In Crush It! Gary spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader.
Then one day he turned on a video camera, and by using the secrets revealed here, transformed his entire life and earning potential by building his personal brand.
By the end of this book, listeners will have learned how to harness the power of the Internet to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.
Short-link Link Embed. Share from cover. Share from page:. More magazines by this user. Close Flag as Inappropriate. You have already flagged this document. Thank you, for helping us keep this platform clean. The editors will have a look at it as soon as possible. Delete template? Cancel Delete. Cancel Overwrite Save. Don't wait! And even if they are, that does not mean anything yet. Until they act upon it in this books sense - offer you a deal of some sort , they are still just viewers.
Surely at the time, this book was written, it had not grown into a massive problem, but now it is. And last, but not least - this book was stretched beyond measure. The pages were too big as was font, making the book longer than it actually is. I didn't know if I should give it one or two stars because something definitely stuck. Jun 26, C rated it really liked it Recommends it for: entrepreneurs, business owners. Shelves: non-fiction , business , marketing , branding.
Gary Vaynerchuck is widely considered a web celebrity and social media expert. He used social media and online video WineLibrary TV to gain incredible exposure and propel his wine business to unprecedented success. Gary's secret isn't social media, however; it's his passion. Social media is just the tool he uses to share his passion and connect with others. As he states in chapter 9, the best marketing strategy ever is simple: care.
The main premise is that life is too short to do work that you Gary Vaynerchuck is widely considered a web celebrity and social media expert. The main premise is that life is too short to do work that you don't enjoy; you need to follow your passion.
Thanks to modern social media, you can connect with others who share your passion, no matter how obscure it is. Participate in the community around the topic you're passionate about, and with time, your personal brand will be valuable enough to monetize and do what you love full time.
Of course, it's everyone's dream to follow their passion; to do the work that doesn't even seem like work because they love it so much. Sadly, only a small percentage of people are able to make a living that way. By following the advice and examples from the life of Gary and others in this book, I really believe it's possible to "cash in on your passion. Gary also motivated me to keep up my efforts, warning that it takes a lot of time and hard work to see results.
Speaking of hard work, Gary states several times that he spends hours a day online, reading blogs, tweets, and forum posts, and responding to email. He believes it's necessary to put this much time into community participation, and says there's plenty of time for it if you stay up until 2 or 3 AM. This is one place Gary's being unrealistic; most people are not able to function on so little sleep, let alone have enough energy to "crush it".
I highly recommend this book to anyone ready to stop working for The Man and start creating their personal brand. Gary doesn't just wax poetic about social media or his life story; he provides practical tips to follow.
Chapter 10 and the appendix contain checklists for building a personal brand, and they walk you through identifying your passion, creating your personal brand, creating online accounts, becoming part of the community, and monetizing. A great summary of the book comes from the end: "True success - financial , personal, and professional, lies above all in loving your family, working hard, and living your passion. In telling your story. In authenticity, hustle, and patience. In caring fiercely about the big and the small stuff.
In valuing legacy over currency. Be honest, trustworthy, and transparent. Think of personal branding as a friendly lunch interview where you share both the personal and professional parts of your life. It can takes months or years to see results; don't give up too quickly. People will find and follow you. People want to be told what's good and valuable, and that you can give them something not everyone can appreciate. Aug 20, Anita Campbell rated it liked it.
I know this book has been wildly popular, and Gary V has many fans. I happen not to be a huge fan of his style, either in his videos or this book.
I think his excited, sometimes over-the-top style that focuses on HIM, has to appeal to you. It's not my style. This book is very much about Gary and HIS successes -- not necessarily the kind of information that others can easily apply to their situations.
The reality is, most of Gary's successes won't be replicable by the typical entrepreneur or small I know this book has been wildly popular, and Gary V has many fans. The reality is, most of Gary's successes won't be replicable by the typical entrepreneur or small business.
Here's why: Gary started with a lot of advantages other entrepreneurs don't have. He started with an existing family business behind him. Quite simply he got on the social media particularly video bandwagon at just the right time, and was able to make a name for himself.
He paints the picture of himself as an entrepreneur role model. However, had he not had his family business behind him, and had to struggle just to survive each day like most entrepreneurs, I doubt very much that he would have had the time and money to explore social media as he did.
He would not have had such a fast rise. He's very good at promoting himself. I actually admire people who are good at that, so the self-promotion doesn't bother me as much as the lack of real substance in the book that you can put to use in your own situation.
