Howard Schultz Quotes

When looking at trends I always ask myself basic and timeless questions about business, and the one I seem to always come back to is, 'How is this different than anything else in the marketplace?'

We think of Starbucks not as a coffee company but a media company.

I am concerned about any attrition in customer traffic at Starbucks, but I don't want to use the economy, commodity prices or consumer confidence as an excuse. We must maintain a value proposition to our customers as well as differentiate the Starbucks Experience. That is the key.

Beyond brand, culture can help drive your product itself by creating the conditions for the idea generation that is and will continue to be the lifeblood of any company.

I think if companies start reinventing themselves and focus on the customer experience more, they will win out in the end.

The essential element of successful strategy is that it derives its success from the differences between competitors with a consequent difference in their behavior.

But Apple really beats to a different drummer. I used to say that Apple should be the Sony of this business, but in reality, I think Apple should be the Apple of this business.

Xerox did OK in moving to digital in the commercial space. They didn't do well in the consumer market, but they're not a consumer brand. They don't even know how to spell consumer.

We are always focused on how can we differentiate ourselves. In today's world, where people are gravitating toward experiences, it is even more important.

I look at companies as price-players or quality-players. The only way to go with J.Crew was quality.

I never think in terms of how we can compete against the other companies; rather, our primary focus is to make consumers feel the uniqueness and attractiveness of our products.

Branding in electric mobility is critical, but I think what Tesla has also demonstrated is that you can build new brands.

When you lack cohesion, it becomes difficult to have a clear marketing strategy.

If we can keep our competitors focused on us while we stay focused on the customer, ultimately we'll turn out all right.

Market growth alone doesn't give you enough tailwind. You have to create your own. The way to do that is by designing products for consumers that wow them.

Every day were saying, 'How can we keep this customer happy?' How can we get ahead in innovation by doing this, because if we don't, somebody else will.

Differentiate your products, provide great service and don't even think about trying to compete with Wal-Mart on Price.

While we are a coffee company at heart, Starbucks provides much more than the best cup of coffee—we offer a community gathering place where people come together to connect and discover new things.

People don't go to Starbucks for the coffee - of that I'm pretty sure - they go for the atmosphere, they go for the 70 decibels, they go for the Starbucks effect.

OLD: Be No.1 or No.2 in Your Market. NEW: Find a Niche, Create Something New.

We are not in the coffee business serving people, we are in the people business serving coffee.

The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition, is to do an outstanding job with information.

Hopefully 10 years from now people won't even realize we started out selling shoes. They will just think about Zappos as a place to get the best customer service.

In the entrepreneurial world, when you launch a company, you have a particular idea, a particular product, a particular service, almost always you pivot, you shift. The market reacts to your initial idea. You make some adjustments. It's only after making a few adjustments that you see the success.

Strategic quitting is the secret of successful organizations