The good:

A classically (and inspiring) American tale of rags-to-riches success fueled by hard work and business smarts.

The bad:

For those who are active in the space, it fails to bring new ideas to the table and takes a very high level approach.

Who it’s good for:

Those who are new to the social media scene, or those who are looking for some motivation for change.

The Review:

I was really excited to read Crush It (affiliate link).  After all, it was Gary’s keynote about hustling that really inspired me to get myself into high gear.  I was so excited, in fact, that my girlfriend bought me a copy of the signed first edition for Christmas.

But after spending a holiday plane ride home reading it, I was left with a lingering sense of being underwhelmed.  I expected to come away from this book wowed, inspired and energized.  Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

That’s not to say that Crush It was without good ideas.  It has many, and some good takeaways.

Mostly:

• If you want to be successful, you have to be passionate, and you have to enjoy what you do.
  Let’s be honest here – if you’re not enjoying your work, you won’t be successful.  If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you need to make a change.
  
• If you’re not working to build your personal brand, you better get started.
  True job security is mostly a thing of the past.  Even some of the best workers get laid off from time to time.  Safeguard your career by building your personal brand.
• Choose a publishing medium that fits your personality.
  These days, it’s not hard to produce and publish great quality in many different formats.  If you’re a great writer, then blog.  Are you charismatic?  Try video.  As Gary says in the book – find what fits your DNA.
  
• The best marketing strategy ever is to care.
  This is the best passage from the entire book, and I’m glad Gary emphasized it as much as he did. Caring is important no matter how you approach marketing, but it’s especially important in the social space. You need to genuinely care about the people around you, or it just won’t work.

To me, the most interesting part of the book was Gary’s mini-biography.  For those who don’t know, Gary immigrated to the United States with his family as a young child, and spent the majority of his childhood in poverty.  From a young age, he was a businessman, from lemonade stands with multiple locations to a baseball card king, so it’s no surprise to see him in the position he’s in now.  The story proves the point that with a lot of hard work and passion, you can do just about anything.

At some point along the way, Gary mentions that he didn’t actually write the book.  He dictated it.  Unfortunately, it shows. The writing can get a bit rambling at times, and Gary’s typical enthusiasm and passion doesn’t always come through.  In the book, Gary stresses choosing a platform that fits your DNA. I don’t think this format was a great fit for his.

And Gary, if you happen to come across this review, I want you to know that I respect you and your work.

The book just wasn’t for me.

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