How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Mr Schultz writes a great story about a fantastic company that got itself in a bad space. More interesting is how he turned it all around.The story is easy to read and informative and has given me loads of inspirational ideas on how to effect change in businesses I am involved in.

Service was great. Book was a gift; love it; however, did notice a black magic marker line on one side of the (closed) pages which looked intentional. Surprised, because this was a full-price book and that is something I've seen on sale books.

I enjoyed reading about how it is possible to have a huge corporate company which has integrity and looks after its people and the environment. This how all corporate companies should do business, to make this world a better place.

Starbucks has always had a super mission statement that puts it people first and looks out for the community and broader environment as well as doing well by its investors. If you don't like Schultz you might be a bit put off. He does give himself a bit of the credit --after all he is an integral part of Starbucks so what do you expect.

Book received quickly and in great condition. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. I lent out my first copy and it was never returned, so I bought another as it is a must have in any library.

I loved the story especially all the obstacles that had to be overcome to become such a huge success.
What I liked the most was the title. I have used the word "Onward" as I move through my own obstacles at work and in life.
Great message. A must read for anyone starting a business or trying to grow a business.
Terry LaPlante

If you like to read about the "behind the scenes" of a business - this is the book for you. It was great to see how a (very) big company like Starbucks can also make (very) big mistakes, but most importantly how a company can recover under good leadership. An easy read that made me fell in love with coffee, Starbucks and the philosophy of this company. Hats off to Howard Shultz!

This book underscored his philosophy as he stated in his first book, Pour Your Heart Into It. Great business book if you want to learn about how important customer experience is and it all starts from the top.

I figured that since I drink enough their coffee, I might as well learn a little something about the company behind the cup. So with only a couple of bucks needed to get Free Super Saver Shipping, I pitched a used copy of Howard Schultz's "Onward" into my shopping cart and figured at worst I would get a crummy read to donate to the local school's annual book sale.

"Onward" surprised me, however. I learned a couple of things about Starbucks that I simply hadn't heard about before, such as their Clover brewing system available in some stores. It's a nifty vacuum brewing system developed by a couple of tinkerers in Seattle. (If you visit their website, you can search for stores nearby that have one.) The history of the development of their instant coffee (excuse me, "water soluble coffee"), Via, was also pretty interesting... I won't spoil it, but let's say that it wasn't an overnight discovery. There are definitely a few other "hey, that's kinda cool" stories in here too.

I won't say, however, that I learned anything from "Onward" as a business/leadership/management book. To be perfectly honest, I don't have much experience reading such types of books, so maybe I wasn't reading it with the right "eye" so to speak -- it was more of leisure reading than anything else. But to this untrained leader, it just didn't seem like there was much there beyond the basics that everyone really should know (humility, listening to people, etc.). Then again, since so many companies do those things poorly, maybe even the basics need to be repeated.

In any case, "Onward" was an enjoyable read and well worth the couple of bucks I paid for it.

This book is written by the president of Starbucks Coffee Company.
This product is very simple to send in the market, but it doesn't simple to make buy it from the global people.
Starbucks in fact is a global brand, in a sense that it is achieved by the people of the all world.
In the book there are some facts those could reveal particolar aspects of the production.
But the typical back-ground is that of social networks, whom determine the rules of the market.

This is an exciting book that elaborates the transformation journey of Starbucks, not only as an organization merely focusing on growth, but a soul searching process on its core values and principles, leadership and social responsibility, while reinventing itself together with its staff, partners and customers.

A great book for anyone looking for lessons in Customer Service or inspiration with concrete examples on the effect of actions on customers. I manage a Front Office Team in a great hotel and will be buying this book for all my Assistant Managers

A book full of excuses. Even when Howard Schlutz pretends acknowledging his mistakes, it doesn't take much to be able to tell that it's all an act and that he doesn't really mean it.
Howard, what's up with the 'ceo' instead of the 'CEO'?

Had I not read this book, I would have kept a better image of Starbucks and its CEO.

Very interesting book written from an insider's perspective. Look, I think there are better CEO's out there, but Schultz should be commended for his idealistic approach to customer and organizational service. The story itself is fascinating and while it is a little self-congratulatory and self-promoting, I do think the book has a lot of merits as a read on how to turn around an organization. The challenges Starbucks faced are very much the same as any modern retailer would, so I think there's a lot of good lessons on the importance of focusing on quality products and quality people.

I originally picked this book up shortly after receiving the Starbucks 2014 Espresso Refill Tumbler, 16 fl for my SO so when I noticed this book in a newsletter from the store I bought it shortly after reviewing other reviews. Since starting the book I'm half way through the book at this point which has left me with a far better understanding of what Starbucks truly does for it's: customers, growers, employees and itself. I must say it's a great read for that. I was a bit dismayed at not getting the whole overview of Howard Schultz's fall in love with coffee & Starbucks & entrepreneurship then onward though, giving credit where credit is due, this book is great for it's overview of 2007-ish onward.

