Company makes it its business to spread happiness

Since 2010, Jenn Lim has made more than 300,000 people happy.

She is the chief happiness officer, CEO and co-founder, along with Tony Hsieh, of Delivering Happiness, a company with the goal of changing the world by doing just that.

Delivering Happiness employs a staff of 20 but has managed to bring happiness to the lives of people in 3,012 cities in 110 countries, according to Lim.

"Our mantra is 'inspire to be inspired,' " she said. "There is a tipping point to happiness. Not only is there a high demand for it, but people want to apply it to their lives."

It began after Hsieh launched a nationwide bus tour promoting his book "Delivering Happiness" and found that the business-centric message was touching the lives of not only executives but also teachers and mechanics.

The organization acts as a consultant for large corporations, helping them develop core values and promote happiness among employees, but the company also spreads happiness on a smaller scale by handing out flowers to passers-by on rainy days.

Downtown Las Vegas has served as a testing ground for many of the nonprofit's projects, including its most recent Inspire events.

The group organizes small meet-ups in the downtown area where members of the community share what inspires them.

Brian "Paco" Alvarez, a downtown resident and community activist, participated in the Nov. 24 Inspire event.

Alvarez spoke about the book "Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas" by local writer and editor Matthew O'Brien and its inspirational message about the lives of people residing in Las Vegas-area storm drains.

"(The Inspire events) really help people in the community understand people," Alvarez said. "That's what it's all about, people understanding people. It's important to pay it forward, and at the end of my talk, I told the audience, 'Next time it rains, you'll think twice.' "

The Las Vegas events are organized by Clair Byrd, who, as head of the company's CHAT - Community Happiness Action Team - department, holds the title of Captain Chatter.

"We use these hands-on community activities in Las Vegas as case studies," Byrd said. "Events like Inspire can be packaged and re-created in other cities."

While she enjoys the work she does, Byrd said it is not without its difficulties.

"I love what I do. Who wouldn't want to have a job where your goal is to make people happy ?" she said. "In all honesty, it's the most stressful job I've ever had and the most rewarding job I've ever had. But the more you care about your work, the more stressful it can become."

Therein lies Delivering Happiness' key message, especially in its workplace consulting.

"We've found three key aspects of life where people find their happiness," Lim said. "A feeling of connectedness to others in and out of the workplace, a sense of progress in life and working for a higher purpose are all important for anyone's happiness."

The free Inspire events take place every fourth Saturday of the month from 5 to 8 p.m. at various downtown locations .

For more information, visit deliveringhappiness.com.

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 702-383-0492.