Rating: 
Summary: Best Book For Any New Entrepreneurs
Review: Howard shares his vision of Starbucks with his reader on every page of his book. This is the best success story book I've ever read. Its quotes are every useful. If you like his book, then I would recommend you reading Burger King-Jim McLamore and the Building of a Billion-Dollar Empire.
Rating:
Summary: An inspiring book for everyone to pursue his/her dreams
Review: I always admired Starbuck's success in expanding the gourmet coffee market. I am inspired by Schultz's passion and entrepreneurial spirits. This is not only a book about the story of Starbucks, but an informative guide for entrepreneurs to follow their hearts. The quote in every chapter provides very valuable advice.
Rating:
Summary: A very inspiring and uplifting story.
Review: A very inspiring and uplifting story. The title of this book, and the interest for business caught my interest. A "fuel injection" for entrepreneurs, on how determination, passion and a dream can become reality. I think that Howard Schultz proves that it's possible to succeed in business, and still maintain important values. I share the believes of the Author; when building a business successfully every single individual involved in the company is of importance, from the bottom to the top. That is true "team work" on top level.
Rating: 
Summary: Howard Lives A Charmed Life
Review: When you are at the top, like Howard Schultz, it is easy to think that everything is peachy-keen. Just surround yourself with shrewd businesspeople who tell you what you want to hear.
Most of the writing starts off inspiring, but goes too far (or too long) and ends up being redundant or saccharine...usually both. I felt like he was trying to sell me something over and over!
So, here's the truth: I WORK FOR STARBUCKS. I have seen how middle managers (Operations Managers, District Managers, and Store Managers) are capricious and fickle--creating work environments that become so demanding and unreasonable that employees and managers quit..with tears in their eyes.
Yes, the employees and most store managers believe Howard's candor and vision of a great workplace with respect and dignity for everyone (read the Mission Statement)--but his middle managers are ruthless, profit-focused slavedrivers.
Hardly any retail employees ("partners"? in WHAT?!?!) stay with this company long enough to actually reap the benefits of Beanstock (5 years). The psychological warfare become more acute the longer one stays.
There are a few lines in Howard's book that really struck a cord; he laments over long-standing employees who "just don't have the skills to stay" on/be promoted with this fast-growing company. Perhaps he should look hard at his middle managers' reign of terror, usually coming down hardest on those store managers and employees who dare to ask the hard questions, and who have been with the company for over two years. It appears that the idea is closer to "hire 'em young and idealistic, then burn 'em out" than "be successful because of your people, not at their expense".
So go ahead and buy stock in this company, but don't buy because of the "values" --buy because the stock performs on Wall Street. That is the unfortunate truth, and I feel really sorry for Howard. His vision has been twisted and subverted, with more and more employees feeling lied to or cheated, and he still believes everything is grand. Poor guy. Maybe he should listen to his employees like he used to.
I wish I could feel confident in dispaying my e-mail address, but I would be living in the same fantasy world as Howard if I thought I would still have a job after expressing such views.
May I suggest a different title? Cry Your Heart Out: How Starbucks Middle Managers Traumatize their Subordinates, and Still Bonus at the end of the Quarter...
Rating:
Summary: An impressive story told in a questionable way
Review: You've got to admire Shultz's passion and ambition and the story itself, but unfortunately the book's attitude feels sanctimonious more often than not. The author came across as disingenuous on certains subjects such as competition with independent stores and community acceptance. Also, I found it repetitive; I think it could have easily been edited down by 50-60 pages. One thing's for sure if you're not a Starbucks regular: it makes you want to go to the nearest Starbucks, check it out the colors and atmosphere, and get a Grande Latte. Then after doing that, you'll want to look for the indie store and try to help the little guy.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous - This can be any entrepreneur's life story!
