Howard Schultz: celebrating coffee and people

Howard Schutlz is not the founder of Starbucks, but the man who transformed a network of a few stores in Seattle into the world's leading coffee shop.

From a working-class background

Born in 1953 in New York City, Howard is the son of a U.S. Army veteran turned truck driver. He grew up in public housing in Brooklyn. He financed his education with part-time work and government loans. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Speech Communication in 1975.

Discovering Starbucks

In 1982, he joined Starbucks Coffee Tea & Spices, which then had four small outlets in and around Seattle. He held the position of Marketing Manager. He developed a real passion for coffee and fell in love with the brand. It was in 1983, during a trip to Milan, that Howard Schultz developed his vision of the coffee shop, inspired by Italian cafés. The founders of Starbucks refused to follow suit. As a result, he decided to open his own coffee shop chain: Il Giornale.

The birth of an Empire

In 1987, he obtains the purchase of Starbucks Coffee Tea & Spices. Il Giornale changes its name to Starbucks Coffee. Within a few decades, the company had become a coffee multinational. It is present on every continent.

In 2000, Howard Schultz decided to take a step back to devote himself to his family. He retains the position of Chairman. The company continues to expand both in the United States and internationally.

Saving the Siren from sinking

Within a few years, theSiren's company experienced several crises threatening its economic stability and brand image. In 2008, Howard Schultz took over the management of Starbucks.

He makes strategic decisions to revitalize the company. In Canada, he took over the franchise contracts granted to entrepreneurs to develop the brand. The latter had jeopardized the Starbucks brand image, particularly in social terms.

It closes the least profitable outlets, but refuses to roll back the social benefits granted to its employees: health cover, higher education grants, etc.

He doesn't hesitate to close every Starbucks in the United States for a day to retrain staff in the art of espresso and service excellence. He encourages coffee shops to develop local initiatives for social and environmental action. Howard Schultz's goal is to reconnect Starbucks to its origins: the third place, between home and work.

Nos boutiques et nos partenaires donnent le meilleur d'eux-mêmes quand ils contribuent à procurer une oasis, un sentiment de confort, de lien, en même temps qu'un profond respect pour le café et les communautés qu'il dessert. - Howard Schultz

Starbucks puts values first

Howard Schultz made Starbucks' development conditional on that of coffee growers. La Sirène has contributed to the development of family farms and cooperatives by building coffee processing centers and schools. It still promotes programs to encourage sustainable coffee growing and the protection of surrounding ecosystems.

Sarah Marquis: a spirit of adventure and enterprise

For our second portrait, we've chosen to introduce you to an adventuress with an entrepreneurial spirit: Sarah Marquis. Born in Switzerland in 1972, she grew up in contact with nature and developed a real passion for walking.

Adventures around the world

In 2000, she embarked on her first major adventure, covering 4,260 km in four months, crossing the USA from North to South. Her hikes included the Rocky Mountains and the Mojave Desert.

Between 2002 and 2003, during a 14,000 km journey, Sarah Marquis crossed several deserts in the Australian outback. She published her first adventure story: L'Aventurière des sables. In 2006, she covered 7,000 km of the Andes Cordillera in eight months. In Déserts d'Altitude, she describes the sumptuous, little-known landscapes of the Andes.

Quoi qu'on entreprenne, le risque zéro n'existe pas. Essayer de contrôler la prise de risque est une utopie qu'on nous vend à coups d'assurances. C'est une mise en cage, qui nous prive de ce que nous avons de plus cher : la liberté. - Sarah Marquis

In 2014, Sarah Marquis published Sauvage par nature. This account retraces a 1,000-day journey from Siberia to Australia, via the Gobi desert, China, Laos and Thailand. She recounts her nights on the run from drug traffickers, her encounters with malevolent Mongolian horsemen and her battle against outbreaks of dengue fever.

Sarah Marquis has a thirst for exploration. In 2018, she crossed Tasmania's primeval forest on foot. It's a dangerous and little-known region. She recounts her adventure in J'ai réveillé le tigre.

