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blondierocket's review against another edition
5.0
One of my most favorite Early Reviewer books yet and I had to share with everyone once I finished. I’d been eyeing Onward every time I walked into Starbucks and heard so much about it that when it showed up in my mailbox I was so excited!
Onward is the story of how Starbucks struggled up and down with change (in almost every way) and pulled out on top through perseverance and strength. In the end, the one thing Starbucks refused to give us was the core of the company, the culture and soul that the community had come to love and trust.
Delving into many factors, including the economic downturn, product testing, new/old stores, Schultz digs deep into how he kept the company he loves from succumbing to hard times and giving up.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, no matter where you work or the stage of your life. The lessons Schultz touches on work for any time and place!
Onward is the story of how Starbucks struggled up and down with change (in almost every way) and pulled out on top through perseverance and strength. In the end, the one thing Starbucks refused to give us was the core of the company, the culture and soul that the community had come to love and trust.
Delving into many factors, including the economic downturn, product testing, new/old stores, Schultz digs deep into how he kept the company he loves from succumbing to hard times and giving up.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, no matter where you work or the stage of your life. The lessons Schultz touches on work for any time and place!
ksikorski's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
1.5
Howard seems to be very full of himself and sees Starbucks as the ONLY coffee option in the world. He faves about how unique her consistent Starbucks is,
Maybe it’s because I’m reading this 10 years later, it I see Starbucks as an expensive convenience. Sure, it may be consistent, but am I going for the perfect cup of coffee? Never. It was hard to read this book without a bias on how the chain has imploded.
Howard also seems to be overly controlling and unable to set boundaries. What he wants, he gets. No matter the cost. It’s understandable that he’s a leader, but I felt like he was selling himself. Almost like the book was a cry for help during the recession to try and prove all the steps they’ve been taking.
Maybe it’s because I’m reading this 10 years later, it I see Starbucks as an expensive convenience. Sure, it may be consistent, but am I going for the perfect cup of coffee? Never. It was hard to read this book without a bias on how the chain has imploded.
Howard also seems to be overly controlling and unable to set boundaries. What he wants, he gets. No matter the cost. It’s understandable that he’s a leader, but I felt like he was selling himself. Almost like the book was a cry for help during the recession to try and prove all the steps they’ve been taking.
mikewa14's review against another edition
4.0
A bit schmaltzy and 'American' but actually really interesting and almost gripping!
reviewed with other Starbucks books here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/books-about-starbucks.html
reviewed with other Starbucks books here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/books-about-starbucks.html
yuzutart's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This one feels a bit hard to rate to me. It had some interesting stories about the company's history, logistics, marketing, and product development. As someone who grew up when there were literally 3 Starbucks on the same block, I appreciated the insight that success is not necessarily measured purely in growth.
But with Howard Schultz telling the story, it comes off as very "rah-rah" and "look at how awesome Starbucks is (and how awesome I am)". The problems that Starbucks was facing were written fairly mildly, and every solution was due to Schultz's infallible "intuition" and going back to the "Starbucks mission". Things got really repetitive by the end and came off as a bit "corporate propaganda".
Overall, the story itself is interesting but I think it could have been told much better by a more neutral third-party author.
But with Howard Schultz telling the story, it comes off as very "rah-rah" and "look at how awesome Starbucks is (and how awesome I am)". The problems that Starbucks was facing were written fairly mildly, and every solution was due to Schultz's infallible "intuition" and going back to the "Starbucks mission". Things got really repetitive by the end and came off as a bit "corporate propaganda".
Overall, the story itself is interesting but I think it could have been told much better by a more neutral third-party author.
vll295's review against another edition
3.0
Yum-Starbucks! This was an interesting inside look to the back story of the company. I enjoyed it.
machadofam8's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the first book about the birth of Starbucks more than this one. This one was too much business; not enough inspiration. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. ;)
dynel's review against another edition
3.0
The problem with this book is that it is written by a person with a very biased point of view, namely, the ceo of the company. So you can only expect "good" things to come out of it. ceo's are excellent in sugarcoating and this book is no exception.
