How Zappos Changed the Game

A couple of years ago, my wife and I took a tour of Zappos in Las Vegas because I wanted to meet their coach at the time, Dr. Vik. I was impressed how they picked you up at your hotel, dropped you off for a 1-hour tour of the company and brought you back for free! You may have heard of Tony Hsieh, CEO and author Delivering Happiness. What you may not know is Zappos started as a shoe company, but what turned them into a billion dollar company was their core values.

Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers. Simple, yet revolutionary.

Currently I’m working with a business development team, Status Gro, and they’re helping me formulate a business plan. Since I’ve never tackled the hard questions about my business, it’s a challenging process, but I understand the importance. As for all the things we’ve worked on so far, I’m the most satisfied with our core values.

Relationships First – by valuing our relationships with employees and customers first, we will create long, genuine relationships that are about more than making a profit

Be Unique – acknowledge and express the unique contributions your strengths and style can make

Be Efficient – we will constantly evaluate our work processes and priorities to work smarter

Create Freedom – it is important that we allow enough flexibility for our staff to get things done, their way

Constant Growth – we will encourage our employees and customers to constantly challenge themselves to continue setting goals and pursue learning opportunities

Creating a culture before you hire employees attracts the right type of people. My core values are centered around my strengths. Core values are behaviors that shape the organizational culture. Whether it’s your personal or company brand, core values matter. Don’t wait until you need them, think about them now. What are your top 3 – 5 core values?