Words matter. These are the best Howard Schultz Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
Expect more than others think possible.
The premium single-cup segment is the fastest-growing business within the global coffee industry.
Customers have different need states and life experiences.
Starbucks has changed the rules of engagement for the music industry.
What I would say to young entrepreneurs is there’s so many moments in your life where you have these dreams, and people are trying to protect you, and they say, perhaps, friends, family, parents sometimes, they don’t agree with it, they think, ‘This is just too high of a hurdle.’ And I don’t agree with that.
People ask me what’s the most important function when you’re starting an organization or setting up the kind of culture and values that are going to endure. The discipline I believe so strongly in is H.R., and its the last discipline that gets funded.
I’m not as interested in what you make as I am in what you’re passionate about. What business are you really in?
I am concerned about any attrition in customer traffic at Starbucks, but I don’t want to use the economy, commodity prices or consumer confidence as an excuse. We must maintain a value proposition to our customers as well as differentiate the Starbucks Experience. That is the key.
We think of Starbucks not as a coffee company but a media company.
Starbucks has a role and a meaningful relationship with people that is not only about the coffee.
I’m not losing any sleep over Dunkin Donuts.
I’m optimistic about the country; I’m optimistic about the American people.
Often, organizations need bold, grand gestures to galvanize people towards a new mission or refocus their attention.
I can’t imagine a day without coffee. I can’t imagine!
I’m a voracious reader.
The future of America is not an entitlement. We have been given a treasure chest of gifts and opportunities, but some people are being left behind, and success is not sustainable unless it is shared.
When you start a company, it’s a singular focus. You have the wind at your back.
Do I take criticism of Starbucks personally? Of course I do.
I’m in a different position than most CEO’s. I’m a founder. I’m not a hired CEO. Now, I can be fired by the board, but most CEO’s are hired by the board.
Don’t buy preground coffee.
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.
Cutting prices or putting things on sale is not sustainable business strategy. The other side of it is that you can’t cut enough costs to save your way to prosperity.
We need to put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. That is my new battle cry. Live and breathe Starbucks the way our customers do.
I despise research. I think it’s a crutch.
On balance, I am a supporter of the minimum wage going up. We’ve got to be very careful what we wish for because some employers – and there could be a lot of them – will be scared away from hiring new people or creating incremental hours for part-time people as a result of that wage going up.
Risk more than others think safe.
America’s leaders need to put their feet in the shoes of working Americans.
I never took classic business classes in college, so I don’t have the background that any of the people running large companies have.
I think growth covers up mistakes.
Beverages have to be created. And they’re created by looking at what trend is in, say, the fashion industry – what color’s hot right now.
China traditionally has been a tea-drinking country but we turned them into coffee drinkers.
My son is trying to be a sports writer, and my daughter is a college student. She wants to be a comedy writer, and she’s at film school. I discouraged both of them early on from getting involved in Starbucks. I didn’t think it would be fair; plus, they didn’t have any interest anyway.
At an early age, my mother gave me this feeling that anything is possible, and I believe that.
In many places where coffee is grown, deforestation is a major issue.
I’ve traveled around the world, and what’s so revealing is that, despite the differences in culture, politics, language, how people dress, there is a universal feeling that we all want the same thing. We deeply want to be respected and appreciated for our differences.
We are witnessing a seismic change in consumer behavior. That change is being brought about by technology and the access people have to information.
For Starbucks, there will be no shortage of the highest-quality arabica beans. I suspect that for some others there could potentially be a problem, not in the near term, but over time.
I think my whole life, because of where I came from, I had a fear of failure.
It’s different when you’re trying to turn something around, especially something that you built, at a time when so many constituents – the media, Wall Street, competitors, ex-employees – are all saying that Starbucks’s best days are behind it, and that Schultz is never going to be able to bring it back.
The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.
I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect people and create community.
I think the most important thing that I think everyone in America must have is belief that wherever they live, whatever station they have in life, that the American dream is alive and well. I think the fracturing of trust and confidence is in the American dream.
I think if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got to dream big and then dream bigger.
Turning a culture around is very difficult to do because it’s based on a series of many, many decisions, and the organization is framed by those decisions.
London, a city where creativity and innovation have always flourished, provides a significant home for Starbucks and a significant gateway into Europe.
My parents really wanted me to get out of New York, be exposed to other people, other ways of life.
Dream more than others think practical.
Certainly the caffeine in coffee, whether it’s Starbucks or generic coffee, is somewhat of a stimulant. But if you drink it in moderation, which I think four or five cups a day is, you’re fine.
I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see And pursuing that vision.
The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability… When the leader demonstrates vulnerability and sensibility and brings people together, the team wins.
I’m much more concerned about America than the Democratic Party.
Care more than others think wise.
It’s ironic that no matter where I go, I meet people from Brooklyn. I’m proud of that heritage. It’s where I’m from, who I am.
Starbucks is committed to evolving and enhancing our customer experience with innovative and wholesome food offerings.
People around the world, they want the authentic Starbucks experience.
Anybody can leverage celebrity for profit.
The response to the Starbucks brand has been phenomenal in our international markets.
I think people will walk into the Starbucks store and overnight recognize the significant difference between what Starbucks represents day-in and day-out and all the other coffee companies that have been serving coffee in India for so many years.
Profitability is a shallow goal if it doesn’t have a real purpose, and the purpose has to be share the profits with others.
We must restore the emotional relationship that people have to the idea of America, that no matter where you come from, no matter where you live, that you have access to the same opportunities that somebody who is born in privilege.
Managing a business, small or large, today requires an extremely disciplined, thoughtful approach with regard to the pressure that people are under.
Starbucks is in my blood. It is such a part of me that letting it unravel simply was not an option.
With a population of more than 600 million people, an emerging middle class that is driving strong consumption, and a robust and resilient economy, Southeast Asia presents a compelling growth opportunity for Starbucks.
I was working probably at the age of 10, when I had my first paper route. I had every different kind of job you could possibly imagine as a young kid.
My kids probably started drinking coffee in their late teens.
We sell tea in Starbucks, but I think the experience is very different. I think coffee is something that is quick – it’s transactional. I think tea is more Zen-like. It requires a different environment.
