Crush It! 10/17/2009
 
It was late last year when I first heard about Crush It! (Harper Studio, 2009) I was interviewing author, Gary Vaynerchuk for my book.  The Crush It! may not have had its title at that point but he spoke with passion and enthusiasm about the value of authenticity, hustle, and following your DNA.  He really believes that someone can follow their passion and live the life of their dreams.  I am happy to say that the sharp wit, business savvy, and zeal that I experienced in my conversations with Gary come across in Crush It!

The book is both a motivational speech and a how-to manual for budding Web 2.0 entrepreneurs, and really anyone who wants to take charge of their lives by doing what they love.  Despite being a brief 142 pages, he makes his point strongly without wasting a lot of ink.  He discusses indentifying a personal passion, and using social media to build a personal brand that will, through hustle and patience, reward the entrepreneur with happiness and cash. (He stresses the former as the primary goal.)  Clearly, anyone new to the world of social media will find this book informative, instructive, and easy to read.  Those with more experience in the world of Web 2.0 will also find Crush It! worth a look.  I suppose I am a great example of the latter, I live the subject and have written a book, keep a successful blog, teach it at the college level, regularly speak to business and professional groups, and use these techniques every day and I have a page of notes that I made while reading this book.

If I have any criticism it is that Gary does not give much time to using traditional media ( I am talking about PR stuff, not advertising) to create the personal brand that stems from the entrepreneur’s DNA.  He mentions it briefly in Chapter 11, “Start Monetizing,” but doesn’t give us the depth he could have.  He is a master of the traditional media too.  He has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, on the Today Show, and on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, just to mention a few of his traditional media appearances.

So, whether you’re just getting started or have already made a mark for yourself I will say that you will find a pretty strong return on investment for the $19.99 you spend on Crush It!
 


Comments

Kelsi Guidry

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:55:44

Just got my CrushIt book in today. I have been following Gary for a few months now. After I saw some of his keynotes from GaryVaynerchuk.com, I was hooked to his motivation and entrepreneurial spirit. I am alright working on crushing it and will be sure to CrushIt harder once i finish reading.

-Kelsi Guidry
KelsiGuidry.com

 

Gaetan

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:58:56

Thanks for the reply Kelsi. What's your business? What are you doing to "Crush It!"?

 



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