Iman Jalali

Back in July of 2009 I had the opportunity to spend a few days at Zappos headquarters and learn about every aspect of their business from hiring to VC funding and most importantly company culture. I was privileged to be invited for the very first “Zappos Insights Live Boot Camp” and can say it was probably one of my top 5 business experiences in life.

Those of you that know me well know that I’m a raving fan I am of Zappos, not just their external facing business, but also their internal business. If you’re ever in Las Vegas I highly recommend calling them up and arranging a tour of their offices. You might see a parade, a talent show, a phone being tossed in a blender… you never know what you’ll see there. You’ll leave wondering how they can possibly be making money while having so much fun. You’ll also probably leave wondering why your workplace isn’t this fun. The good part is it can be that fun, the hard part might be convincing the decision makers in your company that this is something they should try to adapt.

There were only about ten of us at the boot camp… entrepreneurs, executives and even a college student who was about to launch a very successful iPhone app. Some of us were there ready to soak in everything about Zappos and we had already been supporters of Zappos culture. There were also those who were skeptical… not believing that this could honestly be so fun, yet so productive and efficient. I learned a lot during those few days, but one of my favorite moments was seeing the non-believers turn into believers. The time we spent with Tony and Alfred soaking up every bit of knowledge is something I will never forget.

Almost every aspect of their business is very “Zappos” like… during interviews it’s common to be asked what superpower you’d want or what song should play every time you enter a room. It’s also standard business to turn down the most talented programmer, lawyer, manager or any position if they’re not a good culture fit. Would you hire someone you can’t see yourself going to get a drink with? They also do tons of training, but a lot of the training isn’t what you’d see in most other large companies. It could be a simple grammar class or a class centered around a certain book. They even have a class on how to conduct a tour of their offices. They’re always looking to promote from within and constantly educate every single employee.

I think a lot of companies today focus so much on the top line and profitability that they lose focus of what culture really means to a company. I truly believe that one of the most important factors that goes into how long your company will survive is culture. Company culture is the heart of the company… it’s the living, breathing part of your company. Your employees will make you or they will break you.