I honestly never dreamed at the time that I would one day own the Starbucks and or be in a position where we would have more than 10,000 stores around the world. It has just been an incredible journey for all of us.
Starbucks trying to build a different kind of company around the balance of profitably and benevolence. A social conscience. And that isn’t a program it has to be a way of life.
Who wants a dream that’s near-fetched?
Be bold, but be fair. Don’t give in. If others around you have integrity, too, you can prevail.
The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability. And that has a lot to do with trust.
If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products that are in our stores, we think we can significantly enhance them and make them more widely available.
If Vancouver did not succeed as Starbucks from ’87 on, our entire international business, which is now thousands of stores and a significant amount of growth and profit, may not have existed.
Don’t buy preground coffee.
Sometimes you have to create the thing you want to be part of.
Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last. If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.
Great companies are defined by their discipline and their understanding of who they are and who they are not.
To stay vigorous, a company needs to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for all these types: the dreamer, the entrepreneur, the professional manager, and the leader. If it doesn’t, it risks becoming yet another mediocre corporation.
At Starbucks 0 as in any business, in any life – there are so many hectic moments during the day when we are simply trying to do the job, trying to put out the fires, trying to solve any number of small problems, that we often lose sight of what it is we’re really here to do.
Success is the by-product when you work toward the target.
We will never-and I mean never-turn our backs on our employees.
I grew up in a working class family where there was no health insurance. I saw first hand the fracturing of the American dream and the bitterness that comes when there is no hope and a lot of despair. So I wanted to build the company, in a sense, that my father never got a chance to work for.
If you pour your heart into your work, or into any worthy enterprise, you can achieve dreams others may think impossible.
My passion. My commitment. This is the most important thing in my life other than my family.
At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others.
Success is empty if you arrive at the finish line alone.