Earlier this week I had the chance to catch up with my buddy and fellow entrepreneur Tim Storm, who also makes his living running an internet based business. Where we live in the Midwest, you would be hard pressed to find any internet business or website as successful as FatWallet.com.

I realize this is more of a story than the traditional Monday motivational posts, but consider this, Tim started this powerhouse of a business on his own with just a simple idea. Many of you who read this blog are familiar with how rakeback works in the online poker market. FatWallet.com is essentially a similar concept, however they operate in the retail market which is exponentially larger than the gaming market will ever be. The forums at FatWallet are also amongst one of the largest online forums in the world.

Like any growing business though, FatWallet recently grew out of their existing office space. Over the past year or so, Tim has been overseeing the construction of his new building. Three words came to mind after getting the grand tour the other day…..impressive, amazing, and unbelievable. It reminded me of a small scale Googleplex. In fact, I don’t even know where to start when explaining it. If you have an office with employees, this is the way to do it.

You can scroll through some great pictures of the new setup here on the developers website.

It is a very large, inviting, and open floor plan. As soon as you walk into the building you are greeted by an entryway filled with video games, pinball machines, a ping pong table, and all the other fun stuff you can imagine. As you progress through the long entryway, you can see what appears to be like a Starbucks with tables, a coffee bar, and of course a custom shuffleboard table. Just before reaching this area, you are greeted by a smiling and cheerful receptionist. I wish I would have remembered a camera, because my description doesn’t quite do it justice.

Further into the building you see several offices with dimmed lights and people working behind massive computer screens. The internet business is the only one in the world where you’ll find executives with ipods on, sitting in dark offices and not getting nervous about having 22 things minimized in their trays when their boss walks in!

The FatWallet team are all transitioning to Macs as well…..apparently they realized how awful Vista was when they decided to order all the new machines! Allow me to continue, as if a fully stocked game room was not enough, there is a phenomenal workout center as well as a library with massage chairs. Not impressed yet, the office building overlooks a golf course which Tim also has ownership in.

Here’s another piece of motivation for you. Before founding FatWallet, Tim was a gaming affiliate and promoted within our industry. It just goes to show you that a little “outside the box” thinking can take you to levels in the business world that most only dream about.

Here is why this entire set-up is so impressive though, it’s not just for looks or prestige. It is because Tim believes in taking care of his employees and keeping the company morale at 110%. If I had to think of one of the top 5 places to work in the world besides PAP, I can honestly say this would be one of them. Many C level managers would think an environment such as this would encourage employees to slack off or be less productive. In fact, it is the exact opposite. Employees want to work harder, show up early, and stay late, Why? Because they feel appreciated and know that their employer rewards them for a job well done.

When I speak about surrounding yourself with successful people, these are the types of individuals I am talking about. I look at business leaders like Tim, and even our CEO Warren Jolly, and I think to myself; what can I learn from these guys or take away from every conversation I have with them that will help me reach my lofty career goals.

Tim gave me a book that I am going to be reading this week called “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits -What you must do to increase the value of your growing firm” by Verne Harnish. I will give a full review in this blog or on our next radio show. Heck maybe I’ll even see if Tim wants to be a guest and discuss it with us.

In closing, all I can say is damn, how did I get so lucky to be working in one of the greatest industries in the world, the affiliate industry? The only answer I can come up with is one of my favorite quotes, “The harder I work, the luckier I get”. Make it a great week!