Starbucks has changed the rules of engagement for the music industry.
When it comes to Starbucks, I take every threat very personally.
Starbucks has stores in America in many, many communities that are governed by many, many different municipalities. Starbucks cannot dictate to a municipality in Cincinnati or Kansas City or Sacramento how or why or when there should be a recycling program.
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.
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 many start-ups make mistakes because they are focusing on things that are farther ahead, and they haven't done the work that has built the foundation to support it.
Starbucks has stores in America in many, many communities that are governed by many, many different municipalities. Starbucks cannot dictate to a municipality in Cincinnati or Kansas City or Sacramento how or why or when there should be a recycling program.
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.
The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.
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.
I despise research. I think it's a crutch.
You can't build any kind of organization if you're not going to surround yourself with people who have experience and skill base beyond your own.
At an early age, my mother gave me this feeling that anything is possible, and I believe that.
At an early age, my mother gave me this feeling that anything is possible, and I believe that.
People around the world, they want the authentic Starbucks experience.
Care more than others think wise.
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.
If you don't love what you're doing with unbridled passion and enthusiasm, you're not going to succeed when you hit obstacles.
London, a city where creativity and innovation have always flourished, provides a significant home for Starbucks and a significant gateway into Europe.
We think of Starbucks not as a coffee company but a media company.