Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

I remember the first time I watched a Gary Vee video - his website had been hacked and he was explaining what happened and how he was resolving it and his character and passion just jumped off the screen.That same character comes through right off the page in Crush It! as well. This book is not for those who are afraid of change. What Gary presents is a roadmap to understanding yourself, tapping in on your passion and building a brand around yourself to get the job done.While the book is aimed at the entrepreneur, there's a lot of takeaway for big and small businesses alike. The 13 step plan he highlights in the book can be applicable to anyone but one thing he emphasises is that while monetary cost may be low, this is going to require a heck of a lot of hours. "Just Do It" isn't a strategy that's going to work here unless you're prepared to put in those hours.Crush It! is as much about knowing yourself as knowing your audience. Gary Vee makes you think hard about what you think your "passion" is, whether you're an audio, visual or text person and what medium is best for you and if you're really going to make it work.At the end of the day, what Gary Vee encourages is building your personal brand first (not pushing your product in front of people's face!) and letting that passion energise your audience, grab their attention which then you can monetise later. If you're willing to do this, for free - it can pay back big time later.Who should read this book?If I had to pass this book to someone, I'd pass it to someone still in school or a fresh grad. Never before has having a personal brand and standing for something been so important. Maybe it'll work against you in some cases - but when you connect with the people who are genuinely interested in you for who you are and what you stand for, you'll be Crushing It.[...]

I think that Publishers Weekly's review (in the description) says it all:"there's nothing new here, and his unappealing swagger--repeated stories of how he crushed it and dominated grate particularly--gives his story more the tone of adolescent peacocking than of worthwhile and sober business advice."I enjoyed seeing his show, though. His enthusiasm is impressive. But this book is read like a very long motivational speech, and truly gives nothing new. Open a Facebook account, email 1,000's of people personally, set up a video blog and speak with an excited voice on your topic... and then wait for advertisers to chase you. That's nice, but not everyone is comfortable with putting on a show, and not every subject is "excitable".

Gary does a great job explaining the power of social media networking. He also outlines the best ways to start blogging right now. Great book! Great Info! I am currently working on building a site right now and i am using the majority of the techniques I read about in this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from a very authentic and practical entrepreneur. His energy is infectious and his willingness to give more than expected has made him very popular, especially among wine aficionados. I've heard him on seminars and he's always great for getting you pumped up. There is a practical and how-to aspect of this book that I liked and which kept it from being a predictable or sappy "If you do what you love, the money will follow" type of book. If you're considering--or operating--an online business or a business with an online presence, you'll find this quick-read book a gem.Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion