By Dave Flessner
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Gary Vaynerchuck’s new company will be based in Chattanooga Tenn. and focus on the development and branding of small/medium size businesses.
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
Drawing from his experience servicing some of the biggest brands in the world, marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk is starting a new business “to educate, mentor, brand and market” startup and growing businesses.
VaynerX announced Tuesday it is launching The Sasha Group, a company working exclusively with entrepreneurs and small and mid-sized businesses generating between $1 million to $100 million in revenue.
The new venture will have offices in New York City and Chattanooga and will complement existing VaynerMedia offerings including the consulting firm VaynerMentors, the branding and marketing company VaynerBeta, and a 4D online educational venture known as the Daily Digital Deep Dive.
VaynerMedia opened its Chattanooga office in the Loveman’s building downtown in 2015 to help serve the growing Southeast market and currently employs about 20 workers in Chattanooga.
Mickey Cloud, the senior vice president of the Sasha Group who heads the Chattanooga office, said the latest business venture under the VaynerX family of companies will provide additional consulting, training and other services, in addition to the digital marketing programs Vayner is famous for in the industry.
“This should help us to grow even more in Chattanooga and build on the success we’ve had in the Southeast under our VaynerMedia model,” Cloud said. “With Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial spirit and the support eco-system that is place here for entrepreneurs, we think this will make us an even better market fit in Chattanooga and the surrounding area.”
Vaynerchuck brought one of his business offices to Chattanooga four years ago after speaking in the city and observing the startup culture and EPB’s Gig City focus.
“Being an entrepreneur is in my DNA and I got my start in a small family business,” Vaynerchuk said in an announcement of the new business. “The Sasha Group is named for my father, Sasha Vaynerchuk, who I worked side by side helping build and expand Wine Library. It is a nod to where I came from and I’m so proud VaynerX now has an offering for those businesses who are looking for explosive growth along with entrepreneurs and startups, which has been the majority of my business interactions over the last decade.”
James Orsini, chief operating officer of VaynerMedia in New York, will serve as president of The Sasha Group.
“Today, it’s all about speed and confidence” Orsini said. “Businesses need to be confident that they have the tools necessary to drive agility and fuel growth, for today and tomorrow. The Sasha Group has a unique combination of disciplined expertise to fuel future proof business success.”
