This is an excellent book if you need instruction into the social media/ internet marketing scene. Easy read with a lot of great content. I read it in one day. Highly recommended!

I just read Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk - and here are my 10 reasons why you should read it.
1. It's easy to read. I am not a reader and I finished it in 4 days.
2. Gary is funny.
3. It will get you fired up to pursue your dreams.
4. If you currently own your own business it will get you re-fired up to keep going.
5. It actually has practical steps on how to get stuff done through social marketing.
6. Gary has been using the techniques he talks about in his book and they are obviously working for him.
7. Gary will speak to your entrepreneurial spirit.
8. The book uses the word "hustle" a lot and that is one of my favorite words.
9. If you are already doing well in business it will inspire you to help others do the same. It's inspired me to help my father-in-law with his businesses.
10. This quote says it all "If there's any message I want you to take away , it's that 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 small stuff. In valuing legacy over currency."
Overall, I loved the book and bought two copies after I read it, one for my dad and one for my father-in-law. Brooke is also reading it and she loves it. I think the reason I loved the book is because it not only speaks to the entrepreneur inside of me but also speaks to me as a Christian. If I work as hard on expressing my faith through love and sacrifice, like Jesus did, as hard as I work on creating a great brand, how many people would come to know his love, grace and forgiveness? Why aren't more Christians using all the tools out there to reach the lost? I don't know if Gary is a Christian, I sure hope he is. Because it's guys like him that I want talking about Jesus.

review via [...]

A short and good read. While I don't agree with "every" idea contained in the book I do like the method of explaining the overall purpose. Don't follow the book verbatim, find your passion and Crush It!

Book was inspiring but not completely accurate in a couple of things. Lacked enough information in some areas. Book needed more detailed examples of how people became successful using the methods he promotes. Extreme conciseness is good for newspaper articles, but not for books that promise "how to" techniques. I definitely would recommend the book as an inspiration to get started but with the caution not to count on it as a true "how to" book.

Look, we are all busy in our day to day life and in the back of our minds we have little side projects that we'd love to do... a blog about our hobby, a fun podcast with a friend...

Well Gary Vaynerchuk's "Crush It" confirms that we should get off the couch and make due on our passions.

Why, because every niche will have a following and your passion can turn into it flourishing business that may even enable you to quit the day job that you've been doing just to pay your bills.

Gary's thoughts aren't hard to grasp, they are simple and logical. But, he is living proof and reassures us that life is short and you might as well enjoy the ride.

I would recommend this book to anyone that feels like they need a kick in the pants! And, I especially recommend the audio version where he deviates from the book and has additional anecdotes.

Peace. Crush it. And work your face off.

Maximize your impact through social networking. Vaynerchuk provides the road map, proving along the way that a funny-looking name needn't block the way to success.

When I first saw Gary speak I though, wow, this guy's personality is a bit over the top. However, I quickly changed my mind after watching more of his videos and listing to Crush It! 2x on audible. Gary's dynamic personality and passion for what he does comes out consistently in every presentation he makes - which is why I found the audible version of Crush It! more powerful than the print copy. His story is compelling enough to make you want to work that much harder at doing something you love.

Crush It! has a great blend of story and how to. Giving entrepreneurs the guidance and encouragement to move forward with a business - especially in a small niche market. The long-tail theory is totally relevant and we certainly have proven their is room small niche players on the world wide web.

Thanks for the inspiring words Gary!

This is a very short but highly inspirational book. It is well written and very easy to read. You will breeze right through it.

I think there are three major lessons to be learned from this book. The first you have probably heard many times before, but it is this: follow your passion, do what you love to do, follow your DNA. Gary repeats this lesson time and again in many different ways. He makes some very valid points that if you don't do what you are naturally inclined to do, you will not stick with it when the going gets tough.

The second lesson is that to get to the top, to be really successful takes work, lots of hard work. While it is fun to dream about the 4 Hour Workweek, Gary is brutally honest in what it takes to succeed. There is no doubt that you can and should leverage your time and other resources. But Gary tells it like it is. He gives everyone a good dose of reality. In fact he tells you that if you are not willing to invest a lot of hard work into your success, quit reading his book and settle for a job. He also gives some very valuable life lessons - "but crying about how things should be instead of embracing how things are doesn't do anyone any good." You get plenty of other gems of wisdom in the book. I really like his truthful, down to earth philosophy about what it takes to get to the top.

