I want to talk about the trip to Seattle. It’s almost overdue. I don’t want to forget everything that led to that epic 3 minutes in time. You can watch the three minutes yourself. It really happened. I was there in front of Howard Schultz, my all-time hero. That’s right, kids- no Batman or Magic Johnson here. Howard Schultz, the ceo of Starbucks Coffee Company. And no, that isn’t a typo. Titles aren’t capitalized at Starbucks. Everyone is a peer, or rather a “partner”.
So anyway, back in November I was sitting in my living room and I was feeling alone. I had some big business decisions to make for WeatherVane. I was wracking my brain with “Who has been through this before that I can ask?” I was coming up blank. I glance up and see my copy of “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul” by Howard on my bookshelf. It was then that I started asking myself “What Would Howard Do?” And not far after that, I got it in my head to get in touch with him.
I was already planning on going to the Starbucks annual shareholder meeting. I had gone the previous three years when I lived in Portland. And now, it felt like a spiritual journey. I knew I had to get there and I even knew that it didn’t necessarily justify itself financially in other people’s eyes. I didn’t need it to.
I am trying to remember what exactly I wanted to say to him. Oh yeah that’s right- I wrote him a letter. Let’s see what it said:
Dear Howard,
About a year ago I was sitting at the Starbucks Shareholder meeting having just gotten fired from my job finding myself homeless, single, and carless. It was the third shareholders meeting I had been to and the first year that I got up the courage to get up and ask you a question at the microphone. It doesn’t even matter what the question was, just that I got up despite my fear to have your audience.
Today my life is completely different. Shortly after that meeting, I packed up my dog and possessions into a rental van and made the journey back home to River Falls, Wisconsin from Portland, Oregon. I now have a car, a home, a plethora of love and support, and a business plan.
A business plan. A dream. A commitment to my community. A difference to be made.
As you will see when you take a look at my fund raising campaign and media mentions, I am currently in a very fantastical journey. And when I find myself feeling misunderstood, I remember all of the times that you had the courage and strength to keep moving forward. All the times that you had to adjust your course yet maintaining strength in your convictions.
A few months ago my investor fell through and I saw your campaign. I know your commitment to our country and for creating jobs that make a difference in our communities. I would like to invite you out for coffee to discuss our mutual vision. Perhaps you might even consider being an investor in my Wisconsin themed specialty retail store and café. It was recently called “the next Starbucks” after all. I will be making the trek to the shareholder meeting and plan on staying in the area for a few days.
I know that you already know who I am since I was a well decorated store manager in Chicagoland. You yourself said it best in your last book. “Starbuck’s best store managers are coaches, bosses, marketers, entrepreneurs, community ambassadors, and merchants all at once. They are optimistic problem solvers who run their stores creatively yet analytically, calling upon passion and intelligence to drive customer traffic, partner loyalty, and profit. The best managers take their jobs personally, treating the store as if it were their very own.” Thank you for shaping who I am. I look forward to hearing from you.
I forgot that all I wanted to do was invite him out to coffee. My big plan was to try to email him directly (which I really believe will get filtered and not even get to him at all), send it in the mail, and to send it to a former district manager that still works for the company and has moved up closer up the food chain closer to Howard. But close enough? I resisted and put it off. I put “get letter to Howard” on my daily top three things that I committed to on my emails to my accountability coach. And for about three weeks I put it off and felt terrible for every day that I failed to do it.
Then one day it hit me. I was to go to the Starbucks annual shareholder meeting and deliver it to him personally. And then it hit me again about a minute after that. I had to also include my nondisclosure agreement for access to the business plan (I felt really clever about this) and ask him to be my mentor. This was the *one* way that I knew it would get in front of him and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought of it before.
I had a mission.
Hooray! So much courage. Makin’ it happen.