I really enjoyed reading this interesting book, written by Howard Schultz, who led Starbucks from a sleepy Pacific Northwest chain into a worldwide phenomenon.

Schultz's book is about more than just a cup of coffee; he writes about having a dream and staying with it, making personal life choices that seem nutty to everyone else - such as quitting a secure job to go work for Starbucks.

I highly recommend this book for business majors and anyone who is thinking about starting their own small business.

This book will awaken the hidden passion within. It shows what you can do if you are passionate about something. Quick read and a page turner every step of the way.

I highly recommend this book to all new entrepreneurs and those interested in learning how successful companies are formed. I also know there are alot of people out there who hate Starbucks simply because it exists and succeeded- I challenge you to read this book. The business was created from the ground up by passion and perseverence, and it deserved to succeed, and I hope it continues to succeed for a very long time.

I found this book extremely interesting from a business perspective. Would recommend this book to anyone who is starting a business or has an interest in finance. Very inspirational

I read many company books. This is one of the gems. Howard did a fantastic job in writing the history of Starbucks, its root, its spirit, and its amazing achievement.

There have been many coffee vendors. Starbucks sprinted from the pack. It actually revolutionized the coffee industry. While the business world has been looking for the next new hi-tech inventions, Howard creatively rejuvenated the coffee drinks by relentlessly pursuing the quality the culture and the experience. He did the mission-impossible in such a traditional industry. After reading this book, you will never look at Starbucks the same way. Yes, you realize that passion and quality can make a huge difference in this crowded world.

"If you pour your heart into your work, or into any worthy enterprise, you can achieve dreams others may think impossible." ~ Howard Schultz

When Howard Schultz found Starbucks he had a dream of all Starbucks could be. After bringing back ideas from Milan he planned to infuse the company with a new energy. Instead of only selling coffee beans he wanted to open stores that sold espresso. When the owners of Starbucks didn't have the same vision, he opened up his own stores and then purchased Starbucks. The story is compelling and this book is one of the most exciting books on business I've ever read.

"Without the romance of Italian espresso, Starbucks would still be what it was, a beloved local coffee bean store in Seattle." ~ pg. 53

This book explains why franchising is a forbidden word at Starbucks. It also explains how special packaging had to be made to keep the coffee fresh. Stock options and an impressive health-care package also make working for Starbucks a positive experience.

While Howard Schultz's own story is woven into the pages, this book is mostly about the positive steps that were taken to make Starbucks a success. This book will appeal to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.

My own experience with Starbucks has been very positive. Once a reporter talked to me on the phone while he was at a Starbucks. My family loves buying Starbucks gift cards and we always make time to go to a Starbucks whenever we get together. It is like a family tradition. Yesterday I was at my local Starbucks drinking a tall chai tea and discovered they had the most delicious vanilla scones with icing. The girl at the counter told me she thought they tasted like sugar cookies and I must agree.

If you are looking for another book about Starbucks, I can
recommend: Starbucks Passion for Coffee

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. The proceeds from this book go to the Starbucks Foundation to support literacy programs.

This is not a business book, it is the history of a company. Howard Schultz recounts the early years of Starbucks diving into the rich tale of how a small coffee roasting company quickly became a world-wide brand recognized for quality, service and responsibility. Filled with interesting details about Schultz's journey to the original Starbucks (roasting and selling beans only), to Il Giornale (Schultz's first attempt at recreating an Italian espresso bar in America) and finally to the Starbucks we now know, placing both elements together, "Pour Your Heart Into It," gives us a glimpse into the restless journey of an entrepreneur.

Schultz goes into detail explaining the challenges behind creating not only a product, but a market. In the early years, the coffee shop boom had not yet occurred in America meaning part of Starbucks mission had to become educating potential customers on the joys of high-quality coffee. Setting out to build a great brand was secondary to Schultz who's first aim was to build a great company.

