Where to Start with Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and one of the most prominent voices in digital marketing and personal branding. He first gained attention by growing his family’s wine business from $3 million to $60 million through early adoption of e-commerce and YouTube, launching Wine Library TV in 2006. He went on to co-found VaynerMedia, a digital agency that grew into one of the largest independent agencies in the world, and later launched VaynerX, a media and communications holding company. Known for his relentless work ethic and direct communication style, Vaynerchuk has built a massive personal brand across every social media platform. He is a four-time New York Times bestselling author and a prolific content creator who publishes daily across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and his podcast.
Start here
Crushing It!
Gary Vaynerchuk · 288 pages · 2018 · Easy
Themes: social media, entrepreneurship, personal branding, content creation, career building
Gary Vaynerchuk’s updated guide to building a personal brand through social media, featuring dozens of case studies from entrepreneurs who turned their passions into businesses. This is the follow-up to his 2009 bestseller Crush It!, revisiting the same themes nearly a decade later with fresh proof that the strategy works.
Why Start Here
Vaynerchuk has written several books, but Crushing It! is the one that best represents his core philosophy. Crush It! made the argument that social media could transform your career. Crushing It! proves it by showing what actually happened to the people who followed that advice. The case studies give the book a depth that his earlier, more motivational work lacks.
The book also serves as the most complete guide to Vaynerchuk’s thinking on personal branding, content creation, and platform strategy. He breaks down how to approach each major social media platform, from Instagram and YouTube to podcasts and emerging channels, with specific tactical advice. Later books like Twelve and a Half explore leadership and emotional intelligence, but Crushing It! is where the core brand-building framework lives.
Starting here gives you the most practical value. You can read it, pick a platform, and start executing. Everything else Vaynerchuk has written, said, or posted builds on the ideas in this book.
What to Expect
An energetic 288 pages with Vaynerchuk’s signature directness. The book alternates between his strategic thinking and real stories from entrepreneurs at various stages. The platform chapters are the most actionable sections. Vaynerchuk’s writing style is conversational and repetitive in places, but the practical insights are solid. Best read with a notepad nearby for capturing platform-specific ideas.