Aside from TED talks, it’s not often that I sit transfixed for 8 minutes watching an online video.

But I’m glad I made an exception for Jeff Bezos, who founded the mighty Amazon fifteen years ago.

If there was ever a testament to the power of great customer service and social media, this is it. Amazon have bought Zappos – a superstar online shoe-shop with a reputation for extraordinary customer service – for a whopping $928 million.

The three founders of Zappos figured that, rather than spend shed loads of cash on advertising, they would instead develop an exceptional company culture, and leave it to delighted customers and a buzzing workforce to spread the word. And that’s exactly what’s happened. As annual revenues hit the $1billion mark, we couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming positive chatter across Twitter and an army of blogs.

So, will the buyout by Amazon damage Zappos reputation? Well, it shouldn’t. As you can see from the video, Mr. Bezos states that this exceptional focus on the customer was the very reason behind the decision.

Ben, off-duty. No, seriously

I read a book recently that I thought might be of interest. I thought this because (a) it actually altered my take on a subject that I’ve spent far too long thinking about for more than 25 years now and (b) there’s not a chance in hell you’re ever likely to read it. On Amazon it ain’t.

Whilst not strictly about business, the Doc behind this little gem sums it up nicely in his opening line: “I teach the psychology of greatness.” Don’t let this overblown (he’s Californian!) statement of intent or the fact that you may have already guessed it’s a sports text put you off enjoying just a few of Dr Rotella’s pearls: 

1.       Believe in yourself – be your own best friend

The voice inside your head – the one with which you talk to yourself – should be giving you what you need. Your subconscious can’t discriminate information from your conscious brain. If you’re telling yourself you’re a lousy excuse for a PR exec, chances are your subconscious will accept that as the truth.  

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