Reflection Paper Pour Your Heart into It

Joel Chen

BADM 1001-29

Professor Hess

9/25/12

Reflection Paper

Pour Your Heart Into It

I have never really acquired the taste of coffee so I am definitely not a frequent Starbucks' customer. Still, since the first time I tried Starbucks' coffee, I have sat on the sidelines intrigued by the success of this world's most recognizable brand even though it wasn't really my thing. Recently, I read a book by Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, called Pour Your Heart Into It, and it has changed my tune. I used to think of Starbucks as a viral infection taking over the world one store at a time and having arrived to the top of the minds in less than a decade. But after reading Schultz's book I realize that many people, including myself, don't know how Starbucks came to be what it is today, or just how great an entrepreneur Schultz Schultz really is. A magnificent saga of innovation in the coffee industry, the book provides a remarkable insight into the journey Schultz has led the company on and the many obstacles that he has faced along the path.

Of the many aspects of the book that resonate with me, three that percolate to the top are passion, perseverance and teamwork. Schultz emphasized the importance of being passionate about what you are doing. One of the most defining moments of Starbucks' early history is, soon after coming on board, Schultz attended an international housewares show in Milan, Italy, in which he was fascinated with the passionate coffee culture he found. Had Schultz not encountered the café culture with customers sipping espresso for hours in fashionable coffee house surroundings, he wouldn't have had brought the perfect drink back to America and started his own company that later on purchased Starbucks from Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. Had it not been for Schultz's simple vision of passion for coffee combined with Italian neighborhoods where romance and artistry intermix, Starbucks wouldn't have achieved such widespread impact and lasting values. Perseverance is another recurring theme throughout the book. One of my favorite quote in the book strikes an emotional chord with me and highlights the value of this quality:

Life is a series of near misses. But a lot of what we subscribe to 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, no matter who tells you not to. When you really believe in yourself, in your dream, you just have to do everything you possibly can to take control and make your vision a reality (Schultz 44).

Schultz Schultz, convinced that his idea was a big winner, eventually left Starbucks