I love Zappos. I discovered them a few years ago while shopping for indoor soccer shoes online. So I gave them a shot. Free shipping, decent prices, and I didn't have to create an account with them, which was great. I can't stand when a website forces customers to create an account in order to make a purchase. Yes, here is my email address so you can bombard my inbox on a daily basis with e-mails I will neve read. What a great sales model…
Zappos has it all figured out. Instead of flooding my inbox with crap, why not focus on meeting or (take a deep breath here) exceeding my expectations? That is exactly what Zappos did, just by delivering my shoes the next day. Pretty simple right? I thought so.
Zappos exceeded my expectations and in return I became a loyal customer (Zappos once reported that 60% of their customers are repeat). And for the last few years I have been singing their praises and recommending their site to countless amounts of people.
Yesterday Amazon made a very smart decision to purchase Zappos for approximately $900 million. Zappos leadership team - Nick Swinmurn - founder, Tony Hsieh - CEO, and Alfred Lin - CFO will remain in their positions and hopefully Zappos will march on to become much more than shoes.
If you haven’t bought shoes from Zappos, I suggest it. And if you haven’t read about the company, I suggest that as well. They have a very unique and admirable corporate culture that breeds success and truly realizes the power of relationships in the business world.
Here is a great interview that Inc. had with Tony Hsieh. http://bit.ly/3r8gm4
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
CB Partnership vs Midfield Destroyer
A strong CB partnership or a top class defensive midfielder? Any successful team needs one or the other, some have both. A strong center back partnership is a common platform for successful footballing sides. The premiership is a great example of this; Manchester United and Chelsea have recently won the league with a couple of stellar center backs. These players not only excel individually, but as a cohesive partnership. John Terry/Ricardo Carvalho and Rio Ferdinand/Nemanja Vidic are great examples of this. One center back is known for attacking the ball on the ground and in the air and the other for sweeping up behind the backline. One high and one low, power and finesse.
Not every team has the luxury of two world-class center backs, while even fewer teams have the luxury of a world class center back partnership. So what is a viable solution? A combative, all action, dominating defensive midfielder. These individuals are a 'dime a dozen' and once a team finds one, it is rare they let him go. I am of the belief that this type of player is a must for any possession-driven, attacking footballing side. Barcelona is a great example of this. When comparing Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, you would have to agree that Manchester United have a far superior center back partnership. But Barcelona have a rare animal that Manchester United have not possessed for many years: a combative defensive midfielder. Yaya Toure - the finest defensive midfielder in the world. He is strong in the tackle, dominant in the air, composed, and highly technically gifted with the ball at his feet.
Manchester United have enjoyed a great amount of success with out a defensive midfielder, and I am sure they will continue to in the years to come (maybe not, with out CR7, er CR9). They are a rock solid defensive unit, capable of deadly counter attacks. Barcelona, on the other hand are a possession based, fluid attacking team much like AC Milan in their most recent hay day. They are capable of lulling you to sleep with their triangle passing until an opening is found or launching wave after wave of attack until their opposition's resistance is broken.
Which method will be more successful in the years to come?
Not every team has the luxury of two world-class center backs, while even fewer teams have the luxury of a world class center back partnership. So what is a viable solution? A combative, all action, dominating defensive midfielder. These individuals are a 'dime a dozen' and once a team finds one, it is rare they let him go. I am of the belief that this type of player is a must for any possession-driven, attacking footballing side. Barcelona is a great example of this. When comparing Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, you would have to agree that Manchester United have a far superior center back partnership. But Barcelona have a rare animal that Manchester United have not possessed for many years: a combative defensive midfielder. Yaya Toure - the finest defensive midfielder in the world. He is strong in the tackle, dominant in the air, composed, and highly technically gifted with the ball at his feet.
Manchester United have enjoyed a great amount of success with out a defensive midfielder, and I am sure they will continue to in the years to come (maybe not, with out CR7, er CR9). They are a rock solid defensive unit, capable of deadly counter attacks. Barcelona, on the other hand are a possession based, fluid attacking team much like AC Milan in their most recent hay day. They are capable of lulling you to sleep with their triangle passing until an opening is found or launching wave after wave of attack until their opposition's resistance is broken.
Which method will be more successful in the years to come?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
And so it begins...
I suppose it wouldn't be right just to jump into blogging with out a proper introduction. So here is a little background on myself and what to expect from this wonderful blog.
Name - Kirt Kreutzer
Location - Raleigh, NC
Age - 23
As the sub-title of my blog says, I am a God-seeking, IT consultant, and also a football fanatic. A few months ago that sub-title wouldn't have contained 'God-seeking', but thankfully, now it does! I am a man of faith, which is a daily struggle, but one I am fully committed to. I currently work for CGI Group Inc. (www.cgi.com) as a Programmer Analyst, whatever that means. I am an information technology consultant, I supposedly develop business solutions for our clients, that has yet to be seen. Heh. And lastly, I am a football fanatic. I am half limey (me mum hails from joly old England) and I support Arsenal Football Club. I always have and I always will, so expect some articles on football, which I will not refer to as 'soccer' on this blog. There is more to me of course, I enjoy many sports, I am a lover of fine music, and I am a travel enthusiast, cough --> Western Europe.
Bare with me.
Name - Kirt Kreutzer
Location - Raleigh, NC
Age - 23
As the sub-title of my blog says, I am a God-seeking, IT consultant, and also a football fanatic. A few months ago that sub-title wouldn't have contained 'God-seeking', but thankfully, now it does! I am a man of faith, which is a daily struggle, but one I am fully committed to. I currently work for CGI Group Inc. (www.cgi.com) as a Programmer Analyst, whatever that means. I am an information technology consultant, I supposedly develop business solutions for our clients, that has yet to be seen. Heh. And lastly, I am a football fanatic. I am half limey (me mum hails from joly old England) and I support Arsenal Football Club. I always have and I always will, so expect some articles on football, which I will not refer to as 'soccer' on this blog. There is more to me of course, I enjoy many sports, I am a lover of fine music, and I am a travel enthusiast, cough --> Western Europe.
Bare with me.
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