This book is motivation pure and simple, not ‘about’ motivation, it *IS* motivation. Whether you are just starting out, or have been in business for some time, this book will give you a serious motivational kick in the rear.
If the whole concept of personal branding for business is new to you then Crush It is a great place to get started, or if you already own a business you can still learn a lot about building your personal brand to take your business to the next level.
Why should you care about what Gary Vaynerchuk has to say or write?
Because his first major business accomplishment was growing his father’s local liquor store from a $4 million dollar a year business to over $52 million per year over the course of 7 years (1998-2005). He did this by understanding his customers and how to effectively market to those customers.
His next major accomplishment was building a personal brand using social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook which propelled him into the national spotlight talking about marketing and business. This allowed Gary the opportunity to make a name for himself as a speaker at conferences such as SXSW, his Web 2.0 Expo speech has over 700,000 views on Ted.com.
He now runs his own media company, VaynerMedia, that works with Fortune 500 companies like GE, PepsiCo, and the NY Jets to build their digital brands online.
The Book:
The core message of Crush It is Gary explaining how to use social media to build a personal brand and turn that personal brand into a profitable business. In the book Gary breaks down the methods he used to build his personal brand and explains how you can use those same methods to build your personal brand, or improve your business. A large focus is on building and cultivating relationships to build your audience and work towards converting them into loyal customers using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
In the book Gary gives multiple examples of small things you can do to make progress in whatever free time you have, whether that be your lunch hour, in the morning before work, or at night after the kids are in bed. These are straight forward examples of how you can replicate his methods for your benefit. The best part is other than your investment of time and energy almost everything Gary recommends can be done for free!
A common theme throughout the book is ‘passion’ and the importance of basing your brand/business on something you are passionate about. Which makes perfect sense because that passion is going to motivate you to work harder and longer to do things you may not ordinarily want to do because the focus of your brand/business is something you feel strongly about.
In Gary’s own words; ‘Ultimately this book is not about making a million dollars… It’s about ensuring your own happiness by enabling you to live every day passionately and productively‘.
Gary also has a unique perspective on which things matter most in building a brand/business and why. It is this unique perspective that helps Gary stand out from most entrepreneurs and why he has been so successful in his business ventures. Chapter 9 is a brilliant example of this perspective. Once you grasp this perspective many of the other pieces of the business puzzle will fall into place for you.
The Bottom Line:
If you are trying to figure out how to use social media to build or grow a business this book is perfect for you because the advice Gary provides is effective and actionable.
Are you already using social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, etc…?
- If no, then now is the time to get on board and start using them.
- If yes, then you have already been using these tools to build your personal brand, you just need to re-prioritize your use of them to build a business too.
I would strongly recommend getting both the physical and audio versions of this book. If you can only pick one then go with the audio version because Gary narrates the book and he goes off script so much adding extra thoughts and ideas that it’s like getting 2 chapters worth of bonus material for free.
Listening to the audio version of this book was a light-bulb moment for me because it opened my mind to the possibilities of internet business and is a major reason you are reading this review today.
Gary’s own words best summarize Crush It:
“Here’s the deal: if you want it badly enough, the money is there, the success is there, and the fulfillment is there. All you have to do is take it.”
Grab your copy of Crush It! from Amazon Here
