Really, how else do you describe a start-up business that went from zero to 1 billion dollars in merchandise sales in less than 10 years.
Delivering Happiness , by Zappos CEO and biggest investor Tony Hsieh, is a great business book.
Tony takes us through his upper middle class upbringing to his Harvard graduation in 1995, to his co-founding of Link Exchange in 1996 and its subsequent sale to Mircrosoft for $265 billion in 1998, to his joining Zappos in 1999 and selling Zappos in a stock deal to Amazon in 2009.
Talk about a career on steroids.
But more than a book about Tony's personal success, this book is a guide to building a better business by having a succinct corporate culture and committed core values.
Here are the Zappos 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 At Beladora.com we know all about doing more with less, being humble, being passionate and determined and most importantly delivering WOW service. Maybe we need to create some fun and a little weirdness too.
Even if you don't have any specific interest in business, I recommend that you read this book. It is a great American story of how ideas, capital, expertise, hard work and a sense of humor come together to make something great.
