Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Synopsis

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.

Publishers Weekly

Zappos CEO Hsieh offers a compelling account of his transformation from callow Harvard student entrepreneur through his years as a dot-com wunderkind to the creator of a formidable brand. Interest might flag as Hsieh, fresh off selling his Internet company LinkExchange to Yahoo in 1999 for $265 million, kvetches about lacking fulfillment. But as the tech boom bursts, and Hsieh confronts his dwindling investments, his story comes alive. As the funding for his incubator companies dries up and one of his most promising startups, Zappos.com, a shoe retailer, seems doomed, Hsieh blossoms into a mature businessperson, slashing expenses and presciently making customer service the essence of the company's brand. The story becomes suspenseful as Hsieh recounts the stress of operating in survival mode, liquidating his assets to fund the company in its darkest days and seeking out an 11th-hour loan. By the time Zappos is acquired by Amazon for more than $1.2 billion in 2009, Hsieh and his team had built a unique corporate culture dedicated to employee empowerment and the promise of delivering happiness though satisfied customers and a valued workforce. An uplifting tale of entrepreneurial success, personal growth, and redemption. (June)