Expert Shares How to Get Big Business Profits While Keeping a Small Company Feel

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, will share customer satisfaction and employee happiness strategies at the Inc. 500|5000 Conference, September 23-25, in National Harbor, Md.

inc5000event.com - August 10, 2009

(PRNewsChannel) / Washington, D.C. / At a time when most businesses view customer service and employee security as fat that can be trimmed, Tony Hsieh has run the other direction and focused on making his customers happy and his employees comfortable. The payoff? Exponential sales growth that has helped his company reach the billion dollar benchmark and make a deal with Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), one of the world's largest online retailers. Hsieh is among another all-star speaker line-up of business experts and innovators at the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference, September 23-25, in National Harbor, Md., just minutes from Washington, D.C.

 

Tony Hsieh, CEO of clothing, accessories and footwear e-retail giant Zappos.com, has cultivated a unique customer and employee culture, shaped by ten core values that have grown Zappos.com’s gross merchandise sales from $1.6mm in 2000 to more than $1 billion in 2008. Hsieh says this hyper focus on customer satisfaction and service is even more important in a tough economy.

 

“Customers are always important, but an economic downturn is one of the best opportunities for any business to gain market share,” says Hsieh, whose customer relations and employee philosophies have made Zappos a customer favorite and one of America’s best companies to work for.  “After hearing my presentation, I hope entrepreneurs in the audience will walk away inspired to invest in making their customers and employees even happier.”

 

Hsieh wil share these and other growth secrets at the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference which commemorates the 28th anniversary of the event.  Inc. published a ranking of the 100 fastest-growing small public American companies in its first issue in 1979 before expanding the concept in 1982 to publishing the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.  The following year, Inc. expanded the list to include 500 companies.  Previous honorees include business institutions like Microsoft, Oracle, Intuit, GoDaddy, Under Armour, Jamba Juice, Timberland, Clif Bar, Patagonia, American Apparel, and hundreds of other powerhouses.  In 2007, Inc.com published the first-ever Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies while Inc. published the top 10% of the list in print with the annual Inc. 500 issue.

 

Hsieh drives his staff at Zappos.com to lavish customers with time, attention and free upgrades because he knows how to capture a customer for life.  In fact, nearly 75% of the company’s daily orders are from repeat customers.  Hsieh says he looks forward to sharing his feedback on customer service and employee happiness at the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony.

 

“I think many entrepreneurs realize there is a lot of benefit that can be gained by attending the conference,” says Hsieh.  “I’m excited to be a part of this year’s event because it’s always inspiring to talk with other entrepreneurs.”

 

Through both a successful career and a passion to unlock the secrets of human happiness, Hsieh has cultivated a message of positive company culture that he will bring to Inc.’s 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony, September 23-25, in National Harbor, Md.

 

Contact: 

Athena Schindelheim

Special Projects Manager, Inc.

Email:

Phone: 212.389.5451

 

About the Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony:  The 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony celebrates the 28th anniversary of Inc. magazine's revered ranking of America's fastest-growing privately held companies.  The momentous event brings together current Inc. 5000 honorees and alumni of the list, along with the greater business community to recognize the remarkable achievements of these companies and the great contributions they have made to the global economy.  The 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is set for September 23-25 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.  For more information about the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony and to register, visit: www.Inc5000event.com.  Stay connected with Inc. Events by following @IncEvents on Twitter.

 

About Inc. magazine:  Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. magazine (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders.  With a total paid circulation of more than 700,000, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology.

 

About Tony Hsieh:  Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos.com, the massively successful online clothing, accessories and footwear retailer that has been named one of the best places to work in America.  Partially due to his innovative customer service and employee happiness philosophy, Hsieh has guided Zappos.com from a run of the mill online shoe store in 1999 to a billion dollars in gross sales in 2008.  Prior to joining Zappos, Hsieh co-founded Venture Frogs, an incubator and investment firm specializing in Internet startups, and also co-founded LinkExchange, an advertising network that was sold to Microsoft for $265M in 1998.

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