TH: “Yes. A brand is a shortcut to certain emotions. We want Zappos to be a shortcut to being inspired. My presentations and most of my twitter posts don’t have much to do about e-commerce. They have more to do with customer service, culture, entertaining and inspiring. I wrote a blog post about how Twitter can make you a better, happier person.”

TL: How does inspiring your audience benefit Zappos?

TH: “Ultimately, it causes people to be more attached to the brand and the company. You’d rather support a company that inspires you than one that doesn’t.”

 TL: I understand you’re a big storyteller. What kind of stories do you tell?

TH: “Stories that reinforce our themes. I start with a story about my previous career at another company and how the culture went downhill, which is why we’re so focused on creating a great culture at Zappos. I also tell a fun story about the time a bunch of us had been bar-hopping and we got back to our hotel and tried to order pizza from Zappos. Even though we don’t deliver pizza, the customer service rep wanted to keep a customer satisfied and actually tracked down a pizza parlor that delivered late at night! It’s a fun story that reinforces our commitment to customer service.”

TL: What is the Zappos vision?

TH: “Delivering happiness and the best customer experience. With that vision, there could be a Zappos airline in twenty years. Zappos is about delivering happiness which includes customer service, inspiration and positive emotions.”