Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk2 min read

Rating: 5/10

Can you crush it? Will you hustle and drive and turn $75 dollars of Hot Wheels cars to $1000?

Gary Vaynerchuk’s claims to guide us to success on the internet.

Unfortunately, however, Crush It is a biography that doesn’t age well. It is more of a motivational pamphlet than an actionable guide.

This book will not change your life, it will teach you about who Gary Vaynerchuk is and inspire you to comment on other people’s blogs. That’s it.

I was going to rate Crush It 4/10 but the appendix section at the end, which I wish more books had, improved the rating. Here is what is said in that appendix section, and if you really want to read this book this is all you need to read.

21 Steps to Success

1. Identify your passion
2. Make sure you can think of at least fifty awesome blog topics to ensure stickiness.
3. Answer the following questions:
   • Am I sure my passion is what I think it is?
   • Can I Talk about it better than anyone else?
4. Name your personal brand. You don’t have to refer to it anywhere in your content, but you should have a clear idea of what it is. For example, “The no-bs real-estate agent,” “The connoisseur of cookware,” “The cool guide to young-adult books boys will love to read.”
5. Buy your user name – .com and .tv, if possible – GoDaddy.com.
6. Choose your medium: video, audio, the written word.
7. Start a WordPress or Tumblr account.
8. Hire a designer.
9. Include a Facebook Connect link, Call-to-Action buttons, Share Functions, and a button that invites people to do business with you in a prominent place on your blog.
10. Create a Facebook fan page.
11. Sign up for Ping.fm or TubeMogul and select all of the platforms to which you want to distribute your content. Choosing Twitter and FAcebook is imperative; the others you can select according to your needs and preference.
12. Post your content.
13. Start creating community by leaving comments on other people’s blogs and forums and replying to comments to your own comment.
14. Use Twitter Search (or Sear.Twitter) to find as many people as possible talking about your topic, and communicate with them.
15. Use Blogsearch.Google.com to find more blogs that are relevant to your subject.
16. Join as many active Facebook fan pages and groups relating to your blog topic as possible.
17. Repeat steps 12 through 16 over and over and over and over again.
18. Do it again.
19. And Again.
20. When you feel your personal brand has gained sufficient attention and stickiness, start reaching out to advertisers and begin monetizing.
21. Enjoy the ride

Quotes

• Love your family. Work super hard. Live your passion.
• Everyone-EVERYONE-needs to start thinking of themselves as a brand. It is no longer an option; it is a necessity.
• The best business tweet of all time: “What can I do for you?”
• Create a community