February 2021 meeting discussing, "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh. The first thing that interested me in this book is the fact that it is written by the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, who just so happens to be a multimillionaire. Now, if you've been here before, you know that we focus on business books. This business book is interesting because it felt to be more of a memoir sprinkled with nuggets of business advice than it did a business book. The story begins at the beginning of Tony's life and he walks us through his trials and tribulations as a business owner and human. The book, unsurprisingly, is about delivering happiness. Now, this took me through a slight-loop because as I said before I was expecting a business book however, my husband, Alex points out that once you've reached the summit of your career and finances... happiness and purpose take the front seat in your mind. So, how does Tony create this happiness? Well, through culture. Tony talks about nurturing the clients you do have, before finding new ones and that advertising efforts are null and void until you can give your existing customer an experience that turns that customer into a loyal follower. It sounds somewhat cultish, but if I think about the success of certain products that have a "cult-following" then it is actually genius what Tony is attempting to do. He talks about rave culture and the sense of community there and tries to implement that in his company. He motivates his employees by offering them free workshops where they can further develop their skill sets. Tony talks about why it's so important for you to be passionate and see the purpose in your work and that your employees need to have that same mindset. Basically, anyone who works for you or with you needs to be a brand ambassador. Overall Tony's message is that if you treat your company, clients, and employees the same way you want to be treated then your business will be successful and you will be happy. That's all for this month, tune in next month!
