Talking about values is risky territory for fear of coming across as preaching. This is not meant to preach. It’s meant to be a practical approach that helps guide your brand, much like the brand values of a product. It’s fair to say that most everyone has a set of values they believe are important in both their business and personal lives. Not everyone has taken the time to identify those which are most important. Fewer still use those core values as a screen by which important choices are made and an even smaller universe of people live their values as a daily guide or North Star. Read More ...

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com agreed to contribute to “Musings” and I’m happy to say, he’s my first guest blogger. Tony co-founded LinkExchange and sold it to Microsoft in 1998 for $265 million. As an original investor in Zappos.com when it was founded in 1999, Tony joined the company shortly thereafter and has since led Zappos from $1.6 million in sales in 2000 to over $1 billion in 2008. If there’s such a thing as a natural born marketer, Tony is it. And as you’ll read, he personifies the ideal, principle-centered leader. Read More ...

I once thought there was something narcissistic – - or at least self-indulgent about having a vanity Web site and a blog. At a minimum, writing in the first person begged the question: Who cares? At the risk of sounding apologetic, www.PeterBray.com was originally a gift from my friend David. Since that unique gift in 1997, my site has changed shape and grown. As a career marketing guy who has launched more than my fair share of new products, I have always known the importance of branding. Read More ...