What is the main message of Crushing it!?

Crushing it! emphasizes the importance of personal branding and building an online presence for entrepreneurial success.

How long does it take to read Crushing it!?

The reading time for Crushing it! varies. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Is Crushing it! a good book? Is it worth reading?

Crushing it! is a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs, offering valuable insights and practical advice.

Who is the author of Crushing it!?

Gary Vaynerchuk is the author of Crushing it!.

Crushing it! Summary of Key Ideas and Review

Name: Crushing it!
Rating: 4.2 (217 reviews)
Author: Gary Vaynerchuk

Introduction

What’s in it for me? Find your own route to success.

The world has changed. Twenty years ago, if you wanted to get discovered as an actress, you’d maybe need to move to Hollywood. If you wanted to get ahead in business? You’d go to business school. Broadcast to millions? Well, it sure wasn’t easy getting a primetime TV or radio slot.

The internet and social media, by essentially doing away with industry gatekeepers, have all but destroyed the barriers to success, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a performer or any other kind of content producer. Top podcasts are streamed by millions every day. Actresses, artists and all kinds of creative professionals are discovered on YouTube and Instagram all the time. And entrepreneurs across the globe are realizing that social media gives them unparalleled opportunities to communicate directly with potential customers.

As you’ll see in these blinks, building a personal brand and cultivating it through social media is a route to success accessible to all. And that’s equally true if you’re a frustrated accountant, a food enthusiast ready to share your love of homemade preserves with the world or a fashionista seeking to monetize your sense of style.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how a father and son became famous for cutting things in half;
why Snapchat is a great training ground for marketers; and
why altruism beats self-interest if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Key idea 1 of 10

A strong and personal online brand is now one of the clearest paths to entrepreneurial success.

Ask a kid today what she wants to do when she grows up, and there’s a good chance she’ll say, “I want to be a YouTuber.” Many adults might respond with a patronizing, “That’s not a real job, sweetie.” But maybe those kids are on to something.

The explosion of social media is a game changer that’s made it possible for anyone to broadcast to a mass audience.

Let’s look at a few stats.

Worldwide, people watch 1.25 billion hours of YouTube video every day. They post 66,000 photos or videos on Instagram every single minute. And, on average, 20 percent of the time people dedicate to mobile is spent on Facebook.

The scale and power of social-media platforms make it possible for any of us to earn money from a personal brand. With only 1,000 followers, someone on Instagram can earn $5,000 per year, from just two posts a week.

Not a bad side income, right? Now think if you were posting more than twice a week.

For those that really want it, the potential to monetize a personal brand is unlimited.

Consider the author, Gary Vaynerchuk. He transformed his family wine business from a $4 million to a $60 million operation. His approach was simple: he built a strong personal brand by talking straight to customers.

He ran an unusually honest video blog, doing tastings to the camera and giving frank advice. He spent hours every day replying to every single message he got on Twitter and Facebook. He helped people and, in turn, they came to like him, trust him and buy from him. He built a one-on-one relationship with his customers – the kind of relationship that, previously, you could only form with small, neighborhood stores.

And after that? He took what he’d learned about online marketing and advised others. Today, Vaynerchuk runs a huge digital agency with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chattanooga and London.

And all because he embraced the power of his personal brand.

Key idea 2 of 10

Building a personal brand offers multiple routes to personal and financial success.

What could a wine retailer, a fashionista mom and a frustrated artist have in common? They all used a strong personal brand to lead a more successful life.

The author used his brand to sell a product – wine. But many people have no obvious product, and yet are successfully monetizing their personal brand.

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Key idea 3 of 10

There are seven principles that really matter when you build your social-media content.

A house built on weak foundations will fail, and the same is true of your social-media content.

So what really matters? It’s pretty simple: there are seven principles you need to nail.

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Key idea 4 of 10

Don’t worry about creating content. Document instead.

The idea of creating engaging content for social media might seem daunting. Sure, you love sports cars. But do you really know enough about them to run a weekly video blog on YouTube?

Well, don’t let your misgivings stop you. Focus on documenting rather than creating.

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Key idea 5 of 10

Snapchat offers unpolished reality and a real test of your branding abilities.

In 2015, the music producer DJ Khaled got lost, in the dark, on a jet ski. Attempting to get home in the dying light, he snapchatted his disorienting ordeal until finally reaching shore and safety. Already popular, his personal brand exploded.

Khaled was one of the first Snapchat stars, because he was authentic, and Snapchat is all about unvarnished authenticity.

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Key idea 6 of 10

Twitter is a great place to get noticed with a specific target audience.

Back in the day, the watercooler was the place to catch up on the latest gossip about news or a hit TV show. Now, people chew the fat on Twitter, and that conversation is taking place 24/7, with input from every corner of the globe.

But Twitter offers more than just chatter. It’s also a great platform for getting noticed.

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Key idea 7 of 10

YouTube is the best platform for creating wealth and opportunity, and you should get on it now.

Did you know young adults watch more video on YouTube than on any TV network at prime time? And while you probably won’t get on NBC anytime soon, you could be on YouTube today.

Many people hold back from YouTube because they think, “I’m no expert, and besides – I’m not that interesting!” You should banish such thoughts.

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Key idea 8 of 10

Facebook still combines clever distribution with innovation to make it the single most important channel.

Maybe you’ve heard people criticizing Facebook recently, saying it’s where baby boomers share photos of their grandkids, and that young people aren’t there anymore. Well, in reality, Facebook is still the biggest show in town. Two billion monthly active users don’t lie.

From a business perspective, Facebook’s great advantage is its flexibility for both content and distribution.

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Key idea 9 of 10

Instagram is more important than ever, with a mix of content and great discoverability.

People usually don’t complain when there’s too much beauty. But this was actually an issue for Instagram, until the site launched its Stories function, where people can post spontaneous photos and short videos, knowing that they’ll only be up for a day.

Now Instagram doesn’t suffer from being too polished – it has a perfect mix of curated and ephemeral content.

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Key idea 10 of 10

The hottest trend right now is spoken-word media: get on board before it’s too late.

Ever tried watching video while cleaning your bathroom? It’s not so easy. But listening to something? That works. By selling the ability to multitask, spoken-word media will always have a huge market.

Podcasts can be a great place to find and nail your niche.

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