Pour Your Heart into It

How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

By: Howard Schultz, Dori Jones Yang

Narrated by: Eric Conger

Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The success of Starbucks is one of the most remarkable business stories in decades. Since 1987, the coffee merchant has grown from a single retail store on Seattle's waterfront to a company with more than 1,000 stores nationwide and a new one opening somewhere every business day. According to Fortune magazine, Starbucks "has changed everything...from our tastes to our language to the face of Main Street."

In Pour Your Heart Into It, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz shares the passion, values, and inspiration that drive this fascinating company. Placing as much importance on employees as on profits, paying as much attention to creativity as to growth, motivated by enduring principles including "Don't be threatened by people smarter than you", and "Everything matters", Starbucks is living proof that a company can lead with its heart, nurture its soul, and still make money.

©1997 Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang. Published by arrangement with Hyperion (P)1997 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Several moments - Schultz scoffing at the idea of Frappuccinos...striding into a beverage pow-wow, demanding 'What is going on with the eggnog latte?' - turn out richer than a cup of Kona." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"Here is what makes a great business audio: real business wisdom passed along as stories within stories." ( Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Wow

Started it last night and finished it this morning. Short easy read but quality the whole time. Learned a ton and would recommend to anyone.

Great Read!

Great book about finding passion and persevering with whatever it takes. It’s encouraging to my entrepreneurial spirit.
Lot to learn for the stories of those who have succeeded.

An incredible lesson on Management

Howard Schultz's brilliance lay in recognizing the invaluable contribution of his employees. Understanding they were pivotal to his success, he treated them with the utmost respect, setting him apart from the typical business approach of just focusing on the customer needs.

I think a good slogan for Starbucks based on Howard’s vision is: “Exceptional coffee for amazing customers, crafted by incredible people”.

MBA Student's Review

I listened to this book to learn more about Starbucks. The book provided a great insight into the history of the company, the passion of the leadership team, and as a bonus and central theme - conveyed the unique culture of the company.

It was a very easy listen and was well writen. My opinion of the company and Howard Schultz improved with each minute. I found that I fit squarely in Starbucks target market and believe the company's value proposition is achieved in my circumstance.

Worth a listen for any business professional interested in corporate culture, Starbuck's History, or Howard Schultz's autobiography.

Loved it

Where does Pour Your Heart into It rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

What an inspiring story, vision, and achievement. I wish all of the executives out there associate the brand with the strength of the people they hire/have/maintain.

What happened to the coffee?

This is a very good business book. An inspiring story from beginning to end, and well read by both the author (foreword) and actor who reads it. My one objection is I do NOT recognize the product he's talking about. The Starbuck's coffee I know is sweet, foamy and more like a liquid lollipop. Far from the motto stated by the end of chapter one "Starbuck's will always sell the highest quality, fresh bean coffee. That's our legacy". I guess the high quality manifesto went out the window when they partnered with Pepsi in the mid-1990s and invented the 'Frappuccino'. I know Starbuck's as a great place to relax, watch people or listen to some music, but it's not where I go for really good coffee. This is why I only gave the book 4 stars, because it sometimes sounds like a marketing pitch. Nevertheless, I'd recommend it to anyone whether you're looking for business inspiration or just curious about the Starbuck's story.

Growth

What seems to be a reoccurring theme for Mr Schultz is the passion for coffee to make it the best for the community even when it grows very quickly.

short and sweet

Glad I read this book. I have learned that persistence is key to success in business. This book reiterated that and much more!

Good read, would like to see a refresher

Would like to see how the vision has changed as a result of the pandemic.

a must read for entrepreneur spirit.

very educational, together with excitement. good for encouragement. must review to keep it fresh,for inspiration