I haven't posted any book reviews lately but I have been getting through quite a few books, so it's time to rectify that. First up is Gary Vee's book #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur's Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness. I often read or listen to books that cover entrepreneurship. If you've read any of these, or listened to any related podcasts, you will have heard of Gary Vee. Gary is a Belarusian-American whose name is Gary Vaynerchuk.
I can see why a lot of people love listening to Gary. He's done well over the years. He runs a substantial business today, and invests in a number of interesting start-ups. He has what many describe as an infectious enthusiasm.
I've listened to material (like podcasts) from Gary in the past and it's fine; it's just not 100% to my taste. And this book is the same. If you haven't listened to Gary before, I wouldn't be surprised if after listening to the first chapter, you were thinking that this guy is really full of himself and quite put off.
Again though, keep in mind that he really has done very well using his methods.
I listened to this book from Audible as I wanted to hear it in Gary's own voice. I often get more out of books that way (rather than the voice in my head as I read), and it lets me do it when driving, etc.
This is an odd book, in that it's basically Gary answering a whole bunch of questions that people have sent to him. That does give it a sort of genuine honesty. I did though, find parts of it repetitious. He covers a wide variety of topics, from marketing, to social media ideas and futures, entrepreneurship in general, starting and running small businesses, hiring people and more.
I do like the fact that the title says it's "one entrepreneur's take on…" instead of saying "this is how you do it".
The Verdict ?
I'd rate this one 7 out of 10. Gary is a clever guy but I can imagine this book might put a bunch of people off. If you're running a business in the modern world though, I'd be surprised if you didn't learn something from it.