What makes Hot Topic so successful as a retailer? What makes them so popular with their employees? How can they keep their success going?

Hot Topic is a successful retailer because "the culture is based on a passion for a concept." The passion that drives the company is shared throughout all levels and positions. Music is the passion and it inspires everything from design of the stores to the hiring of an employee. According to www.merriam-webster.com passion is defined as "a strong liking or desire for concept." If hiring people with a passion for music and we know our passions help us thrive and excite us, this alone speaks about the company on a larger scale. They offer a great working environment where they feel they can fit in and feel appreciated for what they contribute to the company. "[They also] value collaboration, open communication, and empowerment, and is perpetuated by a lack of walls and doors in the headquarters." In order to produce consistent success for as many years as they have they have to have an environment that encourages and celebrates innovation and creativity. Their flow and need for communication is also a basis for their success. If they continue to hire passionate people, success will be continuous because being passionate is being invested. The policy of openness was and is still part of the success and contributed a good deal to its growth.

How does the idea of no walls and no doors in the corporate headquarters encourage the culture Hot Topic is trying to perpetuate? Do you think you would like to work in such an atmosphere?

The idea of no walls and no doors encourage the culture Hot Topic is trying to perpetuate by valuing collaboration, open communication, and empowerment. The idea is everyone