Advertisements
Holland, Michigan
Onward:How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul-Howard Schultz and Joanne Gordon
“As a business leader, my quests has never been just about winning making money; it has also been about building a great, enduring company, which has always meant trying to strike a balance between profit and social conscience.”-loc 103
“At the same time, a seismic shift in consumer behavior was under away, and people became not just more cost conscious, but also more environmentally aware, health minded, and ethically driven.” -loc 119
“That, as I’ve said, is what merchants do. We take something ordinary and infuse it with emotion and meaning, and then we tell its story over and over and over again, often without saying a word.”-loc 289
“The next time you walk by a coffee shop, peer inside. take in the variety of people in line or seated. Men and women in business attire. Parents with strollers. College students studying. High school kids joking. couples deep in conversation. Retired folks reading newspapers and talking politics. And, of course, scores of people sitting in front of laptops searching, downloading, listening, reading and writing books, blogs, business plans, resumes, letters, e-mails, instant messages, texts…whatever their hearts desire. Consider how many of those people furiously clicking away on keyboards and scribbling ideas on napkins might be working to create the next Google , Alibaba, or Facebook, or composing a novel or a piece of music. Maybe they are falling in love with someone sitting next to them. Or making friend.”-loc 296
“But beginning in the late 1990s, social responsibility also became a marketplace imperative.”-loc 392
“In 2001 Starbucks committed to purchasing one million pounds of Fairtrade certified coffee; no long after, our Faritrade purchases reached 10 million pounds, making us North America’s largest purchaser, roaster, and retailer of Fairtrade green coffee beans.”-loc 415
“A well-built brand is the culmination of intangibles that do not directly flow to the revenue or profitability of a company, but contribute to its texture. Forsaking them can take a subtle, collective toll.”-loc 483
“When we went to automatic espresso machines, we solved a major problem in terms of speed of service and efficiency. At the same time, we overlooked the fact that we would remove much of the romance and theater that was in play…”-loc 491
“In my life I place enormous value on loyalty and trust. It is intrinsic to my personal relationships and to the integrity of our company’s culture, essential to how we conduct business with one another and with our customers. And while Starbucks is not perfect, nor am I, and people may disagree with some of our choices, we make it our business to uphold that trust, and we make amends if we fail.”-loc 532
TBD
Pre-show
The first time I was here, I even didn’t make it here.
The second time I was here, I enjoyed a wonderful Jazz show with someone I really like.
The third time I was here, I made the most important decision of this year.
Maybe consistency is not something you could seek and get, but something forms its own shape while you are traveling your own path.
Autumn
I love it when give it a chance, you always generously reveal more about yourself. That’s how I get closer to you over decades, and still fall in love with you all over again.
I love it when I walk in the middle of your heart, I see what life looks like, without faking or pretending, without the kind of beauty too delicately designed, without writing too much out when I could still see much within.
Complexity
A story that I don’t know