Yes, he talks about the day-to-day operations of the company, the ups & downs. yes there is a big part about company history. But everything is always placed in such a positive light that you never get to see the real side of the story. And for me, the reader, it should be important to form my own opinion about a company by considering both sides. So I want those gritty details, the bad stuff, the stuff that gives kids nightmares.
It also gets really old when Howard constantly uses the same keywords in his paragraphs like "personal missions", "commitments" and "passion". I understand that there is a satisfaction about creating a powerful brand with motivated people/partners. But the way the guy writes it is like watching a nonstop disney movie marathon. Not realistic.
But I also catch myself talking about the bad stuff and not the good parts. So here goes: The way he goes into detail about company growth, organisation and motivating and inspiring people is really interesting and should provide you with enough inside information. The book itself is a very light read and you should be able to flow through it in a matter of days.
I give it 3 stars.
Yes, he talks about the day-to-day operations of the company, the ups & downs. yes there is a big part about company history. But everything is always placed in such a positive light that you never get to see the real side of the story. And for me, the reader, it should be important to form my own opinion about a company by considering both sides. So I want those gritty details, the bad stuff, the stuff that gives kids nightmares.
It also gets really old when Howard constantly uses the same keywords in his paragraphs like "personal missions", "commitments" and "passion". I understand that there is a satisfaction about creating a powerful brand with motivated people/partners. But the way the guy writes it is like watching a nonstop disney movie marathon. Not realistic.
But I also catch myself talking about the bad stuff and not the good parts. So here goes: The way he goes into detail about company growth, organisation and motivating and inspiring people is really interesting and should provide you with enough inside information. The book itself is a very light read and you should be able to flow through it in a matter of days.
I give it 3 stars.
arflegel's review against another edition
4.25
I liked this book far more than I thought I would going into it.. Howard's skill of story telling makes this book easy to digest and incredibly enjoyable.
hsinjulit's review against another edition
1.0
As a person who visits Starbucks fairly often, I was really interested in learning about their story. But I ended up very disappointed.
I dislike the book. Not that I hate the story, but actually Schultz himself whom, to be honest, I consider emotionally ignorant. He never realised that when he stepped down from being ceo and served as chairman meant granting Starbucks the right to grow without his full-time interference, much like a parent letting go of their grown-up children. Schultz failed not once, but twice at this: the first time was returning as ceo near the end of 2007 without self-restraint or proper communication within the company, and the second time was publishing this book, believing it to be an appropriate thing to do when it was actually not.
The story would be great if not for the annoying arrogance and deceiving tone of Schultz. I believe that should this book start at a different time or be penned by a third person, it would be a lot better. Also, being completely oblivious himself, Schultz has this habit of doing things half-way and making his words hang, leaving me utterly perplexed during reading. So immature I had to wince.
There is no doubt that he successfully made Starbucks great again, but it does not change the fact that he is, in my opinion, less than qualified to be a real icon in entrepreneurship. He did, however, acknowledge that stories are important for doing business, to which I totally agree though most people tend to overlook.
I dislike the book. Not that I hate the story, but actually Schultz himself whom, to be honest, I consider emotionally ignorant. He never realised that when he stepped down from being ceo and served as chairman meant granting Starbucks the right to grow without his full-time interference, much like a parent letting go of their grown-up children. Schultz failed not once, but twice at this: the first time was returning as ceo near the end of 2007 without self-restraint or proper communication within the company, and the second time was publishing this book, believing it to be an appropriate thing to do when it was actually not.
The story would be great if not for the annoying arrogance and deceiving tone of Schultz. I believe that should this book start at a different time or be penned by a third person, it would be a lot better. Also, being completely oblivious himself, Schultz has this habit of doing things half-way and making his words hang, leaving me utterly perplexed during reading. So immature I had to wince.
There is no doubt that he successfully made Starbucks great again, but it does not change the fact that he is, in my opinion, less than qualified to be a real icon in entrepreneurship. He did, however, acknowledge that stories are important for doing business, to which I totally agree though most people tend to overlook.