To stay vigorous, a company needs to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for all these types: the dreamer, the entrepreneur, the professional manager, and the leader. If it doesn't, it risks becoming yet another mediocre corporation.

Starbucks represents something beyond a cup of coffee.

If you pour your heart into your work, or into any worthy enterprise, you can achieve dreams others may think impossible.

When you're building a business or joining a company you have to be transparent, you can't have two sets of information for two sets of people.

Even though people are under economic pressure, they still want to support those brands with values that are compatible with their own.

I think we are living in a time where the consumer has lots of choices, whether it's coffee, newspapers or whatever it is. And there is parity in the market place and as a result of that the consumer is beginning to make decisions, not just on what things cost and the convenience of it.

When we began Starbucks, what I wanted to try to do was to create a set of values, guiding principles, and culture.