The third lesson is a blueprint of how he got to where he is. He tells you in broad terms the things you will need to do to build your own brand and to stand out from the crowd. The book gives you specific steps but not detailed instructions. It is an overall guide, not an instruction manual for how to implement.

Reading this book will inspire you to dream big. It will also let you know that to achieve your big dreams requires hard work. But he gives you plenty of tips on the things you need to do to make your dreams come true.

Reading the book is very interesting and inspiring. The real value is taking the lessons taught in the book and putting them into action.

I approached Crush It with a degree of scepticism having a good knowledge of branding, business models and the internet. The first chapters didn't really change my mind, not learning a great deal. But the more I read, the more I warmed to Gary's passion and wisdom.

In particular, Gary's thoughts of building a community of passionate customers was super and the summary of the various social media applications was excellent for anyone who is unfamiliar with them but more significantly practical ideas and tips on how to use each one.

I found the topic of "expertise" an interesting one. I regard myself as a great generalist, being knowledgeable and widely-read in many different areas: branding, leadership, spirituality, soccer, business models, strategy, and so on, but don't regard myself as an expert in any one area. I'd suggest this maybe many people's struggle but the beauty of the 'net is that anyone can really build an expertise. Pick an area that you're passionate about and use the 'net to consume as much about it as possible. Then monetise that knowledge. And if you don't need to monetise it or don't want to, get out there and share your new found expertise with the world.

I love the fact that Gary stressed that "success", however one defines it, doesn't come easy, there are no short cuts. Hard work, persistence, caring for your customer, are critical and if you don't bring these to the table every single day then your unlikely to Crush It.

I've been tossing up a blog idea for a few months now and this little gem was what I needed to inject me with the adrenaline and belief that I can do it. So now I'm off to get started.

If you're someone who is new to personal branding & how to build a business on the net, then Crush It is a great guidebook to get started. It's only 140+ pages, easy to read with Gary's direct style (like his videos) and finishes with a great 2 page summary listing the key steps to making it happen - achieving you're own web presence, irrespective of whether you want to make money or otherwise.

Highly recommended. Gary, a superb effort, congratulations.

If you are going to read this book with your intellect, don't bother because, this book is about passion and how you can live your life with it. It's about figuring out what floats your boat and just doing that. A well known marketer gave me this book, so I had an advantage knowing it had value or it would not have been given to me. This book promotes honesty with yourself and therefore everyone else, therefore we are encouraged to be transparent.

Gary throws out a number of areas for growth if they match your passion. Appendix A. in my opinion is worth the price of the book, I would gladly pay for a report: The 20 top tips to online success, so the rest of the book is free. You are not buying a novel here, what I came away with was a sense of purpose and possibilities for me. Gary encourages us to voice our authentic selves, to some people that is scary and promotes uncomfortable feelings. you will have to decide for yourself if you want to be you

I didn't like this book to start off with. I thought the author was a conceited idiot and wanted to stop reading. But stubbornness prevailed and I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. Starting at chapter six, I started to get the point and found myself taking notes and getting ideas. Now that I'm done with the book, I can say that I'm glad I read it. Good ideas plus conciseness (about 140 pages) are always pluses for me. One disclaimer: I haven't read many books on social media and biz dev opportunities, so I'm not sure if his ideas are truly unique or just unique to me.

I read this book for kindle. I found Crush IT to be very insightful. The internet is a complete game changer for all companies large or small, local and global. Gary introduces some concepts that are out of the scope of most people doing marketing. I specifically like all the talk about your personal brand. In the age of YouTube and picture sharing services, your personal brand is constantly under scrutiny. I think most business' could take a page out of Gary's play book, and increase their effectiveness several fold.

What is your truth? What if your career took who you are and melded it into lines of products that feel ethical and in integrity with yourself? Gary shows this process, step by step. It's not get rich quick. It's take your brand, your joy, and turn it into a lifelong stream of income. I love this book. I made a blog about it! [...]. I just love this book!

Many of us -- hell, maybe MOST of us -- have a great idea for a business inside of us. It might not be a big business. It might, in fact, be very small. But, regardless of size or scope, what we lack (again, not all of us, but many of us) is the courage and the tools to make the dream of our ideas a reality. What Gary Vaynerchuk's CRUSH IT provides is the tools necessary to get started, and the inspiration necessary to take a good idea and make it a great one. Reading it also gave me courage, and a great deal of it.