Sarah Marquis' business strategy

The essence of Sarah Marquis' entrepreneurial model is not to build a business empire. She's looking to raise funds to travel the world's deserts over several months.

Its strategy is based on sponsorship. It works closely with National Geographic, an American exploration company. Other sponsors include Swiss watchmaker Tissot. She organizes conferences and publishes books to help finance her expeditions. It's a veritable virtuous circle that Sarah Marquis has set up to undertake and make a living from her adventures.

Yvon Chouinard: founder of Patagonia

SeDomicilier presents the story of a man who has combined entrepreneurship and environmental preservation.

Climbing and surfing for a living

Yvon Chouinard began climbing at the age of 14, when he joined the Southern California Falconry Club. His passion for the cliffs of the American West's natural parks took off. At the age of 17, he acquired a coal forge and anvil to design his own pitons.

Yves Chouinard's entrepreneurial spirit is no longer limited to climbing America's most prestigious cliffs. He began forging his own equipment. The quality of the equipment he designed attracted the curiosity of his friends and then of climbing enthusiasts. He travels the Pacific coast in his car, which he loads with his forging equipment. He alternates between designing and surfing.

From Chouinard Equipment to Patagonia

In 1965, Yvon Chouinard and Tom Frost joined forces to open Chouinard Equipment. During nine years of entrepreneurial adventure, the two friends revolutionized climbing tools, making them stronger and more functional.

Chouinard Equipment quickly became the American leader in professional climbing equipment. Unfortunately, the high-quality pitons were weakening cliffs and threatening to disfigure rocky landscapes with intensive use. Despite their success, Frost and Chouinard decided to cut back on piton production. The entrepreneurial spirit cannot do without environmental awareness.

Frost and Chouinard develop aluminum pitons and support the publication of research into the use of environmentally-friendly materials. They decided to develop a range of climbing clothing to complement this. The Chouinard Equipment team quickly succeeded in lightening and reinforcing the insulation of climbing clothing.

Patagonia was founded in 1972. The company aims to reconcile business development with environmental protection. Its values are:

  • product quality;
  • integrity in business behavior;
  • environmental commitment;
  • social justice;
  • non-conformism.

Today, Patagonia is one of the leaders in mountain and climbing equipment, with a premium positioning.

The entrepreneur who doesn't forget the planet

Yvon Chouinard has promoted responsible climbing by preserving climbing sites worldwide. He co-founded the non-profit organization 1% for the Planet. Through this initiative, he aims to encourage companies to donate 1% of their sales to environmental causes.

La façon dont vous gravissez une montagne est plus importante que d'atteindre son sommet. - Yves Chouinard

In 2022, Yvon Chouinard will transfer 100% of the capital he holds in Patagonia and all his voting rights to an internal company structure, whose mission is to carry out actions to protect the planet.

John D. Rockefeller: black gold pioneer

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) is considered one of history's most influential entrepreneurs. Founder of Standard Oil in 1870, he revolutionized the oil industry through innovative practices and effective cost management.

By eliminating competition and optimizing production, he turned his company into a monopoly. After dismantling Standard Oil in 1911, he devoted himself to philanthropy, funding schools, hospitals and scientific research, notably through the Rockefeller Foundation.

Henry Ford: revolutionizing the automobile

Henry Ford (1863-1947) was the man behind the Ford Motor Company. In 1908, he designed the Ford Model T, a car accessible to the general public. His major innovation was the introduction of assembly-line production, drastically reducing costs and making the automobile affordable.

A visionary, he also introduced a high minimum daily wage for his workers to stimulate the economy. His industrial approach marked the 20th century and continues to influence the automotive sector.

In this article, we haven't talked about Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos, two great entrepreneurs of digital technology and online commerce. Our aim was not to introduce you to the most famous modern entrepreneurs, but to discover and rediscover profiles of extraordinary business leaders and entrepreneurs.