Notes from Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

1. D E L I V E R I N G
H A P P I N E S S
A P a t h t o P ro f i t s , P a s s i o n , a n d
P u r p o s e
B o o k B y To n y H s i e h
S l i d e s b y R y a n B a t t l e s
H S I E H , T O N Y. D E L I V E R I N G H A P P I N E S S : A PAT H T O
P R O F I T S , PA S S I O N , A N D P U R P O S E . N E W Y O R K :
B U S I N E S S P L U S , 2 0 1 0 .

2. The book itself is largely a series of stories
from Hsiegh’s experience.
!
These notes are inspirational, actionable
takeaways from those stories.

3. Happiness is both an art and a science, and
the science part can be learned

4. That which makes us happy is always
evolving and requires constant attention

5. !
Happiness comes from experiences and
perspective, not from things

6. The risk/reward payoff in pursuing happiness
is better than one thinks

7. Money isn’t the source of happiness.

8. Having a larger amount of money makes it
much easier and likely to actually work on
things you are passionate about. This can
make you happy, too

9. Money and achievement to prove
something to others are both tempting
distractions from pursuing more fulfilling
activities

10. Happiness isn’t always immediate

11. Happiness is not driven by achieving a goal.
It’s driven by figuring out what circumstances
make you happy and then creating those
circumstances.

12. Higher purpose matters a lot more than
immediate pleasure.

13. Friends are vital to creating a successful
business and living a successful life.

14. Including others in your success makes your
success and happiness that much greater
and more rewarding

15. Good culture is critical for organizational
success because it creates a company’s
brand.

16. Culture is not an immediate byproduct of
the people working at a company but rather
the product of conscious work and effort

17. Zappos’ success is a clear illustration of the
importance of not only strictly adhering to
core values but also having them be
complementary to each other.

18. The choice of a location has a
disproportionate impact on a company, far
beyond the location of its physical buildings
and employees.

19. Do not outsource your competitive
advantage

20. Treating vendors well pays off in the long
run.

21. Sometimes you have to believe in yourself
and your passion, and take a leap of faith,
even when no one else does

22. Businesses built on loyalty usually end up
driving greater penetration than focusing on
penetration alone

23. Choosing where to play is the most
important decision in business.

24. Many of the services Tony was religious
about at Zappos (e.g. free shipping,
upgraded overnight service, culture book,
customer service) were expensive and had
hard-to-quantify ROI’s , yet ultimately drove
long-term success for the company.

25. T H I S H A S B E E N A B R I E F O V E R V I E W O F T H E
M A I N I D E A S O F D E L I V E R I N G H A P P I N E S S .
!
B U Y T H E B O O K F O R T H E F U L L E X P E R I E N C E
!
H S I E H , T O N Y. D E L I V E R I N G H A P P I N E S S : A
PAT H T O P R O F I T S , PA S S I O N , A N D P U R P O S E .
N E W Y O R K : B U S I N E S S P L U S , 2 0 1 0 .
!
A L L P R O D U C T A N D C O M PA N Y N A M E S A R E
T R A D E M A R K S O R R E G I S T E R E D T R A D E M A R K S
O F T H E I R R E S P E C T I V E H O L D E R S . U S E O F
T H E M D O E S N O T I M P LY A N Y A F F I L I AT I O N
W I T H O R E N D O R S E M E N T B Y T H E M .

26. D O W N L O A D
T H E B U S I N E S S B O O K C O L L E C T I O N
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