"When I looked back, I realized we had fashioned a brand in a way no business-school textbook could have ever prescribed. We built the Starbucks brand first with our people, not with consumers-the opposite approach from that of the crackers-and-cereal companies. Because we believed the best way to meet and exceed the expectations of the customers was to hire and train great people, we invested in employees who were zealous about good coffee." - pg. 245

All of us need a break from the bullet-format, bumper sticker business books that permeate the bestseller charts these days...something that will bring us back to why we even do business in the first place. This is that book. No catchy phrases or lists, just a story of how a few guys with a love for coffee decided to help the world catch their heart.

I'm a marketer and was a big time Starbucks hater. I always felt that Starbucks was a monopoly that does some fantastic marketing to sell coffee at 300% its value.

Everything changed after I picked up this book. I wanted to know how one other evil empire was built. I must admit that I'm half way through and totally floored. Customer is God and everything is about God. Thats something Howard Schultz realized very early in life. As a marketer I've heard the importance of building customer centric business and grand plans on how to achieve it. Meetings after meetings and boxes of donuts washed down with diet coke the outcome was only powerpoint presentations. In the end every company I worked for ended up being product centric or at best a hybrid model with more weightage on the product side. One might say it's easy to sell coffee than other products. The customer landscape may be different but let me tell you something. You will not find a customer who will say "NO" to a superior experience.

Howard's life is inspiring in many ways and I really liked the candor with which this book was written. His mistakes and assumptions prove that he is human and his spirit and die hard attitude goes to show that some of the greatest feats were accomplished by men not smart enough to know they were impossible.

I'm not a Starbucks convert because I'm not a big coffee fan to start with. The hatred is gone and everytime I pass Starbucks I have genuine appreciation for its core values.

I think the reason I am giving this 3 stars is because I had just finished Richard Bransons "Loosing My Viriginity" autobiography. That books really sets the standards on what an interesting, well written autobiography should be. A great read.

Anyways back to this book. Its all a bit of a dull read really. It somehow doesnt capture what should be an exciting journey. Maybe it is just hard to make coffee exciting. There are parts of it that are sort of interesting, reading about the times Howard spent in Italy researching coffe shops there was probably as good as it got.

But really, it is difficult to finish this book. But at the same time its not the worst ever. Hence the 3 stars.

this book tells the very personal story of how Howard Schultz discovered, changed and created the Starbucks we know. Schultz grew up in the projects in Broooklyn, NY, moved away to college in the midwest and became a driven sales rep. He then discovered Starbucks which was a supplier of coffee beans of the best quality. The owner/managers were extremely fastidious about quality and Schultz adopted this obsession with excellent coffees. He realized the appeal not only of excellent coffee, but of the cafe, a place to socialize and enjoy the drink. Eventually he left starbucks to found Il Giornale, the precursor of starbucks cafes, then returned to buy starbucks and the name. From that time, he embarked on a dramatic, high paced quest to expand starbucks into a reknowned supplier of the best coffees and the most appealing coffee shops, enlisting a number of equally driven as well as scrupulous team mates along the way. Unmistakably, the journey was and is marked by integrity, fanatical devotion to quality, courage, care for the partners (employees) and customers as individuals. Moreover, the personal approach to the product is illustrated by the great care, almost trepidation, taken before a new product is introduced. And equally noteworthy is the source of the new product: requests by customers, as relayed by the store partners. For instance, the frappuccino. On the other hand, the team is able to invest on a fantastic scale and at impressive speed to expand the reach of starbucks.

To better understand starbucks, if you don't already, read this book.

Finally, this book tells why starbucks is radically different from fast food places which also happen to serve coffee.

This book reads like a novel, keeps you interested, and also gives amazing insight into entrepreneurship and one of America's most interesting cultural icons. I enjoyed both the topics and the style of the book. highly recommended for anyone who is interested in business, entrepreneurship, and marketing.

This book reads like a novel, keeps you interested, and also gives amazing insight into entrepreneurship and one of America's most interesting cultural icons. I enjoyed both the topics and the style of the book. highly recommended for anyone who is interested in business, entrepreneurship, and marketing.

One reviewer here points out that Howard, being from Brooklyn and later working out of New York, "failed to cross the bridge and discover Little Italy where they had been making lattes and cappuccinos for decades."