I want to start out by saying that I read ALLOT of the reviews on this website and other websites about this book allot of positives and some negatives. While I very much appreciate and value the opinions of others like myself who enjoy books like this, I have to say that I think allot of people are missing the point of this book and other books like it. You should not buy a book and expect to get rich overnight or that the ideas will solve all of your life or financial problems. Gary,and people just like him, are simply sharing a story of how "they" became successful and the process "they" took. Does that maean the exact same process will work for you? No, does it mean it MIGHT or COULD work for you? Absolutley! Most people finish reading a book and say " I don' get it?" and then get mad or frustrated then write reveiws on how it's a scam or just another get rich quick plan that does not work. Perhaps you need to read it again. When you first learned algebra in high school were you perfect at it the very first time you learned it? It highly doubt it. How many times have you watched a movie and saw something the second time that you did not see the first? The first time I read think and grow rich I was totally confused. After buying the audio version and reading the book again 2 more times , I finally got it. As I right this review this book is selling for $10.99. So the question you should be asking is NOT is this book going to make me a billionaire? You should be asking yourself, did you find or come across an idea in this book worth $10.99? I know I have already found one. There is an old success rule out there that goes like this; If you want to be successful , find someone in the field that you want to be working in who is already successful and do what they did. I know for myself that rule has worked for me in the past. I doubled my income in one year by following that rule. So you should appreaciate when successful people share their "hows" of success. All their ideas may not work for you , but what if just one of them did? I do not know Gary or work for him and I am not affiliated with him in any way shape or form. In fact this is the first time I have ever wrote a review on a website. I just get tired of people writing bad reviews on books that do not deserve to be written simply becasue the reader was expecting the "quantum leap" to success and did not get it.
My thanks are for Gary and all the successful people in this world who take time out to share their story with the rest of us.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3EDT00XJAMCKT Dane Findley of Partners Trust Real Estate in Los Angeles, CA reviews Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion - and talks about the highlights of the book.

Absolutely the best guide available for building a personal "brand" using social media. I have recommended it to several hundred of my Marketing students at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University.

After really enjoying the 4-Hour Work Week, I purchased Crush It! primarily on the strength of the reviews on Amazon.

From the first page, I found Vaynerchuck's tone to be extremely arrogant and obnoxious, and his colloquialisms distracting... distracting from the fact that the contents of the book sucks. Vaynerchuck makes no attempt at modesty, and fails to "read" how his self-aggrandizing tone may comes across to others.

He basically tells you to find your passion and directs you to which social networking accounts you can harness to spread your message. Nothing he mentions is groundbreaking or even novel

Anyone with a pulse knows what the popular SN sites are.

Stick with 4-Hour Work Week. Ferriss is a skillfull writer, and his form carries quality content. He also helps you reflect on what your passion may be, and comes up with devices to help you bring it out, if you can't locate it.

But apparently a lot of people like Crush It, with all the great reviews, so maybe they're all Crushing It.

This is a book for people who are looking for a fresh way to start. A second air to continue. This is an overview of what might be for a beginner or someone who is been around for a little while but it's having some trouble starting.

This book might inspire new people to start what they have in mind. It's for those people that in parties say: I have this idea...and don't get to start. Unless they are just talking to impress the ladies.

Give this book a try if you feel you are a go getter. You want to do your own thing. Be the boss. Make decisions. Then, YOU have to Crush it, you want to Crush it, Crush it now. Later is going to be too late.

Take care and good luck.

I'm still digesting the book, but I think I'm confident in recommending it to you. (Yes, you. In case you haven't noticed yet, everyone's a freelancer whether they want to admit it or not. Some people are freelancers with longer contracts, but the idea of a stable life-long job is long, long gone, baby.)

This book has two awesome things going for it: Mr. Vaynerchuck advocates living your passion, and he tells you it'll be hard work and may not make you rich.

All of the above are true. This book is almost more inspirational book than "how-to" - though he does give practical examples both from his own experience and from other people. But he tells you that his exact way of doing things (videoblogs, for example) may not work for you.

He then gets to the principles behind his success. Take those lessons to heart, figure out how to apply them in your situation, and then get on it. I'm not sure that I agree 100% with everything that he says, but he makes a LOT of good points and gives you a lot to think about.

