“Crush It!” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Amy’s Rating – LOVE IT!

“Crush It!” reads like Gary Vaynerchuk speaks.  Which means I finished the book in record time and I may have developed a twitch of some sort from absorbing all that hyper energy. Overall it was an easy and fun read that got me fired right up so I don’t recommend it as a ‘before-you-go-to-bed’ kind of book.

I (obviously) expected the book to talk about social media, considering it’s the author’s claim to fame.* “Crush It!” turned out to be so much more. Sure it’s important to keep up with the ever-changing tools of social media, but as Gary says, “they are only powerful as the person who uses them.”

He delves into the depths of authenticity – SO crucial in building a personal brand! I’ve personally seen it too many times. Someone jumps on Facebook for the first time and starts posting random links and thoughts that don’t look, feel, or smell authentic… and worse, they do it every 2 minutes. I see this and immediately start scrambling to find the ‘unfriend’ or the more gentler ‘hide’ button. I make the exception for my dear Dad. Bless his heart, he’s trying and is new to this whole computer thing. (Just kidding, Dad – he’s one of the few readers I have right now, I should be nicer). 😉

Second to personal authenticity, is being true to your platform DNA. This is where me and Twitter have it out. I’m making an honest attempt at ‘tweeting’ (is that even what it’s called?) and probably breaking all tw-etiquette (yah, I made that up). This is my 3rd or 4th attempt at it and I’m by no means ‘crushing it’ on this platform. Seriously, come check out the mess I’m making – you can Follow Me on Twitter Here.

Gary recommends to use platforms that are right for your DNA. If you’re a talker/listener-type communicator, podcasts or video blogs are probably you’re deal. If you’re a writer/reader type communicator (like me) then an old-school written blog is probably more you’re thing.

But Amy, this is a WRITTEN blog so what’s your deal with Twitter?

Yes I’m a writer, and yes I suck at Twitter. Here’s why… Sure, I get to “write” on Twitter but condensing my thoughts to 140 characters is no small feat. It’s not in my DNA to be that condensed and so will Twitter stick? Maybe with a little discipline and force. I’m attempting to bend my DNA slightly to reach my market.  Will you ever see me do a video blog? Not bloody likely! I know my role and if you’ve ever seen my attempts at video blogs you would understand, (evidence of this has been destroyed – sorry!).

The bottom line is that you have to be true to your DNA! Inauthenticity** doesn’t stick. “Too many people ignore their DNA… to conform to what their families or society expects of them.”

The double helix thing was the biggest take away for me from this book, but there are a ton more gems to be discovered – everything from legacy, to passion, to family, right through to some great business ideas.

If this book doesn’t get you fired up, you may want to question whether or not you have the Entrepreneurial gene. Quite frankly, I would go as far as to say, you may want to question if you’re even human! 😉

A.

*Vaynerchuk made it onto Conan O’Brien within 18-months of launching Wine Library TV – impressive even today, but especially back in 2006!

**Making up my own words like “inauthenticity” is part of my DNA. So if you’re an English major – deal! 😛

 

Agree or disagree with my review – would love to hear it! Please post to comments or e-mail me directly at amylafleche@gmail.com.

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Image 2 (Gary Vaynerchuk) Credit: www.mixergy.com