It suddenly occurred to me, not only did Scultz fail to discover Little Italy before he made his famous trip to Milan in 1983 as a Starbucks employee, but he actually contradicts himself in the book about America's intro to lattes and cappuccinos. Example: page 53 - his "first taste" of a caffe latte in Verona: "No one in America knows about this . . .etc." Then pages 58, 59: When he has his first "test run" of an espresso bar (April '84) "As far as I know, America was first introduced to caffe latte that morning."

Problem is, on pages 81-84 when he becomes associated with Dave Olsen to start Il Giornale, he gives the following background on Olsen: "In the Fall of 1974 he opened Cafe Allegro on an alley just opposite main entrance to UW campus. Few Americans knew the term caffe latte in those days. He made a similar drink and called it a cafe au lait." This was 10 years prior to his espresso experiment in downtown Seattle!

Did Schultz rewrite history in order to sell a book? That clearly wouldn't have been necessary. But there is an additional problem. I have a friend who worked at the University Village store in 1977 who has a story that similarly contradicts Schultz's timeline. He told me the following: "During our training at Starbucks they pulled out an espresso maker to show us how to make capuccinos (only to demo the machines since they weren't making drinks for sale). The person doing the demo started with more-or-less an apology - something like "foaming milk is hard to do and the goal is to just get the top of the drink completely covered with foam". Meanwhile I had discovered 2 espresso houses in Seattle (the Allegro and the Last Exit Off Broadway). They were making good lattes (then called café au-laits) with lots of foam. I realized that either our machines were merely toys, or the person giving the demo at Starbucks did not know how to properly foam milk. I went across the street to QFC, bought a gallon of milk, set up a machine in the shop, and proceeded to foam milk until I could do it the right way. It took most of the gallon to do it but I was able to produce 3 times the amount of foam (on a volume basis) as the milk I was using." This was in 1977, seven years before Schultz' test run of an espresso bar in downtown Seattle!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I would be interested to know if someone can shed any light on this obvious discrepancy.

Schultz not only is a great storyteller; he provides the reader with so many ways to refer back to the book with his catchy subtitles and quotes. What struck me most was his ability to reiterate time and time again the importance of relationships and how you treat your people to the success of any organization. His remark that a business who is satisfied with serving a customer coffee from a pot that is sitting there for an hour is not one he wants to deal with shows just how important it is to set standards and keep them.

I just graduated high school and my dream is to own a coffee shop. This book was the perfect read. I loved it! It gives great tips and its always nice to learn from other people's mistakes. :] I deffinately recommend it. Every entrepreneur should read it, whether or not you get into the coffee business.

Exactly what you need to start an enterprise. Inspiration. The story of how Starbucks started small and became the coffee powerhouse it is today.
Howard's vision was huge and he ignored the people that said it couldn't be done. He lays out the points that kept him going. Be Excellent. Be Romantic. Set the Bar higher than the competition. Take risks.
Starbucks was not born big. It started in Howard's heart as a big dream. This is a testimony to anyone that has a dream for a enterprise and wants to follow it.

The book throws light on the business model of the ubiquituous Starbucks.
It takes you on an inspiring journey of a man - someone who gave birth to a great company, despite all the bumps along the road, and catapulted it to an extraordinary company. If you have an entrepreunerial bone in your body, or are a Coffee snoot, or simply like inspiring biographies, then you cannot let this book pass you by.

I hope the title of my review gives you some idea of how well-crafted this book really is. I didn't go nuts and stay up all night to finish it, but I am totally impressed with reading this wondrous story of success built on principles. In a climate where treating people with civility and integrity is increasingly rare, the story of what Howard Schultz has accomplished to date is refreshing and inspiring. He did precisely what Jim Collins has chronciled so carefully and clearly. He took a good company to greatness. He gives credit SO generously to each and every one who gave of themselves to this fine company he leads. Enjoy and prosper!

howard is an inspiration! he just challenges you to think outside the box and in his case it worked, as you can see on almost every street corner in urban america!
if you have entrepreneurial spirit in you - this is a must read book!

I learned a lot about business and Starbucks. Great concept.

