Monday 15 February 2010

Tony Hsieh: The Most Adaptable To Change Survives

Whilst not that well known (yet) outside of North America, Zappos is an online retailer that’s earned an enviable reputation for its passion for the pursuit of awesome customer service.


In 2008 Zappos’ turnover topped $1 billion and then last year the company was acquired by Amazon in a deal worth around $880 million. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has built a company around its service commitment: ‘service’ is not a department, it’s the whole company. Whilst the business started out selling shoes, they believe that as long as they are known for service, then expanding into almost any category is possible.

I asked Tony for his take on business planning:

“Charles Darwin said ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.’ At Zappos, we believe the same is true for business.”

Tony Hsieh, CEO - Zappos.com, Inc. and author of ‘Delivering Happiness’

1 comment:

  1. That quote is actually from a guy named Leon Messinger, who taught marketing in Louisiana. Details here if you're interested:

    http://colinpurrington.com/2012/darwin-on-the-floor-lhao/

    ReplyDelete