The One Sobering Truth About What It Means To Influence From Gary Vaynerchuk
Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too, Gary Vaynerchuk.
Gary Vaynerchuk needs no introduction.
Social media guru.
Keeping it real.
Hustle.
The man famously works 18 hour shifts (or maybe even more) and leads his life with tons of sass, emotion and keeps it real — about life, entrepreneurship and ‘hustle’.
Yet, past his tough-as-nails exterior, Gary is a giving man.
He gives a shit-load of value on all his platforms and asks for little in return.
And his latest book Crushing It, will leave you inspired. It will crush all your invisible scripts about ’not being good enough, all your excuses about not having enough time and leave them in the dust.
By the end of the book, I was so pumped up at all the possibilities available to me, I was raring to go!
Oh, but don’t get me wrong. A Gary Vaynerchuk book is never a fluffy, inspirational self-help book that dissolves in your mouth like cotton candy.
Gary knows his shit.
His social media sense and eye for opportunity is impeccable. Crushing It! is chok-full of strategies, tips and actionable advice especially on personal branding and how to maximise your impact on the different social media platforms.
You need to read this book if you work in any form of digital marketing or want to grow your personal brand.
He gives valuable tactical, yet actionable advice on social media platforms, covering everything from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, even SoundCloud and Alexa.
Gary gives away all his secrets for success in this book — build a platform, find your niche and why, provide extraordinary value to your audience from an authentic place.
Sounds simple, but Gary doesn’t give any quick-fixes or get-rich quick schemes. If you want to be a person of influence, you need to put in the work and aim for the long game.
The 3 ingredients of influence and financial success
1. A commitment to giving, service and genuine care (for your audience)
2. A desire to provide value
3. A love of teaching
At the same time, it is also an uncomfortable read.
To be a person of influence and value, you need to work.
Work.
Damm.
Hard.
If you’re serious about crushing it, every minute not spent on those obligations (like your job, your family and your spouse) should be spent producing content, distributing content, engaging with your community, or engaging in business development.
Gary pulls no punches about what it takes to be successful.
If you’re not willing to do the grind, for God’s sake do not complain when your business doesn’t grow as fast or as big as you want it to.
In a social media world full of quick fixes and self-proclaimed influencers, this is a sobering thought to everyone who wants to be a real, genuine influencer.
Are you willing to put in the work?
Are you willing to slog through building something at a relentless pace, for months, even years on end?
While reading these profiles of entrepreneurs that left behind the typical 9–5 mentality to chase their own dreams, I laughed. I cheered along with their highs and grieved along with their lows.
I gaped in astonishment at their ingenuity at seeing opportunities when others saw obstacles.
Gary shares a ridiculous range of examples, stories and situations about entrepreneurs that Crush It!
I was astounded by the feature story of how a dentist used Musical.ly to create music videos about the most unlikely thing of all — the benefits of going to a dentist for young children.
But the number one thing I took away is their ability to grind relentlessly, to practice in public and handle obstacles or rise up against discouragement.
“In most cases, you should count on this (grinding) process taking years, not months. If that bothers you, close the book”.
Are you up for this journey? Gary certainly thinks so.
“When you really own it, and you put yourself out there and be you, your vibe is going to attract your tribe, and you’re going to be able to make change in this world”.
I’m not sure if I am. But what I can do, and what others can do in this same situation — is to take one step at a time.
Stop thinking so much, and start taking action.
“No one who played it safe ever made it big. This is your life, and I promise you the chances of truly running it are slim. Short of self-destructive behaviour or a complete lack of self-awareness, there is very, very little you can do that you cannot recover from.
Be clear-eyed and strategic, be willing to work harder and longer than you ever have in your life and you won’t disappoint anyone. In fact, I predict you’ll surprise everyone.”
If you want to up your game in social media, content marketing or even personal branding, this book is for you.
This is the kind of book you don’t read once and leave on your shelf to gather dust. This is the kind of book you regularly turn to for a healthy dose of reality and no-nonsense inspiration when you’ve lost the compass in your life.