It's amazing to me that Howard grew up in Brooklyn yet claims that the day the first cup of espresso was served in Seattle in the early 80's was the first time Americans ever tasted Italian espresso. Now why do you suppose he never walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to Little Italy to stop in at any number of the old cafes that have espresso bars? I grew up in the Boston area and moved there in 1975 and then to the North End, the Italian section, and weekly stopped in at the decades-old Cafe Vittoria on Hanover Street for cappuccino and moccacino...long before Howard Schultz got his hands on Starbucks!

Do you own a business? Then you owe it to yourself and staff to read and re read this book. A must have in the businesses library.

The book offers good insights into the world of Starbucks and how it all started.

I read it because I am exploring opening a beverage business so it was good for me to get an idea about how similar businesses start and how they take off.

However, the book gets sepetitive sometimes because it is in part a merketing tool for the CEO of Starbucks about his vision and dreams to the point that you wonder if he is talking about Starbucks the corporation or Starbucks the small store where he started as an empoyee.

overall a nice book if you are interested in learning about the company and getting some insights into the process of starting a beverage company.

Can you imagine how an individual like Howard Schultz who has no knowledge nor the expertise of coffee, can transform small Starbucks which was selling coffee beans from the start into a world renowned coffee empire? Well, you need to be in his shoes (and read this book) to find out.

I am truly amazed by the fact that Howard Schultz power of persuasion in marketing such a commodity product has transformed Starbucks into a lifestyle product. Besides being to add value into what coffee was before as an ordinary drink to some remarkably extraordinary Frappuccino® Coffee Drink, was simply unheard of at the beginning. Starbucks has indeed re-invented itself, from coffee drinks to ice cream, from collectable items to music, from services to social activities; as Howard Schultz will continue 'pouring in' his passion for coffee in bringing the company to newer heights and better profitability.

Will you pour your heart into it like him too? Read this business biography then.

This is a great book with a fantastic story. It's a feel good book that invigorates you and your belief in the American way and capitalism. Too many people in this country are out to distroy those principles.

I enjoy reading books on start-up companies who become successes like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, ESPN, The Weather Channel, et al. I'm not a coffee drinker and never have been, but the gentleman who assigned a "1" rating to the book has obviously got an acute case of sour grapes. Consumers vote with their feet (and pocketbooks) every day in business, which is why the aforementioned companies have prospered while GM, Ford, Sears, K-Mart, the legacy airlines, et al are battling for their business lives. Wake up and smell the coffee!!! Consumers have the almighty power, but they must educate themselves and support businesses who listen to their customers and employees. That's one thing great companies have in common.

I wish that the publisher would have included pictures of some of the key players in Starbucks rise and their offices and roasting plants. It was difficult to follow the time line of the author father's battle with lung cancer. He mentions that it was diagnosed in 1982 just before he left NY for Seattle, but that his father didn't die until 1987. That is a remarkable amount of time to survive with lung cancer. Also during this time his father made the flight across country to see his business. Not many people with lung cancer would have the stamina to do that.

If there was ever a book that shows how the founder of a company was ignorant about what his company has become this book is it. This is a charming picture of how Starbucks is supposed to run. It does provide some interesting points about the early start of the business and strategies for growth. Overall though I think the reader is captured by how much the starbucks described is different from the starbucks everyone knows and visits today. Schultz vision has been lost in corporate America and hyper growth strategies. Still very interesting and well worth the time to read.

Starbucks, it seems as if there is one on every corner. So I had to find out why, why are there so many Starbucks, why is it so popular. Well after reading this it seems to because of its founder Howard Shultz. He gives away his secret, hard work. It is a very inspiring story, although I do feel he is a little bit over driven. But he certainly does deserve all the success he gets. The real reason I read this book is because my son and daughter-in-law work at a Starbucks. I wanted to know what kind of company Starbucks was. Well I found out it is well run and seems to me to have an unlimited future.

Being a specialty roaster since 1975 and being part of a local specialty roaster group. I can tell you that starbuck's main accomplishment is their marketing ability. The coffee they distribute is garbage, and this doesn't have to come from my mouth, it comes from people who come to me after tasting their supposed "specialty coffee." Starbucks lost their specialty status the moment you could find them on every street corner and/or supermarket. Where they beat most is their non stop advertising and brainwashing of people. The reason starbucks got big was because there was noone around to fill that demand, or more importantly, due to the nature of the specialty market, noone who wanted to fill that position. The amount of coffee they are forced to produce lead to only one scenario, inferior quality. Concepts of mass production. Economics 101. The higher the demand, the less likely quality is to have influence.

