"Crush It"

The Book

Crush It – Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion

Gary Vaynerchuk

What It’s About

Using an alpha male approach, as well as a desire to sell and innovate since childhood, Vaynerchuk started his career, as a teenager, in his parents’ liquor store.  He was able to spot trends and good ideas before they reached mass audiences.  Using the newly born power of the Internet and his background in wine sales, Vaynerchuk created Wine Library TV (http://tv.winelibrary.com/) and made himself a multimillionaire, despite having no media experience or credentials as an authority on wine.

Vaynerchuk’s premise is that anyone, using his or her passion, no matter how seemingly odd or obscure, can become financially successful by combining knowledge of that passion with Internet savvy.  For examples, he offers gardening or game boards, among other things, as passions that one can turn into lucrative opportunities.

In this short book, Vaynerchuk writes a lot about personal passion, but also about one’s DNA, including his own, that can propel us to move forward and combine our passions, desires, and abilities.  He instructs us to use blogs and videos, along with the vast resources of the Internet to get our word out.   But the key ingredient is passion, for our subject matter and for success.

Why I Picked This Book

I’d read this book a few years ago and liked it then.  A friend recommended it so I re-read it and got some ideas I could use, including starting this blog series.  I’ve also had another idea that is connected with this blog and combines my passion for reading with technology.

With regard to technology, it is always risky to mention or recommend websites or technology, because that information can quickly become outdated and useless.  At the date of publication, MySpace was still popular.  Interestingly, he doesn’t mention it. Perhaps the author really does have an intuitive grasp of what will work, because most of the resources he mentions are still relevant five years later.   

The author lists loving one’s family as one of his three cardinal rules.   “Work superhardc (sic),” and “Live your passion,” are the other two.  But he says, other than time with your loved ones, you won’t have time for much of anything else, because you will be immersed in your “biz dev” opportunities.   He does not promise an easy road, but he does promise a prosperous for those who are willing to do the work.

How This Can Help You

As I said, this book gave me some ideas of my own.  Vaynerchuk’s excitement and enthusiasm are evident and infectious.  This book is especially helpful for those who want to break out of the 9-5 mold.  Of course, most entrepreneurs know the hours will be much longer.  It’s almost a little overwhelming, but there are more than enough ideas.  Take what works, but be prepared to work hard.

But the most important concept is the idea that we can monetize our passions, no matter what they are.  This means what we love can make us money if we are willing to do the work.

Quotes from the Book

“Live your passion. What does that mean, anyway? It means that when you get up for work every morning, every single morning, you are pumped because you get to talk about or work with or do the thing that interests you the most in the world. You don’t live for vacations because you don’t need a break from what you’re doing—working, playing, and relaxing are one and the same. You don’t even pay attention to how many hours you’re working because to you, it’s not really work. You’re making money, but you’d do whatever it is you’re doing for free.”

“Expect this to be all consuming.”