Fostering Community and Collaboration in the World of Digital Marketing!
Every single day offers me a fresh opportunity to turn my dreams into reality. It’s easy to get caught up in the overwhelming vision of a distant goal, but the key lies in taking small, consistent steps. Each morning, when I wake up, I remind myself that today is another chance to move closer to what I truly desire. This mantra fuels Tony Pec, known as the “Godfather of Instagram,” in his relentless pursuit of superiority.
From the Bronx to the forefront of digital marketing, Tony’s journey is an example to self-made success. After graduating with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Manhattan College, he chose an unconventional path, diving into day trading and leveraging Instagram to build a personal brand. His strategic approach swiftly grew his following, leading to the co-founding of Y Not You Media, a Forbes-accredited digital marketing agency.
At Y Not You Media, Tony specializes in crafting tailored social media strategies for diverse industries, including real estate, law, and retail. His hands-on approach ensures that each client receives personalized attention, driving significant online engagement and business growth.
Beyond business, Tony is a connector. He founded The Circle, an exclusive networking community in the tri-state area, fostering relationships among entrepreneurs and professionals. His commitment to community is further exemplified by organizing large-scale events like The Impact Golf Outing, bringing together over 1,500 professionals for networking and charity.
Let us learn more about his journey:
Tony Pec, also known as the “Godfather of Instagram,” is a national keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, business growth strategist, and the co-founder of Forbes-accredited social media and digital marketing agency Y Not You Media. He is also the founder of The Circle, a networking community, and the host of the largest charity golf outing on the East Coast, with over 1,500 professionals in attendance.
Through his entrepreneurial journey, Tony has helped over 1,000 businesses and entrepreneurs grow their brands through business strategy and social media. Despite his current success, Tony’s journey to prominence wasn’t easy. Long before being dubbed the “Godfather of Instagram” or delivering a TED Talk, Tony was a kid who struggled with a speech impediment, often saying “dwink” instead of “drink” and “twuck” instead of “truck.”
Coming from humble beginnings with no connections, handouts, or blueprint, Tony relied solely on his burning drive and vision for the life he dreamed of. His early challenges shaped his determination, leading him to commit to personal growth and become obsessed with improving his communication skills. His struggles became his strengths, and he used them as fuel to achieve the success he envisioned.
Today, Tony speaks to inspire others to pursue their potential, no matter their starting point. He believes that social media offers the power to build a brand, cultivate an audience, and create a global community, all from the palm of one’s hand. For Tony, social media has opened doors and forged connections that hard work alone could not, which is why he is passionate about helping others harness this same power.
Tony has had the honor of delivering a TED Talk and speaking at prestigious events across the country, including Harvard radio, Rutgers University, and Citi Field for New York City’s largest real estate event. His speaking engagements have impacted audiences ranging from hundreds to thousands, and his mission remains clear: to help others unlock their full potential through the power of social media and personal growth.
For Tony, the pivotal moment in his journey from growing up in the Bronx to becoming known as the “Godfather of Instagram” came in 2016. He began building Instagram accounts around his passions and popular niches, cars, watches, quotes, food, motivation, and more. As these pages grew rapidly, Tony started receiving DMs from followers asking for help in growing their own Instagram accounts.
This moment was transformative. It became an opportunity to serve others in achieving their goals while simultaneously building his own success. Growing up in the Bronx had taught him hustle, resourcefulness, and the art of connecting with people. But it was this specific moment that taught him how to turn those traits into a thriving business. Rather than simply offering services, Tony wanted to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and that mindset laid the foundation for everything he would go on to do.
For Tony, it became all about relationships over transactions, providing value before selling, and showing up with integrity every time. This moment not only shaped his approach to business but also shifted his focus from simply building a brand to building a lasting legacy. It’s a lesson he continues to carry with him every day.
Growing up in an Italian-American household in the Bronx, Tony learned three core values that have profoundly shaped his leadership style and the way he builds relationships: relationships, honesty, and hard work. His grandfather owned a small pizzeria in the Bronx, a place where everyone knew his name, and customers were treated like family. Whether at the pizzeria or in a restaurant, his grandfather had a remarkable ability to connect with people, making them feel valued. This experience left a lasting impression on Tony. He witnessed firsthand that how one makes people feel often outweighs what one can offer.
Carrying that energy into his business today, Tony leads with empathy, striving to make everyone feel appreciated while always showing up for his team and clients. In both personal and professional life, he firmly believes that relationships are everything. Tony prioritizes building long-term connections with quality people over chasing quick wins. The foundation of relationships, honesty, and hard work is the reason why people trust him, refer to him, and stay loyal to him over time. This authentic approach is simply who he is and has always been.
Tony often emphasizes the importance of building genuine relationships over simply having the “best product.” His entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by thousands of authentic, meaningful connections that were built by leading with value. Tony focuses on helping others first, building relationships through acts of kindness and support.
