"Can life really be that great at work?" If you work at Zappos then the answer is apparently "yes." Now, if you manage another business and want the fun and rewards that come with the Zappos culture, you can get that too with Zappos Insights.
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, is spreading the company's philosophy through tours, meetings and one or two-day training sessions. The goal is to help others adapt the Zappos approach to their own businesses.
Dave Brautigan, owner of Atlanta Refrigeration, an appliance repair company, took part in a two-day boot camp. Now his company replaces the worn-out work boots ($200) of employees as well as their tools (up to $3,000). He claims the lessons he took from Zappos Insights have boosted his company's morale and, oh yes, its top and bottom lines.
"Tony has no idea what refrigeration is, but he can take the knowledge he has and put in a methodology for me to understand," Mr. Brautigan told MarketWatch. "I've been to a lot of [training] things. Zappos is just real."
Companies and individuals can join Zappos Insights for $39.95 a month online or pay up to $4,000 for the two-day quarterly "boot camp." The boot camp includes meeting with top management at Zappos and dinner at Mr. Hsieh's house.
While Mr. Hsieh is looking to do good spreading the Zappos culture, he also is looking for it to pad the company's bottom line. The goal is for Zappos Insights to eventually contribute upwards of 10 percent of the e-tailer's operating profits.
"There's a potential for it to one day be a significant source of revenue and profit for the company," Mr. Hsieh said. "It's still in a start-up phase."
Robert Richman, co-leader of Zappos Insights, told MarketWatch, "We are the living lab here. Consultants tell you what to do, even though their own business may be a mess. We are opening our doors and living and breathing it every day. We open our doors and say 'Be part of our family and talk to anybody you want. And you see it's the real deal."'
Discussion Questions: Can most other companies adapt the Zappos way to their businesses? Should they?