Delivering Happiness

Do More with Less
Zappos has always been about being able to do more with less. While we
may be casual in our interactions with each other, we are focused and
serious about the operations of our business. We believe in hard work and
putting in the extra effort to get things done.

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We believe in operational excellence, and realize that there is always
room for improvement in everything we do. This means that our work is
never done. In order to stay ahead of the competition (or would-be
competition), we need to continuously innovate as well as make
incremental improvements to our operations, always striving to make
ourselves more efficient, always trying to figure out how to do something
better. We use mistakes as learning opportunities.
We must never lose our sense of urgency in making improvements. We
must never settle for “good enough,” because good is the enemy of great,
and our goal is to not only become a great company, but to become the
greatest service company in the world. We set and exceed our own high
standards, constantly raising the bar for competitors and for ourselves.
Ask yourself: How can you do what you’re doing more efficiently? How
can your department become more efficient? How can the company as a
whole become more efficient? How can you personally help the company
become more efficient?
Do More with Less by Vanessa L.
I joined Zappos in 2007 during a hard patch in my life. I went to a
temp agency looking for work and was told there was a company that
might fit me really well. The minute I walked through those doors,
my life had changed.
I remember thinking the core values were simple, easy to follow,
and incredibly impactful. Of the ten, I’ve integrated “Do More With
Less” into my life in the most ways.
Around my first Christmas working at Zappos, I had no family,
no car, no phone, no money, and nowhere to go for the holidays. In
my stubborn head I wanted to enjoy Christmas, even if it was all by
myself. I decided I’d walk to the store and buy one small holiday
item every day until Christmas Eve, and then I’d cook up a little feast
for myself.
I ended up buying two yams on sale for 39 cents. That was as far
as my shopping went. Christmas Eve came and I made my yams. I

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had neither spices nor even a pan in which to cook them. I found
some tinfoil to use instead.
Opening up my cabinet, I saw a package of hot cocoa powder
with marshmallows. I sifted the package, picked out all the little
marshmallows, cleansed them in water, and put them in the yams for
flavor.
I ate it all, even though it was not tasty. But the funny thing
was… I was so incredibly happy in that moment. I’ll never forget
how content I felt that night. I could’ve been miserable and cried
myself to sleep because I was alone during the holidays, a time I’m
used to spending with family and a whole table full of food.
I felt Do More With Less got me through rough patches in life
and made me think outside the box in my personal and professional
life. There’s never one way to do things, but an incredible amount of
ways to get things done. It takes an open and creative mind to find,
invent, and execute them. I’ve been more creative, passionate, and
resourceful here at Zappos than anywhere else.
Roadblocks aren’t a dead end here. They’re a welcome challenge.
Thinking back to when I made those yams years ago, doing more
with less, I now know that any issue arising in life is a welcome
challenge where I can learn and grow. Since that time, I’ve gained
back material possessions like a phone, car, home, and steady supply
of groceries (including yams!).
I know it’s not material possessions that generate my happiness
but one thing I have to admit… I still enjoy yams with freeze-dried
marshmallows in packets!