Welcome to episode twenty-four of the Doneson Podcast. Today we dive into the coffee house world with Howard Schultz of Starbucks. After coming home from Italy with grand ideas about unique ways to sell coffee, Schultz was knocked down by the powers that be. He left to start his own company but in the end was approached to buy Starbucks just a few years later. After buying it in 1987 for 3.8 million, Schultz grew the company to an international heavyweight across 75 countries. Starbucks fans tend to be hardcore super fans while those who aren't, are often at the other end of the spectrum. As a company, they are known for their incredible commitment to healthcare for their employees. However, they aren't always up front about everything. Starbucks has been known to use stale coffee beans and hide the taste behind sugar and other sweeteners. Even more disturbing, Starbucks has recently been accused of standing on the wrong side of racial issues, both on an employee level and on a grand scale company level. With this in mind, how does Starbucks really measure up as a leader?
