From Sole to Somm

Tony Hsieh — Chapter 37

This chapter is dedicated to Tony Hsieh-a person whose impact on my career and life is hard to put into words. The world lost an amazing human being far too soon, and I’m still heartbroken by his passing in November 2020. Here’s to Tony.

Back in the early 2000s, my job at Target had turned into a nightmare. The STL I was working for led by fear, and it wore me down day by day. It started seeping into my home life, and I wasn’t exactly the happiest person to be around. I was miserable enough to consider leaving before I had another job lined up-a leap into the unknown.

I’d spoken to Fred Mossler a few times about Zappos, but Diane and I had two kids and a mortgage, and the idea of working for a startup was unnerving. Still, the grind was getting old, and on a whim I called Aaron for an update on Zappos.

“You should come talk to Tony. I can arrange an interview if you like. We’re looking for a Women’s footwear guy.” It was one of those calls that stopped me in my tracks-the adrenaline started pumping, and for the first time in months, I felt a glimmer of excitement. But I needed more info.

Fred had already gone out of his way to make the offer comfortable, and he kept saying, “You should talk to Tony.” I knew Tony was the CEO-everyone held him in high regard, but I’d never…