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Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
You want to learn about the path that we took at Zappos to get to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in less than ten years. You want to learn about the path I took that eventually led me to Zappos, and the lessons I learned along the way. You want to learn from all the mistakes we made at Zappos over the years so that your business can avoid making some of the same ones. You want to figure out the right balance of profits, passion, and purpose in business and in life. You want to build a long-term, enduring business and brand. You want to create a stronger company culture, which will make your employees and coworkers happier and create more employee engagement, leading to higher productivity. You want to deliver a better customer experience, which will make your customers happier and create more customer loyalty, leading to increased profits. You want to build something special. You want to find inspiration and happiness in work and in life. You ran out of firewood for your fireplace. This book makes an excellent fire-starter.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Tony Hsieh
25 books336 followersIn 1999, at the age of twenty-four, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he cofounded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO. He helped Zappos grow from almost nothing to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Places to Work For” list.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,845 reviews
March 22, 2017
Tony Hsieh has some nerve suggesting that he built a billion dollar company in pursuit of happiness. But the surprising thing is I actually think he's onto something. Something that cuts through a lot of corporate BS and really makes sense.
Tony's thesis is basically that, whatever our intermediate goals in life are (get your dream job, make a lot of money, find the right girl, etc), our ultimate goal is simply to be happy. And what's more, (this is the key), happiness in life has to come from your job as much as your personal life.
Tony lays out a framework for how he personally has used happiness to create a very unique and successful culture at Zappos - and how he personally came to that conclusion in his own life.
I heard Tony Hsieh speak several years ago, and from that had one key takeaway: that instead of spending marketing dollars acquiring customers, just have mind-blowing WOWingly good customer service - and your product will spread naturally - as people will tell their friends about their good experiences. It's harder to calculate the ROI, but it's something that makes a lot of sense, and we've definitely incorporated it into Goodreads.
Tony's Happiness frameworks has four pieces:
1. Perceived control: people need to be in control over their own fate. At Zappos reps can earn up to 20 different skill sets or "badges", and each one represents a pay raise. It's up to the employee how much money they want to make.
2. Perceived progress: nobody likes to feel like they aren't going anywhere. At Zappos they give smaller raises every 6 months instead of bigger ones annually.
3. Connectedness. Studies show that engaged employees are more productive, and the number of good friends an employee has at work is correlated with how engaged the employee is. I found this one most interesting.
4. Vision/Meaning/High Purpose. People need to believe in something bigger than themselves. The book Good to Great discusses how the truly great companies in terms of long term financial performance are those with higher purposes beyond making money. This I do believe, which is why on the Goodreads about us page our mission is stated as "to get people excited about reading".
Other things I learned about Tony that were interesting:
- Tony walked away from $20 million dollars because he didn't want to waste a year being miserable working for Microsoft.
- Tony spent every cent he made from the $265 million LinkExchange acquisition in keeping Zappos afloat. Again - admirable.
Things I learned about Zappos that were interesting:
- The Zappos Core Values actually help the company quite a lot, as they've made believing in their core values a core value.
- The Core values are the way to keep the culture strong, because they are guidelines for people hiring to keep the desired qualities and traits. Each core value has different interview questions, and employees try to gauge new candidates on each value using these questions.
- Zappos believes so much in it's culture that Tony created a program to teach other companies how it did it - called Zappos Insights.
- Zappos built a culture book filled with stories of employees describing what each of the core values means to them regarding the company. This makes the company feel like a big family.
Tony's thesis is basically that, whatever our intermediate goals in life are (get your dream job, make a lot of money, find the right girl, etc), our ultimate goal is simply to be happy. And what's more, (this is the key), happiness in life has to come from your job as much as your personal life.
Tony lays out a framework for how he personally has used happiness to create a very unique and successful culture at Zappos - and how he personally came to that conclusion in his own life.
I heard Tony Hsieh speak several years ago, and from that had one key takeaway: that instead of spending marketing dollars acquiring customers, just have mind-blowing WOWingly good customer service - and your product will spread naturally - as people will tell their friends about their good experiences. It's harder to calculate the ROI, but it's something that makes a lot of sense, and we've definitely incorporated it into Goodreads.
Tony's Happiness frameworks has four pieces:
1. Perceived control: people need to be in control over their own fate. At Zappos reps can earn up to 20 different skill sets or "badges", and each one represents a pay raise. It's up to the employee how much money they want to make.
2. Perceived progress: nobody likes to feel like they aren't going anywhere. At Zappos they give smaller raises every 6 months instead of bigger ones annually.
3. Connectedness. Studies show that engaged employees are more productive, and the number of good friends an employee has at work is correlated with how engaged the employee is. I found this one most interesting.
4. Vision/Meaning/High Purpose. People need to believe in something bigger than themselves. The book Good to Great discusses how the truly great companies in terms of long term financial performance are those with higher purposes beyond making money. This I do believe, which is why on the Goodreads about us page our mission is stated as "to get people excited about reading".
Other things I learned about Tony that were interesting:
- Tony walked away from $20 million dollars because he didn't want to waste a year being miserable working for Microsoft.
- Tony spent every cent he made from the $265 million LinkExchange acquisition in keeping Zappos afloat. Again - admirable.
Things I learned about Zappos that were interesting:
- The Zappos Core Values actually help the company quite a lot, as they've made believing in their core values a core value.
- The Core values are the way to keep the culture strong, because they are guidelines for people hiring to keep the desired qualities and traits. Each core value has different interview questions, and employees try to gauge new candidates on each value using these questions.
- Zappos believes so much in it's culture that Tony created a program to teach other companies how it did it - called Zappos Insights.
- Zappos built a culture book filled with stories of employees describing what each of the core values means to them regarding the company. This makes the company feel like a big family.
November 28, 2020
I haven’t read many business books, but when the “Delivering Happiness’ bus came to my workplace, I received a free copy, so I thought I’d give it a try.
I understand that this isn’t a ‘tell all’ or an autobiography, but what you get is a scrubbed clean Channel One telling of how to succeed in business without really trying. The advice comes off as disingenuous when even the stories of the worst times could have happy faces at the end of each paragraph.
I’ve always been very suspicious of crow baring the importance of ‘culture’ into business. It seems to me that trying to hire people you want to be friends with would eventually result in group think. It’s hard to argue, though, when Hsieh has millions of dollars and I have dozens of dollars. From my experience, though, the amount of stress a company puts on how much fun they have, the less fun they are in reality.
I’ve read that newer generations are less engaged with their jobs as a lifestyle and place family and friends first, not really mixing the two. I wonder how these attitudes will mesh with the intense, “Your coworkers are your family now” philosophies. I much rather have a professional, structured work environment, with a product that I understand and believe in, and make money equal to the amount of energy I put forth.
I did take some good away:
1) Hsieh’s story makes you realize how much you should support the Entrepreneurial spirit in kids. I was always trying to start businesses as a kid, so it was funny to hear about his trial and errors.
2) I love the theory of giving people a two grand out if they quit after the initial training. Not every job is the right fit for everyone.
3) The idea of call centers being treated as a valid business careers. No call times, no scripts, but instead hiring and training people to do their jobs professionally.
4) Building a pipeline of talent – having clear paths of how you can grow professionally.
I understand that this isn’t a ‘tell all’ or an autobiography, but what you get is a scrubbed clean Channel One telling of how to succeed in business without really trying. The advice comes off as disingenuous when even the stories of the worst times could have happy faces at the end of each paragraph.
I’ve always been very suspicious of crow baring the importance of ‘culture’ into business. It seems to me that trying to hire people you want to be friends with would eventually result in group think. It’s hard to argue, though, when Hsieh has millions of dollars and I have dozens of dollars. From my experience, though, the amount of stress a company puts on how much fun they have, the less fun they are in reality.
I’ve read that newer generations are less engaged with their jobs as a lifestyle and place family and friends first, not really mixing the two. I wonder how these attitudes will mesh with the intense, “Your coworkers are your family now” philosophies. I much rather have a professional, structured work environment, with a product that I understand and believe in, and make money equal to the amount of energy I put forth.
I did take some good away:
1) Hsieh’s story makes you realize how much you should support the Entrepreneurial spirit in kids. I was always trying to start businesses as a kid, so it was funny to hear about his trial and errors.
2) I love the theory of giving people a two grand out if they quit after the initial training. Not every job is the right fit for everyone.
3) The idea of call centers being treated as a valid business careers. No call times, no scripts, but instead hiring and training people to do their jobs professionally.
4) Building a pipeline of talent – having clear paths of how you can grow professionally.
December 6, 2015
Audiobook
Narration- excellent, various speakers
I loved this story the unique way they developed this wonderful company. Their moto, respect for each other and love of their customers is something I wish more businesses would aim for. They risked it all, they believed and they won the golden ring but they aren't relying on that ring to carry them, they are always striving for being better. There are amazing firsts, and fumbling fails but never a giving up or giving in.
I loved following the path of the most resistance with Mr. Hsieh and friends. Inspirational ? heck yeh this book is good for the developing mind and opens the mind to dreams of what could be.
The epilogue is not to be missed, stay till the end.
