Hiring people is an art, not a science, and resumes can't tell you whether someone will fit into a company's culture. - Howard Schultz

At the very heart of being a merchant is a desire to tell a story by making sensory, emotional connections. Once, twice, or 16,000 times.

So when some refer to Starbucks' coffee as an affordable luxury, I think to myself, Maybe so. But more accurate, I like to think, is that the starbucks experience - personal connection- is an affordable necessity. We are all hungry for community.

Every step of the way, I made it a point to underpromise and overdeliver. In the long run, that's the only way to ensure security in any job.