That said, there is some value, especially for someone who knows little about social media and wants a rundown of various social sites and to learn a few techniques. But there are better books out there for that. I don't think the value warrants the hype around this book. It's a pretty average business book about social media. What sets it apart is the personality and visibility of the person who wrote it.
If you want a dose of Gary V. Just keep the rest of your expectations in check. Nov 12, Amir Tesla rated it really liked it Shelves: success , entrepreneurship. Do you want to make money out of you passion? Even passions like playing games, loving chocolate or cultivating veggies?
Well, here's the recipe. View all 4 comments. Apr 04, Amy Foxy Blogs added it Shelves: hoopla , books , headphones , nonfiction. This was one of the business books I would say falls under the umbrella of the books I've read a few years too late, in this case, I think I could have skipped this book. The most interesting parts were about how Gary Vee got started and what made him who he is, which is why I wanted to read this in the first place.
The more tactical parts of this book, by nature of being published 8 years ago, has changed and were no longer really useful. Still, I would recommend this for anyone looking to star This was one of the business books I would say falls under the umbrella of the books I've read a few years too late, in this case, I think I could have skipped this book. Still, I would recommend this for anyone looking to start their own ventures or looking to take their personal projects to the next level.
Aug 02, Wayne Marinovich rated it it was amazing. Outstanding book. You have to chase the world you want. Crush it will help you.
Jan 03, Natalia rated it did not like it Recommended to Natalia by: I'm planning to read a couple of career-motivation books this ye. Shelves: ebook.
I was on page 26 of non-appendix before the author started actually started giving the advice the book was about. The prior 25 pages a full quarter of the book! What the heck do I need a sales pitch for when I am already holding the book in my hands? Vaynerchuck is going for some weird work-as-leisure premise, where if you are "living your passion" you don't need to look forward to vacations, or hobbies or anything, because you will I was on page 26 of non-appendix before the author started actually started giving the advice the book was about.
Vaynerchuck is going for some weird work-as-leisure premise, where if you are "living your passion" you don't need to look forward to vacations, or hobbies or anything, because you will genuinely want to work all the damn time.
This does work for some people - I certainly know people who are wired to want to work that way. Then there are people like me who like work time, like leisure time, but want to keep the two distinct. To me, turning a hobby into a business is a sure fire way to lose a good hobby.
If I make a mistake while I'm knitting, if I have an off night dancing, it doesn't matter - and I love that freedom. Turning it into a job would destroy that for me. I am one of those rare people who love my current job. I look forward to coming in every morning, I enjoy what I do, and feel like I'm really accomplishing things every day.
And yet, I still like to go home at night and leave my work behind. The author has not managed to convince me otherwise, sorry. He makes a claim that his advice is just as useful to people who are working and happy as by people who want to start their own business, but I really didn't find that to be the case.
The book has a sprinkling of decent, even pretty good advice, but it's just so unfocused and padded with tangential anecdotes and baiting people with big hopes I just couldn't take it seriously.
Feb 12, Q. Pi rated it really liked it. May 29, Shitiz Srivastava rated it it was amazing. There is no doubt that Gary V is one of the most influential internet personality today. I have read his "Jab Jab.. The Book is about the internet, passion, entrepreneurship, startups, finding purpose in life, doing whatever it takes to get successful and personal branding along with bits of Gary's life, upbringing and how he grew up and got interested in the internet.
If you are a Vlog maker or a B There is no doubt that Gary V is one of the most influential internet personality today. If you are a Vlog maker or a Blog writer or both like me then you will definitely love this book.
This book will motivate you to start making your own vlogs right now. In a sense, this is a motivational book as well. Gary's writing is easy to read, clear, crisp, easy to understand and for some reason, every heading is intentionally kept in small fonts or maybe that was in my Kindle format, I don't know.
People are reading less and books business is going down the drain. In this era books like these are a huge welcome for people who can't read much. I finished the entire book in one sitting, however, I recommend and advice you not to finish the book in one sitting because that won't help you. I did it because I intend to read it again. This book should be read and applied and should not be a for a casual read. If you are not serious about the internet, still and does not understand how big the internet has become then this book is not for you and not to boast I am a pretty fast reader.
Gary also talks about his secrets like how he doesn't like to write and hired people to write blogs for him and how he started very early to make vlogs which brought his wine sales to ever high. He also tells you a few great resources on how to get more subscribers and how to post your content on multiple platforms on just one click. Few websites she mentioned are either closed or acquired over now but most of them are working so it was helpful in that sense.
