: Write down exactly what you do on a single sheet of paper. Don't overcomplicate it. "I mow lawns for $50" is better than a 20-page business plan.
• Send 10 Pitch Emails: Reach out to people you know. Tell them you are open for business. If you misspell a word, take a breath and remember Gary. Send the next one anyway.

Business is about momentum. You build that momentum by making decisions, not by staring at a screen waiting for the perfect words to appear. If you get the big things right—like your LLC (Limited Liability Company) structure—the little things like a typo on a flyer won't sink you.

Related free tool

First 30 Days After Forming Your LLC — Walk through the 10 steps every new LLC owner has to knock out. Free, no signup to start.

---

📋 Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations change frequently, and the information presented may not reflect the most current legal developments. Always consult with a qualified professional (CPA, attorney, financial advisor) before making business decisions based on this content. MyBizNerd may receive compensation through affiliate links, but this never influences our recommendations.

---