The blurb from the back cover

• Pay new employees $2000 to quit.
• Make customer service the responsibility of the entire company, not just a department.
• Focus on company culture as the #1 priority.
• Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business.
• Help employees grow both personally and professionally.
• Seek to change the world.
• Oh, and make money too.

Sound crazy? It’s all standard operating procedure at Zappos, the online retailer that’s doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. After debuting as the highest-ranking newcomer in Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work For” list in 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.

In his first book, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh shares the different lessons he has learned in business and life, from starting a worm farm to running a pizza business; through LinkExchange (acquired by Microsoft for $265 million), Zappos, and more.

Tony shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success — and how by concentrating on the happiness of those around you, you can dramatically increase your own.

In the authors words

My Review

The book is part lifestory, part business lessons.  It is split into three sections

1 – Profits – In section 1 Tony Hsieh writes about his early life, his entrepreneurial spirit while young and at college, his first business Linkexchange and the beginnings of Zappos.

2 – Profits and Passion – This section starts as Tony takes a full time position at Zappos.  A time of the Dot Com crash, with funding hard to find survival is the number 1 priority but even in this climate, culture and purpose grow.  This chapter also documents Zappos’ Core Values, and what they mean to Tony Hsieh and those within Zappos.

3 – Profits, Passion and Purpose – Zappos has become a success, and in this section Tony writes about the process to which they were acquired by Amazon, the things he has done since, and the academic frameworks that Zappos actions could be compared to and why everyone is looking for Happiness!

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Service / Satisfaction or who wants to broaden their eCommerce knowledge.  The book is written in a easy to read voice, and is the tale of a real company, so is very ingrossing and not at all like a textbook!  Zappos have seemingly unparalleled openness about the inner workings of the company and even have a website http://www.deliveringhappiness.com/ companion to the book, with further reading, Zappos Core Values, and a how to for your business.

Also I was surprised that Zappos offer tours of their offices http://www.zapposinsights.com/main/experiences/tours/ I can’t imagine most offices wanting to open themselves for tours 12 times a week but it sounds like a fascinating and inspiring experience.

Delivering Happiness isn’t widely available in the UK – But you can usually find a New or Used copy on Amazon here

Post from: The Barsley Brief

Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh – Review

No related posts.

The law student was young and had his dreams. He’d qualified third in his class at Harvard, now offers poured in from every law firm in America.

The firm was small, but well respected. They were prepared to match, and then exceed, Mitch’s wildest dreams, eighty thousand a year, a BMW and a low-interest mortgage.

Soon the house, the car and the job were his. Then the nightmares begin: the secret files, the bugs in the new bedroom, the mysterious deaths of colleagues, and the millions of dollars of mob money pouring through the office into the Cayman Islands, dollars that the FBI would do anything to trace.

My Review

I have read almost all of John Grisham’s books, and The Firm is my favourite.  Mitchell McDeere is a young law student fresh out of Harvard and joins a unknown law firm in Memphis.  He soon discovers that there is more to the firm than is first obvious, they are a major money launderer for mob.  Mitch is stuck between a rock and a hard place.  On the one side The Firm who will kill anyone who they think could expose them.  On the other the FBI who want Mitch to put his neck on the line and take the firm down from the inside.

Buy The Firm at Amazon

Post from: The Barsley Brief

John Grisham – The Firm

Related posts:

1. John Grisham – The Partner Already, another book review.  Commuting to work every day usually...
2. John Grisham – The Associate I picked up The Associate in my local Supermarket…. It’s...
3. Vince Flynn – Protect and Defend Book Review Protect and Defend is the 8th book in the Mitch...

Synposis

In the Micronesian Islands, a top-secret US undersea lab vanishes . . .

At the same time, off Bermuda, a bathysphere operated by NUMA and overseen by Kurt Austin is attacked and becomes stranded half a mile below the surface. Only quick thinking and bold action will save the crew – which includes the head of a certain, now-missing undersea lab – from a watery grave.

Austin is convinced both events are connected, and he puts NUMA on the case. Soon he’s uncovering some hideous medical experiments and evidence of a terrifying virus that could be used to create a worldwide pandemic. Behind it all lies an ambitious Chinese criminal organization prepared to commit mass murder to achieve its ends.

Now Austin must put his life on the line in order that millions will be saved from death . . .

My Review

I’m a big fan of Clive Cussler’s books, though recently I have stopped buying the hardbacks as soon as they come out (as I don’t have space for them all!) and waiting for the paperbacks, because of this it’s been a while since I read my last Cussler!