Narration- excellent, various speakers
I loved this story the unique way they developed this wonderful company. Their moto, respect for each other and love of their customers is something I wish more businesses would aim for. They risked it all, they believed and they won the golden ring but they aren't relying on that ring to carry them, they are always striving for being better. There are amazing firsts, and fumbling fails but never a giving up or giving in.
I loved following the path of the most resistance with Mr. Hsieh and friends. Inspirational ? heck yeh this book is good for the developing mind and opens the mind to dreams of what could be.
The epilogue is not to be missed, stay till the end.
March 11, 2017
One of the best books about business, and personal happiness, I've ever read. I found it so inspiring and I can't wait to use what I've learned with OwlCrate. To anyone out there who owns a business, big or small, I highly recommend you read this.
July 18, 2011
Recommended by Kate Burgess at FulfillNet.
Easy read. Some takeaways:
- Pg. 65 "Don't play games that you don't understand, even if you see lots of other people making money from them."
- Pg. 136 "Ask Anything" idea. Employees are encouraged to send an email and ask any question they want. The anonymous questions and answers are compiled each month and emailed to the entire company.
- Pg. 149 Re: the Culture Book..."if someone asked you to recite your corporate values or mission statement without looking it up, could you? People wonder how Zappos employees somehow remember all 10 Core Values by heart. To me, it's simple...it's easy when your company's core values are ones that apply not to just work, but to life."
- Pg. 154 Core Values:
1. Deliver WOW through service.
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Create fun and a little weirdness.
4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded.
5. Pursue growth and learning.
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication.
7. Build a positive team and family spirit.
8. Do more with less.
9. Be passionate and determined.
10. Be humble.
"Even though our core values guide us in everything we do today, we didn't actually have any formal core values for the first six or seven years of the company's history, because it was something I'd always thought of as a very "corporate" thing to do. I resisted doing it for as long as possible. I'm jus glad that an employee finally convinced me that it was necessary to come up with core values--essentially, a formalized definition of our culture--in order for us to continue to scale and grow. I only wish we had done it sooner."
- Pg. 160 "Our core values should always be the framework from which we make all of our decisions...Make at least one improvement every week that makes Zappos better to reflect our core values. The improvements don't have to be dramatic--it can be as simple as adding in an extra sentence or two to a form to make it more fun, for example. But if every employee made just one small improvement every week to better reflect our core values, then by the end of this year we will have over 50,000 small changes that collectively will be a very dramatic improvement compared to where we are today.""
- Pg. 164 "Think about what it means to improve just 1% per day and build upon that every single day. Doing so has a dramatic effect and will make us 37x better, not 365% (3.65x) better, at the end of the year. Wake up every day and ask yourself not only what is the 1% improvement I can change to make Zappos better, but also what is the 1% improvement I can change to make myself better personally and professionally. In the end we, as Zappos, can't grow unless we, as individuals, grow too.
Easy read. Some takeaways:
- Pg. 65 "Don't play games that you don't understand, even if you see lots of other people making money from them."
- Pg. 136 "Ask Anything" idea. Employees are encouraged to send an email and ask any question they want. The anonymous questions and answers are compiled each month and emailed to the entire company.
- Pg. 149 Re: the Culture Book..."if someone asked you to recite your corporate values or mission statement without looking it up, could you? People wonder how Zappos employees somehow remember all 10 Core Values by heart. To me, it's simple...it's easy when your company's core values are ones that apply not to just work, but to life."
- Pg. 154 Core Values:
1. Deliver WOW through service.
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Create fun and a little weirdness.
4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded.
5. Pursue growth and learning.
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication.
7. Build a positive team and family spirit.
8. Do more with less.
9. Be passionate and determined.
10. Be humble.
"Even though our core values guide us in everything we do today, we didn't actually have any formal core values for the first six or seven years of the company's history, because it was something I'd always thought of as a very "corporate" thing to do. I resisted doing it for as long as possible. I'm jus glad that an employee finally convinced me that it was necessary to come up with core values--essentially, a formalized definition of our culture--in order for us to continue to scale and grow. I only wish we had done it sooner."
- Pg. 160 "Our core values should always be the framework from which we make all of our decisions...Make at least one improvement every week that makes Zappos better to reflect our core values. The improvements don't have to be dramatic--it can be as simple as adding in an extra sentence or two to a form to make it more fun, for example. But if every employee made just one small improvement every week to better reflect our core values, then by the end of this year we will have over 50,000 small changes that collectively will be a very dramatic improvement compared to where we are today.""
- Pg. 164 "Think about what it means to improve just 1% per day and build upon that every single day. Doing so has a dramatic effect and will make us 37x better, not 365% (3.65x) better, at the end of the year. Wake up every day and ask yourself not only what is the 1% improvement I can change to make Zappos better, but also what is the 1% improvement I can change to make myself better personally and professionally. In the end we, as Zappos, can't grow unless we, as individuals, grow too.
June 3, 2011
Nice and honest account of Tony Hsieh's history. I'm not sure how much of his success I account for his 'genius', or simply his being in the right place at the right time. I wonder if his devotion to Zappos was really based on his gut instinct that the company would succeed, or if that is a story he has told himself to cover the fact that he was simply desperate to have it work since all of the other efforts he had funded had failed and he had wasted his riches on partying and 'finding himself'.
Regardless, I feel the 'going for broke' mentality he portrayed is not something to aspire to - and is more akin to seeing someone win the lottery after buying a million tickets and thinking 'hey, he's a genius!' - and trying to do the same.
Don't get me wrong - Hsieh defiantly made Zappos into what it is, and I love the start-up, entrepreneurial attitude...I just don't think his story is very inspirational, and people are in awe of him because of the halo effect of the Zappos sale.
Regardless, I feel the 'going for broke' mentality he portrayed is not something to aspire to - and is more akin to seeing someone win the lottery after buying a million tickets and thinking 'hey, he's a genius!' - and trying to do the same.
Don't get me wrong - Hsieh defiantly made Zappos into what it is, and I love the start-up, entrepreneurial attitude...I just don't think his story is very inspirational, and people are in awe of him because of the halo effect of the Zappos sale.
August 20, 2017
WOW. This is the most candid and informal business book I have ever read. It is stupendous from Tony left his $41000-per-year job at Oracle to he started his first company, LinkExchange, from LinkExchange was acquired by Microsoft to Tony left it because of feeling unmotivated, from Zappos' combination of drop-shipping and selling inventory products to a well-establishment of warehousing system, from Zappos' hardship in finance and warehouses to its profit of $1 billion for less than 10 years, from the company's being funded by Sequoia to being acquired by Amazon and becoming an independent entity, from no culture at LinkExchange to 10 core values at Zappos, etc. Tiki Vietnam also applies this business model (controlling its own warehouses and good customer service). It is exhilirating when he talks about business:
Never outsourcing your competitive advantage. For e-commerce, they are customer service and warehousing.
...customer service shouldn't just be a department, it should be an entire company.
Others can copy our images, our shipping, and the overall look of our Website, but they cannot copy our people, our culture, or our service.
The WOW experience is extremely vital for today's business as making customers satisfied and surprised at your service quality will result in profitability and sustainable development.
Not only did this book discussed about business but it also gave stunning ideas about friendship, networking and personal effort, and even EDM music and raving culture. Tony detests networking events and reciprocity, which I agree because I find those kinds of events awkward and uncomfortable. When we want to build rapport with others, we have to be their friends first.
I have friends from all different walks of life. Some friends I enjoy hanging out with at bars. Some friends I enjoy watching movies with. Some friends I enjoy working with. Some friends I enjoy hiking with. And some friends I enjoy writing with...
To sum up, this book should be read by everyone because I believe that everybody can benefit something from it. For me, after finishing this book, I set up one goal for me everyday:
1% improvement I can change to make myself better personally and professionally
Never outsourcing your competitive advantage. For e-commerce, they are customer service and warehousing.
...customer service shouldn't just be a department, it should be an entire company.
Others can copy our images, our shipping, and the overall look of our Website, but they cannot copy our people, our culture, or our service.
The WOW experience is extremely vital for today's business as making customers satisfied and surprised at your service quality will result in profitability and sustainable development.
Not only did this book discussed about business but it also gave stunning ideas about friendship, networking and personal effort, and even EDM music and raving culture. Tony detests networking events and reciprocity, which I agree because I find those kinds of events awkward and uncomfortable. When we want to build rapport with others, we have to be their friends first.
I have friends from all different walks of life. Some friends I enjoy hanging out with at bars. Some friends I enjoy watching movies with. Some friends I enjoy working with. Some friends I enjoy hiking with. And some friends I enjoy writing with...
To sum up, this book should be read by everyone because I believe that everybody can benefit something from it. For me, after finishing this book, I set up one goal for me everyday:
1% improvement I can change to make myself better personally and professionally
February 15, 2011
I'm not sure that Mr. Hsieh really knew what he was doing most of the time. He was obviously quite young when he enjoyed his initial success with LinkExchange, and it's hard to tell wether or not there was ever any sound basis for the decisions he made.
I liked his ideas on 'Ask Anything', and how a business should be obsessed with its customers in order to remain successful over the long term. The book also provides some interesting insights as to what it was like to start one's career right at the beginning of the dot-com boom, and life on the west coast during that era in general. I was amazed to learn how many high-risk, radical changes the leadership team was willing to introduce in the early days of Zappos in order to try and address problem areas. And how these radical interventions helped shape the culture and result in the business eventually turning profitable for the first time.
