Book Review: "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh

When reading Tony Hsieh's "Delivering Happiness," (affiliate) it's all but impossible to keep thinking the same thing over and over: "This guy is Zappos. And Zappos is awesome." End of story? Not so much.

All in all, this book could belong in the self help section as much as it could be shelved among business books. It's uplifting, inspirational and, at times, irreverently funny. The first third of the book is best read with a half smile on your face - Tony's stories of growing up, going to college and starting out definitely elicit a "that's me too!" reaction.

Then the book takes a turn. It's called "Delivering Happiness", a nod to Tony's success with Zappos. But, it could also be titled "Fighting for Happiness", and that's where the best lessons lie. To achieve success, to redefine customer service, to build a multi-billion dollar company, Tony and the Zappos team fought tooth and nail every step of the way. The book consistently returns to a few recurring themes, including:

Taking Risks
From Fred, a department store shoe salesman with a shipping solution to Tony himself, investing his first fortune into the business ideas of others, so many of the success stories in this book result from taking risks. All kinds of risks - quitting a job, moving to Nevada, going for broke on a company in an industry you don't really know. Fighting tooth and nail for whatever you believe in, and not really knowing if at the end of the day it'll all pay off (spoiler alert: it does.)

Staying Loyal
Through it all, Tony stays loyal to his employees and to his company. Above all, he stays loyal to himself and what he believes in. We all talk about loyalty, but Tony lives it, breathes it and shows us how it's done.

Having Fun
We all work long hours and often find ourselves drowning in projects. The team at Zappos sure does. But, for me, one of my favorite parts of this book were Tony's stories of living in his loft, going to movies with friends and sharing stories at a bar. The tone of his writing shows how fond he is of these experiences - and that there does exist a balance between work and play.

I highly (highly!) recommend this book. It's a quick read, but it leaves you simultaneously shaking your head in admiration and thinking, "maybe I could do that, too!" And, hey, maybe you can - because, after all, happiness isn't delivered. It's fought for, and it's won.

I have a copy of this book to give away! Want one? Leave a comment letting me know how you find, fight for, and deliver happiness!