Zappos’ CEO Tony Hsieh says Zappos is a service retailer that happens to sell shoes — and builds the firm’s culture around a group of individuals encouraged and empowered to “wow” customers. While most companies discourage employees from spending more than three minutes on the phone to a customer, Zappos celebrates the record for the longest call. It also encourages hand-written notes with shoe orders, thoughtful gifts on your birthday, and generous apologies for mistakes. Zappos built a business with a personal connection that grew to $1.2 billion in annual sales in ten years. It is now part of Amazon.com.