It ain't Drucker, but if you enjoy feel-good hippie business books, or have not explored the genre before, it may be an entertaining read.
I liked his ideas on 'Ask Anything', and how a business should be obsessed with its customers in order to remain successful over the long term. The book also provides some interesting insights as to what it was like to start one's career right at the beginning of the dot-com boom, and life on the west coast during that era in general. I was amazed to learn how many high-risk, radical changes the leadership team was willing to introduce in the early days of Zappos in order to try and address problem areas. And how these radical interventions helped shape the culture and result in the business eventually turning profitable for the first time.
It ain't Drucker, but if you enjoy feel-good hippie business books, or have not explored the genre before, it may be an entertaining read.
August 15, 2011
Must read from a consummate Fastlane entrepreneur; lessons about passion and violating expectations!
July 14, 2014
I like that Tony Hsieh is so straight forward about what he writes. It makes it easy to follow the story of his founding Link Exchange and then running Zappos. This isn't a groundbreaking book and the existential stuff at the end is a bit overkill for a book like this, but I appreciate the intent and I think all in all this is a great story of a entrepreneurial hustler that had some good team building habits.
Thought experiments I want to do occasionally:
When he gets offered $20 million dollars for Link Exchange and sits down to write down what he'd do with the money. I should think through what I want to do with the money I'm hoping to earn and think about whether those things are what I really believe will make me happy.
(pg. 43)
When he goes on a poker spree and spends a year just gambling he learns an important lesson:
"I'd realized that whether in poker, in business, or in life, it was easy to get caught up and engrossed in what I was currently doing, and that made it easy to forget that I always had the option to change tables. Psychologically, it's hard because of all the inertia to overcome. Without conscious and deliberate effort, inertia always wins. I'd started to force myself to think again about what I was trying to get out of life. I asked myself what I was trying to accomplish, what I wanted to do, and whether I should be sitting at a different table."
I should stop and think about other tables more regularly.
(pg. 69)
Other highlights:
"A great company is more likely to die of indigestion from too much opportunity than starvation from too little."
-Packard's Law
(pg. 89)
Zappos Core Values:
The Zappos Mission: To live and deliver WOW
1. Deliver WOW through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More with Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble
(pg. 159)
Advice on how to be a good public speaker:
"1. Be passionate
2. Tell personal stories
3. Be real"
(pg. 206)
Two big parts of making a good company culture are "perceived progress" and "connectedness" with others. Essentially, promoting people more often in smaller increments (or having more milestones) and helping people have more good friends at work are awesome ways to make your company culture great.
(pg. 234)
There are three types of happiness:
1. Pleasure (rock star happiness)
2. Passion (flow and engagement)
3. Higher purpose (being part of something bigger than yourself)
Pleasure is unsustainable and is analogous to profits in terms of a business. As much as possible I should aim to fill my life with flow activities and finding a way to be part of something bigger.
(pg. 237)
Thought experiments I want to do occasionally:
When he gets offered $20 million dollars for Link Exchange and sits down to write down what he'd do with the money. I should think through what I want to do with the money I'm hoping to earn and think about whether those things are what I really believe will make me happy.
(pg. 43)
When he goes on a poker spree and spends a year just gambling he learns an important lesson:
"I'd realized that whether in poker, in business, or in life, it was easy to get caught up and engrossed in what I was currently doing, and that made it easy to forget that I always had the option to change tables. Psychologically, it's hard because of all the inertia to overcome. Without conscious and deliberate effort, inertia always wins. I'd started to force myself to think again about what I was trying to get out of life. I asked myself what I was trying to accomplish, what I wanted to do, and whether I should be sitting at a different table."
I should stop and think about other tables more regularly.
(pg. 69)
Other highlights:
"A great company is more likely to die of indigestion from too much opportunity than starvation from too little."
-Packard's Law
(pg. 89)
Zappos Core Values:
The Zappos Mission: To live and deliver WOW
1. Deliver WOW through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More with Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble
(pg. 159)
Advice on how to be a good public speaker:
"1. Be passionate
2. Tell personal stories
3. Be real"
(pg. 206)
Two big parts of making a good company culture are "perceived progress" and "connectedness" with others. Essentially, promoting people more often in smaller increments (or having more milestones) and helping people have more good friends at work are awesome ways to make your company culture great.
(pg. 234)
There are three types of happiness:
1. Pleasure (rock star happiness)
2. Passion (flow and engagement)
3. Higher purpose (being part of something bigger than yourself)
Pleasure is unsustainable and is analogous to profits in terms of a business. As much as possible I should aim to fill my life with flow activities and finding a way to be part of something bigger.
(pg. 237)
January 25, 2018
Korrina gave Sally, Crystal and I copies of this book after Christmas, urging us to read it as a little homework to become inspired for 2018.
I have never read a business book before because, well, I've never really had the cause. Delivering Happiness was definitely an interesting look at customer service and working for and creating a company you believe in, which, YAY! I certainly feel that way about OwlCrate.
As much as Tony Shieh's life was unique and interesting to read about, my only qualm is I wanted to get to the motivating and eye-opening advice and stories earlier. It's just a niggle. I still 100% recommend this book!
I have never read a business book before because, well, I've never really had the cause. Delivering Happiness was definitely an interesting look at customer service and working for and creating a company you believe in, which, YAY! I certainly feel that way about OwlCrate.
As much as Tony Shieh's life was unique and interesting to read about, my only qualm is I wanted to get to the motivating and eye-opening advice and stories earlier. It's just a niggle. I still 100% recommend this book!
July 11, 2021
Pretty standard staple for the most part - a few early stories about an entrepreneurial childhood mindset, some early formative mistakes, and then the suspense of keeping a business afloat... The last third redeems the book somewhat.
October 1, 2012
I was already pretty familiar with many of the more unique aspects of Zappos' customer service-oriented culture, which may be why I wasn't blown away by this abbreviated history of the company. Hsieh front-loads the reader right off the bat by warning you that the book is a vague autobiography and company history and business manifesto, but it still feels like it glosses over all three. The most interesting revelations about Zappos' founding and development was how close Zappos (and Hsieh himself) both were to bankruptcy during the company's early years.
I think the big take-away lesson for me was hearing how Hsieh allowed Zappos to develop not just a customer-oriented culture, but a staff-focused culture where employees are excited to come to work because they get to spend time with each other. The seeming total lack of separation between work and personal life is a fascinating counterpoint to all the recent buzz about people trying to reclaim "work-life balance". At Zappos, it seems like there's no dichotomy here; "work" and "life" are indistinguishable. Hsieh throws huge company parties in a loft purchased for the purpose of throwing ridiculous company parties. The staff all go to raves together. He casually mentions that many pivotal decisions and ideas from the company's early years all seemed to take place at the bar. It was refreshing, for me, to hear about a company succeeding without trying to wall off the personal and professional lives of its employees.
I think the big take-away lesson for me was hearing how Hsieh allowed Zappos to develop not just a customer-oriented culture, but a staff-focused culture where employees are excited to come to work because they get to spend time with each other. The seeming total lack of separation between work and personal life is a fascinating counterpoint to all the recent buzz about people trying to reclaim "work-life balance". At Zappos, it seems like there's no dichotomy here; "work" and "life" are indistinguishable. Hsieh throws huge company parties in a loft purchased for the purpose of throwing ridiculous company parties. The staff all go to raves together. He casually mentions that many pivotal decisions and ideas from the company's early years all seemed to take place at the bar. It was refreshing, for me, to hear about a company succeeding without trying to wall off the personal and professional lives of its employees.
June 15, 2015
You know how a book can keep you anchored in the world full of frustration and distraction. You know when everything around you is whirling and when you open the book it's another world and you find joy and peace. Yeah that's my personal feeling with this book.
I brought the book with me through continuous travels, and it's my real comfort. Not just because of the book's content, but just when I feel tired with all the social media and people and forces around me, I find the book a place to hide and find myself.
Anyway, back to the review.
Written in a simple, funny, attractive voice, Delivering Happiness approaches the essential issue in life and business: do things that make us happy. Throughout the book, I find the common principles that made the success of Zappos and brought Tony to the peak of wealth and fame that have brought many people up there: having passion, being persistent and hard - working, not afraid to be weird, focusing on real values, willing to share.
I learned that to keep the organisation healthy and thriving, what to focus is building culture and core values, which many companies forget to build when growing fast. I learned that we actually need to make friends with colleagues (opposite with my previous thought that colleagues should only be colleagues), and we should build the team of people who we are comfortable hanging around outside of work. I learned that happiness has three types: pleasure, passion, and being part of something bigger than you. And let the last to be the first layer, then happiness will last.
Yes, it's a good book. Highly recommended not only for business people.
I brought the book with me through continuous travels, and it's my real comfort. Not just because of the book's content, but just when I feel tired with all the social media and people and forces around me, I find the book a place to hide and find myself.
Anyway, back to the review.