Review: This book gets to the heart of what can make any well thought out business venture successful. "Pour Your Heart into It." In other words, find your passion, and give it your all.As a startup entrepreneur, I was truely inspired to learn how a successful business can be built by more than just shrewd negotiation, financial genius and luck. Starbuck's is built around the vision, values and passion of its founders and of Howard Schultz, who shared their goals. Schultz admits that this book is not a business school textbook. It is, however, a good insight into the personal aspects of building the Starbucks experience. Many companies talk a lot about values and the human side of their business, but are merely talking. Always skeptical, I've spent quite a bit of time talking with local Starbucks employees. Their message is consistent: Howard Schultz does "Walk-the-talk."
Rating: 
Summary: Good but is it true
Review: I found the book, relevant, inspiring, interesting and easy to read. So much so that I attempted to follow his advise and make contact with H. Schults to appoint him as my mentor. After numerous attempts to contact him without a single reply I am now of the opinion that his sucess came first then came the great phiolanthropic ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Served Piping Hot!
Review: I am currently on kind of a "business history" kick, and have recently read books about Oracle, Microsoft, Intel -- and several business strategy and history books. This book is BY FAR the best one of this type that I've read. As someone who is with a start-up in the high-tech industry, getting the inside scoop on another business and industry was fascinating. Schultz has done some incredibly exciting and respectable things, and tells his story extremely well. As much as he does appear (understandably) a bit defensive during part of the book, I think he goes out of his way to write (and apparently manage and lead) with an unprecedented amount of candor and honesty. He has currently reinforced my loyalty as a Starbuck's customer. BRAVO!!
Rating:
Summary: Typical David vs. Goliath, but David becomes Goliath
Review: An interesting David verse Goliath story, but with David's success comes greed and obsession. As David grows up to become Goliath, he justify his bullyness over the Mom & Pop by says, "if they were just innovative.." which earlier he pointed out that his "Mom and Pop" competitors were serving iced coffee and he "losing customers", his innovation, more like, "motivation" was to develop the same and wipe out his competitors. He further whines about why he is unjustifiably attacked, and yet he writes that he doesn't compete with the Mom & Pop entrepenaruals but that they can coexist, so long as they sell, bagel or sandwiches next to his store. In others' words, don't sell coffee. But even then, for a book to have just been published, I guess that didn't apply too. $tarbuck even started to sell sandwiches and bagels in some locations. Have you seen those environmental TV ads, "do people really care?, we do". Knowing that they are generally the worst polluters, destroying thousands of acres of habitat and yet they attempt to showcase a few hundred acres in hope to convince the unwitting public that they are friendly environmentalist. In the same way, $tarbuck's attempt to justify his insatiable greed and imitation by touting his charitable giving and foreign policies. Overall a good book to read of Howard's struggles but only to turn into just another big, overgrown Hyde in the Corporate world, looking to dominate every corner by "opening one store a day." Not even McDonalds can beat that.
Rating:
Summary: What happens when a company combines coffee and culture.
Review: Part corporate autobiography, part refutation of objections from Starbucks' detractors, this history of this successful coffee company details the ideas and values that helped Starbucks become what it is today. Schultz's enthusiasm for coffee (and for life) percolates throughout the book, providing a high-energy and seemingly caffeinated read. Most interesting in the book is the sociological analysis of why Starbucks has become so huge. The author suggests that Americans are starving for a "third place" apart from work and home where we can sit, converse, and build relationships. This yearning for community has been met in some small way by local coffeehouses and coffee bars across the country. Also fascinating are specific episodes such as the creation of Frappucino and the company's forays into markets such as coffee ice cream. In this the company demonstrates its remarkable ability to innovate and adapt its product without losing sight of its core business. In some parts, the author seems a little defensive, which is not surprising considering the attacks Starbucks has had to fend off in recent years. Schultz does an admirable job of providing the Starbucks side of the story, though many readers may suspect that this is little more than corporate P.R. spin control. Schultz's unbridled optimism may leave some readers feeling like the rags-to-riches story is yet another pipe dream available only to those rare entrepreneurs blessed with the inspiration, motivation and connections needed to make it in corporate America. What about the average Joe? The Starbucks success story is indeed remarkable, but whether or not Starbucks is the business paradigm for the next millennium is yet to be determined.
|
