Book Babble #2: Reflections on… Crushing It! - How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too

Today we have a classic charismatic character, Mr Gary Vaynerchuk and his latest fiery fusion!

Crushing It! is a 2018 follow up to Gary’s 2009 book, Crush It!. Essentially, it’s an update and review of that book along with success stories scattered throughout from people that read and applied the original work.

I haven’t actually read Crush It, so can’t comment on that but just offer some highlights on his latest offering. 

Most will have probably heard of Gary V, and some may follow him more than others. Some people love him and it’s safe to say some find him incredibly annoying. 

I’d say I’m in both camps. There are times when I find him a huge inspiration and there are others where he grates a little. One thing I can say, is that he is definitely worth listening to and there will always be a little gold nugget or insight spring from his lips. 

I won’t go fully into his background here but he was an immigrant from Belarus, took over and grew his parent’s wine business, became a big social media name and gone on to build a social media empire. You will see him all over the place if you spend any time in that space. 

Surprisingly, he’s not appeared on Steemit yet. His name(s) has been taken, presumably snapped up by him but nothing there as yet. By his own admittance, he’s not into the whole Crypto space but it’s certainly another place to display content, so I’m guessing it’s just a matter of time. Perhaps he will include it in 'Crushed It' ;)

What's in the book?

The first part is a bit of an intro and pep talk. Checking in where he left off and re-iterating what’s important. The second part is more specifically the particular platforms along with how case studies are 'crushing it' using the techniques contained. 

Some of the platforms were around back then and there a few new ones, including some exciting new technology.

He’s famous for his ‘hustle’ and may have even mentioned the word once or twice ;). 

Here are a few of my favourite snippets from the book and classic Vaynerisms…

What worked for me won’t work for you, however, and vice versa. That’s why self-awareness is so vital—you have to be true to yourself at all times.

Self-awareness is key. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s actually the most important thing in life. Discovering who you are and then applying that knowledge. 

For example, you’re not Gary Vaynerchuk. You’re not anyone but yourself. Trying to emulate someone else is a big mistake. Take on board what is useful and try and up your game for sure. But don’t overwork yourself just because you saw it on a YouTube video. Everyone is different. 

This is something Gary says all the time, so kudos to him for that. A lot of people put out various content about how to live but seem to forget the fact it’s potentially fairly irrelevant to the consumer. There are always nuggets to be gleaned but don’t follow anyone blindly as they have a complete different ‘DNA’ (GV term ;), collection of experiences, worldview and capabilities. 

pillar content

Having a central, ‘main’ place for your content. With all else feeding in and out of this focal point.

None of the people interviewed for this book knew they’d become rich; they became rich because they were incredibly, ridiculously good at what they do and worked so goddamn hard, no one else could keep up

Enjoy what you do, be good at what you do and work f-ing hard. Simple. Well, straightforward but not easy. 

living on their own terms.

The goal of anyone. Especially me. Especially us. 

If you’re earning what you need to live the life you want and loving every day of it, you’re crushing it.

Back to self-awareness. The quote speaks for itself.

At its height, influencer marketing is reality TV 2.0. I want you to think of yourself as tomorrow’s newest star.

The world has changed and ‘stars’ are being created in a new way. Jump on the bandwagon and make the most of it!

It’s a matter of survival to think beyond your current successes and constantly look for ways to create new ones so that you’re never limited to any one platform or even one topic. How do you do that? By creating a personal brand so powerful that it transcends platforms, products, and even your passion.

YOU are the brand. Use the tools, use the platforms, but be bigger than them and use them to spread your message.

A strong personal brand is your ticket to complete personal and professional freedom 

You crack this code and you can be successful whichever route you take. Everywhere you go, you're going with you!

Personal Brands Are for Everyone

Not just for the YouTube and Insta stars, or bigger celebrities. All people, in all areas of business and life can and should develop their brand (if that's what they want to do).

Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are the NBC, ABC, and CBS of our day. Your audience is waiting for you. What you need to do is figure out how you’re going to become the next Empire.

Times they are a-changin' and the future of 'TV' and content consumption is part of that shift. You can build an empire but it will be far different than 'back in the day'. In a lot of ways it's far easier as we all have access to these opportunities… although there is a fair amount of skill and effort involved due to that saturation.  

Today, the Internet is the mainstream.

Correct. And Blockchain technologies will be soon too! 

I’m thirty-seven, and I’ve been working on this since I was nineteen years old, trying to develop myself.

A quote from one of the case studies contained within the book (ie. not Gary but a guy who co-hosts a YouTube show with his son). I highlighted this for a couple of reasons: 

1, I'm 37! And 2, it's taken him 18 years and I suspect it's an ongoing process too. Of course, you can have some short-term success but in terms of the 'life leaps', you're really looking towards decades. 

We tend to have short-term thinking (not our fault) and want everything now, especially when we see others further ahead. But if we play the longer game, not only will we be more relaxed and realistic (although be careful with the word 'realistic', as it can hold you back), paradoxically we may end up making faster progress and 'making it' sooner. 