Written in a simple, funny, attractive voice, Delivering Happiness approaches the essential issue in life and business: do things that make us happy. Throughout the book, I find the common principles that made the success of Zappos and brought Tony to the peak of wealth and fame that have brought many people up there: having passion, being persistent and hard - working, not afraid to be weird, focusing on real values, willing to share.
I learned that to keep the organisation healthy and thriving, what to focus is building culture and core values, which many companies forget to build when growing fast. I learned that we actually need to make friends with colleagues (opposite with my previous thought that colleagues should only be colleagues), and we should build the team of people who we are comfortable hanging around outside of work. I learned that happiness has three types: pleasure, passion, and being part of something bigger than you. And let the last to be the first layer, then happiness will last.
Yes, it's a good book. Highly recommended not only for business people.
January 28, 2020
Summary: A great autobiography about someone we should admire in business. The story is so easy to listen to, you at first miss the messages and takeaways. Great story for how to manifest reality.
Hsieh is a purebred entrepreneur having started very young at trying to sell and build a business. This is a theme when I see people who are just amazing at getting it done.
p. 72 - "Envision, create, and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you." This was advice from a stranger. Interestingly, it's an acknowledgment more than advice for Hsieh, a kind of lean in.
p. 75 - He became CEO of Zappos to prove that LinkExchange was not a fluke. I get this. When you've succeeded there are still those that do not want to believe in you.
p. 113 - This customer service story is pretty great! I have totally done this before.
p. 127 - Taking risks, but teaching how to have that judgment call. I think there is more to it than this. Likely it comes from the hiring process itself. But I think he overlooks how rough this can be in some cultures. p. 148 on the pipeline I think is more instructive here.
p. 165 - this is the funniest FAQ about a takeover I have ever seen. I think Hsieh must be the most fun to hang out with. His personality really comes out. Love it.
"Can you talk like a banker and use fancy sounding language that we can print in business publication...." HAHAHAHAHA
"Can you talk like a lawyer now?" LMAO....
Hsieh is a purebred entrepreneur having started very young at trying to sell and build a business. This is a theme when I see people who are just amazing at getting it done.
p. 72 - "Envision, create, and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you." This was advice from a stranger. Interestingly, it's an acknowledgment more than advice for Hsieh, a kind of lean in.
p. 75 - He became CEO of Zappos to prove that LinkExchange was not a fluke. I get this. When you've succeeded there are still those that do not want to believe in you.
p. 113 - This customer service story is pretty great! I have totally done this before.
p. 127 - Taking risks, but teaching how to have that judgment call. I think there is more to it than this. Likely it comes from the hiring process itself. But I think he overlooks how rough this can be in some cultures. p. 148 on the pipeline I think is more instructive here.
p. 165 - this is the funniest FAQ about a takeover I have ever seen. I think Hsieh must be the most fun to hang out with. His personality really comes out. Love it.
"Can you talk like a banker and use fancy sounding language that we can print in business publication...." HAHAHAHAHA
"Can you talk like a lawyer now?" LMAO....
April 25, 2017
I've been on a kick with reading these leadership books I was supposed to read anywhere from 2-5 years ago. I knew going into this that Zappos, as an Amazon property, has been able to maintain their own culture and operate fairly independently from Amazon. This was a good story of how Tony started this entrepreneurial ways, as early as in his early childhood trying to sell punk buttons to people, to starting a shoe business from scratch. From interviews, I've always found Tony to be a fun and easy-going guy to listen to speak, and I really appreciated the time to reflect on Zappos core values, and what they mean to me personally, especially since at Goodreads we share some of the same core values.
September 6, 2018
Ви можете витратити багато часу на читання важких, теоретичних книг, які дадуть вам різні "tools & tips". Але якщо вам потрібна перерва, але не хочете витрачати час на читання сміття, це буде ідеальна книга.
Не часто можна насолоджуватися чудовою історією і все-таки забрати цілий ряд уроків ... насправді, на відміну від багатьо�� інших бізнес-книг, ця може кинути виклик вам робити більше, робити по-іншому і робити це зараз. Історія Тоні Шея дуже надихає.
"Ключем до успішної організації є люди, люди і ще раз люди"
Не часто можна насолоджуватися чудовою історією і все-таки забрати цілий ряд уроків ... насправді, на відміну від багатьо�� інших бізнес-книг, ця може кинути виклик вам робити більше, робити по-іншому і робити це зараз. Історія Тоні Шея дуже надихає.
"Ключем до успішної організації є люди, люди і ще раз люди"
February 12, 2019
There are some great gems in here that make it worth reading - unfortunately scattered between a lot of personal stuff that wasn't really necessary. Gives some context, for sure, but muddies the waters a bit in my opinion.
April 8, 2010
It's not often that I sit down and devour an entire book in one day, but today I read Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos') new book 'Delivering Happiness' cover to cover.
Some of my favorite classes in college were the Entrepreneurship classes I took through the Wellesley/Olin/Babson consortium. Not only were we given hands on assignments that had us creating our own businesses, but we were also introduced to a large reading list of inspirational books, and perhaps most importantly we encouraged to continue the habit of reading and learning, long after our classroom hours were over. I've read some particularly meaningful books about entrepreneurship, business, and personal development that have motivated me in the past few years - including Jim Collins''Good to Great', 'The 4-Hour Workweek' by Tim Ferriss, 'Tribes' by Seth Godin, 'Outliers' and 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell, to name just a few, and Tony Hsieh's new book 'Delivering Happiness' has earned it's place at the top of the list as one of my new favorites.
'Delivering Happiness' isn't a winded account of the history of Zappos (although frankly after reading it I'd be likely to read a thousand page book about Zappos), but an entertaining book written in Tony's own voice. It covers some of the key points in his own life and the history of Zappos giving us an idea of how they have come to be "The Happiest Place on Earth" (erm... sorry Disney World...Please Google this years Zappos April Fools video.)
Hsieh, (and by extension Zappos)has succeeded:
a) because of passion! (demonstrated vividly by personal anecdotes of childhood businesses including a wormfarm, and a personalized button company to name a few. Zappos has succeeded because a company culture is part of the passion of all of the employees.)
b) because of creativity (Hsieh demonstrated success by thinking outside of the box - Zappos culture aims to empower and reward (everyone) for creativity and finding ways to adhere to their core values. The book is full of fun anecdotes of how individuals in Zappos were given control to make their jobs fun.
c) because of a pursuit of happiness : Zappos wasn't just a job, for Hsieh it was a calling - working hard for something he believed in was one way to stay passionate and engaged in his life.
Take homes that I find particularly useful:
1. Find and cultivate passions and develop a lifelong learning habit. Know when to quit - if you wake up every Monday dreading work, it might be a good sign of it being time to start something new.
2. Sage business advice - including questions to ask when hiring new employees, considering a new job, working with investors, or working with vendors.
2. The last section of the book is about the science of happiness - worthwhile to anyone who is interested in making their lives better and more fulfilling.
Side note: I managed to get an advanced copy because I was watching Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose's random video where each had spoken briefly about how much they enjoyed the book. I immediately acted to get my hands on one, and when I went to my local tea shop I frequent to sit down and start reading my book, I looked two seats to my left, and Tim Ferriss was sitting there doing work. I opted not to be a creepy fan girl this time, but now that I've finished, if I see him again, I'll extend my thanks for the recommendation.
Some of my favorite classes in college were the Entrepreneurship classes I took through the Wellesley/Olin/Babson consortium. Not only were we given hands on assignments that had us creating our own businesses, but we were also introduced to a large reading list of inspirational books, and perhaps most importantly we encouraged to continue the habit of reading and learning, long after our classroom hours were over. I've read some particularly meaningful books about entrepreneurship, business, and personal development that have motivated me in the past few years - including Jim Collins''Good to Great', 'The 4-Hour Workweek' by Tim Ferriss, 'Tribes' by Seth Godin, 'Outliers' and 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell, to name just a few, and Tony Hsieh's new book 'Delivering Happiness' has earned it's place at the top of the list as one of my new favorites.
'Delivering Happiness' isn't a winded account of the history of Zappos (although frankly after reading it I'd be likely to read a thousand page book about Zappos), but an entertaining book written in Tony's own voice. It covers some of the key points in his own life and the history of Zappos giving us an idea of how they have come to be "The Happiest Place on Earth" (erm... sorry Disney World...Please Google this years Zappos April Fools video.)
Hsieh, (and by extension Zappos)has succeeded:
a) because of passion! (demonstrated vividly by personal anecdotes of childhood businesses including a wormfarm, and a personalized button company to name a few. Zappos has succeeded because a company culture is part of the passion of all of the employees.)
b) because of creativity (Hsieh demonstrated success by thinking outside of the box - Zappos culture aims to empower and reward (everyone) for creativity and finding ways to adhere to their core values. The book is full of fun anecdotes of how individuals in Zappos were given control to make their jobs fun.
c) because of a pursuit of happiness : Zappos wasn't just a job, for Hsieh it was a calling - working hard for something he believed in was one way to stay passionate and engaged in his life.
Take homes that I find particularly useful:
1. Find and cultivate passions and develop a lifelong learning habit. Know when to quit - if you wake up every Monday dreading work, it might be a good sign of it being time to start something new.
