I make no secret of the fact I’m a Gary Vaynerchuk fan. His books form the foundation of my business book library (which is pretty extensive… I love them!), and they are the books I recommend the most too. If someone wants to find out more about social media and how it works, how to market themselves on a shoestring, the value of customer service and lots more, I refer them to Gary. I’ve just finished Gary Vaynerchuk’s latest book, Crushing It, and I want to tell you why I love it… because I really do.

Why I love Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crushing It

When I saw that Gary Vee (that’s what he calls himself too, I’m not just being casual!) said he was bringing out a new book… I was excited. I adore business books and love reading them. I find them assuring and inspiring in varying degrees… and both feelings are very nice. Gary, I believe, is a real visionary. He’s a ballsy and he makes sweeping statements… they’re all logical and well thought through, but they are sweeping. I admire his bravery, because sometimes he’s wrong (and he’s open about this too), but he’s very often right – and when he’s right, he wins. Because being right about something and not committing, not going ‘all in’ as Gary himself would say, is kind of pointless. And it’s always better to try something and have it fail than not try it and see it succeed. And I agree with that. When Gary says ‘all in’, he talks on a different level of ‘all in’ to most of us. He has invested in a number of companies with his own cold hard cash… when I say ‘all in’, I tend to download an app or buy a product… it’s a different all in, but it works just the same.

But I digress. I saw he was releasing a new book. That excited me. I hurried to Amazon and it was on flipping pre-order, due out at the end of January… and I think this was December. I ordered it straight away… and as someone who can procrastinate with the best of them, particularly over something that wasn’t even available at that point, that’s a pretty good endorsement! I regularly checked to see the estimated delivery date… then I saw other people on social with the book… then the delivery date moved. That put me in a slightly challenging mood for about an hour, but it was OK. You know. I am a grown up and it was only delayed by a couple of weeks. Then the day came. I was like a kid at Christmas when my Amazon package arrived… and it was worth the wait.

Is it like Crush It?

Umm… I’d say Crush It is its sister, and I would probably suggest buying that before you buy this one so you get a feel for it all and his ideas. Crush It is a really good read, and although it came out in 2013, it’s still very relevant today. And before you think I’m trying to spend all your money, if you buy a ‘used’ one, it’ll cost you from £1.69 plus postage. I buy a lot of used books. It doesn’t bother me that someone else has read it as I enjoy the savings, and I always get Like New, Good or Very Good, to ensure the condition is going to work for me. So if you’re thinking of getting Crushing It, pop Crush It in your basket too, because this book refers to it a lot.

So, about Crushing It… how is it different? Why is it good?

Because I love a case study. I like to see stuff in action and see the cogs behind how things work… and Crushing It does this. In this book Gary has checked in with a number of entrepreneurs who read Crush It, applied it to their life and business, and have flourished. He speaks to Pat Flynn (the legend behind Smart Passive Income… he’s a good one), John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur On Fire fame and a lot more. Seeing how these people started their business (and how it improved with a little Crush It kick) is hugely inspiring.

But it’s not just a book of case studies. Although that alone would have been a must-read book. It looks at the big platforms and refreshes the facts and stats, it talks about content (lovely, lovely content!) and more. It’s hugely inspiring, it’s very easy to read (educational and informative but very well written in my opinion) and it’s a real must read if you have any interest in business books. It’ll give you a kick up the backside (whether you think you need it or not!) and show you what’s possible. It’s the antidote to procrastination. I can’t speak highly enough of it. I’ve recommended it to so many people, and as at time I’ve writing, I’m re-reading it. It’s that good. I’m also going to re-read Crush It. One of the superstars in the book re-reads Crush It once a year… and it’s not done him any harm!

Have you read Crushing It, Crush It or any of Gary Vaynerchuk’s books? I’d love to hear what you loved and what you learnt!