I really enjoyed Medusa, the book is one from the Kurt Austin series, a series that I feel has really revitalised Cussler’s writing.  While I will always have a fondness for the Dirk Pitt adventures after twenty books it feels like the character story arc has run its course, whereas the Kurt Austin series (Medusa is the 8th in the series) provides fresh characters and with limitless possibilities.

The general storyline is a familiar one to Cussler fans, starting in the past on a New Bedford Whaling ship the Princess and then moving to modern times, where a current problem will find itself linked to the story of the Princess Whaling ship.  I thought this was a great read and got through the book in just 3 days.  Looking forward to the next!

Click here to buy Clive Cussler’s Medusa at Amazon UK

Post from: The Barsley Brief

Clive Cussler – Medusa

Related posts:

1. Clive Cussler – The Chase Clive Cussler, The Chase is the only Clive Cussler novel...
2. Clive Cussler – The Navigator Yes another Clive Cussler book!  While preparing my holiday reads...
3. Clive Cussler Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul. Before...
4. Plague Ship by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul I’ve always been a fan of Clive Cussler novels and...
5. Vince Flynn – Extreme Measures After the more factual Stephen Fry in America,  I have...

Boo Hoo is the story of Boo.com a online designer clothing store founded in 1998 by Ernst Malmsten, Kajsa Leander and Patrik Hedelin.  They set out to create a global fashion website launching simultaneously in several countries.  The book is written by Ernst Malmsten and is a facinating insider look at the Boo story from the idea’s conception through to the end.

I found that the book was a brilliant read and many of the lessons in the book or website designs are as useful now as they were 10 years ago.  10 years ago I wasn’t involved in eCommerce and can’t remember ever visiting Boo.com.  However when I consider today’s leading websites, few are as complex as Boo set out to be -

E.G. Boo aimed to launch with

• Free delivery and returns to all the countries they operated in
• Different prices for each territory
• 3D Product images
• A Fashion Magazine (again personalised for each country)
• Leading designer brands
• A Virtual Assistant
• Free returns

There are few websites today which try to do so much.  Ultimatly from reading the book I think that this was their downfall, the systems were so complex they never seemed ready to launch, should they have tried to launch in one country first, make a stable income then grow?  Or were they right to be bold?

The book naturally seems a little one sided, as it was written by one of the founders it is their view of the Boo story, while it seemed a in-depth expose of what happened it does also feel a little one sided in where blame is centred.  There are many headline grabbing lines and interesting stories – Boo burnt through $188 million dollars before it failed, when told there were security issues in their offices, they employed a team of ex Gurkha’s to protect the building.

All in all I would really recommend this to anyone interested in the Internet or eCommerce or just wants a good read!

Post from: The Barsley Brief

Boo Hoo: A Dot Com Story

Related posts:

1. Duncan Bannatyne : Anyone can do it, my story Duncan Bannatyne's autobiography starts at his childhood, describing his up...

After stumbling upon David Baldacci’s latest novel in Sainsburys I have become hooked and am quickly working my way through his back catalogue.

Split second is the first book in the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series.  In a split second everything can change, and the King and Maxwell it did in the worst possible way, both secret service agents lost their principles.  King’s was assassinated, Maxwell’s was kidnapped several years later, but is there a connection between the two?

Here’s the blurb from the back of the book

‘He was the only one in the room who could see it. His attention stayed there for one beat, two beats, three beats, far too long. Yet who could blame him for not being able to pull his gaze away from that?’

When something distracts Secret Agent Sean King for a split second, it costs him his career and presidential candidate Clyde Ritter, his life. But what stole his attention? And why was Ritter shot? Eight years later Michelle Maxwell is on the fast track through the ranks of the Secret Service when her career is stopped short: Presidential candidate John Bruno is abducted from a funeral home while under her protection.

The similarity between the two cases drives Michelle to re-open investigations into the Ritter fiasco and join forces with attractive ex-agent King. The pair are determined to get to the bottom of what happened in those critical moments. Meanwhile, high-ranking members of the legal system and key witnesses from both cases are going missing. King is losing friends, colleagues and clients fast and his ex-lover, Joan Dillinger, is playing curious games – she wants Sean back, but she also owes him for something . . .

As with the other Baldacci books I have read I was hooked from the first page, I like the fast paced style of the book.  However while there was an exciting conclusion to the story I felt it was slightly over complicated and implausible, but it was a great read!

