Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
by Tony Hsieh
May 1, 2021 — May 9, 2021
Los Angeles, CA
A gift from Paco R.
While reading this book, I was always smiling or laughing, because I could see myself in the author’s youth, college experience, and early career beginnings. Also, because the way this business biography is uniquely written, in how the author speaks his mind without a filter and being descriptive about his experiences. I really enjoyed reading this biography, especially how it’s distinct in how he includes very detailed personal stories, saved tweets that he lives by, and emails he sent out and received throughout his journey. Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos who died recently, lived quite an interesting life. While the book mainly revolves around Zappos, from 0 to a $1.2 billion acquisition from Amazon; he also documents his come up and the timeline of events of building companies and creating impact while inputting (without a filter (it can get funny sometimes, cause the world we live in is a crazy one)) what he was feeling, thinking, and learning at the time, which makes this biography even more interesting. He was a great storyteller. I also learned a lot from this book, both from his life experiences that I could draw similarities from and plan ahead based on his successes and failures. Additionally, by the valuable lessons he presents throughout the different stages and situations he’s been through in life. It was very interesting how he extracted business lessons in evaluating market opportunities, marketing and branding, financials, strategy, continual learning, and culture; all from playing poker. A lesson I really fell in love with and highlighted was to stop networking and start connecting with people, focus on building relationships with people out of business with no intentions, rather just getting to know each other. This can unexpectedly benefit you in business in the long run, it also leads to you having more genuine relationships and becoming a more authentic person. Unlike the Masla7ajiyeen. Another big point I appreciate is to be willing to change if it means winning, even if everything you’ve built has to be erased.
Tony and I have several similarities in our early lives, I’d say he was just more business-minded and calculated with his endeavors than I was. He grew up in a much more developed and advanced atmosphere than I did despite a significant age difference. I’ve been a hustler since I was 14 and turned 650 fils into 100 Dinars. When there were no doors of opportunities for us, I’d build that door just to walk us through it. I’ve always been eccentric when it came to having a vision, when my friends and I would roam around the desert, I could already see it as a world-class city when others just saw sand. I too “Envision, create, and believe in your own universe” (pg. 85). I also had some kind of venture throughout the different stages in my life, from the college start up that was a rollercoaster but it led us to so many good places and new connections, it failed but everyone was better off from when we had started it. It’s been a long life and it’s only getting started. Like Tony, I also really enjoyed and was impacted by reading Good to Great. Also, I’m also passionate about proving people wrong, whenever, someone doubts me or my vision, I see it as a challenge and pursue delivering on it
I think/assume why Paco gave me this book in particular is because the author talks a lot about a trait our company and their company share, customer obsession. Without a doubt, I really saw how one can reach a world-class service for clientele and I’ve been applying that role to my role of dealing with clients everyday, gradually over the course of reading this book I’ve been receiving more gratitude from clients. I’m taking this company to the Dubai Dream and I call my style of solving cases for clients who are Tier 1, “The Rolls-Royce Service.” Because this will lead to client retention, repeating clients, and word of mouth to bring in more clients; this is necessary, especially when you're in stealth mode. Additionally, the company culture is similar in many ways, we’re more of a dream team that’s building than a company team that’s working.
I marked a page regarding the collapse of organizations, which reminded me of the club I was part of Expat Society during college. When I joined it was about being global citizens, third culture kids, cosmopolitan personalities, and international students. Over the years it turned into a club for the popular and the super-wealthy kids. They started to attract a different type of crowd, and people's attitudes at the events started to shift. I realized that I had discovered raves at the tail end of the movement” (pg. 86). Don’t get me wrong, the parties are still phenomenal, but not as many of the newer members come to the more simple, more bonding-type events. Expat Society is on the verge of collapsing now, primarily due to the pandemic, but it was never the same a year after I joined.
The book all ties back into what they realized what their passion was, delivering happiness. One always needs to find their passion, luckily I found mine and knew mine from a young age: Developing Deserts into Dreams. It makes me happy that I’ve always been doing just that, whether it’s building a company to reach a state of excellence, establishing initiatives, and dedicating my life to serving my beloved nation and country, Egypt. I’ve always seen possibility in taking nothing and transforming into something, but not just anything, the greatest thing.