# Jay Baer

> Jay Baer is a 7th-generation entrepreneur, Hall of Fame keynote speaker, and the author of seven business books including the New York Times bestseller Youtility. Founder of Convince & Convert - once home to the world's #1 content marketing blog - he has advised 700+ brands including Nike, Oracle, IBM, and Salesforce. After selling his marketing empire during COVID, he pivoted to become the world's #2 tequila influencer (non-celebrity division), a certified tequila sommelier, and a co-founder of The Tequila Report. He currently keynotes 50-70 times a year in 12+ countries on customer experience, speed, and human connection in the AI era.

- **Role:** Founder & President, Jay Baer Inc.
- **Organizations:** Jay Baer Inc., The Tequila Report, TequilaJayBaer.com, Convince & Convert (former)
- **From:** Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minor in Communications, University of Arizona
- **Known for:** Professional Speaking Hall of Fame inductee (2018) - one of fewer than 200 living members, Word-of-Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame inductee (2017, WOMMA), Global Guru #1 in Internet Marketing (multiple years)

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Graduated University of Arizona magna cum laude; began career in political campaigns and direct mail
- **1993** — Began online marketing career - one of the earliest digital marketers in the US
- **1994** — Joined Internet Direct as VP - Arizona's first ISP (later sold to Mindspring)
- **1996** — Co-founded azfamily.com, Arizona's second-largest content website
- **1999** — azfamily.com sold to Belo Corporation along with all MAC America assets
- **2000** — Founded Mighty Interactive digital agency; named Arizona's #1 digital marketing firm five consecutive years
- **2005** — Mighty Interactive merged with Off Madison Ave
- **2008** — Founded Convince & Convert social media strategy consultancy
- **2011** — Published The Now Revolution (co-authored with Amber Naslund)
- **2013** — Published Youtility - reached #3 on New York Times business bestseller list
- **2016** — Published Hug Your Haters - named one of top 3 business books of 2016 by Strategy + Business
- **2017** — Inducted into Word-of-Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame (WOMMA)
- **2018** — Inducted into Professional Speaking Hall of Fame (one of fewer than 200 living members); published Talk Triggers
- **2020** — COVID halted travel; recognized deep unhappiness; sold Convince & Convert
- **2020** — Received melanoma diagnosis within minutes of finalizing Convince & Convert sale; underwent surgery
- **2021** — Co-founded The Tequila Report; emerged as world's #2 tequila influencer (non-celebrity division)
- **2023** — Published The Time to Win (7th book) based on research with 1,900+ consumers
- **2024** — Ranked #2 Global Guru for Customer Experience, #1 for Internet Marketing
- **2026** — Named Global Guru Best Customer Experience Professional for 2026; keynoting on Human.Kind and AI era customer experience

## Achievements

- Professional Speaking Hall of Fame inductee (2018) - one of fewer than 200 living members
- Word-of-Mouth Marketing Hall of Fame inductee (2017, WOMMA)
- Global Guru #1 in Internet Marketing (multiple years)
- Global Guru #2 in Customer Experience (2024); Best CX Professional (2026)
- 7 business books including NYT bestseller Youtility (#3 on NYT business list)
- Founded and sold 5+ multi-million dollar companies across 30+ years
- Convinced & Convert blog named world's #1 content marketing blog by Content Marketing Institute
- 700+ brands advised including Nike, Oracle, IBM, Salesforce, Caterpillar, Allstate, Bentley
- 1,400+ keynote presentations in 12+ countries
- World's #2 tequila influencer (non-celebrity) with ~250,000 combined tequila followers
- Social Pros Podcast: named #1 marketing podcast, 65,000+ monthly downloads
- Most retweeted person among digital marketers worldwide (historical)

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Named Global Guru Best Customer Experience Professional for 2026; announced as keynote speaker for Auto Care Connect 2026 (May, Atlanta)
- **2025-12** — Actively speaking on AI and customer experience, citing RingCentral's Agentic AI Trends 2026 report - noting the gap between business enthusiasm for AI (65%) and customer satisfaction (20%)
- **2024-06** — Ranked #2 Global Guru for Customer Experience and #1 for Internet Marketing; continued Human.Kind keynote tour
- **2023-09** — Published The Time to Win - 7th book - focused on speed as the defining customer experience variable
- **2023-01** — Continuing The Tequila Report growth to 50,000+ subscribers; ~250,000 tequila social followers

## Links

- Website: https://www.jaybaer.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybaer
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jaybaer
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JayBaer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaybaer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRealJayBaer/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jay-baer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-28