Why It Ranks #67
The definitive story of brand-building through customer experience. Schultz proved that selling a commodity (coffee) at premium prices is possible when you are actually selling something far more valuable — a feeling and a ritual.
The Review
Howard Schultz grew up in Brooklyn public housing projects, visited Italy, fell in love with espresso bar culture, and spent the next decade building Starbucks into the third place between home and work for millions of Americans. Pour Your Heart Into It tells the story of how Schultz raised money (217 out of 242 investors said no), built a brand around experience rather than product, and created a company culture that provided health insurance to part-time workers decades before it was fashionable.
Key Takeaways
- 1People do not buy coffee — they buy the experience, the ritual, and the third place
- 2Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers
- 3217 out of 242 investors said no — persistence in fundraising is not optional
- 4Success is not sustainable if the company's values erode as it scales
Fun Facts
- •Schultz's father was a truck driver who never earned more than $20,000 a year and had no health insurance — this shaped Starbucks' benefits policy
- •The original Starbucks founders did not want to expand beyond Seattle — Schultz had to buy the company from them
- •Starbucks was named after the first mate in Moby Dick
Book Details
Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz with Dori Jones Yang
Pages
368
Goodreads Rating
3.97/5
Copies Sold
1M+
First Published
1997
Get Glen’s Updates
Investing insights, new tools, and whatever I’m building this week. Free. No spam.
Unsubscribe anytime. I respect your inbox more than Congress respects property rights.
Keep Exploring
Top 25 Business Books
See the full ranked list of the best business books ever written.
Read moreTop 25 Stock Market Books
The 25 best books about investing in the stock market, ranked.
Read moreTop 25 Personal Finance Books
The 25 best personal finance books ever written.
Read moreBillionaires
Profiles, strategies, and humor from the world's richest people.
Read moreConsulting
Salesforce development, technical strategy, and systems architecture.
Read moreBooks
Full book recommendations and reviews from Glen Bradford.
Read more