Like I tried using TubeMugal so many time but now it is acquired by Adobe and every other media management website is charging way too much money for someone who is just starting up to pay every month. There is also few pearls of wisdom in the book like for those who are looking for shortcuts, he tells you how it won't work. He tells you that there is no escaping the fact that everything takes time to bloom and same goes with internet and social media influence.
One should not be employed in wishful thinking and run after faster success and most importantly, don't fucking leave your job to become internet influencer. It may sometimes take years to become social Media influencer. So don't rush up. You have to work hard and miss lots of enjoyment in life and until and unless it is a true passion for you, don't go for it. The best thing I learn from the book was about Personal Branding.
Yes, instead of opening a company if you are a startup working alone, or even if you have a company, or working for someone else, it is very necessary that you work on your personal brand as you. Talk to as many people are you can and engage in conversations with as many people as you can and it will help you grow your community and along with it, it will help you sell your brand and your product. The book finishes in a short time and sometimes you feel that if only there was more to it.
So for that reason, I will go start reading his other books because thank god he writes so much. Jul 30, Carrie rated it liked it. I'm generally not interested in the slightest in the business, make money now! But my love for journalism, news, and information has definitely generated a strong interest in entrepreneurship. Given that this little book will only take you about an hour to read, I found it pretty worthwhile as a very simple, straightforward guide on how to leverage the Web and social media to build a sustainable business that allows you to do what you love.
There's nothing "new" here, but yet it' I'm generally not interested in the slightest in the business, make money now! There's nothing "new" here, but yet it's possible to see so many examples of people who don't get it that it's clear how much something like this is needed.
Probably my favorite part was the chapter where he talks about "the best marketing plan ever" which amounts to a single word in large bold type: CARE. The older I get, the more amazed I am at how many people out there just really don't. Aug 06, Mario Tomic rated it it was amazing.
Great read for anyone that has the burning desire within themselves of starting a business. This book can give you the little extra push you need to execute your idea into a blog and I personally love the approach.
Basically for most of us not born into great wealth there is no way you can avoid hard work in life so better not try to do it, instead pick something you love doing so the work doesn't feel like "work" anymore. Anyway, I rate this book 5 stars because it really struck some good ideas Great read for anyone that has the burning desire within themselves of starting a business.
Anyway, I rate this book 5 stars because it really struck some good ideas in my head and I'm gonna start doing video blogs soon. Thanks Gary! View all 3 comments. Jul 25, Liam Walter rated it did not like it. Starting a blog is terrible business advice. While this might be the case for it is certainly not the case for The book doesn't dive deep into any topic whatsoever and simply relies on the statement to "crush it.
Jun 01, Alex rated it liked it Shelves: business. This 3 stars are for the audiobook. If you are going to get this, get the audio book. It has updated info even though now some of it is again outdated and he often goes off-script, which I wish more audio books would do.
It is read by the author. Some may not like his hyper-ness, but I think it helps convey his enthusiasm. So the idea of the book is to show how the use of social marketing can greatly benefit your business, and how it and the Internet can act as "great equalizers" of sorts.
It k This 3 stars are for the audiobook. It kinda does that. Or at least it can get you excited about the potential that these mediums hold for the expansion or marketing of your business.
I think it does an adequate job of getting the reader hyped up to start exploring and utilizing these tools. Where the book falls apart for me is the "tweet it and they will come" mentality. For example, he talks about how important it can be to tweet to get your message out, or upload videos onto your own YouTube channel. But there is no information on how to get people to actually view them on YouTube or follow you on twitter. He basically states, follow your passion, be yourself, and create passionate, unique content and over time your following will come to you.
I've seen phenominal videos on youtube as far as content, etc. How do you stand out from the crowd? How do you draw people to YOUR video out of tens of thousands of similar ones? What makes one video better than another? How do you publicize this other than on your blog? How do you get people to see your tweets? How do you get them to retweet or follow you?
How do you use hashtags for better exposure? NONE of these questions are answered, or even really addressed. The "use it and the followers will come" just doesn't hold water. He talks about working a lot and hard to get where you want to be, but it's not just working hard that gets you somewhere.
It's working on the right things. Again, he never touches that. If you don't understand how social media can even really be used to increase your business or your band or hobby or whatever, this book will fill your head with ideas of social media glory, and that's not a bad thing. Aug 08, Dane Cobain rated it really liked it. Dec 21, deleted d rated it really liked it.
