The book is a narrative of the extraordinary journey of Tony Hsieh who grew Zappos.com into a shoe e-commerce behemoth. Tony has been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug at a very young age. He recounts starting a worm farm at age 9. Coming from a typical Asian immigrant family, he was expected to excel academically and follow traditional career paths, the zenith of which was becoming a medical doctor or a PhD. However, Tony know from the beginning that he wanted to run his own business. His rebellious streak led him on a very interesting path from a Harvard graduate to a successful entrepreneur. After trying out various business ventures in college, he struck gold with a website called LinkExchange which he sold to Microsoft for a sizeable amount. The windfall from that was used to invest in Zappos. He eventually became the CEO. He implemented various programs that put his employees first. He believed that only when he can make his employees happy are they able to make customers happy.
I like that he was very honest about his experience. He was probably not the best student but he was always thinking out the box. It made me realize that entrepreneurs are always testing the limits of the status quo. They are often challenging social convention with innovative and radical ideas. He was not afraid to talk about his mistakes and the lessons he learned from it. I found the book inspiring. It made me realize that luck plays a big part in succeeding. It doesn’t mean that you just wait for life to happen to you. In fact it is the opposite. You have to keep trying different things and get as much diverse skills as you can. This widens your network and experiences and makes it more likely for you to be at the right place at the right time.
The book was engaging but can get too much into details of his experiences. There were parts that got a bit dragging.
Key Learning Points
1. Company culture can make or break a company. Focusing on the happiness and satisfaction of employees translates to superb customer service that will help differentiate your business versus the competition.
2. Have a clear philosophy. Tony transformed the company from a shoe internet retailer into something more meaningful. Nobody really aspires to be a call-center agent but he was able to inspire his employees and instill in them that the company’s purpose is not to just sell shoes but to deliver happiness to customers through unparalleled customer service.
3. Give employees enough autonomy. Give them the chance to experiment on ways to improve their jobs. Empower them to better themselves. Zappos encourages employees to read, learn and make good lifestyle choices.
4. When running a business, view customer service not as a cost but as an integral part of marketing.
5. Entrepreneurs have a very different way of seeing things. They see opportunities where others just see problems or inconvenience. Oftentimes we take the career path that is expected by our parents, mentors or society because it seems safer and less risky. Entrepreneurs on the other hand think strategically. They are not afraid to making hard decisions and thinking on their feet. Yes they will make mistakes along the way but the key takeaway is not to be afraid to try.
Verdict:
The book was an easy read. The tone is very conversational and it makes it easy for the reader to connect with the author. Though I found that there are sections that are too detailed and were slightly dragging, the author was able to frame his message in a clear manner. I was able to get several nuggets of wisdom and I also easily understood the big picture. His story is very relevant not only to business but also life in general.
