Deb Smouse

Pour Your Heart into It : How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz

I’ve been a Starbucks fan since the first Starbucks in my area opened up….which was about ten years ago. It was during a time I was in full-force “have it all” mommy mode. Katie had been born and Emily was in Catholic School. I was the Vice President of the Home and School Association. I worked full time at a company that believed in “personal development” and I was told I was an ENTJ. I read a lot of management and development books back then…and I learned that sometimes, a good biography is the best management book you can read. Pour Your Heart Into It was one of those books - probably a book I felt was the best of these…..

It was with interest that I saw that Howard Schultz is taking back control of Starbucks.

I’m sure I’m not the only customer that has seen way too much bureaucracy during their growth….at times, there seems to be way too much stuff in the stores. And while I appreciate a convenient Starbucks, at times there seems to be just way too many of them.  Investors has seen a drop in value of Starbucks as a company as the stock prices have dropped over the last year.

I go to the same Starbucks every day when I’m in town.  I love the staff, they know what I want when I walk through the door.  I know the other regular customers.  When I need to get out of the house and have a different place to work….it’s usually the first place I go. I can grab a cup of coffee (usually a Grande in a Venti Cup so I have lots of room for cream), plug in the laptop, and write, catch up on email, etc.

It’s smart.  Putting Howard Schultz back at the “helm” of the great Starbucks ship.  Stock prices rose 9%  on the day of the announcement. I’m looking forward to seeing the changes.  You have to admit the initial growth of the company when Howard was CFO was amazing….  As a customer, and as a business person, it will be an interesting case study of sorts…..