Good stuff, lots of practical advice. I specifically liked being authentic, and mingling with your community online answering questions and building a reputation. And not neglecting social media of course! One needs some kind of motivation to keep going.
It is true that passionate people do have passion. But it is also true that this passion doesn't always makes you keep working towards your goal. At least that's the case with me. I need to keep myself constantly updated through a some external stimuli. And what better stimuli can be than a book?
This book does the job of making you work towards your passion tirelessly. Why do we get tired when we work for long? Because we don't love doing that. An One needs some kind of motivation to keep going. And, when we do something we love, any chance of getting tired goes away. What is better than a book that motivates you to work towards your passion? That the book is informative. This book is easily a booklet on all the tools on the internet that can be used to cash in your passion.
I felt like I knew whatever is being told in this book about passion. I think we all know it deep down. That working on your passion through the night won't get you nowhere. Maybe we just don't believe in our passion strong enough to just go for it.
This book even had an answer to this: if you enjoy doing it, it's worth it. Isn't all this simple yet fascinating? This book talks about how we can use each of the social media platforms including Facebook, twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, WordPress and many more to built your personal brand.
The tools have been explained in detail as well. Even though the book was published almost a decade ago, most of the information is still relevant today as well. Since social media platforms like Instagram weren't present when this book was written, there is no mention of them. But a passionate person will surely do things the updated way, keeping this book as base. This book has so much information, written in a precise manner. It is certainly not possible for me to tell about each one of them here.
But I'd surely like to talk about one last concept mentioned here which I think everyone should know. It is that legacy always outweighs currency. This book talks about how being true to your audience or customers is much more important than making money. Sure, it'll work for the long run in terms of money. But won't it give you peace of mind as well?
This book surely boosted up my willingness to pursue my passion. To all the passionate people out there: do read this book, for it'll help you to a path full of passion and happiness. Jun 25, Melissa Jill rated it liked it Shelves: business. Occasionally I talk to photographers who have been in business since before the digital revolution and the growth of the internet. They all sound the same. They grieve the changes that have caused business to slow - or in some cases - come to a grinding halt.
They grieve the fact that clients are hiring newer, less-experienced photographers than them. And they're largely oblivious to how powerful the internet is and how drastically it has changed the game. They want to keep doing the same things Occasionally I talk to photographers who have been in business since before the digital revolution and the growth of the internet. They want to keep doing the same things that worked for them in the past and are angry that they aren't yielding the same results.
When listening to these photographers, I rarely have an opportunity to get a word in edge-wise. I just let them vent.
But if I could say something and they were open to listening, I might be inclined to say something along the lines of what Gary Vaynerchuk says in his book Crush It! Not only are we as photographers needing to adapt to new forms of communication and technology, we are also coping with a struggling economy.
Gary says that in order to survive in an economic downturn you need to have a relevant and differentiated product or service, be adaptable and know how to tell your story. He says that thriving economies actually enable mediocre companies to exist: "Booming economies like the one that recently ended keep all kinds of businesses afloat that should have sunk a long time ago.
Once the winds shift, there's only room left for the best. I gave this book 3 stars. The thing I liked most about it was that it was a story of a real person who made it big and the steps he took to do so. I also liked how motivational Gary's writing style is. You can tell he's all about the two things he proclaims - passion and hard work. Gone are the days of starting at the bottom and working your way to the top by putting your time in and building seniority at a corporation.
The internet has presented the biggest shift in history in how we do business. And with the opportunities that social media offers ANYONE can jump in, build their brand and start a thriving business. That's the good news. The other side of the coin is that in order to succeed you need to be passionate, work your butt off and be willing to adapt.
Note: Being adaptable is a recurring theme. I only gave the book 3 stars because I didn't find a lot of content that was new or helpful to me and some of the social media info is already out of date. But it is a quick, easy read and it did have some tidbits that I took from it. Like always, I wrote my own set of Cliff's Notes in the front of the book complete with page number references. Here is a sampling of what I wrote and took away for myself: -Tell stories that make people care about your product as much as you do.
Storytelling is the most underrated skill in business. Social media is a perfect tool for this! After blogging on a topic, comment on the mention of it wherever I can find it online. Gary affirmed my belief that your business and your personal brand need to be one and the same. The authentic you is the one thing that differentiates you from everyone else so you need to smear yourself all over your business.
We live in an exciting time where the internet makes it possible for us to grow our brands and businesses on our own. It's time to embrace change, pursue our passion, work hard and put one foot in front of another as we run our race.
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