My Sister's a Barista: How They Made Starbucks a Home Away from Home

by John Simmons

Insight into Starbucks's rise to worldwide recognition is given in this tale of marketing success. From three college friends' dreams of coffee beans to the caf?s that are open on nearly every street... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1904879276
• ISBN13: 9781904879275
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Cyan Communications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

GREAT BOOK

I think this is a great book that gives not only the story of starbuck's as a store, but it also narrates how the company's philosophy of the company was established giving it's added value service. Highly recommend for anyone who works on marketing or communications related areas.

Excellent book!

This book can be finished in a day! I simply couldn't put it down. It's written as a story so you get quickly pulled into the storyline to find out the end. Although, you already know the ending...Starbucks is one of the most admired brands and successful companies ever known. So how did they do it? This book answers this question and more. What I enjoyed about the book is that it opened the door to the heart and soul of Starbucks to reveal their evolution and foundation. As I prepare my business plan, this book has been more helpful to me than typical business plan books. A lot of times those books provide heartless examples of companies. Sure you've got a great idea for a product or service, but how do you translate that into a brand? What is in the best interest for your customer? After all, Starbucks just sells coffee and coffee related products - nothing extravagant alone, but the mystical & romantic experience surrounding their coffee is a distinctive brand that is difficult to match. This book answers the Who? Where? When? Why? How? of the Starbucks development - their trials, errors and commitment to their beliefs. The concepts discussed in the book are things that I feel touch every business, yet this book provides consistent examples of how to address them. Concepts such as:- -Growth & development -Branding -Why you don't have to franchise to be successful brand -Rewarding customers by first rewarding employees ("partners") and suppliers -Turning down profitable alternatives if it sacrifices the customer's overall experience or a partner's view of the company I must admit I have not read "Pour your heart into it" so I can't comment on any similarities/differences between the two books. What I can say is that if you are interested in creating a world-class company and want to learn how to infuse your company with a soul (rather than focusing on your product development) to ensure success, then this is your book!