What a great read! This is a story of how Starbucks changed the world. Howard Schultz, the CEO, tells the history of Starbucks starting with its founding in 1971 up until 1999. Schultz tells how he came on board,later bought the company and its sky-roacketing growth.

Schultz was working for a Swiss compnay that sold kitchen items. He noticed this small little speciality coffee store in Seattle was buying more plastic filters than anybody and he decided to see why. What started as curiousity quickly grew to a obsession that he had to leave his job as VP, move from NYC and start working for them. Schultz's business like sense and vision took the comapny to heights it had never imagined.

A critical point is when he visited Italy and saw how community coffeeshops with their baristas and cappuchinos were exactly what Starbucks needed. The owners didn't think so and he left Starbucks to venture on his own. Later Starbucks was up for sell and he raised the capital to buy them out and merge his Italian coffeeshop idea with the speciality coffee store.

What you find in this book is a great leadership wraped in a compelling tale. It reads like a novel but the lessons are like what is found in the best leadership or business books. Schultz explains why it is worth it to take risks, value the customers, value the employees and stick to the mission no matter what.

Starbucks with its passionate leader changed the world. Before 1971, hardly no one drank strong coffee, heard of cappichinos or believed you could build a company giving benefits to part-time workers. no one but him believed Chicago or other parts of America would buy his what he was selling. Yes, he made money. But he started a revolution and changed the world.

The book gets a little slower in the 2nd half when Schultz has to defend his critics and stay on top. But its compelling none the less.

I highly recommend it with a good cup of Gold Coast - my favorite.

This is a FANTASTIC book about passion behind business, dealing with major growth, serving the customer, helping people from the heart, actually caring about the consumer, and caring about humanity at the same time.

STARBUCKS and this book is a phenomenal role model for anyone in business, and for anyone who cares about more than just dollars.

One of my favorite quotes as an example is: "Starbucks managers have the power to allocate donations to local causes like ballet and opera companies, AIDS organizations, food banks, schools, and PTAs. In every city, all eight-day old coffee beans are donated to food banks. Store managers also provide coffee for fund raisers...Since we don't exploit these actions for public relations, a lot of our customers don't even know about them."

Here's to one incredible book, company, and the example that would help so many people if followed. They clearly are THE BEST for business, and for PEOPLE, and that's why their genuine from-the-heart care has paid off so well.

This book is EXCEPTIONAL if you are looking for SUPERIOR a business model for success where everybody genuinely benefits.

Deserves 10 Stars!

For starters, this is one very interesting and readable book, that's kind of hard to put down once started! It has an autobiographical narrative style, and has a refreshingly honest touch to it, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

The actual tale itself is one of struggle & success, it's about one man and his team going through various trials and tribulations and achieving their dreams. And as this tale proceeds from chapter to chapter, the reader starts to draw his/her own learnings and makes mental notes of what to do and what not to do at their workplace. And therein lies the power of this book - it does not aim to preach or prescribe a method, but is an honest-to-god description of a great business leaders approach to how he addressed some of the issues he faced & achieved what he wanted to. The book itself seems to have gone through the same process of creation as a Starbucks store (as described in the book) & one can almost feel the passion and eye for detail as one leafs through its pages, quite truly the book reinforces many of the values that Starbucks itself stands for.

In addition to being all the above, the book is a complete eye opener for anyone involved in the marketing of services to consumers. The hidden lessons in this book are many, and this book should appeal to wide ranging audience for its wonderful storyline. It's a good buy & looks wonderful on the shelf!

This book is fantastic especially if you are in a position to lead a business. It's an excellent story and an easy read. I highly recommend it.

It's entertaining, interesting, and well written. A lot of good advice for business leaders.

I found this book easy to read as well as informative. The story telling kept me going and at no point did I find it slow or dull. The little nuggets of organizational, leadership and entrprenuerial advice were fantastic. I really didn't know the roots of Starbucks but now I do and it is a fascinating tale!