He never claims it's going to be easy - he says exactly the opposite, in fact. He doesn't guarantee you riches, either - though it might just happen. It all really boils down to this:

If you're doing what you love, you'll gladly stay up late to do it. If you're not doing what you love, you'll resent every minute. Take a look at what you're doing for work. Do you love it? If not, grab a copy of this book and start reading.

Crush It!
Reviewed by Brian Wing
Crush It, Why now is the time to cash in on your passion, a book by Gary Vaynerchuk, written in 2009, is a book that discusses the use of social media and the internet to develop and market your own personal brand. The book is written in a very conversational mode, where Gary tells a story of his own brand development and the tools and methods he used to make himself the man and brand he is today. Along the way he imparts many of the core values of brand marketing and promotion.
Gary Vaynerchuk, an immigrant from Babruysk Russia, born in 1975, comes to America with his family. His father opens a liquor store in northern New Jersey. Along the way Gary educates himself in wine, a growing market, and proceeds to grow that business from a single store to a wine empire.
Gary delves into his "DNA" and talks about how he sees value in collectible items, such as baseball cards. His focus evolves into entrepreneurship and he takes over the wine business and grows winelibrary.tv into a wine empire. He has become one of the most prominent figures in the wine reviewing business, and commands a ransom to present on social media and the use of the Internet to promote branding and new business development.
The book "Crush It!" focuses on utilizing new, free tools on the Internet to capitalize on branding and developing a business. Some of the major themes include: Becoming the foremost expert in your "passion"; Use of social media and the Internet to promote yourself/brand; Differentiation; Hard work; and Caring.
In "Crush It!," Gary's first pearl of marketing wisdom is take whatever it is you love the most and develop that into a business. Educate yourself in every aspect of your passion. Read every bit of material about your subject, find others who are considered experts in that subject and learn from them. Insert yourself into the conversations on the topic and make your opinion known. Once you become an expert in your field, develop content to "sell" your ideas to others. The key to developing this rapport is building trust. Gary states over and over be authentic and original with the content and the "eyeballs" will come.
A great deal of the book is dedicated to developing and using new age media an social networks to promote your newly developed brand. As we have discussed (at great length) social media networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a multitude of others, have gained great traction with many "old school of thought" marketers. More and more Facebook and Twitter "badges" can be seen on old media promotions. For example, television advertisements will have the Facebook and/or Twitter logos at the end of the ad, and suggest that you "find us on X." This is the new value marketing play. Brand loyalty is perpetuated by "fans and followers" of these social media networks. New networks are arising daily if not hourly. One such example is "WOMMA " a website devoted to the development and support of word of mouth marketing. Large, household names like Best Buy, McDonalds, Kraft, and Pepsi-Co are all contributors.
A whole new network of social media marketing gurus has been developed. Each has a focus and specializes in certain market segments. Another, more local, company two-five media, specializes in wine and hospitality in Sonoma County. Companies now have the ability to use these social media networks to conduct targeted research as well as have "personal" communications directly with their consumers. This is the most powerful tool to come to marketing in a generation.
Differentiation is another core marketing value discussed in "Crush It!" With the Internet age upon us it is exceptionally easy to blend in with the noise and chaff. One must truly be exceptional to stand out in a crowd. A favorite quote of mine from the book is "So how are you going to differentiate yourself from all the other clowns? ("Clowns" is, of course, used in the best possible way.)" It's this, in-your-face method that Gary delivers the message that you need to be the best you that you can be. It's a challenge, no doubt. Just Googling "differentiate using social media" gives the following: Results 1 - 10 of about 59,500 for how to differentiate yourself in social media. The social media landscape is moving at light speed and a marketer needs to "hustle" just to keep up with it, which leads me to the next pearl.
Hustle! Gary Vaynerchuk makes no bones about the fact that 99% of the people who embark on a journey to "Crush It!" will not have the "chops" to get the job done. Hard work and patience are the two keys to making it happen. Another gem Gary provides is about patience, he says "If you contact me within a year of starting your business to complain that you haven't made the money you thought you would, you're not listening. I said that you could make a ton of money being happy; I didn't say you could do it overnight." Patience and hard work, seems reasonable, right?
Gary devotes an entire chapter to the next pearl of wisdom. Chapter nine is called the best marketing strategy ever. The entirety of this chapter consists of only five characters, C-A-R-E-. It may be just that, the best marketing strategy ever, many companies have lost touch with their consumers. This harkens back to the use of ethnography and psychographic segmentation. Both of these market research strategies hinge on understanding the emotional connection with brands and products as well as the behaviors that motivate a consumer to make the choices that he or she does. By "Caring" a marketer should be able to glean this information.
In summary there are some great anecdotal stories in "Crush It!" that expose Gary's brash and cavalier personality. Behind these stories lay some basic marketing strategies that can and should be applied to any marketing situation. Understand your business and be the most knowledgeable about your market and products. Use technology to your advantage. Your competition is! Differentiate yourself and stand out in that online crowd. Work your ass off but don't expect instant results, hard work takes time and patience. Finally and most importantly, take the time to care about your consumer. They are after all the sponsor of your business and their recommendations are worth more than anything you could pay for.