2. Sage business advice - including questions to ask when hiring new employees, considering a new job, working with investors, or working with vendors.
2. The last section of the book is about the science of happiness - worthwhile to anyone who is interested in making their lives better and more fulfilling.
Side note: I managed to get an advanced copy because I was watching Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose's random video where each had spoken briefly about how much they enjoyed the book. I immediately acted to get my hands on one, and when I went to my local tea shop I frequent to sit down and start reading my book, I looked two seats to my left, and Tim Ferriss was sitting there doing work. I opted not to be a creepy fan girl this time, but now that I've finished, if I see him again, I'll extend my thanks for the recommendation.
June 12, 2015
Quyển này giúp mình hiểu thêm nhiều điều chứ chưa thấm, vì mình chưa có trải nghiệm nào hay ho để thấm thía những cái này.
image:
Viết vài điều hay ho mình nhớ được:
1 Mục lục có 3 phần chính, đó chính là 3 tầng hạnh phúc theo thứ tự, mà tác giả nhận ra được. Lợi nhuận mang niềm vui (ngắn ngủi), Đam mê mang lại gì đó cũng vui, nhưng dài hơn. Còn MỤC TIÊU gì đó cao xa hơn bản thân, thì mang lại hạnh phúc, gọi là niềm vui dài dài bền bền.
2 Tony Hsieh có danh sách Before I die, I want to...., và khi đã làm việc đó rồi thì gạch bỏ: cụ thể là leo nên đỉnh núi cao nhất châu phi.
3 Thăng chức nhân viên không theo "thâm niên", mà theo bộ 20 skills. Zappos vạch ra 20 skills, ai rèn tập mài giũa được 1 skills thì lương cấp 1, còn 2 skills thì lương cấp 2, 10 skills thì lương cấp 10. Xét 6 tháng tăng lương 1 lần, tạo ra sự công bằng giữa các nhân viên, chứ không có việc "lâu năm lên lão làng".
4 Ba lợi thế cạnh tranh cốt lõi của Zappos đó là: THƯƠNG HIỆU (từ dịch vụ khách hàng đỉnh), VĂN HÓA CÔNG TY ( cái rễ để làm thương hiệu), và LỰC LƯỢNG NÒNG CỐT (luôn có đội ngủ nhiều người cốt và khi ai đó nghỉ việc thì không ảnh hưởng gì lắm). Những bí quyết, bảng giá trị... bề ngoài thì các công ty khác có thể ăn cắp được, nhưng khi Zappos đã làm cho bảng giá trị ăn sâu và nhân viên, thì hầu như không ai ăn cắp được.
5 10 giá trị cốt lõi của Zappos là được toàn thể nhân viên đồng tình, chứ không phải là cấp cao đưa ra. Nên các giá trị đó được sự cam kết mạnh mẽ
6 Cái gì cốt lõi của công ty thì không được thuê ngoài. Zappos đã đau đáu khi muốn làm dịch vụ khách hàng tốt, mà lại thuê ngoài cho bên thứ ba giao hàng, chuyển hàng, nên sau này, Zappos đã tự làm điều này vì đó là 1 trong 3 trụ của Zappos.
7 Khi hỏi WHY... WHY... WHY.... làm việc gì đó.. thì cuối cùng đều dẫn tới 1 đáp án: HẠNH PHÚC.
8 S�� liên kết với "các cổ đông" quan trọng ngang như nhân viên. Tony Hsieh lo hạnh phúc của nhân viên, mà quên chăm sóc hạnh phúc cho các cổ đông, nên sau này sợ bị các cổ đông sa thải, nên cuối cùng các cổ đông đã đổi cổ phiếu của Zappos thành cổ phiếu của Amazon, và lúc này Amazon chỉ là 1 cổng đông duy nhất nắm giữ cổ phiếu Zappos. Zappos và Amazon song kiếm hợp bích phụ vụ khách hàng.
9 Cái bìa sách hình Tony Hsieh bê cái hộp, có hàm ý là muốn giao "hạnh phúc" tới khách hàng, khi khách hàng mở giày ra, thì hạnh phúc.
10 Tháp nhu cầu Maslow áp dụng được không chỉ cho nhân viên, mà còn cho khách hàng, cổ đông.
Theo từng thang trong Maslow, áp dụng cho khách hàng
Đáp ứng kỳ vọng (nhận được đúng sản phẩm đã đặt)
Đáp ứng mong muốn (miễn phí cước vận chuyển)
Đáp ứng những nhu cầu chưa được nhận biết (ngạc nhiên khi thấy sản phẩm mình được vận chuyển trong đêm)
Và đó là 10 điều rút ra được sau khi đọc xong quyển này.
Viết xong thì nhớ tới tiki.vn, làm nhiều cái rất tương tự như Zappos. Tuyệt
4 sao! Nhiều điều mới nhưng chưa thấm!
image:
Viết vài điều hay ho mình nhớ được:
1 Mục lục có 3 phần chính, đó chính là 3 tầng hạnh phúc theo thứ tự, mà tác giả nhận ra được. Lợi nhuận mang niềm vui (ngắn ngủi), Đam mê mang lại gì đó cũng vui, nhưng dài hơn. Còn MỤC TIÊU gì đó cao xa hơn bản thân, thì mang lại hạnh phúc, gọi là niềm vui dài dài bền bền.
2 Tony Hsieh có danh sách Before I die, I want to...., và khi đã làm việc đó rồi thì gạch bỏ: cụ thể là leo nên đỉnh núi cao nhất châu phi.
3 Thăng chức nhân viên không theo "thâm niên", mà theo bộ 20 skills. Zappos vạch ra 20 skills, ai rèn tập mài giũa được 1 skills thì lương cấp 1, còn 2 skills thì lương cấp 2, 10 skills thì lương cấp 10. Xét 6 tháng tăng lương 1 lần, tạo ra sự công bằng giữa các nhân viên, chứ không có việc "lâu năm lên lão làng".
4 Ba lợi thế cạnh tranh cốt lõi của Zappos đó là: THƯƠNG HIỆU (từ dịch vụ khách hàng đỉnh), VĂN HÓA CÔNG TY ( cái rễ để làm thương hiệu), và LỰC LƯỢNG NÒNG CỐT (luôn có đội ngủ nhiều người cốt và khi ai đó nghỉ việc thì không ảnh hưởng gì lắm). Những bí quyết, bảng giá trị... bề ngoài thì các công ty khác có thể ăn cắp được, nhưng khi Zappos đã làm cho bảng giá trị ăn sâu và nhân viên, thì hầu như không ai ăn cắp được.
5 10 giá trị cốt lõi của Zappos là được toàn thể nhân viên đồng tình, chứ không phải là cấp cao đưa ra. Nên các giá trị đó được sự cam kết mạnh mẽ
6 Cái gì cốt lõi của công ty thì không được thuê ngoài. Zappos đã đau đáu khi muốn làm dịch vụ khách hàng tốt, mà lại thuê ngoài cho bên thứ ba giao hàng, chuyển hàng, nên sau này, Zappos đã tự làm điều này vì đó là 1 trong 3 trụ của Zappos.
7 Khi hỏi WHY... WHY... WHY.... làm việc gì đó.. thì cuối cùng đều dẫn tới 1 đáp án: HẠNH PHÚC.
8 S�� liên kết với "các cổ đông" quan trọng ngang như nhân viên. Tony Hsieh lo hạnh phúc của nhân viên, mà quên chăm sóc hạnh phúc cho các cổ đông, nên sau này sợ bị các cổ đông sa thải, nên cuối cùng các cổ đông đã đổi cổ phiếu của Zappos thành cổ phiếu của Amazon, và lúc này Amazon chỉ là 1 cổng đông duy nhất nắm giữ cổ phiếu Zappos. Zappos và Amazon song kiếm hợp bích phụ vụ khách hàng.
9 Cái bìa sách hình Tony Hsieh bê cái hộp, có hàm ý là muốn giao "hạnh phúc" tới khách hàng, khi khách hàng mở giày ra, thì hạnh phúc.
10 Tháp nhu cầu Maslow áp dụng được không chỉ cho nhân viên, mà còn cho khách hàng, cổ đông.
Theo từng thang trong Maslow, áp dụng cho khách hàng
Đáp ứng kỳ vọng (nhận được đúng sản phẩm đã đặt)
Đáp ứng mong muốn (miễn phí cước vận chuyển)
Đáp ứng những nhu cầu chưa được nhận biết (ngạc nhiên khi thấy sản phẩm mình được vận chuyển trong đêm)
Và đó là 10 điều rút ra được sau khi đọc xong quyển này.
Viết xong thì nhớ tới tiki.vn, làm nhiều cái rất tương tự như Zappos. Tuyệt
4 sao! Nhiều điều mới nhưng chưa thấm!
October 6, 2010
Zappos' CEO Tony Hsieh has some interesting things to say about business. In Delivering Happiness, a book that is part memoir and part business development story, Tony shares the lessons he's learned from a lifetime of trying to figure out how to make money and the unexpected places that journey ultimately led him.
The first part of the book covers Tony's personal history, including his first childhood attempts at turning a profit, his college restaurant efforts, and his co-founding of LinkExchange, which would ultimately be sold to Microsoft for more than enough money for him never to have to work again.
