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	<title>Plain Thoughts Blog &#187; Book Review</title>
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		<title>Book Review: Crush It!</title>
		<link>http://plainpeak.com/blog/2010/04/14/book-review-crush-it/</link>
		<comments>http://plainpeak.com/blog/2010/04/14/book-review-crush-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:26:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Book Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autobiography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[branding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unique ideas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://plainpeak.com/blog/?p=91</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a very inspiring book, suitable for anyone who has ever dreamed. &#8216;Crush It!&#8217; is written by Gary Vaynerchuk a self-made podcasting, social media guru. He started out as an entrepreneur at a very young age (10 yrs old) buying and selling baseball cards. Inspired by his parents entrepreneurial spirit and his own talent [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://winelibrary.com"><img class="alignleft" title="Crush It" src="http://www.lijit.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/book-header-trans.png" alt="" width="225" height="298" /></a>This is a very inspiring book, suitable for anyone who has ever dreamed. &#8216;Crush It!&#8217; is written by Gary Vaynerchuk a self-made podcasting, social media guru. He started out as an entrepreneur at a very young age (10 yrs old) buying and selling baseball cards. Inspired by his parents entrepreneurial spirit and his own talent and drive for success Vaynerchuk, once an adult, took his parents&#8217; discount wine store and turned it into a very successful wine boutique he renamed The Wine Library. He was a pioneer in the field of podcasting and “be yourself” online TV. He began posting shows about wine without all the pompous snobbery usually associated with that industry. He made an online show for everyone, and didn&#8217;t hide his true personality. In fact, he laid his true spirit out there, he is loud, he is energized and he really lets his audience see his passion for wine. The online show has become a hit, with a cult-like following.</p>
<p>Not one to remain standing still, Vaynerchuk has opened a media company called VaynerMedia with his younger brother. They are currently representing the NHL and Forbes amongst others.</p>
<p>&#8216;Crust It!&#8217; is written in the same style as Vaynerchuk&#8217;s podcast, it is confident and to the point. Vaynerchuk inspires readers to build a personal brand and build a fan club around whatever it is you love the most no matter if you are an entrepreneur or an employee. In this book he talks about his life and development as an entrepreneur and he also tells stories of those people he&#8217;s influenced who are, in his words “crushing it”. Vaynerchuk does give some good tips about how to build a personal brand with specific steps, but I still think the biggest value of his book is that it lifts the reader out of a negative mindset and leaves them with the notion that anything is possible if you want it bad enough.</p>
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		<title>Book Review &#8211; &#8216;The Dream&#8217; by Gurbaksh Chahal</title>
		<link>http://plainpeak.com/blog/2009/07/15/hello-world/</link>
		<comments>http://plainpeak.com/blog/2009/07/15/hello-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:48:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Book Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autobiography]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[During a rare day off work due to getting the flu, I picked up a book I had purchased a couple of months ago that I hadn&#8217;t gotten around to reading. The book is called &#8216;The Dream: How I learned the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship and made millions&#8217; it is basically an autobiography of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Learned-Rewards-Entrepreneurship-Millions/dp/0230610951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1247537802&amp;sr=8-1"><img class="alignleft" title="The Dream" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RuzT0wh7L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="240" /></a>During a rare day off work due to getting the flu, I picked up a book I had purchased a couple of months ago that I hadn&#8217;t gotten around to reading. The book is called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Learned-Rewards-Entrepreneurship-Millions/dp/0230610951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1247537802&amp;sr=8-1">&#8216;The Dream: How I learned the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship and made millions&#8217;</a> it is basically an autobiography of Indian American entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal. The book is a very easy and pleasant read with a lot of great business tips and inspirational successes. I was surprised by how engaging it was, I actually couldn&#8217;t put it down. Gurbaksh or G as he is known to friends, immigrated to the US from India along with his parents, grandmother, two sisters and older brother. He always felt like a misfit and dropped out of school, only to found a multimillion dollar company at the age of 16. The story continues, and he shares business lessons he learned the hard way and highlights how to trust your instincts. His current project is <a href="http://www.gwallet.net">www.gwallet.net</a> which is a website that aggregates online coupons and good deals. I had a look at it and will definitely check it out when I am going to make my next online purchase, some of the deals are quite amazing.</p>
<p>With all of this said, I googled Chahal and it seems he has a kind of playboy, ego, consumption-addict image which was a bit of a disappointment&#8230;who knows what he is really like&#8230;and honestly, I could care less really.</p>
<p><strong>Some other reviewer comments:</strong></p>
<p>&#8220;While success like his is often attributed to luck, Chahal&#8217;s story, like that of many immigrants, is more one of sacrifice &#8230; it was years of hard work, persistence and faith, along with the support of his family, that brought his financial rewards&#8211;not chance.&#8221;&#8211;San Francisco Chronicle</p>
<p>&#8220;Chahal is a prodigy, a successful entrepreneur, and a writer. His story is remarkable and we think it is a prime example of what can be accomplished with a little motivation and ingenuity. Young Hollywood wants to know what this young man can&#8217;t do!&#8221;&#8211;Young Hollywood</p>
<p><strong>Book image courtesy of Amazon</strong></p>
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