Click here to find out more about the book and buy from Amazon.co.uk

Post from: The Barsley Brief

David Baldacci – Split Second

Related posts:

1. David Baldacci – First Family First Family is the first book by David Baldacci that...
2. David Baldacci – The Whole Truth ‘I need a war . . .’ Nicolas Creel, a...

Nicolas Creel, a super-rich arms dealer, decides that the best way to boost his business is to start a new cold war – and he won’t let anything or anyone get in his way.

As international tensions rise and the superpowers line up against each other, the lives of three very different people will never be the same again. As intelligence agent Shaw, academic Anna Fischer and ambitious journalist Katie James are all drawn into Creel’s games, can anything stop the world from spiralling out of control?

This terrifying global thriller delivers all the twists and turns, emotional drama, unforgettable characters and can’t-put-it-down pacing that Baldacci fans expect – and still goes beyond anything he’s written before.

Soon after reading my first David Baldacci I have read a second and I wasn’t disappointed!  Whereas First Family was part of a series of books containing the same characters, The Whole Truth is a stand alone book featuring Nicholas Creel an arms dealer who wants to take the world back to the cold war.  The hero of the story is Shaw an intelligence agent working for a shady worldwide group who are able to do what governments can’t!

One great thing I found reading this book was that as the reader you knew everything that was happening from both sides of the story, rather than the “bad guy” being revealed at the end following him through the book made the story more gripping and explained the world of Perception Management.  A great read!

Click here to buy The Whole Truth from Amazon UK

Post from: The Barsley Brief

David Baldacci – The Whole Truth

Related posts:

1. David Baldacci – Split Second After stumbling upon David Baldacci’s latest novel in Sainsburys I...
2. David Baldacci – First Family First Family is the first book by David Baldacci that...

It’s a deadly game of blackmail. And they’re making him play. Kyle McAvoy is one of the outstanding legal students of his generation: he’s good looking, has a brilliant mind and a glittering future ahead of him. But he has a secret from his past, a secret that threatens to destroy his fledgling career and, possibly, his entire life. One night that secret catches up with him in the form of some bad men in a dark alley – they have a deeply compromising video of the incident that haunts him. The men make it clear to Kyle that he no longer owns his own future – that he must do as they tell him, or the video will be made public knowledge, with all the unpleasant consequences. What price do they demand for Kyle’s secret? Strangely, it is for Kyle to do exactly what any ambitious young lawyer would want to do: take a job in New York as an associate at the largest law firm in the world , a job that is incredibly well paid and, with mammoth hours and outrageous billing, could lead to partnership and a fortune. But Kyle won’t be working for the company, but against it – passing on the secrets of the company’s biggest trial to date, a dispute between two defense contractors worth billions of dollars to the victor. Now Kyle is caught between the criminal forces manipulating him and the FBI, who would love to unmask the conspiracy. Will his intellect, cunning and bravery be enough to extricate him from an impossible dilemma? Full of twists and turns and reminiscent of “The Firm”, “The Associate” is vintage John Grisham.

I have read the majority of John Grisham’s books and enjoyed them, The Associate is no exception.  The book starts as Kyle is in the last days of law school, and he becomes forced into a career in a New York law firm as an agent for forces unknown.  My only complaint is the ending, while good after such a build up it is all over too quick.

And now a cheesy YouTube Trailer

Buy The Associate at Amazon UK

Post from: The Barsley Brief

John Grisham – The Associate

Related posts:

1. John Grisham – The Firm Synopsis The law student was young and had his dreams....
2. John Grisham – The Partner Already, another book review.  Commuting to work every day usually...

Camp David, USA. A birthday party turns into a nightmare when a child is snatched after the celebrations.

The First Lady enlists the services of Sean King and Michelle Maxwell to bring the child home safely. But she and King share a past. Years ago he saved her then senator husband from political disaster. And this may not be all that passed between them.

With Michelle still battling her own demons, the two are pushed to the limit, with forces aligned on all sides against them – and the line between friend and foe impossible to define . . . or defend.

I really enjoyed this book, full of twists and turns I could pick this book up and enjoy it despite not reading any of the previous books in the series, but could see quite a bit of character development which would interest anyone who had read previous books in the series.