I thought it was a well written success story. Even the giant Starbucks started out small. If you like success stories, get the book. You'll like it even more if you like Starbucks.

This book has lots of great information about what occured and what currently happens behind the scenes of your morning coffee. Reading the book makes you appreciate that coffee a little bit more.

There was so much to learn about Starbucks itself. So, just the story of its evolution was interesting.
But the story itself is inspiring, the author is brutally honest about his mistakes, near misses and even his struggles with his own ego. (I love the story about how he didn't want skim milk to be available, because it wasn't "pure.")
There is so much to learn from this manager. I was inspired by the way he empowered his staff and love the way he moves up his own people. A company that offers health insurance to their part-time employees, it is such a different way of management.
I love this book. I have a deeper appreciation for corporate growth and a good cup of coffee.

The second most traded commodity in the world today is coffee (the first is oil) at a few cents a pound. It doesn't take but a small fraction of a pound of coffee to make a $3.50 grande.

So, what is being sold here? The romance of drinking coffee from faraway exotic places like Costa Rica, the affordable luxury that can be shared with doctors and lawyers, the oasis or 'third place' between home and work where one can get away from it all, or the casual non-threatening environment and conversation. Surely it is a combination of the above.

Shultz set strong values and a mission statement that would be used to grow this company's size and profits by 50% a year for quite a number of years and overcome trials like the Brazilian frost of 1994 that sent coffee prices soaring.

There are four major areas to which Schultz gave focus. The first was high values which translated to a dignified and diversified workplace with a top-quality product.

The second area is the employee which he calls a partner. Starbucks invests in employee training (coffee history, perfect brewing, customer relations...), and is one of very few that give benefits and stock options to all of its employess, even part-timers. The employees feel the ownership, trust and loyalty that make turnover very low. Employees have proper channels for making suggestions that are responded to, and can even attend open regional forums. Store-level managers can authorize their own contributions to the community or charities. As a side note, Starbucks is very involved in supporting CARE, an international aid organization that helps developing countries grow and cope.

The third area of focus is the customer. This is the third area of focus because to connect with the customers, you must first connect with the employees. This makes the customer feel number one. Schultz wanted to transplant the atmosphere of the Italian coffee shops and the refinement of exquisite coffee that went along with it. He soon discovered that even though he was providing a superior product, and he didn't want to alloy in any way with the likes of the latest non-fat milk and flavorings, that the customer should be said yes to. Anyone who wants a real cup of jo was still able to get it though. Another change made along the way included expanding the size of the shop and add seating.

The final area of focus was the Starbucks brand name. He fought to maintain the integrity of the brand name at all costs. For many years he would not allow franchises or other venues for his products. He was able to keep the quaility at very high standards. Today, now that the name has been established, he is meeting the new level of customer demand through supermarkets and other retail locations like Barnes & Noble.

Good book. Powerful business precepts. Five Stars.

My copy of the book reached me on four days ago. I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

Howard Schultz's courage to be different, his insistence on style and elegance which transformed the humble coffee into something much more, and his recognition of and respect bordering on reverence for the human element and its potentials are heartwarming.

Maybe the book resonates so well with me because I am just starting out as an entrepreneur. His story gives me the hope and boldness the expand my ideas of what is possible.

When I started reading this book,I always had the feeling that Howard was sitting in front of me and talking to me about Starbucks.
He starts off with the starbucks at the initial phase and then finishes off with the challenges of starbuck's growth.
The writing style is simple and lucid.
I wish I could meet Howard in person soon,share my appreciation and feel how is it talking to him actually.

This is an EXCELLENT book about the main guy behind Starbucks. It is so inspiring to see how Starbucks grew to what it is today. You will see the courage, risk, determination, and passion it took for Howard Schultz to make Starbucks a success. A must read!!!