But Tony did continue to work again, including setting up a venture capital fund that invested in Zappos when it was a struggling online shoe company whose business model had yet to be proven. Ultimately driven by a desire to prove that his success with LinkExchange was not a one-time fluke, Tony ended up taking over as Zappos' CEO and investing everything he had into making the struggling company successful. Along the way, he came to see that there was far more to creating a successful company than just the bottom line, and he began pioneering the creation of the corporate culture that has made Zappos consistently rank as one of the best companies to work for in America.
While Tony's personal life is interesting, it was the discussion of how Zappos and its unique culture were built over time that was the most useful to me from a business standpoint. Tony shares freely those things that he feels are important in creating a successful company culture, and I admire him greatly for setting new standards with regards to how a business can be used not just for profit, but to genuinely take care of both customers and employees in a way that much of Corporate America has lost sight of.
At times, however, I also found myself frustrated with the overly general nature of the discussion. Talking about abstract concepts like mission statements is not easy, and though he made an attempt to provide examples of some things he was talking about, they often didn't hit the mark. I not infrequently found myself wishing for more specific details to help me better grasp the tangible application of what he was discussing.
Despite that frustration, the book was successful in getting me to to think about what sort of work environment we would like to create for our own employees. I also appreciated the specific examples he did give of how to create a more satisfying work environment, including allowing employees to be in control of their own advancement through setting up skill sets they can acquire at their own pace.
Unlike a lot of business memoirs, Tony opted to write this book himself. Because of this, the prose is not the most polished, but there is no question as to Tony's authenticity and his passion for his subject matter.
The first part of the book covers Tony's personal history, including his first childhood attempts at turning a profit, his college restaurant efforts, and his co-founding of LinkExchange, which would ultimately be sold to Microsoft for more than enough money for him never to have to work again.
But Tony did continue to work again, including setting up a venture capital fund that invested in Zappos when it was a struggling online shoe company whose business model had yet to be proven. Ultimately driven by a desire to prove that his success with LinkExchange was not a one-time fluke, Tony ended up taking over as Zappos' CEO and investing everything he had into making the struggling company successful. Along the way, he came to see that there was far more to creating a successful company than just the bottom line, and he began pioneering the creation of the corporate culture that has made Zappos consistently rank as one of the best companies to work for in America.
While Tony's personal life is interesting, it was the discussion of how Zappos and its unique culture were built over time that was the most useful to me from a business standpoint. Tony shares freely those things that he feels are important in creating a successful company culture, and I admire him greatly for setting new standards with regards to how a business can be used not just for profit, but to genuinely take care of both customers and employees in a way that much of Corporate America has lost sight of.
At times, however, I also found myself frustrated with the overly general nature of the discussion. Talking about abstract concepts like mission statements is not easy, and though he made an attempt to provide examples of some things he was talking about, they often didn't hit the mark. I not infrequently found myself wishing for more specific details to help me better grasp the tangible application of what he was discussing.
Despite that frustration, the book was successful in getting me to to think about what sort of work environment we would like to create for our own employees. I also appreciated the specific examples he did give of how to create a more satisfying work environment, including allowing employees to be in control of their own advancement through setting up skill sets they can acquire at their own pace.
Unlike a lot of business memoirs, Tony opted to write this book himself. Because of this, the prose is not the most polished, but there is no question as to Tony's authenticity and his passion for his subject matter.
September 8, 2013
I am absolutely blown away by this book! Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) the CEO of Zappos spoke to my passion to encourage businesses to forefront and drive customer service within their organizational culture which essentially is the brand. This book makes clear the importance of running a business from the bottom to top as opposed to the traditional iron clad top to bottom structure. By sharing with the world the cohesion that existed between Tony, colleagues and employees within the company through both obstacles and triumphs, throughout the years, it demonstrates the effectiveness of faith, determination, and the implementation of positive psychology. It also proves that these elements, if incorporated, will reap successful results both professionally and personally. I also appreciate the science of happiness framework that Tony shared at the end of the book. In my opinion, this book is a must read to anyone who has started a business and/or desire to start a business. Tony has my respect because, he took risks (monetary and otherwise) that most other businesses, CEO's etc., who may (financially) be in a position to take on behalf of their employees, would not have taken. Simply put, when it came down to it, Tony put his money where his mouth is and showed up for his employees and his company. I used to feel that corporate execs were stuffed shirts whose minds are monetarily programmed, whose heart is set on-, and life's purpose is to- chase the almighty dollar. However, Tony's book has shared a different perspective. I now see that there are CEOs like Tony who does exist. There are CEOs who are in touch with their human side, who genuinely care for their employees and understand that employees' productivity is what drives the success of the company. Employees are assets, who are imperative components worthy of investing in paid training and education to create advancement opportunities within companies and business for upward mobility. This positive positioning builds confidence in employees and creates a 'can do' attitude. If employees feel good about their job it will help them to perform better in their position. As I always say, happy employees make productive employees.
September 30, 2020
The power of storytelling. Definitely one of the most influential book on organization building. The story of Zappos and the path to happiness is something I was able to relate to in terms of culture building.
I came across Zappos years ago when I was reading this HBR book on Uncommon Service. That book was an eye opener for me. This book took me into what went in to build that culture. The evolution of what is today known as Zappos culture handbook is a fascinating store of ascension.
The first section titled profits - Tony Hseih is the serial entrepreneur with the ideas and acumen to make money. Doesn't come easy - but obviously there is no struggle - what with parties and friends. The second part when they are trying to keep Zappos - a firm they have invested afloat because they believe in it - is atypical.
The last part of higher purpose to help companies - it has to be from the heart. I loved what they are trying to do, but the theory of happiness and the resources shared were brilliant. After reading this book I have added a long list of books which Mr.Hseih asks us to refer.
Loved it.
I came across Zappos years ago when I was reading this HBR book on Uncommon Service. That book was an eye opener for me. This book took me into what went in to build that culture. The evolution of what is today known as Zappos culture handbook is a fascinating store of ascension.
The first section titled profits - Tony Hseih is the serial entrepreneur with the ideas and acumen to make money. Doesn't come easy - but obviously there is no struggle - what with parties and friends. The second part when they are trying to keep Zappos - a firm they have invested afloat because they believe in it - is atypical.
The last part of higher purpose to help companies - it has to be from the heart. I loved what they are trying to do, but the theory of happiness and the resources shared were brilliant. After reading this book I have added a long list of books which Mr.Hseih asks us to refer.
Loved it.
February 6, 2015
It takes immense courage to write an autobiography. This is a must read book which I will suggest anyone who has the habit of reading. The book is all about business. When I mean business, I mean Customer service. Starting companies with big ideas won’t go good unless we provide dedicated customer service. An innovative idea called Link Exchange, transformed his life into a millionaire. One thing I understood from he not selling the Link exchange to Jerry is - Do not settle for less than what you deserve.This book is indeed a pocket guide to profit, passions and purpose. Amazingly described each and every single situation the company went through from a normal online shoe shop to Zappos and then much more than imagination. I wonder what it took for them to have concepts like face game, personal emotion connection and PLUR’s. I’ll again read this book to understand being happy at work in depth. Hands down I give 5 starts for this amazing book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2017
Note: this is the graphic version of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.
It is a succint presentation of what surely must be largely presented in the actual book.
As it is, it lacks fluency and details, it seemed to me just a gathering of photos and ideas extracted from the book and just put here..
It is a succint presentation of what surely must be largely presented in the actual book.
As it is, it lacks fluency and details, it seemed to me just a gathering of photos and ideas extracted from the book and just put here..
May 16, 2018
Bro wants money. Bro starts company with fellow bros. Bro falls into a succession of lucky turns. Bro celebrates turns with fellow bros over tequila. I get tired of bro halfway through this audiobook and send it back to the library.
January 29, 2021
An amazing start of the book ends in an utterly mind numbing ending. 5 stars for the first half, one star for whatever the second half was, averaged to be 3.
Tony sounds like an amazing person in the first half, I just didn’t really care for Zappos. I wanted to know more about the man himself.
Tony sounds like an amazing person in the first half, I just didn’t really care for Zappos. I wanted to know more about the man himself.
April 8, 2020
(The English review is placed beneath Russian one)
По рейтингам – одна из самых знаменитых книг по бизнесу из раздела «мемуары»…в США. Это важно понимать, т.к. речь идёт не о транснациональной корпорации, которую знают во всём мире, т.е. с которой соприкасаются потребители по всему миру, с товарами и услугами, которая она предоставляет. В данном случаи речь идёт о первых э-компаниях. Причём о появившейся, развивавшейся и так и не решившей выйти за пределы США, компании. Что можно в таком случаи, живя в России, сказать? Ничего.