A timely, insightful look at today's social media landscape, Gary's personal anecdotes make for a truly inspirational read. Combine that with the straight-forward "road map" he provides to the road to social media success and you truly have a must-read book at hand. If you have the passion, if you have the product (whether physical or virtual), do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this quick read. It might just be the kick in the pants you need to get off your butt and create some magic!

great job w/the book Gary! I was watching your web 2.0 expo talk from 2008, and then navigated to your site and found the call-to-action buttons regarding your book.. i ordered it the next day on my Kindle and crushed through it in 2 days.. wow, great read! definitely lots of excellent quotes, thoughts, and inspiration to think big. I do agree that there is plenty of great content in here, and that people should take away the pieces that they feel will work best for them, and are applicable to them and their endeavors. keep hustling.

Hi
The book is outstanding source. It is a step by step how to make what ever you decide in life, is the freedom for your personal marketing.
I recomend to everyone no matter if is a 20 years old or a 50 years old.
Everyone today need a new lesson to increase a performance on the big network.
Thanks to Gary my life has new open window.
Norberto

Are there some decent tips? Yes. Is the author an accomplished business person, worthy of giving advice? Most certainly. Was there enough information in here to warrant a book instead of a pamphlet? No.

The author's conversational style, worked over by a writer, is moderately engaging, but repetitive and often without information other than some earnest cheerleading. What he needed was an editor, not a writer. Don't buy this.

I personally find Gary Vaynerchuk incredibly annoying. But, he's like Rachel Ray -- yappy and annoying, but there's some wisdom in there if you can stand to sit through it. If you like Vaynerchuk already, and have any aspirations at all do get a better job or start your own business, you'll love this book.

I think the worst part of the book is that when I read it I can hear him yelling it all at me, which is why I can't tolerate his podcasts. But, he's got some wisdom. I got this book because I'm planning to start a business, and I know I need to use modern marketing techniques. This guy knows what's what for today's businesses, and I definitely got some good, useful information out of the book. But, I did cruise through it pretty quickly, like flipping through a TV show on Tivo -- hopefully I didn't miss any little nuggets of wisdom, because I don't think I can stand to peruse through the book again.

I'm a stay at home mom and read "Crush it" as a way to learn more about social media. It prompted me to start my own business [Mobloggy] back in December. I'm trying to "crush it" on a daily basis...even with lots of little distractions:) I have started managing social media for other businesses. The advice in this book is a wonderful time saver with tons of resources. Social media is something I can do from home while caring for my young children. But, the big picture here is that Gary's book has lit a fire in me. My new at-home business pulls in about $500 a month so far. You too can dig deep, find your passion and monetize it!

There have been very few books that I have read this year that have blown me away, much less changed the way I look at things. But, Gary Vaynerchuk's new book, "Crush It: Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion" is an incredible and indispensible read for any entrepreneur, future business owner, blogger, or even the average internet user. You should read this book!

The book talks about how to grow you personal brand through patience, passion, and differentiating yourself from your competition. The book examines how to do whatever you love to do by using the internet and social media. Vaynerchuk says, "What do you want to do everyday for the rest of your life? Do that!" You will learn something from this book about living the life that you always wanted. The book talks about how anyone with enough passion and hustle can leverage the internet and social media to build your own personal brand and a business about any topic that you truly love. In the book, Vaynerchuk discusses what it takes to care about your users and customers, leveraging your DNA or your competitive advantage that makes you unique, incredible content, your marketing, the platform you choose to broadcast your ideas, creating a community, monetizing it, and finally leaving a legacy.