After listening to audio version of his biography, i am awe and fascinated how passionate and dedicated this man on his risk taking journey. i have a learned a lot from his passion and encouraging his word for those individual who want to strive on their vision. Howard was absolutely right that in order for us to live our dream we have to follow our passion and take risk.
I agree with michael erisman about his review: Qoute This is one of the best business biographies I have ever read. It is truly inspiring. One simple, and telling, output from reading this book on a plane was that as soon as we landed I headed to the local airport Starbucks for a latte. So powerful are the imagery and the passion for coffee in his story that you can almost smell the roasted dark beans, feel them running through your fingers, hear the sounds of the espresso machine and taste the coffee itself!end qoute
I could say to myself that, this is the Company i want to invest and work. Mr H.Schultz i admire your passion and burning desire for your Company.

I love coffee, love it!!! So it was natural for me to pick up this title, I have admired Schultz for a long time. He always seemed a bit different from the rest of the corporate stiffs around and he seemed so genuine as well. It was fascinating to see how Starbucks grew from a 2 man enterprise in Seattle selling only Coffee beans to the espresso making monopoly it is today. How Schultz had a vision for the espresso cart to become an extension of the front porch to be a third place to be (home, work, Starbucks)
It is also very refreshing to see a company that values its people. Starbucks is a pioneer in empowering human resources, in treating its people as if they matter, by giving stock options and health benefits to all including part timers, Starbucks shines as a light in an otherwise dark corporate culture and is a ray of hope that other companies see the value in treating employees as the partners to success that they are.
If I had any complaints in the book, it is that Schultz seems to do a bit too much patting himself on the back and he can come across as a bit of a show off, but overall great read!

I've read plenty of books by founding CEO's but this is one of the best. Schultz tells of the strong emotional ups and downs that come with being a founder. If you are founding a company and want to understand if your emotion ride are normal or are thinking about being an entrepreneur then this book is for you.

- jim

I read this book over a year ago and still find myself recommending it to others. The story is interesting for a number of reasons. 1. We all visit Starbucks and many people have no idea that it started as a small bean shop in Seattle. 2. Howard Schultz's personal determination and drive is inspiring. 3. Anyone who owns or manages a business will get an insider's look at the ups and downs of growth.

The writing style is conversational and easy to read. Though Schultz occasionally comes off a bit arrogant, he has certainly earned the right! I would like to believe that it's really pride mistaken for arrogance. And besides, you can't get ahead in the business world without confidence and a belief in your own abilities.

Whether you are business-minded or just curious about how Starbuck's got its start, you are sure to enjoy this book. You will also learn some interesting bits about the coffee industry. If this were television, it would combine a Discovery Channel show on the coffee industry with a CNN report on a thriving business. One of my all-time favorite business stories!

Very inspiring book and well written. Schultz writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading.

This book rocks! Howard Schultze's humble beginnings and respect for humanity greatly impressed me. Keep up the good work!

Miriam Gaenicke

What a great book. I am geting rejuvinated just reading it. It's also a cool look into what is now a Northwest Icon. Ever wonder why the Starbucks logo is a mermaid? It's in this book.

Howard Schultz's narrative of the Starbucks story is fascinating and strikes an emotional cord on several occasions such as when he learns about his dad's cancer and when he almost lost Starbucks to a private investor.

Though he seldom talks about most business issues in depth, he conveys that Starbucks success is because of his ability to successfully deal with people and sell them his dream.

He is no coffee purveyor (he leaves that to Alfred Peet of Peet's Coffee and Tea and the original Starbucks Owners), but is an entreprenuer who saw a business opportunity and passionately pursued it...very much like Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com: Get Big Fast by Robert Spector). Btw, his childhood experiences are eerily similar to that of Sumner Redstone (Autobiography: A Passion To Win).

Bottom line: a lively read and inspirational to entrepreneurs or otherwise.

This book is as much of a story about trusting yourself as it is business. Unlike other entrepreneurs with a history with their product, he stumbled upon his. Schultz eventually buys out his partners, the original coffee guys. Even if you don't like Starbucks (I still root for independent coffeemakers), it's a good read. I'm glad to know that the company has health benefits even for part time workers and other employee perks. This information is what stands him apart from so many other top decision makers. Yes, it's possible to make a lot of money AND treat employees well. Starbucks' success is obvious on every city block. Schultz does fluff the book a bit but overall it's a good view on how Starbucks became what it is today.