The Rise of Starbucks

The Rise of Starbucks The Starbucks Corporation has enjoyed phenomenal growth since its early days in 1971 as a quaint coffee shop in Seattle, Washington. The rise of Starbucks can be directly attributed to the following factors; the emphasis placed on product quality, high employee standards, and creating the perfect cup of coffee. How a small idea became a huge business. Growing up in Brooklyn Howard Schultz had no aspirations. His only goal was to escape the struggles his working-class parents lived every day (Schultz 107). Eventually, Schultz discovered his talent for sales, and was hired by a Swedish housewares corporation. By age 28, he was vice president in charge of sales in the United States. He has an excellent salary, a co-op apartment in New York City and was happily married. However, Schultz wasn’t satisfied with all he had accomplished. He wanted to be in charge of his own destiny (107). It was then in the early 1980’s that he was introduced to the company, Starbucks Coffee and Tea. Starbucks’s original was modest but full of character. Schultz was immediately impressed by its charm. Importantly, he thought the coffee was wonderful (Schultz 108). He then had dinner with a friend, Jerry Baldwin owner of Starbucks and his partner, Gordon Bowker. Schultz tried to persuade Baldwin to hire him as an employee, even though it did not seem to be a logical career move. But for Schultz Starbucks held an inexplicable attraction. He soon found many reasons to get back to Seattle and visit (108). Then in the spring of 1982, Jerry and Gordon invited Schultz to meet Board member Steve Donovan. Schultz told the men what he saw for the future of the company. The partners seemed inspired by his vision. But they had decided not to hire Schultz. They felt his vision, was not what they had in mind for the company (108). Schultz still believed so much in the future of Starbucks that he couldn’t except “no” as an answer.