This book is full of motivation. It is incredible. Do what you are passionate about and "Crush It"! People who want to learn about using social media like Twitter, Facebook, and other social media marketing techniques to promote a product or business or their own personal brand will greatly benefit from reading this book. Gary's passion is infectious, and you will not be able to put his new book down.

I really enjoyed this read because Gary is able to convey his message loud and clear - It's all about PASSION. If you find something you love to do, you can make money doing it, if your passion is truly in what your doing. It all starts with passion. You can have great products, marketing, the best people, and the greatest system but if you don't have passion you lack what it takes to get to the next level.

Successful enteprenuers all have one common thread - PASSION. They had absolute passion in their ideas that swelled over into everything they did. When we are "passion focused" everything do has got to be the best we can do - our passion allows for nothing less! When we eat, breathe, and live that passion - everything we do is done with excellence.

Gary gives some great social media, branding and marketing advice and is the most interactive author on the market to date. This is a man with passion who answers emails and has live video chat sessions practically every day with his readers, he's real and down to earth. Additionally, he has a great website with content updated daily - true service after the sale! No candy coating the issues or handing you an answer - he gives you information and asks the key questions to get YOUR wheels turning!

For the Gary Haters: (Yes, unfortunately success often comes with a few knives in the back) If you don't agree with his message or are not clear - his email address is in the book, his website is listed and has contact information listed and he's happy to connect with you so go to him and get the clarity or share your point of view. This is the adult thing to do vs. bashing him with bogus Amazon reviews of his book - many of you never even read it & are dancing to someone elses drum. Man up people, find your own beat and CRUSH IT!!!

This is the book to get you going no matter what you want to do. Filled with Gary's enthusiasm (and you know about that if you've ever heard him, if you haven't, you definitely should) it will motivate you to Crush It! Gary explains how to use social media to be successful. This is a book that you start reading and can't put down. Take your passion and get started, this will tell you how.

This is one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. Actually it is one of the only books I have read in a long time. The way he tells you to just get out there and make it happen. Also to care about everyone you meet or are in contact with. Because if not for those people you would not make it and to hustle. All I want to say is Gary thanks you so much for the book. It is an amazing book and it opened my eyes to things I needed to change in my life not just for monetary purposes but just in my life in general and to help better me as a man and a father (know it man be cheesy to say but it is true).

I met Gary through the Wine Library for business a few years ago. To be honest, he is one of the only people I met in the industry that I really thought - wow - this guy is going to do what he says. I remember looking around his office at all the NY Jets stuff and thinking, "You know this dude is going to own the team." The book for me is no different. No one should read books hoping they have a magical plan for them. The reality is they should open your mind and eyes, and put some fire under your feet.

He is honest about his business background, never claims to have had $5.00 and a dream.

If we all read this book and come away with a little understanding about the dynamics in force changing media and they way we communicate - great. If we all get pumped up and our imagination ignited - even better.

I bet you the next book will be better - simply because we know Gary is listening and learning all the way.

I first heard about Gary when reading a blogging book called Beyond Blogging by Nathan Hangen and Mike C. Jones. There I had seen his past and story to how he came about to where he is presently. He is certainly an idol to many, but he makes sure he is not your idol (sorry Gary if I am putting words in your mouth) but I think he would agree with me when I say that he wants to you to be happy and not just follow someone or have an idol to think about what you could become. He wants you to become what you want ASAP and prove to others why anyone can become their idol or whoever they want to be.

Additionally, it challenges you to finally do something that you will love doing. Gary says many times during his speaking appearances who he got just 1% unhappy with what he was doing and decided that things needed to change.

I have discussed this book with many of my friends because I believe that we all can "Crush it!" and be happy and successful. The problem is that they just do not believe in the non-traditional things of becoming successful, which is what Gary talks about. As a college student this book has really pushed me to focus on what I want to really do with my life and I recommend making many mind maps while reading this book.

All I have to say is if you go into reading this book with a positive/ open mindset you will be glad when you are finished reading the book.

I will recommend reading the book Tribes by Seth Godin together with this book.
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

I really liked this book for the simple fact that it is such a new subject i.e. social media. It is a perfect read for anyone in the wine trade. Whether salesperson or marketing or producer principal or restaurant or store. This is a must read and helpful to all of us that have a wine to sell. I have now bought a few copies for friends in the wine community and you have to like where Gary is taking us. It is the new frontier of media. The consumers have the power and you have to engage them like never before. Traditional media is still working but because there are so many brands now and so many voices out there. Buy it and Crush It! [...]