You’re going to eat shit for a long time

The grind. The hustle. Be prepared to live a very basic lifestyle. At least for now. 

That disconnect is what gives entrepreneurs like you such an early advantage.

People not quite ready for emerging technology and trends. Presents opportunity for you.

And what really matters is a pretty short list: intent, authenticity, passion, patience, speed, work, and attention.

The fundamentals, and Gary goes in to more details of each in the book. 

When you first start out, there is no time for leisure—if you want to crush it.

Of course, this is up to you. Self-awareness again. If you want to smash it in business you will need to spend the majority of your time on business activities. By all means learn the violin, but know that you may become a fairly average violin player as well as a mediocre business person. 

Content

Content is king! We’ve heard that before and a chapter is dedicated to content here. 

Document, Don’t Create

A Gary V classic quote of recent times. This is to say, instead of trying so hard to create something and maybe missing the mark, document your progress and use that as content. This can have many advantages; not least people able to follow on the journey and learn as you go. You will also have a nice record of where you were and where you are now and the steps of the journey in between. 

Let people learn who you are, then let them watch you develop into who you want to become.

Ties in with above. Bring people along for the ride!

he’s quick to reiterate that the only reason he is where he is today is because he went all in and had a spouse who was willing to go all in with him.

A reference to another case study. This shows the importance of having close relationships be fully supportive and all in with you. And the concept of being All In itself.

Everyone’s an ass until they’re a pioneer.

For sure, everything is impossible until someone does it. Easy to judge from afar.

your vibe is going to attract your tribe

I like it cos it rhymes ;)

Until ten minutes ago, you might not have even heard of Musical.ly; now you know that a dentist is out there using it and other platforms to build her business.

One of the featured SM platforms - Musical.ly. I knew about this app only from Gary V previously although I’ve never used it and am not necessarily convinced now either. I think it can work for some but there comes a point where you need to make a decision on where to stop, as there is only so much time and you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. It’s good to be omnipresent, but there is also the law of diminishing returns. And quite frankly it could all get a bit much. Did I mention self-awareness? 

It’s certainly a creative little app, and that the fact that a dentist can use it to drum up trade, then the point is well made!

Remember, you’re not trading in your day job for an easier life—there’s nothing easy about becoming an entrepreneur and influencer. You’re trading it in for a different life, one with more flexibility and fun.

There is absolutely nothing easy about it. But the rewards are obvious…

You know where we are in this game? We haven’t even heard the national anthem. We haven’t even gotten to the parking lot. I cannot wait to see what platforms we’re talking about in nine more years.

This is only the beginning folks, and far more to come… get in there now!

As long as we exist, humans will continue to embrace whatever inventions and innovations offer us the most speed and convenience. You’re not going to lose your soul if you do this. In fact, if you’re truly an entrepreneur, you’re going to get it back.

People worry about social media and technology taking something away from us as ‘humans’. It can for sure. Just watch all the dopey people walking around the street with their heads glued to their screens. However, there’s no reason it has to be this way. All this technology can actually be used to enhance the human experience. 

As ever, you use it, not the other way around. 

These tools and methods are just another way of communicating your message and building your legacy. It was ever thus, it’s just the specific methods that have changed. Don’t cry about it, embrace them and use them to the best advantage. 

What about Voice Tech? 

There are plenty of practical tips in the book of how to use Facebook, Instagram etc… many of which can be applied across the board. The principles could also be easily switched to Steemit, DTube, DSound etc. 

Most interesting to me was his chit-chat on emerging Voice-First technology. In particular, Amazon Alexa and Google Home. This is going to be big so will be worthy of some study. 

We're coming in a circle somewhat where voice tech is going to the big thing with other channels feeding in and out. Obviously video is big (and always space for the written word… let's hope so anyway, if you're a writer!), but video has its limitations and audio its advantages. That's worthy of another article, not least to say the ease of consumption. Audio you listen to practically anywhere and any circumstance, even 'multi-task'. Video you can't.

Ultimately, the people who win will be those who embrace the technologies and incorporate them all in the best way for them. 

Cheers Gary!

Gary V is a smart guy and I like him overall. I think he's genuine and has a big personality which can always be off-putting to some. They key is to dip in and out of the material out there, as it applies to you. Gary would be the first to say to stop consuming his content and go out and smash it out the park. He's the proverbial kick up the ass. 

I'm sure I'll give this a second reading at some point (maybe more) and perhaps even get the audio version if it's available and read by him. 

Whilst Gary continues his quest for the New York Jets, I'm off to hustle and crush it! ;)

And what about you - have you read this book? Or any of his other content? Any great books you'd recommend?

~ Adam
@adambarratt

Related:
- Original #BookBabble post
- Think Like Da Vinci; End of Jobs; The One Thing; Eat, Move, Sleep
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

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