Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too

by Gary Vaynerchuk

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—were actually the future of all business.

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.

See, this book is for two audiences. The first is people who know to the depths of their souls that they are born to build something great. Natural-born entrepreneurs should find all the information they need to improve their current efforts or start making plans of their own. The second audience is everyone else who wants to work. Not just the young, not just the tech-oriented. Not just professionals in established careers or those looking to renew themselves because they’ve outgrown their industry or, worse, their industry is shrinking. It’s in everyone’s best interest to build a personal brand, even if they have little interest in becoming rich or famous.

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

If there’s anything this book should teach you, it’s that the only thing stopping you from achieving lasting career and life happiness is you.

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.

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

You just have to make the choice to actually do it. I am so tired of excuses. Why not try something new? Be optimistic, exhibit patience, shut your mouth, and execute.

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

This book features entrepreneurs at all levels of financial success and all stages of influence, but those currently at the pinnacle of both share three characteristics: A commitment to service A desire to provide value A love of teaching

Passion is your backup generator when all your other energy sources start to sputter.

The graphic was a list of ways in which people could emulate the black female powerhouses of our era: write like shonda. speak like viola. walk like kerry [washington]. be fierce like taraji. be strong like regina. lead like ava.

Being unafraid of making mistakes makes everything easy for me. Not worrying about what people think frees you to do things, and doing things allows you to win or learn from your loss—which means you win either way. Hear me now: you are better off being wrong ten times and being right three than you are if you try only three times and always get it right.

Crushing it follows the laws of thermodynamics: whatever energy you put into something will manifest itself in equal amounts when it comes out. Sometimes that resulting energy gets harnessed to move muscles or machines; sometimes it dissipates, unused, into the ether. A successful entrepreneur is one who puts in enough energy to move the gears and executes well enough so the work isn’t wasted.