I can depend on knowing that when people start giving their Unsolicited NEGATIVE comments about anything, that is when I start looking into the next BEST thing. Gary's book, "CRUSH-IT" opened my eyes to the intricate world of social marketing and networking. Immediate feedback from the social network is an awesome marketing tool. Every business can benefit from Gary's insights. Gary changed the profits from his families brick and mortar liquor and wine business and made himself an authority on wine with his explosive visionary ideas. The "new-media" changes faster that a blink of an eye so getting "Crush it" as soon as possible will put you and your business in the forefront of this mega-marketing network.
Frank Gasiorowski
"Mr90DayGoals"
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Gary Vaynerchuk's book is a breath of fresh air and leads in a direction for everyone to align their Vocation and Avocation... It is important to realize that with so many raw materials available to use in the social-digital ecosystem that there is no prescription - but Gary opens the space with passion, humor and insight. Highly Recommended.

I'm a Gary Vaynerchuk virgin, which is to say this is the first I've really heard of him and really paid any attention. I am also very new to social media marketing as I am just getting going with my business. Gary lays out the steps in an easy-to-understand way that almost anyone can understand. He makes it relevant but he also makes you motivated. It almost seems like he is talking directly to you, as if to say "hey you..yeah, you on the sofa with the chips..get up off your butt and go CRUSH IT!!"

Need a kick start for your business or project? Learn from a really fun guy who has done a great job for his family business. Gary Vaynerchuck is the poster-boy for social media. Learn and implement what he teaches, so you can massively improve the quality of your life!

I first discovered GV in 2007. My friends and I launched our own website late that year and followed his advice. We hustled, got in the trenches, worked hard, and most of all we cared. 3 years later, we have one of the largest and most influential sites in our niche and new and exciting opportunities are presented to us almost daily. Sure we're not millionaires but we're HAPPY and so grateful that we to get to do what we do everyday. We've made so many friends along this journey and the experiences that we have been blessed to receive have been tremendous. This was all made possible because of the lessons from Gary and he covers almost all of them in this book (Gotta save some stuff for 'The Thank You Economy ;) ).

This book is not for those looking to make a quick buck, or think they can cruise their way to millions. This is for people who want to change the world and their lives in the process. Business is not easy, but it has never been easier to get into the game. The tools and what really matters is what is in this book.

Folks I'm not here to write six paragraphs on why I do or don't like Gary's book. I simply want to say this: There are several authors and books I've read over the past twenty years that have made huge impacts in various areas of my life. And Gary's book is one of them. Last year I had never heard of Gary or his book. But I got a call to listen to him on NPR. I was so intrigued by what he was saying I bought the book. It has opened up the world of social media to me and inspired me to finally launch the business I had been thinking about for the last four years. I've read it several times for inspiration and I keep coming back to it for tips and insights. If you're seriously interested in social media or just plain curious about the subject, it is a must-read!

This may not be new material, but there are a lot of people out there that need to read stuff over and over to have that "revelation" or that "aha moment" come to the surface. Gary v has a lot of intensity, passion, drive and energy and he does a great job of motivating people. He does bring up some new stuff and the stuff that's been said he says in a different way. I think it's a great, very helpful book.

My husband and I went to see Gary speak. His enthusiasm for this new marketing model is apparent in everything he does (podcasts, books, speaking engagements, etc). Don't let any negative feedback on Amazon deter you from experiencing this book (in any of its forms). While specifics may change (one week people are using ping, the next week they're not), overall the message shines through: follow your passion, "do what you do" and you'll be happy (Life Is Good ;-)

Gary's message is part of a whole new movement of "positivity" and constructivism in everything from business to psychology. Focus on what your strength is (knitting to re-building carburetors) and get a blog setup. Use your blog to spread your word and get connected via online social networking services (such as facebook, twitter, youtube) and marketing services (such as, Google AdSense/AdWords or becoming an affiliate of Amazon, Audible, Netflix, iTunes, etc). Not only will your positive message begin to inform people and "construct" their new understanding of the world (and specifically your passion), but your success will be measured in cash flow. Gary conveys that if you devote a lot of time to your passion it will be apparent in what you get back (in money, love and "thunder"). With work, what you envision and dream in your mind will manifest in reality (ie your life).

