I was lucky to be chosen to receive an advanced copy of Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.  I heard about the book from Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose on their Random Show.

Simply put this is a mini autobiography of Tony Hsieh’s adventure with business, more specifically, Zappos. Tony goes through a lot of ups and downs and provides honest insights and gold nuggets throughout the book. It was nice to read about another immigrant Asian entrepreneur, because there were a lot of similarities on how we were raised in America.

The biggest thing I got out of the book is how important people are and how to treat them. I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking that he provided and how to create a culture. Any company can be cloned in a matter of months and the ultimate competitive advantage is the people, both customers and employees.

Another major point that I appreciated was in the last couple of chapters where he discusses the “science” behind happiness. I think that’s all that life is all about.

After reading the book I ordered a copy of the well-known culture book and look forward to reading that as well. I only hope that I will be able to create companies that have such passionate and loyal people.

I highly recommend the book. It was a very quick read and was difficult to put down after I started reading. You can buy the book on Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. If you know me and are close to me in Irvine, CA. I can give you my copy to read.

We need more amazing companies that truly make a positive difference in peoples lives and bring the overall happiness level up around the world. When I get the chance I plan on attending one of the free tours at Zappos’ Head Quarters in Las Vegas.

Disclaimer: Per FTC guidelines. I received an advanced review copy of the book and promise to provide an honest review.

Successful business leader passionate about raising kids to be entrepreneurs. For over 20 years, Cameron Herold has been coaching, speaking to, or helping entrepreneurs build companies on five continents. He launched BackPocket COO to coach & mentor young, fun, entrepreneurial, growth companies and help make their dreams happen. He is one of the countrys most innovative business leaders and was a leading force behind one of the most successful businesses of the decade, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. For more information about this TEDxTalk or TEDxEdmonton, visit http://www.tedxedmonton.com.

Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. -Deuteronomy 24:14

To me it comes down to what “advantage” means to you. I don’t know where to draw the line, but if excessive use of your product or service kills your customers (even if it takes decades), I would say that is a poor business model.

Public Speaking – How I Prepare Every Time

It’s humbling to see how small we are in comparison to the rest of the universe.

For example, If I’m trying to lose weight I need to get rid of all of the temptations in my house and get rid of anything that isn’t constructive in my diet. Or if I want to save money I need to make it go automatically, because I’m not disciplined enough to do it by myself.

Now, I need to go back and set up those systems so I can finally get those sexy six pack abs and start serving more people.

Photo Credit: Margolove

For marketers, think about how you can package your products and services to tell a story. It’s really not that hard if you think a little about it.