Authentic brands don't emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does.

People want guidance, not rhetoric. They need to know what the plan of action is, and how it will be implemented. They want to be given responsibility to help solve the problem and authority to act on it.

Be bold, but be fair. Don't give in. If others around you have integrity, too, you can prevail

Our history is based on extending the brand to categories within the guardrails of Starbucks.

I was born on the other side of the tracks, in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. My dad never made more than $20,000 a year, and I grew up in a family that lost health insurance. So I was scarred at a young age with understanding what it was like to watch my parents lose access to the American dream.

Who wants a dream that's near-fetched?

Passionate conviction ... sparks romances, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn't dare. Belief in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our lives unfold.