Buy David Baldacci First Family on Amazon UK

Post from: The Barsley Brief

David Baldacci – First Family

Related posts:

1. David Baldacci – Split Second After stumbling upon David Baldacci’s latest novel in Sainsburys I...
2. David Baldacci – The Whole Truth ‘I need a war . . .’ Nicolas Creel, a...
3. David Mitchell – The Bubble Last night I went to the Pilot recording of a...

Yes another Clive Cussler book!  While preparing my holiday reads I realised how far behind I was with Clive Cussler’s latest books.   Clive Cussler is releasing many more books per year with the help of other writers, but this hasn’t diminished the quality of the read!  The Navigator is the seventh book in the Kurt Austin Series which Clive Cussler writes with Paul Kemprecos.  I can’t believe there have been seven books already in this series as I feel I am only just starting to get to know the characters.  Clive Cussler’s original books starred Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino as members of NUMA (The National Underwater Marine Association.)  Kurt Austin and his partner Joe Zavala are also members of NUMA working on the Special Assignments Team where adventure always finds them.

The Navigator

The blurb from the back of the book..

IRAQ, 2003: in the post-war looting of the treasures from Baghdad’s antiques museum, a legendary Phoenician statue is stolen……….

Known as the Navigator, the statue points back to the days of king Solomon and is the vital clue to a secret of unimaginable power.  Lucky, then, that UN Investigator Carina Mechadi recovers it quickly.  But after a daring raid by helicopter in Iceberg Alley off Newfoundland the statue is gone again – while Carina is only saved by the timely intervention of Kurt Austin of NUMA.

Now Austin and Carina are scouring the globe.  Firstly to track down the statue as it leaves a trail of murder and mayhem in its wake.  And seconly, to beat the thieves to the secret of the Navigator – for if it falls in to the wrong hands the world could be changed for ever.

I really enjoyed this book, more so than some other recent Cussler books.  The Nemesis in this book is a strong character with plenty of odd quirks as you’d expect from a Cussler novel.  Meanwhile Kurt Austin is on a quest following hidden clues to track down one of the worlds greatest historical treasures!

Read an excerpt from the first chapter at Amazon (just click on the look inside thumbnail at the top left of the Amazon page)

My Next Read :- Michael Connelly – The Brass Verdict

Post from: The Barsley Brief

Clive Cussler – The Navigator

Related posts:

1. Clive Cussler – Medusa Synposis In the Micronesian Islands, a top-secret US undersea lab...
2. Clive Cussler – The Chase Clive Cussler, The Chase is the only Clive Cussler novel...
3. Clive Cussler Skeleton Coast Skeleton Coast by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul. Before...
4. Plague Ship by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul I’ve always been a fan of Clive Cussler novels and...
5. Vince Flynn – Extreme Measures After the more factual Stephen Fry in America,  I have...

After the more factual Stephen Fry in America,  I have switched to something lighter.

With Mitch Rapp away on assignment in Pakistan, CIA Director Irene Kennedy turns to his protege, Mike Nash. Nash has served his government honourably for sixteen years, first as an officer in the Marine Corps, then as an operative in an elite counterterrorism team run by Mitch Rapp, never wavering in his fight against the jihads and their culture of death.

Fighting the War on Terror in secret, he has been forced to lie to everyone he cares about, including his wife and children. He has soldiered on secure in the knowledge that his hard work and lethal tactics have saved the lives of thousands. But the one thing he never saw coming was that his own government was about to turn on him…

Despite the back cover reading that this book is not about Mitch Rapp, he still plays a large part in the story (which is a good thing!).  The story partially continues where other books left off with Congress and the Senate being displeased with the methods that the CIA us to extract information from terrorists.  This is made worst as Mitch Rapp is cause beating a prisoner during an unsanctioned interrogation.  The CIA know a terror strike is planned to take place in the USA but they do not have the information they need to stop it…

This is a another great addition to the Mitch Rapp series, it focuses on the argument for and  against torture or the use of “Extreme Measures” by the CIA, I am a keen reader of Vince Flynn’s books and enjoyed this one though felt it wasn’t the best in the series, however it is a fine read and the only reason I feel I was slightly disappointed is that it did not involve the Whitehouse and President as prominantly as some previous books have done.

Vince Flynn’s Extreme Measures is available here from Amazon UK

My next read :- Clive Cussler’s The Navigator

Post from: The Barsley Brief

Vince Flynn – Extreme Measures

Related posts:

1. Vince Flynn – Protect and Defend Book Review Protect and Defend is the 8th book in the Mitch...