Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz, Joanne Gordon

Starbucks’ meteoric rise in the 1990s as a specialty coffee shop revolutionized the industry, proving that it was possible to turn a small shop into a nationally-recognized success. But when Howard Schultz, the current CEO of Starbucks at the time, stepped down in 2000 and left the company, the company soon began to lose its way and its competitive edge.

In his book, “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul,” Howard Schultz details how he carefully planned and executed a plan to bring Starbucks back to its former glory. Drawing on his knowledge, passion, and personal experience, Schultz carefully and methodically reconstructed Starbucks, one component at a time, ultimately to reclaim the company’s place as the premier coffee provider.

The original purpose of Starbucks was to provide a unique, socially conscious and high-quality experience to customers in order to differentiate the company from its competitors. However, without the creative, visionary leadership of Schultz, Starbucks had become a generic coffee provider with little to no personality or purpose. Hence, Schultz’s first priority was to dramatically change the Starbucks brand.

Schultz began by undertaking an exhaustive review of the company’s offerings. He identified the need to transform the company’s core beverages, expand its food offerings and focus on creating an atmosphere and experience that emphasized the company’s uniqueness and social consciousness. This included introducing more locally-made products and services, as well as increasing their focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Next, Schultz focused his attention on developing innovative new products and services. This included introducing new coffee brewing methods and flavors, as well as adding a variety of snacks and food items. He also implemented an extensive ”loyalty” program, which garnered millions of members and created powerful incentives for customers to remain with Starbucks. Furthermore, Schultz introduced digital and mobile ordering, as well as an in-house mobile payment system.

On the organizational side, Schultz implemented a series of measures to make Starbucks more efficient and agile. This included changes in the hiring and training processes, as well as introducing a new rewards and recognition system for employees.

Finally, Starbucks implemented a new corporate culture, one that emphasized the importance of the customer experience and shared values. Schultz also created an environment of collaboration, creativity, and empowerment among employees. This allowed employees to think critically and suggest innovative new ideas that could help the company grow.

Overall, Schultz’s approach was both steady and smart. Through the combination of business-savvy decisions and strategic changes, Schultz successfully transformed Starbucks from a generic coffee shop to the premier provider of specialty coffee that it currently is. The company’s success is a testament to Schultz’s leadership and the power of innovation and devotion. If you’re looking for an inspirational story about how to turn a failing business into a success story, “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul” is definitely worth a read.