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. – Howard Schultz
I think Starbucks created a platform and, ultimately, a runway for many other companies to emulate. I suspect if we had not achieved what we have, there would have been many regional brands that would have succeeded. But I’m not sure there would have been a national brand of the scope of Starbucks. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
Often, organizations need bold, grand gestures to galvanize people towards a new mission or refocus their attention. – Howard Schultz
The lifeblood of job creation in America is small business, but they can’t get access to credit. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
We are witnessing a seismic change in consumer behavior. That change is being brought about by technology and the access people have to information. – Howard Schultz
Any business today that embraces the status quo as an operating principle is going to be on a death march. – Howard Schultz
Even though people are under economic pressure, they still want to support those brands with values that are compatible with their own. – Howard Schultz
I think the currency of leadership is transparency. You’ve got to be truthful. I don’t think you should be vulnerable every day, but there are moments where you’ve got to share your soul and conscience with people and show them who you are, and not be afraid of it. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
The Starbucks customer and the Teavana customer are two very different customers, two different need states that are highly complimentary. – Howard Schultz
I was born on the other side of the tracks, in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. My dad never made more than $20,000 a year, and I grew up in a family that lost health insurance. So I was scarred at a young age with understanding what it was like to watch my parents lose access to the American dream. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
Starbucks is committed to evolving and enhancing our customer experience with innovative and wholesome food offerings. – Howard Schultz
In the 1960s, if you were a blue collar worker or uneducated, and you had an injury on the job, the company basically dismissed you. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
I do feel, in a sense, the rules of engagement for citizenship has changed, and we must encourage other people to speak up and to take action. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
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. – Howard Schultz
In many places where coffee is grown, deforestation is a major issue. With Starbucks’ position in the marketplace and the respect and relationships we have, we can – and have, in some cases – been able to educate and influence people. – Howard Schultz
Most business people today are not going to invest in the uncertainty that exists in America. – Howard Schultz
The evolving social and digital media platforms and highly innovative and relevant payment capabilities are causing seismic changes in consumer behavior and creating equally disruptive opportunities for business. – Howard Schultz