Tony Hsieh

TONY HSIEH

www.zappos.com

Net Worth : $840 million (2007)

Tony Hsieh, 35, is the current CEO of online shoe and clothing shop Zappos.com. Prior to joining Zappos, Hsieh co-founded and sold the internet advertising network LinkExchange to Microsoft for $265M in 1998. On July 22, 2009 Amazon.com announced the acquisition of Zappos.com in a deal valued at approximately $887.9mm He is said to have made at least $214 million from the sale not including money made through his former investment firm Venture Frogs.

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Tony originally got involved with Zappos as an advisor and investor in 1999, about 2 months after the company was founded. Over time, Tony ended up spending more and more time with the company because it was both the most fun and the most promising out of all the companies that he was involved with. He eventually joined Zappos full time in 2000. Under his leadership, Zappos has grown gross merchandise sales from $1.6M in 2000 to over $1 billion in 2008 by focusing relentlessly on customer service.

Tony focuses on continuing to grow the business at a rapid pace while maintaining the culture and feel of a small company. Prior to joining Zappos, Tony co-founded Venture Frogs with Alfred Lin. Prior to Venture Frogs, Tony co-founded LinkExchange, an advertising network that was successfully sold to Microsoft for $265M in 1998.

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh 35, makes a paltry $36,000 a year. Of course, he did sell advertising network LinkExchange, which he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million in 1998. So he’s not hurting for money. But Hsieh will be the first to tell you he’s not motivated by money, but by the prospect of creating something different. He talks to SUCCESS about the Zappos culture. He eventually joined Zappos full time in 2000. Under his leadership, Zappos has grown gross merchandise sales from $1.6M in 2000 to $840M in 2007 by focusing relentlessly on customer service.

Tony Hsieh, in his own words:

“The best way to have an open-door policy is not to have a door in the first place”

“Chase the vision, not the money.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, think bigger.”