Howard Schultz Quotes

"Protect and preserve your core customers," he [Jim Sinegal, cofounder and CEO of Costco] told our marketing team when I invited him to speak to us. "The cost of losing your core customers and trying to get them back during a down economy will be much greater than the cost of investing in them and trying to keep them."

Just. Plain. [Fu*king.] Grilled. Swordfish.

When we love something, emotion often drives our actions.

This is the gift and the challenge entrepreneurs face every day. The companies we dream of and build from scratch are part of us and intensely personal. They are our families. Our lives.

But the entrepreneurial journey is not for everyone. Yes, the highs are high and the rewards can be thrilling. But the lows can break your heart. Entrepreneurs must love what they do to such a degree that doing it is worth sacrifice and, at times, pain. But doing anything else, we think, would be unimaginable

I don’t say that all people have equal talent,” Kennedy told his crowd of supporters. “But what I do say is that everyone should have their chance to develop their talent equally.

All great companies have passed through bad years that forced soul-searching and rethinking of priorities. How we deal with them will be the litmus test.

But the reasons against going to New Orleans — that spicy southern city known for jazz and Mardi Gras and hospitality — were the very reasons we had to go.

The businesses that thrive over the long haul are likely to be those that understand that cost cutting and revenue growing aren’t mutually exclusive. Eternal vigilance to both the top and bottom lines is the new ticket to prosperity.

There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust.

Your station in life does not define you. The promise of America is for all of us.

"There's a metaphor Vincent Eades likes to use: "If you examine a butterfly according to the laws of aerodynamics, it shouldn't be able to fly. But the butterfly doesn't know that, so it flies.

Think like a person of action; act like a person of thought. The best minute I spend is the one I invest in people.

Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don't embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable, but give them the tools to succeed. Make the tough choices; it's how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear, and do. Believe.

Big opportunities lie in the creation of something new. But that innovation has to be relevant and inspiring, or it will burst into color and fade away as quickly as fireworks.

Whenever I see someone carrying a cup of coffee from a Starbucks competitor, whether it’s an independent coffee shop or a fast-food chain, I take their decision not to come to Starbucks personally. I wonder what I, as Starbucks’ chairman and ceo, might have done to keep them away and what I might do to encourage them to come back or to try us for the first time.

In the course of the year I spent trying to raise money, I spoke to 242 people, and 217 of them said “no.