In 1998, the thought of launching a startup in San Antonio was ludicrous—but that didn't stop Rackspace's founders from planting their flag in the heart of Texas. Just over two decades later, the scrappy little underdog that no one believed in is a billion-dollar business with more than 6,000 employees worldwide.

One of the first ten account managers hired at Rackspace was Lorenzo Gomez. He was there when the company became the host for YouTube and saw the decade-long stretch where each month brought one-hundred new hires.

The rocket ship growth was exhilarating but exposed Rackspace's early flaws, including avoiding customers at all costs. When the mission shifted to becoming one of the world's greatest service companies, everything changed. Suddenly, Rackspace had a rallying cry—"fanatical support"—and a culture that few companies could match.

The Rack We Built is Lorenzo's recollections from those days, told only as he can tell it: through stories packed with style, heart, and humor. With the principles in the book, you can create the type of culture that makes people want to volunteer their best.