A perfect example of this new philosophy working: Yesterday I tweeted about a new product called Truvia (an all-natural/organic sugar substitute that tastes great btw) and within 24 hours they wrote me back. Not only about the product, but about my personal interests (which I made public in my Twitter profile). The company made an effort to "build their brand" by taking the time to make a personal connection with me. I felt like I had made a "friend," not only with another person, but with a company. That simple fact changes everything! Never in history could consumers feel that connected to a brand.

The "Mad Men," of the past, strived for this, but could never truly reach this level of connectivity with their customers. Now with computers, online social networking and Gary's guidance (via VaynerMedia & Crush It!), this new science of marketing should be embraced because it simply works. Corporations that follow this philosophy will rise and those who are "stuck in the past" (ie Xerox, Ethan Allen, GM) will slowly fall.

If you are interested in building your business (big or small) or the science of marketing BUY CRUSH IT! You won't regret it.

Also, checkout books by Eckhart Tolle, Tim Ferris, Daniel Pink, & "The Secret"

"Crush it" is one of the best books written about the power of passion and enthusiasm. Gary talks from the heart and whether you agree with his methods or not the lesson is in the depth of his conviction. Gary leaves nothing on the field and makes no apologies about winning. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to take responsibility for their success. His stories are excuse removers and challenge all procrastination. Gary, well done.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3V3W49J8Z51GI The first ever episode of MyWants.tv. Kelsi starts it with a review of Gary Vaynerchuk's book Crush It! If you are not happy with your day job, go after your passion with the tools and technology of the internet and Crush It!

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

I was completely blown away when I read this book. I considered myself to be on the up and up in the social media industry but after reading this book and soon discovered that I def wasn't. Gary totally drives home the importance of personal branding and keeps it very real! I first got "Crush it" on audio from itunes but then after realizing there was so much content and not being able to take notes fast enough I decided to get the book so i could have a reference copy of everything he said. I listen to the audio often and have also read the book to make sure i soaked up everything i could. I have since started applying his techniques and have built a pretty powerful personal brand and launched 2 successful websites of which i am in the process of securing a very significant amount of money in ad revenue from. I highly recommend this book!

I always use Tony Robbins as a good example of someone like Gary. The thing is Gary is uncensored and totally, sometimes painfully, honest. After seeing him speak in Austin during SXSW I purchased Crush It.

If you are stuck in a rut in your career, or if you know someone who is, you MUST buy them Crush It. I was left with so many ideas that my head is ready to pop like a champagne bottle!

Gary crushed me. What more can I say?

Since social media/social networking is the buzzword of the day for anybody looking to sell a product or to brand themselves, Crush It is a must read, step by step, virtually up to date "How to" book to achieve your goals.

It makes new technologies in this fast changing space easy to understand for those of us dinosaurs that didn't grow up with MySpace, Facebook or Twitter, yet need these necessary tools to maximize our businesses.

Thank you Gary for making it easy to understand, if a little daunting to execute properly. My father always told me that to be successful in life, "you only had to work half a day" and it didn't matter if it was the first 12 hours or the second! Obviously, Gary comes from this same background.

Gentle Breezes and Soft Landings,
Howard Freeman, DHA
Executive Producer
Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning
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I am living my life around the writings of this masterpiece! IT WILL CHANGE YOU if you let it!!! I am proof, [...]

It was a perfect book for me to read at this time in my early professional career. I love Gary's positive, creative, and marketing-focused outlook on business and his life in general. The quality of writing is very colloquial and sometimes child-like, but if you have seen any of Gary's videos, you'd understand. Imperfect writing yes, but the perfect book at an imperfect time in my life.

The following are excerpts from my review posted on January 12, 2010 at [...] and here's the actual link: [...]

Great book, I really enjoyed it. Gary Vee is not just entertaining, as it turns out, nor is he simply driven. He's an inspiring, thoughtful businessman and marketing strategist who looks well into the future to anticipate trends; all the while, keeping his eye on the ball. So what is Gary's #1 strategy? CARE.

Here's the deal: Gary can explain in his book, exactly what he means by "caring," and the thing is that it really isn't any different from the approach taken by good old-fashioned great brands, all over the world. It is one thing to say that you care, but it is an altogether different thing to actually live it. What are some of the great caring brands of our times? How about Nordstrom? How about McDonalds? How about Starbucks? He says it boils down to the quality of the communication, and he's right. "It's about listening." You listen, you give it your all, and you make adjustments when you need to.

For the complete review, please visit [...]