I highly recommend the read if you are a Starbucks goer or, like me, normally just have drip coffee and never used to be a Starbucks coffee....there is an appreciation for coffee to be gained from this read as well.

I anxiously awaited the arrival of Onward:How Starbucks Fourght for Its Life without Losing Its Soul and it was definitely worth the wait!!! The book a great read and I highly recommend it. What an encouraging book that will make you want to fight for what you believe in even through the struggles of everyday life and others negative opinions!!

This was a interesting book. And while I never had anything against Starbucks (or have recently not been very thrilled with it) it made me look at the company in a whole new way. I really like the way that these do business and some of their values. It really give you an in depth look into the company, and not just into the stores that almost everyone knows, but the coffee making process as a whole starting at the farms.

Outstanding book on leadership style, strategy and grit conveyed with loads of honesty. Gripping and easy to understand. Keeps you asking for more. You identify with the characters and yearn to be a part of this great transition which of course had been painful and heart wrenching for those who has faced uncertainty and even loss of jobs.

The rise of a corporation in american society based on the love and creation of products. In this case the fast food industry sipported by coffee. An amzing story of how a passion for success and perfection supports the people on who the corporations resides. It's employees!

Passion,leadership, belief, listening, making changes on the fly are a brief summary of designing, buliding and adjusting a start-up company through a difficult time. American's have always love to help the little guy or the new guy on the block. So when the new guy becomes larger than life do you assume they are just like every other large company? Reading Starbuck's history from Howard's first book and now w/ Onward demonstrates to the reader that despite all the trials and tribulations that life throws at us one can keep true to the mission and not change just for the sake of the bottom line. All business owners, managers, ceo's and entrepreneurs can learn from Starbucks. It's not just about the money.

The first thing I realized about this book is that it wasn't just going to be about teaching better business practices. There was no ten-point plan to turn your business around or special method to follow to guarantee success. Instead, it was a sincere account of the path taken by Howard Schultz as he navigated the long road to transformation for Starbucks. It wasn't Howard teaching about business so much as it was his providing a close look at both the big and small choices that marked the way. It was also an intimate look into Howard's unwavering belief in the human connection and how this belief takes form in the Starbucks experience. In the end, this wasn't a book that simply heralded Howard's achievements, but rather a story that sets an example of how much can be achieved when one is resolved to sound principles, community and hard work.

When everyone around him saw failing numbers and a bleak future, Howard Schultz saw possibility and potential. Onward is the telling of just how clearly he saw all that Starbucks could be and his very personal journey to achieve it.

Like any entrepreneur, Howard wanted this business to be profitable, but he also wanted Starbucks to stand for strong values and impeccable quality not only to the customers, but also to his partners, employees and the community. This involved many changes including breaking bad habits and forming better ones and finding ways to improve in many areas that not only met customer expectations, but exceeded them.

I really enjoyed reading about how all this was accomplished and I was truly inspired by the sense of teamwork and resolve shown by all involved.

This is the first time I have had the opportunity to read a book where a man was able to dream of, then create a special feeling through a retail company,in this case coffee, and still be able to do what is necessary to maintain the bottom line known as profit. His great character and sterling principles are visible in every action he takes. His deep concern for people universally and his genuine environmental consciousness make him truly a man for the ages. He has definitely inspired me!

Karen Hopkins
Columbus, MS

Loved the dedication to customer service - the respect etc. Would recommend this book to all public service personnel and anyone interested in how to build & maintain a successful financial business.

I'm a huge fan of biographies and company stories so that's the reason I bought this book. This book is okay but you have to read through the typical sentences to see the real story ("hard work", "ethics", "passion" etc).

Excellent, excellent management book. Pretty emotional, too. After you read and while you read this book, you will keep on thinking to yourself why can't my cmopany and/or maangement team be like this.

I would strongly recommend this book to any one, any where, who sees himself a manager at some point.
This book is a first-person experience showing how such a huge company like Starbucks dealt with the economic crisis.

A really great book.

Starbucks customers might be surprised at how much it took to bring the company back from a state of decline. Onward is a behind the scenes view of how Howard Schultz and his partners worked constantly to improve quality, and create a memorable experience for each customer as well as those who work there and in the process brought the company back to its original goals and values. Whether this meant traveling to far way places to find the right ingredients or searching for the best equipment to create the perfect espresso, Howard Schultz took it upon himself to oversee that every detail was covered. Easy to read and full of inspiration, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to make their business the very best it can be.

Just like many companies, Starbucks fought for its existence. Told from Howard Shultz perspective, this book gives unique insight into the how Starbucks stuck to its guiding principles, revised its vision, and found its way through economic hard times.