From Sole to Somm

My Zappos Career — “The People”

From Sole to Somm — My Zappos Career — “The People”

Chapter 32

Back in 2003, stepping into the office, there were only a handful of familiar faces around me. After nineteen years of pouring everything into Zappos, that circle grew into dozens who shaped not just my career but my life. Throughout these chapters, I’ve hammered home how central people are to anyone’s success — their support, talents, and personalities made a true impact. Of course, Tony Hsieh comes first in my book, but that’s a whole story reserved for him in Chapter 37. The following people either made a difference in my career, or we had a personal connection which was important to me. I sorted these alphabetically:

Aaron & I in Italy

Aaron Brown

Aaron was on the hunt for a new gig years ago. I’d been swapping stories with Fred about this wild startup called Zappos, but my wife wasn’t having it, so I passed. I tipped Aaron off, and he took the leap first. Three or four years later, I found myself finally ready — Aaron set up my meeting with Fred, Tony…