Whenever he meets someone new, his instinct is to ask, “Who are you looking to get connected to?” or “What are some good referral sources for you?” His goal is to understand where someone is stuck and see if he can offer a solution, open a door, or provide a fresh perspective. Tony believes in giving without expecting anything in return because he understands that real trust is built this way.
The strongest relationships he’s formed have come from helping others selflessly. He also holds firm to the belief that following through on promises is essential to building a good reputation. Whether it’s showing up when you say you will, sponsoring an event as promised, or making introductions at the right time, Tony understands that delivering on your word is key to trust. Many people overpromise and underdeliver, but Tony believes this can be detrimental to success.
His experiences have reinforced his core belief: the best product doesn’t always win. Relationships and genuine care are what truly help you achieve your goals. In business, people may forget what was pitched to them, but they will always remember how they were made to feel. Relationships open doors that money cannot. That’s why Tony tells everyone: don’t chase sales, build relationships first, the success will naturally follow.
When helping someone build a brand from scratch, Tony focuses on three core principles: clarity, consistency, and community. First, clarity is key, understanding who you are, what you stand for, who you serve, and why someone should care. A strong brand is rooted in identity, not just aesthetics. He often reminds people that a brand isn’t just a logo or color scheme; it’s about your reputation, your message, and your presence, both online and offline.
Tony’s own brand, for example, is recognized as the “Godfather of Instagram,” but its foundation goes deeper. It’s about trust, execution, relationships, and results. This recognition didn’t come from a single post or pitch; it was built through years of consistent effort. This leads to the second pillar: consistency. Consistency is essential across all touchpoints, your content, messaging, behavior, and even how you show up in person.
The third pillar is community. Tony believes that a brand is never built in isolation. It requires active engagement, commenting on people’s content, sending meaningful messages, collaborating, and following up. Social media is meant to be social, and brands that genuinely give value, connect authentically, and care about people will always stand out.
Tony emphasizes that the real opportunity for a brand lies in balancing both online and offline efforts. He hosts some of the largest networking events in his area while maintaining a significant online presence as a business owner and entrepreneur. Many people focus too much on one aspect, but Tony believes the true power comes from excelling at both. When you combine online and in-person connections, you scale the unscalable. And the harder something is to do, the bigger the reward. In this case, that reward is brand dominance. ‘Attention might bring people in, but trust is what keeps them around.’
Tony defines discipline as doing what needs to be done, no matter the circumstances or emotions. Whether he’s tired, unmotivated, unsure, or overwhelmed, he shows up anyway and figures it out. For him, the key to success lies in consistently showing up, no matter how challenging it gets. He likens it to eating a dinosaur, one bite at a time. Each day, he remains disciplined because he understands that it’s crucial for unlocking his fullest potential.
For Tony, discipline isn’t just a set of habits; it’s a core part of his identity. It’s about choosing to act in alignment with his goals, even when no one is watching. One of the strategies he uses to maintain this discipline is breaking down long-term goals into smaller, achievable milestones. For instance, if his goal is to close 10 deals in a month, he understands that achieving this requires speaking to 500 people. By focusing on reaching 100 conversations per week, he gains a sense of progress, even before reaching the final goal.
Tony also emphasizes the importance of saying no to short-term pleasures in order to stay focused on his long-term vision. He views this not as a sacrifice, but as a strategic decision to stay on track. A crucial part of his mindset is the reminder that if he doesn’t show up, someone else will, and they will seize the opportunities he’s worked hard to earn. This thought keeps him grounded, sharp, and focused, no matter the circumstances.
Tony believes that saying “no” is one of the most powerful tools he’s developed, though it was one of the hardest to master. Early in his journey, he said yes to everything: every meeting, event, favor, and opportunity. He thought that being busy and doing everything would lead to success. While saying yes in the beginning was a great way to get exposure, learn about others, and refine his skills, he soon realized that being accessible to everyone made him unavailable to what actually mattered.
Now, Tony filters everything through a strict alignment with his long-term vision. He asks himself: Does it align with my long-term goals? Will it help move the needle in my personal or business growth? Is it a relationship or opportunity that adds energy or drains it? If the answer isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a no.
This shift changed everything for him. He got clearer on what he wanted and began attracting more of the right people and opportunities. His time became more intentional, his results multiplied, and his peace of mind improved. Tony believes that success isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters more. Saying “no” created the space he needed to say “yes” to what truly moves his growth and mission forward.
For Tony, networking has never felt uncomfortable, even in rooms where others might feel out of place. This is not due to avoiding discomfort, but because he has learned to lean into it. He believes that growth happens outside one’s comfort zone and embraces the mindset of becoming comfortable being uncomfortable. What others might view as unconventional or intimidating, Tony sees as an opportunity to expand both his knowledge and his network.
He shows up as his natural self, and that’s where real connections happen, by leaning into who you truly are. For Tony, great networking isn’t about impressing others; it’s about being curious, present, and genuinely interested in people, while providing any value you can to them. He loves learning about others, understanding what they need, and finding ways to add value. This mindset has been key not just to his success, but to the growth of his networking community, The Circle. Whether he’s meeting someone across the country or across the table, Tony leads with value, and that’s what makes connections last.
