Delivering Happiness

If you don’t know who Tony Hsieh is, you’ve probably heard of his company, Zappos.com. If you haven’t heard of Zappos.com (really?), it’s the ridiculously successful online shoe company that Hsieh is CEO of and it’s one of the sweet stories of the Internet shopping world. Delivering Happiness chronicles how Hsieh helped start Zappos.com, somehow kept it out of the dot-com graveyard and how it evolved to a company that does $1 billion in annual sales. Hsieh begins by saying not to expect a perfectly written book. And he’s right—it’s not perfect. But it’s competent and illustrates the path he’s taken thus far—from his childhood days running an ant farm to his money-making scheme selling pizza slices while at Stanford (he was ultimately out-schemed by his future CFO at Zappos.com). So, just how did Zappos.com go from barely affording payroll to becoming an online behemoth? It helps to have a great idea and the right people behind you (both in brains and money). But it’s Hsieh who masterminded a unique company culture emphasizing customer service and selection, while highlighting individualism and fun at the workplace.