Paul Thurrott Praising and Commenting on “Crush It!” by Gary Vaynerchuck

Paul Thurrott on Crush It! and Gary Vanyerchuck

Link to listen on iPhone

I love Gary Vaynerchuck, his personality, his passion, what he’s done, and what he’s doing. So at the end of last week’s Window’s Weekly podcast #139 with Paul Thurott and Leo Laporte, I was excited to hear that his Audible recommendation was Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion, the first book by Gary, which explains his how he turned his New Jersey wine store into a 70 million dollar business using Social Media, and how everyone can turn their passion into, if not a career, at least a living. This is because of the huge paradigm shift that’s happening right now in the communications revolution. Billions of dollars of advertising money is rapidly exiting “old media” and flowing into the new media world of the web. Advertising is becoming social and niche, and the advertisers are more and more diverting their budgets from the dying old media model of unengagement, the new media model of social, internet, and engaged, with the overriding theme of “real.” They are doing this because it is where the future is headed, or maybe I should say where the present is right now. They are getting more bang from their buck from interested, highly engaged, and authentic audiences, who themselves are becoming not just the consumers, but also the creators of the content that is informing the world.

Some highlights:

• “If you have any thoughts about getting ahead in life, I think you need to listen to this podcast, even if you can’t stand wine, because this guy is absolutely fascinating” – Paul Thurott
• “If I could boil it down to the simplest thing, what this book is all about, its that you need to really care about it” (i.e., the work you are doing) – P.T.
• “Anyone can start a blog. Anyone can start a website. Anyone can start a podcast. The trick is to keep doing it.” – P.T.
• “And the reason I keep doing what it is I’m doing, is because I love technology, and I love this work” – P.T.
• “I stick with things…er I should say I stick with the things I really care about. And you have to have a passion for it. You have to really care.” – P.T.
• “This is an incredible book by an incredible guy, and someone I don’t know, but respect so much.” – P.T.
• “He’s the real deal, and the essential point of this is right. The prescription in this book is absolutely right on.” – Leo Laporte
• “And you hit the nail on the head. There are times when this is going to be tough, whatever it is you choose to do is going to be tough, its going to be slow going. You may not get the rewards you want, but if you do something that you are passionate about, it will carry you through those times and you will succeed.” – Leo Laporte
• “You could jump start your life with this one. It could be that book that you go “Wow, I wouldn’t be here today, if I hadn’t read this book” – Leo Laporte