For years, Tony lived an unhealthy lifestyle, always on the go with little to no sleep, subsisting on fast food, and never making time for exercise. He believed that grinding non-stop was the key to success, but that mindset eventually caught up with him. He was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and just seven months later, at 28 years old, a gout flare-up in his ankle left him unable to walk for two weeks. This wake-up call forced him to face the reality that poor health couldn’t be outworked.
That was the turning point. Tony knew he needed to make a change, and he did. Two years later, he had lost 100 pounds, adopted a clean diet, improved his sleep habits, exercised regularly, limited alcohol, and made intentional choices each day to care for his mind and body. The transformation was life-changing.
Now, Tony enjoys more energy, sharper focus, better decision-making, and increased stamina. His productivity has skyrocketed, not just in business but in every aspect of his life. Health has become a non-negotiable part of his routine, even with long workdays. For him, it’s not a sacrifice but an investment.
Far from slowing him down, his health journey has increased his ambition. With improved clarity, discipline, and a solid foundation for lasting success, Tony is now pursuing growth more vigorously than ever before.
At the end of his freshman year of college, Tony didn’t land a single internship in engineering, which led him to create his own opportunity. He launched his first company, Tony’s Lip Care (TLC), a premium organic lip balm brand designed for men in boardrooms and classy women. The product was packaged in a sleek black oval tube, aiming for a unique niche market.
Tony sacrificed his college weekends, waking up at 6 AM to travel to pop-up events and mom expos, hustling to sell his product all day and night. He cold-emailed companies and even secured a meeting with a billion-dollar beauty brand. They were interested in placing a massive order, but the production cost required an upfront investment of $2 million, an amount Tony didn’t have. At 19, with no connections, no investors, and no financial support from family, he couldn’t fulfill the order.
Despite what might have seemed like a failure, Tony recognized that the real success came from the knowledge and experience he gained. He learned about business, branding, sales, taxes, product design, marketing, insurance, manufacturing, and pitching to high-level executives. The lessons he acquired were far beyond what any classroom could teach him.
After college, Tony shut down TLC, not because he failed, but because he discovered a bigger calling. That “failure” became a springboard, offering him a head start that most people don’t get until much later in their careers. He learned that failure is just a lesson in disguise and that every failure brings you closer to success. Tony realized that you only lose if you quit, and quitting was never an option for him. He wasn’t finished; he was just getting started.
With the rapid rise of AI in marketing and content creation, Tony believes that the role of human creativity and empathy will evolve significantly over the next decade. AI is transforming business operations, streamlining workflows, generating content, automating repetitive tasks, and making companies more efficient than ever. However, he emphasizes that while AI can enhance productivity, it cannot replace essential elements like personality, trust, and human connection.
He argues that those who will thrive in the next decade will not simply be the ones who adopt AI, but rather those who use it strategically, leveraging it to save time, work smarter, and focus more on what truly drives success: building relationships. Tony has always believed in the power of human connection, and he sees AI as a tool that can actually help deepen that connection. By enabling individuals to manage more interactions, remember key details, and be more thoughtful and present, AI creates the space needed for more authentic outreach.
In a world where AI handles time-consuming tasks, Tony believes that individuals will have the opportunity to show up more often, more authentically, and more intentionally, both online and offline. While many will dive deeper into the digital realm, Tony views the true differentiators as those who maintain face-to-face trust-building activities, like shaking hands and hosting events. These “unscalable” actions, he asserts, will stand out in an increasingly automated world.
By leveraging AI for efficiency while leading with empathy and presence, Tony argues that individuals won’t just keep pace with the future, they will stay ahead of it. The future belongs to those who blend cutting-edge technology with meaningful human interaction, never losing sight of the human element in the process.
Tony didn’t come from privilege, no handouts, no connections, but he always believed he was meant for more. His father’s words, “You can achieve anything you put your mind to,” became the driving force behind everything he’s done. Today, Tony aims to be a living example of what’s possible when belief is paired with execution.
For Tony, his legacy is not about building the largest brand or hosting the biggest networking events. It’s about helping others grow their businesses, discover their full potential, and forge meaningful relationships with quality professionals who can change the course of their lives. As a business growth consultant and advisor, Tony takes immense pride in guiding others not only toward financial success but also toward tangible progress and growth.
Having helped companies across the tri-state area, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and beyond, Tony has been instrumental in strategic growth, building structure, and connecting businesses with the right people. For Tony, giving is an intrinsic part of who he is. He doesn’t give to receive; he gives because that’s what drives him. His ultimate goal is to achieve greater success, which in turn allows him to give back more, whether through philanthropy, opportunities, or support.
The more Tony can grow, the more he can help. At the end of the day, he wants people to say: “Tony helped me on my journey. Tony helped me become better. Tony helped me grow my business. Tony connected me to people who changed my life. And Tony gave without ever asking for anything in return.”
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