Captain’s Log: Sin-Date: O-twelve. O-twenty-three. O-O-eleven. Today, we happened upon a race that seem to be uncharacteristically HAPPY. They call themselves Zapponians and are led by a bright, charismatic leader, Tony Hsieh, a man with vision and more importantly forethought.

We made our presence known and made contact with a @MigPascual. A leader himself within the Zapponian culture teaching it and living it as the culture itself grew and evolved much like a tree as it stretches its branches and leaves towards the sky. He seemed to be aglow and entrenched in the phenomena. Is this condition contagious? We hope so.

I think you got some Happiness on me.

Sinner Magazine sent in an away-team of 3 of our top people to check-out life on Planet Zappos. We had a few questions to answer. Do they really fly on luxury jets? Are they really that happy? And what are they’re plans to take over the known universe?

We met with Mig, whose official title is Odd Job. Yes, like the Bond henchman. His role at Zappos Insights, like many at Zappos was created organically to fill a need. The need in this case was to spread Zapponian culture to other businesses, teams, and anyone willing to listen. Some glimpses into the magic are free and some cost a bit of scratch but the knowledge that they offer is worth much more than the pittance you’ll pay.

The Zapponians and their Core Values

There are 10 Core Values that help to guide and inspire the Zapponians to achieve any goal they can imagine.

1. Deliver WOW through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun And A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative And Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth And Learning
6. Build Open And Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build A Positive Team And Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate And Determined
10. Be Humble

The list starts off simply and straight forward with 1. Deliver WOW through Service. This simple statement can be said to be the secret behind Zappos excellent customer service. That WOW is evident in the current record for the longest customer service call set at 8 hours and 23 minutes… without a potty break or lunch for that matter. The call itself did not result in a sale but management wasn’t worried about that. You see life on Planet Zappos isn’t about making sales, but providing EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. If you can do that, the sales will come.

The rest of the list can be looked at as a guide on how each employee can make the best situation for themselves and in turn for the company. In fact, the list resembles a list of the ideal traits of an entrepreneur. 2. Embrace and Drive Change. 4. Be creative and open-minded. And the one that particularly stands out as a mantra of a small business owner: 8. Do More With Less. This struck an eerily familiar chord with the three investigators from SINNER. As well as the next line: 9. Be Passionate and Determined.

Then it hit them! The ideal employee is one who would treat the business as if it were his own. Fully invested in every decision that he or she makes, because no matter how small it may seem at the time, compounded, they result in the Greater Good.

The Myths and The Realities

Now to tackle a couple rumors that had arisen. First, is it true they get to fly in luxury jets?

Yes, it seems. This past September Tony had invested $7 million in JetSuite, a private jet rental company that provides luxury jet rentals to customers. This move put him on the board and in turn allowed him to offer the services to his family, the team at Zappos.

Mig himself had used the service, which allows employees to fly the empty jet to an airport where it was requested by a client. He was afforded all the luxury of a “paying” customer; luxury robe, spirits and bubbles and a snack or meal if the need arose. He and a group of friends flew from Vegas to Southern Cal where they disembarked rented a car and enjoyed the SoCal weather.

They then drove that rented car back to Vegas to complete their adventure. Spirits must’ve been high, as I could sense how thrilling it all was as Mig recounted the tale. His excitement contagious. Aha! Maybe that is the elusive missing link. We investigated further.

Mig began to explain the other “benefits” afforded employees; free soup, salad, sandwiches and soft-drinks for lunch, free coffee and hot chocolate, 100% covered healthcare, a nap room (because a well-rested Zapponian is a productive Zapponian), the freedom to express yourself however you like in your work area, your attire, your hair. And that’s just the beginning.

They have monthly team building exercises, off-sight, at which they don’t talk about or focus on work, just being together. These have ranged from shooting guns, to hiking, to a group baking class.

Zappos also offers every employee a Life Coach for those times they need a little guidance, or help planning for a goal, or just someone to stand-by with words of encouragement. Anything a Zapponian could want or dream can be achieved with a Life Coach; saving for a car, gaining extra skills, losing 20 pounds, anything.

The Trickle Down Effect

Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “Why?” Why offer ALL OF THIS? What’s the rub? The rub is… there isn’t one.

This is all done in the vein of Spreading Happiness, just as Hsieh’s book of the same name implies. A Happy World with peaceful loving inhabitants CAN BE ACHIEVED. How? By making sure that your employees are happy. If they are happy at work and enjoy and take pride in what they do, they will take that happiness home and share it with their families. Happy families then spread that same happiness when they co-mingle with the community; at the grocery store, at school, in parks and walking down the street. That happiness trickles down to those you may never see.

The Movement Heads Downtown

The Henderson offices that saw them grow from a sprout into a majestic tree has now become to small. Zappos needs a bigger pot and more sky to help insure its further growth. The Zapponians are not done. Their adventure has just barely begun. This move downtown has them looking for digs closer to their new offices. Again Mig lights up, speaking of house and apartment hunting and how ideally he’d like to live at The Ogden, home to Hsieh and many other execs and leaders in the team.

The lease was signed this week to make the move into City Hall official. But Tony and his team aren’t waiting for 2015 to start planning. It’s been in the works for a while now. Planning and plotting. Bringing in business owners and collaborators and encouraging tech companies to take a gamble on Vegas. And it’s working. In a few short years, Downtown may be the oasis it was in its heyday. That beacon of light and promise in the middle of a bleak and barren desert. With the help of Tony and people like Mig and the rest of the Zappos family, the idyllic city of the future we’ve only seen in Sci Fi movies may be a reality. Dream big. Remember Core Value number 9? Be Passionate and Determined.