Thank God for Grandmas and Zappos! A Tour of Zappos.com

After reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s, The Thank You Economy, I was inspired to read Tony Hsieh’s, Delivering Happiness…  After learning about Tony and how his extraordinary company, Zappos.com, offered friendly tours of the corporate headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, I knew a field trip was on the horizon.

As a result of some logistical good fortune, I was in Vegas last month with a group of dear friends from the special events, entertainment and production industry who also wanted to see this Zappos Culture that we heard and read so much about, in person.    Zappos turned out be the real deal and left our many of our heads spinning with traces of wonderment and unequivocal WOW.

In the Culture book that each guest receives at the end the tour, Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “The amount of happiness you have depends of the amount of freedom you have in your heart.”  To me, this quote encapsulates the Zappos.com mojo that fuels its uncharacteristically happy employees, appreciative customers and ridiculous numbers.  The Zappos team is given the freedom to make their workplace as comfortable as their living room, to be a little weird, to obsess over the customer- in a healthy way, to be inspired- not intimidated by the success of others, and to contribute beyond self through philanthropy and mentorship.  All of these core values, among many others, translate into daily WOW on a scale that was tough for a few of us to wrap our aspirational minds around.

Did you know it was possible to generate 12 million dollars in sales in one day?  Me neither.  Did you know that there’s a company out there that intentionally makes less profit each year so they can make the lives of their employees better instead?  Me neither.    And did you know that you can get paid to train for a job at Zappos and then get paid even more to quit if you don’t gel with the positive culture DNA that their looking for?  I did, because I read the book… but it was still impressive to hear it again nonetheless.

I’ve learned a lot about branding over the past few years.  Zappos used to be known as a shoe company. Now, even though they still sell a gazillion shoes, they are known for their exemplary company culture and their laudable level customer service.  How does this happen?  When your employees feel like this… Here’s a Culture book excerpt from Stacy H., a six year Zappos veteran;

“Coming to work at Zappos is like going to visit Grandma’s house as a kid.  You are spoiled, you have fun and get fed.  At Zappos, we get fed so much that I am convinced that I will not lose any serious weight until the day I leave.  It makes me think about the letters people write when they have to leave.  Usually it is due to moving out of state, because, well, why else would you leave Zappos?  The e-mails are sent out to the entire floor to say goodbye to their work-family.  We typically throw a mini-happy hour for the person who is leaving and demand to see them back for visits.

Our Zappos culture is more than just 10 ideas to live by, or a fun environment, or even happy customers.  It’s looking at those around you, those you will never see but hear their voice on the phone, or read their words in an e-mail, as family.  When you can see the world in this caring light, you become a better person and the joy spreads.  The Zappos culture is paying it forward to everyone that comes in contact with us.  Our vendors, our employees, our customers, and even our tours get joy out of the experience that is Zappos.  Thank God for Grandmas and Zappos!”

If you have a trip planned to Vegas and like the idea of going home with more than you came with-  do yourself, your team and your organization a favor and set up a tour.

Special thanks to Jodi Harris and Andy Ebon for setting up a day filled with joyful experiences.

As Tony likes to say, “Live in The WOW!”

 

 

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Quiet Confidence- Marcello Recommends: Delivering Happiness by Zappos.com CEO, Tony Hsieh

In his book, The Thank You Economy, Gary Vaynerchuk mentioned Tony Hsieh, (shay) the CEO of Zappos enough times for readers to get that Tony is a Crush It rock star.   Then, as a result of my review of the book, MMP fan, Eric Smith from Savannah, Georgia,  suggested that I read Tony’s book, Delivering Happiness. Even though me reading two books within the same month, let alone the same year could justify a call to the Guiness Book Of World Records, it was a no brainer to dive into another potential literary masterwork.      I’m glad I did.

Tony will now join Gary, Seth Godin, Jim Collins, Thomas Friedman, Dave Ramsey, Laird Hamilton and others in my updated version of the classic cartoon, Superfriends; an elite group of uber-successful, witty and brilliant entrepreneurs who inspire the world with their written words, voices and actions.    And even though none have accepted my lunch invitations yet, they seem to be very nice people to boot.

In Delivering Happiness, Tony shares a transparent look into his personal, professional and spiritual evolution.    He relentlessly engages the reader from every direction.   Whether he’s talking about outsmarting his parents while growing up, his educational summer fling with poker, his veracious appetite for forward motion or the science of happiness, the inspirational nuggets consistently make themselves available for processing.

After attending a funeral service for one of my mentors, Eric Gugleberger, this past weekend, I was reminded by a few of his close friends who spoke- just how much of Eric’s success was fueled by his passion for knowledge, his extraordinary work ethic and the enviable strength of his character. Like Tony, Mr. Gugleberger carried himself with a quiet confidence and touched a lot of people with his heart, mind, and generous soul. -mp

Here are a few excerpts from the book  to whet your appetite…

*“I really enjoyed the idea of architecting and creating experiences and memories.”

