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

Well, it’s finally out! Social media rockstar, Gary Vaynerchuk, has just released his long-awaited book entitled, Crush It! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. If you rely on the Internet in any way for your livelihood, or if you’ve got plans to build an online business, then this book is a must-read.

About gary vay•ner•chuk

Nobody has succeeded at utilizing social media to create a personal brand like Gary Vaynerchuk. After primarily utilizing traditional advertising techniques to promote his family’s local wine business, Gary rapidly adopted and leveraged social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to promote Wine Library TV, his video blog about wine.

As his viewership swelled to over 80,000 a day, doors opened to a book deal, several national TV appearances, and a flurry of speaking engagements around the world. Gary’s dual identity as both a business guru and wine guy has made him the “Social Media Sommelier.”

About the book…

This book is a 90-minute read, and weighs in at just 140 pages. The tone and pace of the book is not unlike listening to Gary speak, and it’s simply loaded with practical advice, step-by-step instructions, and real-world examples. In addition to a complete, 21-step outline for building your personal brand online, Gary even “threw in” about half a dozen phenomenal business ideas for anyone with the ambition to go for it!

Because this book primarily addresses folks who are relatively new to internet-based business and social media, there wasn’t a lot of new information in this book for me. But keep in mind, I’ve been creating web sites and utilizing social media for more than a decade. Gary’s book is simply a gold mine for newbies, and is the first book I can honestly say that I will recommend to anyone everyone who is considering moving their business into the online arena.

While I didn’t take away many new strategies from this book, there was still plenty of material that challenged me on a personal level. Gary’s “three simple rules” to which he attributes his success challenged my to take a fresh look at my own priorities:

Three rules:

1. Love your family.
2. Work superhard.
3. Live your passion.

“I measure success by how happy I am, not how big the business is or how much money I’ve made. And thanks to following those three rules, I’m 100% percent happy.”

Don’t believe him? Listen to him talk for 5 minutes and you’ll become convinced. Very few people share Gary’s level of passion for what they’re doing.

What does it mean to live your passion?

According to Gary, “it means that when you get up for work in the morning — every single morning — you are pumped because you get to talk about or work with or do the thing that most interests you in the world. You no longer 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.”

When you start thinking about how to live your passion and create a livelihood from it, have the following conversation with yourself…

“Is     this     my ultimate passion?

“Yes.

“Okay. Am I good enough to be the best blogger about     this     in the world?

“Uh…”

If you can’t answer both of those questions with an emphatic, “Yes!” you are not going to win.

Summary of the book from Amazon.com…

Do you have a hobby you wish you could indulge in all day? An obsession that keeps you up at night? Now is the perfect time to take that passion and make a living doing what you love. In Crush It! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion, Gary Vaynerchuk shows you how to use the power of the Internet to turn your real interests into real businesses.

Gary spent years building his family business from a local wine shop into a national industry leader. Then one day he turned on a video camera, and by using the secrets revealed here, transformed his entire life and earning potential by building his personal brand. By the end of this book, readers will have learned how to harness the power of the Internet to make their entrepreneurial dreams come true. Step by step, Crush It! is the ultimate driver’s manual for modern business.

This was probably the best 11 bucks I’ve invested in my business, as I’m sure I’ll be recommending this book to all of my clients and friends. Click here to check out the book on Amazon.com [affiliate link].

When you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What stood out to you? Post your thoughts in the comments field below. Looking forward to the dialog!