This doesn’t have much to do with earning money online, but with business in general, and how companies can keep their customers happy by empowering their employees.

So I was out the other day, and on my way home, I decided to stop by Starbucks to pick up a delicious drink for my wife.  As it often is, Starbucks was packed.  It took a few minutes to order, and then I waited for my drink.  And waited.  And waited.  Growing up, my family owned a store, and I dealt with my share of rude customers.  As such, I always hesitate to complain about slow service.  When several people in line behind me got their orders, and it didn’t look like anyone was preparing mine, I finally asked the barrista if my order would be coming up soon.

As it turned out, the order taker never relayed my order to the barista, so she was completely unaware of my order.  She quickly made the drink, and handed it to me along with what looked like a small brochure.  She said she was sorry for the wait, and to come back soon.

As I left, I realized that what she had handed me was an apology for the poor service, which doubled as a coupon for a free beverage.

I assume this is Starbucks’ policy, to automatically give these to any customer who has been inconvenienced, even if only slightly.  If so, it’s certainly a good way to keep people coming back.

What I like most about it was that it wasn’t a manager who gave me the coupon, nor was it given to me after I complained (I didn’t complain at all).  It was immediately given to me by the employee I was speaking to.  Presumably, all Starbucks employees have the autonomy to hand these out as they see fit.  By empowering their employees, Starbucks has ensured that their customers will walk away happy, even if they were inconvenienced.

A similar principle is outlined in my favorite business book, The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferris.  Bogged down by questions from his call center employees who needed Tim’s approval for everything, he tested a plan in which his employees had the authority to fix any problem on their own, without asking him, as long as it cost less than $100 to fix.  Instantly, his workload dropped dramatically, along with customer complaints.

So anyway, I just wanted to share that.  It’s a great principle to keep in mind as we run our businesses.

I wouldn’t consider myself to be great at writing sales letters.  I guess I’m okay at it, but when I write some copy and then read it back, I’m rarely impressed.

The other night, I was writing the sales  letter for a new promotion I’m running for the Online Marketing Toolbox.  I’m giving away a free hardcover copy of my favorite business book, the “book that changed my life” - The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferris.  As I was writing the story of how I came across the book, how quickly my life changed for the better after I read it, and what my lifestyle is like now, I was actually kind of amazed.

Every bit of it was true, and if I do say so myself, it was actually a pretty compelling story.  With all of the work, and the pinching pennies, and the late nights that I’ve put it over the past year, it’s very easy to forget some of the highlights.  I set my own hours, I travel the world, I’m with my wife and daughter all day every day.  It’s really a great thing!

Anyway, I figured I should post at least some of the story here.  If you want a free copy of the 4-Hour Workweek, be sure to pick it up from here.

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Last year at this time, I was waking up at 5am every day to take a 2-hour commute in gridlocked traffic to a boring, low-paying job! I had a wife and infant daughter at home who I missed terribly, and I worried that I was being deprived of watching my daughter grow up.

Backpacking through the Swiss Alps

My wife and daughter on the
beach in Mendocino, CA

Finishing up work in Munich
before heading to Oktoberfest

My daughter being silly
at the Eiffel Tower

I had been tinkering with my online business for seven years, and it was still just making a few hundred bucks a month. My deliverance came in the form of a Secret Santa gift from a coworker, though he wouldn’t have known at the time what a profound impact his gift was about have on my life.

I used the $20 Borders gift card he gave me to buy a copy of the 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. I had never heard of the book (or the author) before that day, but it looked like a good read, so I decided to buy it and take it home.

I broke out the book on New Years’ Day, and I couldn’t put it down. I read the entire book in one day, and before nightfall, I was taking notes, making plans, and telling my wife all about how our lives were about to change. I’m sure she thought I was crazy!

90 days later, on April 1st, 2008, I said goodbye to my job, and my family and I started our new lifestyle, completely free from the restraints that nearly everyone else has holding them back. I now set my own hours, and I can do my work from the office in my home in Baltimore, from a cafe in Paris, or from a beer hall during Oktoberfest (I’ve actually worked from all of these places).

After I quit my job, we immediately took three weeks to drive up the West coast, from San Francisco all the way to Vancouver. We backpacked around Europe for three weeks last September with our 18-month old in tow, and had more fun than I even thought possible! We’re taking a cruise in just a few weeks, and we’re planning several more international adventures — and I owe it all to one little book - The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferris!

— Click Here To Read the Rest of the Story (and get the 4-Hour Workweek for FREE)