*“We were standing at the highest point in all of Africa, looking down at the clouds below us, with the sun directly in front of us, its rays welcoming us to the beginning of a new day.  It didn’t seem like something that humans were meant to experience. Yet here we were.  In that moment, I thought to myself, anything is possible.”

*“Even today, our belief is that our Brand, our Culture, and our Pipeline are the competitive advantages that we will have in the long run.    Everything else can and eventually will be copied.”

*“We believe in operational excellence, and realize that there is always room for improvement in everything we do.  This means that our work is never done.”

*“Passion and determination are contagious.  We believe in having a positive and optimistic (but realistic) attitude about everything we do, because we realize that this inspires others to have the same attitude.”

*“While we celebrate our individual and team successes, we are not arrogant nor do we treat others differently from how we would want to be treated.  Instead, we carry ourselves with a quiet confidence, because we believe that in the long run our character will speak for itself.”

*It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words to understand.. but rather short, easy words like, “What about lunch?” via- Winnie the Pooh

*“For individuals, character is destiny.   For organizations, culture is destiny.”

“When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny.”  – via Bertice Berry

“What lies behind and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  -via Ralph Waldo Emerson.

A Passion For Fashion- Marcello Recommends: FlirtyFinds.com

I had no idea how popular Big Buddha’s were until I interviewed Jamie Hoff and Beth Roy; former executives at Ralph Lauren and Tiffany & Co. respectively.   Truth be told, I had no idea that a Big Buddha was actually a handbag.

Being blessed with a stylistic je ne sais quoi is just one of the many reasons why Jamie and Beth own and operate a successful fashion-forward enterprise called Flirty Finds; a Bergen County, NJ based online company that offers chic couture, accessories and style advice to internet savvy tweens and women all over the country.

What sets the Flirty duo apart from all of the retailers and department stores is their expert ability to sift through the abundance of fashion fails being offered out there and hand-pick what is going to make you look great, feel good and not break the bank; a true fashionista trifecta.

So, if you can’t get to Milan, New York City, Tokyo, Rome or Paris anytime soon and you want to see what you should be wearing this season; just grab your credit card and visit flirtyfinds.com from the comfort of your own home.

*I asked Beth to share some of Flirty’s thoughts on e-commerce, life balance, customer service, fashion trends and what they’ve been up to lately; this is what she had to say…

How has your business changed since its inception?

“We came to this business partnership after 20 years of friendship, and had many years of business experience between us. When we launched our website almost 2 years ago, we were both brand new at e-commerce, and we have learned so much from the experience.  From the technology, to the marketing to buying and selling our products – we’ve been able to fine-tune our focus and strategies based on what works and what our customers want. We’ve evolved from a website with an email list basically consisting of our friends and family, to a strong, developing brand — we were even mentioned in People Stylewatch this month.”

Do you have any tips for other moms who are raising a family and running a business?

“The biggest challenge we’ve encountered has been not letting the business and our laptops intrude on our family lives too much. We love what we do so much, that if we could, I fear we would both work on the business around the clock. We both chose when we had kids to be home for them, and this business allows us to do that.  The challenge is limiting our work time so that our families remain the top priority.  Finding that balance is a challenge that we both work on every day.”

What is the hottest product for this season?

“The Big Buddha bag (the “bella” bag in blue) and it has been our hottest seller to date.  Bags and accessories in sorbet colors such as aqua, pink and yellow are the hot trends for spring.”

Are there any trends that you see on the horizon?

“Women are learning how to stretch their clothing budgets by buying the basic foundations, and using accessories to liven up and add interest to their looks.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a look that is fresh, trendy and polished.”

What was the best business advice you ever got?

‘We both agree that the best advice we ever received was to do something you like and you will be successful.  Also, always stay focused on the customer and find ways to make their life easier.  Oh, and of course, the customer is always right.”

Who inspires you?

“Jamie is inspired by her husband, Mark and author/speaker Joel Osteen who both give great advice on controlling your own destiny.  I’m inspired by my girlfriends, including Jamie, many of whom are mom entrepreneurs too, and who provide endless support, inspiration and ideas.”

What are you reading?

“I’m reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk.  A great book on leveraging the power of the social media to build your brand.  Jamie is currently reading The Help, one of my favorites.”

Which product has made your personal life easier?

“One of our products, the IsABelt, (an invisible belt) is one of those products that is so simple, yet so effective. Jamie loves her iphone and the Keurig Coffee Maker is one of my favorite inventions of all time.”

What are you listening to?

“I’m a political junkie so it’s talk radio for me and Jamie is a fan of the The Black Eyed Peas.”

What are you watching?

“Parenthood & Modern Family; the two best shows to come around in a long time.”

What are you surfing?

“Budget Fashionista, YouLookFab, Momgenerations and  StyleBakery.”

*Thank you for your time ladies, I wish you continued success and all of the health and happiness that life has to offer.