Итак, книга является и автобиографией и историей создания бизнеса, т.е. создания и развития компании Zappos (этой теме посвящено чуть меньше половины книги) и его – и это важно – взгляд на то, как он подходил к идеи создания подобной компании, как он шёл к ней, как строил компанию и как её развивал. Когда пишет создатель компании, это всегда повествование с одной стороны, т.е. из серии «сам себя не похвалишь — никто не похвалит». Ждать каких-то откровений тоже не стоит - всё очень гладко. Лично я, не поклонник такой гладкости, т.к. удаляя все сучки и неровности, мы создаём мифический рассказ о построении фирмы, мы создаём миф, которые невозможно перенести в реальную жизнь. Это если кто-то захочет перенять некоторые идеи (если такие есть) для себя. Поэтому о критическом или даже о нейтральном мнении забудьте сразу - это не та книга. Не зря автор вплетает небольшие куски, в которых сотрудники Zappos говорят о том, что они думают о компании, их взгляд на вещи. Разумеется, все они положительные. Да, это соотносится с тем, что автор строил ко��панию, в которой все сотрудники ощущают себя не просто работниками, а членами большой семьи. Однако не нужно быть профессором психологии, чтобы понять, что чаще всего такие благие намерения остаются только намерениями, но не реальностью. Какая на самом деле картина в компании – не известно. Может всё так благополучно, а может - нет.
Возвращаясь к главной проблеме книги, хотелось бы подчеркнуть, что живя не на территории США, мы не знаем, как работает в действительности компания, какой у неё сервис и как она смотрится в сравнении с главными конкурентами. Поэтому мы не можем сравнить компанию, мы не можем сказать: «Как верно автор подметил!». Всё что пишет автор, приходится принимать чуть ли не на веру, т.к. мы не никогда не сталкивались с фирмой. И даже больше, мы создаём в нашей голове свою собственную Zappos, которая может довольно сильно отличаться от реальной. Таким образом, мы читаем и представляем совсем другую компанию. McDonalds или продукцию Procter & Gamble мы видим и понимаем. Эту же – нет.
Так что же сделало компанию успешной, есть ответ? Да, и об этом можно прочесть в каждой второй книге по маркетингу: сервис, клиентоориентированность, улучшение всей цепочки создания ценности. Но главное, пишет автор, это качество ценности. Оставив весь пафос, связанный с «доставкой счастья», мы получим, в принципе, инновационный подход к введению бизнеса (э-коммерция), что на тот период было в действительности в новинку. Потом, качественный сервис или, скажем, клиентоориентированность в действительности, а не на бумаге. Я думаю, т.к. автор это, разумеется, нигде не упоминает, конкурентные цены. И построение лояльных отношений, как с покупателями, так и с посредниками. Всё это написано без какого-то глубокого анализа, поэтому рассчитывать на некий аналог книги по маркетингу - не стоит.
Учитывая всё вышесказанное, можно предположить, что книга будет интересна тем, кто живёт в США и кто является клиентом этой компании, но вот для всех остальных книга будет являться крайне слабым помощником в плане изучения маркетинга или менеджмента.
According to the ratings - one of the most famous books on business from the section "memoirs" ... in the United States. It is important to understand because it is not a question of a transnational corporation, which is known all over the world, i.e. with which consumers all over the world come into contact, with goods and services, which it provides. In this case, we are talking about the first e-companies. And about the company that appeared, developed and never decided to go beyond the U.S. borders. What can you say in this case, living in Russia? Nothing.
So, this book is both an autobiography and a history of the creation of business, i.e. creation and development of Zappos company (the book is devoted to this topic less than half of it) and its - and it is important - view on how the author approached the idea of creation of such a company, how he went to it, how he built the company and how he developed it. When the founder of a company writes, it is always a story on one side only, i.e. from a series of "each bird loves to hear himself sing". You shouldn't expect any revelations either - everything is very smooth. I am not a fan of such smoothness, because by removing all the knots and irregularities, we create a mythical story about the building of the company, we create a myth that cannot be transferred to real life. This is if someone wants to adopt some ideas for themselves. Therefore, forget about critical or even neutral opinion at once - this is not the right book. It's not for nothing that the author interweaves small pieces in which Zappos employees say what they think about the company. Of course, they're all positive. Yes, it is related to the fact that the author built a company in which all employees feel not just employees, but members of a large family. However, you don't have to be a professor of psychology to understand that often such good intentions remain only intentions, but not reality. It is not known what the real picture is in the company. Maybe everything is so good, but maybe not.
Returning to the main problem of the book, I would like to emphasize that living outside the U.S., we cannot know how the company works, what kind of service it has and how it looks compared to the main competitors. That's why we can't compare the company, we can't say: "As the author rightly pointed out! Everything that the author writes has to be taken on trust because we have never encountered the company. And even more, we create our own Zappos in our head, which can be quite different from the real one. So we read and represent a completely different company. McDonald's or Procter & Gamble products we see and understand.
So what made the company successful, is there an answer to that question? Yes, and you can read about it in every second book on marketing: service, being customer-oriented, improving the entire value chain. But the main thing, the author writes, is the quality of value. Leaving all the pathos associated with the "delivery of happiness", we will get an innovative approach to the introduction of business (e-commerce), which was new at that time. Then, quality service or customer focus in reality, not on paper. I think because the author does not mention it anywhere, competitive prices. And the construction of loyal relations, both with buyers and with intermediaries. All this is written without any deep analysis, so we should not count on some equivalent of the book on marketing.
Taking into account all of the above, we can assume that the book will be of interest to those who live in the U.S. and who are customers of this company, but for all the others the book will be an extremely weak assistant in terms of studying marketing or management.
По рейтингам – одна из самых знаменитых книг по бизнесу из раздела «мемуары»…в США. Это важно понимать, т.к. речь идёт не о транснациональной корпорации, которую знают во всём мире, т.е. с которой соприкасаются потребители по всему миру, с товарами и услугами, которая она предоставляет. В данном случаи речь идёт о первых э-компаниях. Причём о появившейся, развивавшейся и так и не решившей выйти за пределы США, компании. Что можно в таком случаи, живя в России, сказать? Ничего.
Итак, книга является и автобиографией и историей создания бизнеса, т.е. создания и развития компании Zappos (этой теме посвящено чуть меньше половины книги) и его – и это важно – взгляд на то, как он подходил к идеи создания подобной компании, как он шёл к ней, как строил компанию и как её развивал. Когда пишет создатель компании, это всегда повествование с одной стороны, т.е. из серии «сам себя не похвалишь — никто не похвалит». Ждать каких-то откровений тоже не стоит - всё очень гладко. Лично я, не поклонник такой гладкости, т.к. удаляя все сучки и неровности, мы создаём мифический рассказ о построении фирмы, мы создаём миф, которые невозможно перенести в реальную жизнь. Это если кто-то захочет перенять некоторые идеи (если такие есть) для себя. Поэтому о критическом или даже о нейтральном мнении забудьте сразу - это не та книга. Не зря автор вплетает небольшие куски, в которых сотрудники Zappos говорят о том, что они думают о компании, их взгляд на вещи. Разумеется, все они положительные. Да, это соотносится с тем, что автор строил ко��панию, в которой все сотрудники ощущают себя не просто работниками, а членами большой семьи. Однако не нужно быть профессором психологии, чтобы понять, что чаще всего такие благие намерения остаются только намерениями, но не реальностью. Какая на самом деле картина в компании – не известно. Может всё так благополучно, а может - нет.
Возвращаясь к главной проблеме книги, хотелось бы подчеркнуть, что живя не на территории США, мы не знаем, как работает в действительности компания, какой у неё сервис и как она смотрится в сравнении с главными конкурентами. Поэтому мы не можем сравнить компанию, мы не можем сказать: «Как верно автор подметил!». Всё что пишет автор, приходится принимать чуть ли не на веру, т.к. мы не никогда не сталкивались с фирмой. И даже больше, мы создаём в нашей голове свою собственную Zappos, которая может довольно сильно отличаться от реальной. Таким образом, мы читаем и представляем совсем другую компанию. McDonalds или продукцию Procter & Gamble мы видим и понимаем. Эту же – нет.
Так что же сделало компанию успешной, есть ответ? Да, и об этом можно прочесть в каждой второй книге по маркетингу: сервис, клиентоориентированность, улучшение всей цепочки создания ценности. Но главное, пишет автор, это качество ценности. Оставив весь пафос, связанный с «доставкой счастья», мы получим, в принципе, инновационный подход к введению бизнеса (э-коммерция), что на тот период было в действительности в новинку. Потом, качественный сервис или, скажем, клиентоориентированность в действительности, а не на бумаге. Я думаю, т.к. автор это, разумеется, нигде не упоминает, конкурентные цены. И построение лояльных отношений, как с покупателями, так и с посредниками. Всё это написано без какого-то глубокого анализа, поэтому рассчитывать на некий аналог книги по маркетингу - не стоит.
Учитывая всё вышесказанное, можно предположить, что книга будет интересна тем, кто живёт в США и кто является клиентом этой компании, но вот для всех остальных книга будет являться крайне слабым помощником в плане изучения маркетинга или менеджмента.
According to the ratings - one of the most famous books on business from the section "memoirs" ... in the United States. It is important to understand because it is not a question of a transnational corporation, which is known all over the world, i.e. with which consumers all over the world come into contact, with goods and services, which it provides. In this case, we are talking about the first e-companies. And about the company that appeared, developed and never decided to go beyond the U.S. borders. What can you say in this case, living in Russia? Nothing.
So, this book is both an autobiography and a history of the creation of business, i.e. creation and development of Zappos company (the book is devoted to this topic less than half of it) and its - and it is important - view on how the author approached the idea of creation of such a company, how he went to it, how he built the company and how he developed it. When the founder of a company writes, it is always a story on one side only, i.e. from a series of "each bird loves to hear himself sing". You shouldn't expect any revelations either - everything is very smooth. I am not a fan of such smoothness, because by removing all the knots and irregularities, we create a mythical story about the building of the company, we create a myth that cannot be transferred to real life. This is if someone wants to adopt some ideas for themselves. Therefore, forget about critical or even neutral opinion at once - this is not the right book. It's not for nothing that the author interweaves small pieces in which Zappos employees say what they think about the company. Of course, they're all positive. Yes, it is related to the fact that the author built a company in which all employees feel not just employees, but members of a large family. However, you don't have to be a professor of psychology to understand that often such good intentions remain only intentions, but not reality. It is not known what the real picture is in the company. Maybe everything is so good, but maybe not.
Returning to the main problem of the book, I would like to emphasize that living outside the U.S., we cannot know how the company works, what kind of service it has and how it looks compared to the main competitors. That's why we can't compare the company, we can't say: "As the author rightly pointed out! Everything that the author writes has to be taken on trust because we have never encountered the company. And even more, we create our own Zappos in our head, which can be quite different from the real one. So we read and represent a completely different company. McDonald's or Procter & Gamble products we see and understand.
So what made the company successful, is there an answer to that question? Yes, and you can read about it in every second book on marketing: service, being customer-oriented, improving the entire value chain. But the main thing, the author writes, is the quality of value. Leaving all the pathos associated with the "delivery of happiness", we will get an innovative approach to the introduction of business (e-commerce), which was new at that time. Then, quality service or customer focus in reality, not on paper. I think because the author does not mention it anywhere, competitive prices. And the construction of loyal relations, both with buyers and with intermediaries. All this is written without any deep analysis, so we should not count on some equivalent of the book on marketing.
Taking into account all of the above, we can assume that the book will be of interest to those who live in the U.S. and who are customers of this company, but for all the others the book will be an extremely weak assistant in terms of studying marketing or management.
March 3, 2021
Перед прочитанням, ставився до цієї книги скептично. Звісно, Тоні Шей домігся високого положення, це не черговий писака який свої мільйони заробив написанням книг про бізнес чи про успіх, а завдяки кропіткій роботі та створенню технологічних компаній. Нажаль, він загинув. Але останній рік його життя доволі суперечливий.
Читати книгу почав на одному диханні, дуже сподобалось опис різних ситуацій - починаючи від спроб в бізнесі змалку, продовжуючи вкладеними мільйонами та продажем нерухомості в компанію без прибутку в очікуванні банкрутства, і купівлею цієї компанії Амазоном за 1.2млрд доларів.
Як людина, яка планує також розпочинати свою справу, я почерпнув багато чого з книги цікавого, а також зрозумів що таке «хай точ», знаючи лише що таке «хай тек», та як поєднати їх. Це приклад створення та розвитку прекрасної компанії - яка клієнто-орієнтована, а також персонало-орієнтована. У наш час більшість компаній прибутко-орієнтована, і іноді клієнто-орієнтована.
А ще дуже важливо розвивати в дітей підприємницьку жилку, а не спрямовувати їхню енергію насильно лише в навчання по типу радянських часів «вивчишся, а потім роби що хочеш».
Рекомендую до прочитання, книга бомба, зробив багато виписок 👍
Читати книгу почав на одному диханні, дуже сподобалось опис різних ситуацій - починаючи від спроб в бізнесі змалку, продовжуючи вкладеними мільйонами та продажем нерухомості в компанію без прибутку в очікуванні банкрутства, і купівлею цієї компанії Амазоном за 1.2млрд доларів.
Як людина, яка планує також розпочинати свою справу, я почерпнув багато чого з книги цікавого, а також зрозумів що таке «хай точ», знаючи лише що таке «хай тек», та як поєднати їх. Це приклад створення та розвитку прекрасної компанії - яка клієнто-орієнтована, а також персонало-орієнтована. У наш час більшість компаній прибутко-орієнтована, і іноді клієнто-орієнтована.
А ще дуже важливо розвивати в дітей підприємницьку жилку, а не спрямовувати їхню енергію насильно лише в навчання по типу радянських часів «вивчишся, а потім роби що хочеш».
Рекомендую до прочитання, книга бомба, зробив багато виписок 👍
September 9, 2021
This isn’t your typical “follow these steps for business success” book. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, tells the story of his life (so far), with many lessons mixed in. I found Hsieh’s story as entertaining as many fictional stories I’ve read, and I felt enlightened and motivated by his insights on business and life. Hsieh explains how Zappos came to achieve its purpose: delivering happiness to employees, customers, and vendors. The main takeaway: experiences and relationships make people happier than money or things, so stop chasing money and chase your passion.
Hsieh showcases his intelligence, and I was struck by his knack for finding a plethora of business opportunities from childhood on. I admired his ability to remain focused on the long term despite many short-term setbacks.
Hsieh references two books that greatly influenced him: Good to Great and Tribal Leadership. It’s apparent that he worked hard to build his startups into great companies, and saw himself as the leader of the tribe in several social and business groups. I could tell that there’s a strong sense of team and family in the Zappos culture. The book contains many anecdotes and stories from Zappos employees, which provide a picture into life at Zappos, but I thought distracted from Hsieh’s first-person account.
The end of the book talks about scientific research into happiness, and summarizes several happiness frameworks. The first framework says that happiness depends on 4 factors: perceived control, perceived progress, connectedness (the number and depth of friendships), and vision or meaning (a higher purpose; being part of something bigger than oneself).
The second framework is based on Maslow’s hierarchy, and explains that once people’s basic needs are met, they derive happiness from intangibles such as recognition. The third framework says that happiness comes from pleasure, passion, and purpose, in ascending order of the length of happiness they bring.
Notes
Misc.
• Throw ideas against the wall to see what sticks, improvise, and make things happen.
• It’s OK to “change tables”; to change your focus, business model, industry, or target market.
• Form many, deep friendships; not business connections. Friendships often lead to business opportunities.
• Never outsource your core competency.
• Look at each customer interaction as a branding opportunity, not an expense.
• Your company culture is your brand.
• There’s no such thing as luck; only being open to opportunities.
Customer Service
They make customers happy through developing relationships, creating personal emotional connections, and delivering high-touch ("wow") customer service.
They wow with service and experience, not with anything related to monetary compensation (blanket discounts or promotions).
• Number one driver of growth: repeat customers, word of mouth.
• They put most of money they would have spent on paid advertising into customer service and customer experience, and let customers do marketing via word of mouth.
• They make contact info easy to find.
• They use call center interactions to increase word of mouth and lifetime value, by making personal connection. They view each call as an investment in building a customer service brand, not as an expense to minimize.
• They build engagement and trust rather than buzz.
• They give surprise upgrades to loyal repeat customers.
• They don't measure call times and don't upsell.
• They send customers to competitors if they can't help them.
Hsieh showcases his intelligence, and I was struck by his knack for finding a plethora of business opportunities from childhood on. I admired his ability to remain focused on the long term despite many short-term setbacks.
Hsieh references two books that greatly influenced him: Good to Great and Tribal Leadership. It’s apparent that he worked hard to build his startups into great companies, and saw himself as the leader of the tribe in several social and business groups. I could tell that there’s a strong sense of team and family in the Zappos culture. The book contains many anecdotes and stories from Zappos employees, which provide a picture into life at Zappos, but I thought distracted from Hsieh’s first-person account.
The end of the book talks about scientific research into happiness, and summarizes several happiness frameworks. The first framework says that happiness depends on 4 factors: perceived control, perceived progress, connectedness (the number and depth of friendships), and vision or meaning (a higher purpose; being part of something bigger than oneself).
The second framework is based on Maslow’s hierarchy, and explains that once people’s basic needs are met, they derive happiness from intangibles such as recognition. The third framework says that happiness comes from pleasure, passion, and purpose, in ascending order of the length of happiness they bring.
Notes
Misc.
• Throw ideas against the wall to see what sticks, improvise, and make things happen.
• It’s OK to “change tables”; to change your focus, business model, industry, or target market.
• Form many, deep friendships; not business connections. Friendships often lead to business opportunities.
• Never outsource your core competency.
• Look at each customer interaction as a branding opportunity, not an expense.
• Your company culture is your brand.
• There’s no such thing as luck; only being open to opportunities.
Customer Service
They make customers happy through developing relationships, creating personal emotional connections, and delivering high-touch ("wow") customer service.
They wow with service and experience, not with anything related to monetary compensation (blanket discounts or promotions).
• Number one driver of growth: repeat customers, word of mouth.
• They put most of money they would have spent on paid advertising into customer service and customer experience, and let customers do marketing via word of mouth.
• They make contact info easy to find.
• They use call center interactions to increase word of mouth and lifetime value, by making personal connection. They view each call as an investment in building a customer service brand, not as an expense to minimize.
• They build engagement and trust rather than buzz.
• They give surprise upgrades to loyal repeat customers.
• They don't measure call times and don't upsell.
• They send customers to competitors if they can't help them.
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