How Bill Gates Sr Helped Howard Schultz Achieve His Starbucks Dream
Sometimes we stumble into our purpose, and we never realized our experiences are there to prepare us for our purpose in life.
After a business trip to Milan, Schultz was inspired to bring the Italian coffeehouse tradition to the U.S. So when Schultz returned to Seattle, looking for investors to invest in his first espresso bar called Il Giornale, he heard no so many times, he almost gave up on his dream. But he kept at it and eventually raise the 1.8 million dollars needed to realize his dream of opening his espresso bar.
After 3 years he was approached by the founders of Starbucks to buy the company for 3.8 million, and Schultz told the founders he would buy the company although he did not have the money.
Nevertheless, he raises the money and once again faced a battle. One of his investors approach the founders of Starbucks to buy the company. Howard said when he found out his world ended, but manage to convince, get this, Bill Gates Sr, the father of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, to help him.
When Bill Gates Sr heard the story, he said to Howard let's take a walk we're going to see the man.' Howard said his heart was racing with such anxiety and trepidation he felt his heart was going to explode. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the investor's office, Schultz recalls: "Now, Bill Gates Sr. is six-foot-seven, and, in the mid-80s, he was in his prime. He was a force.
"We walked in that office, and all I remember him saying is: 'You should be ashamed of yourself that you're going to steal this kid's dream. It's not going to happen. You and I both know this is not going to happen.' Within 10 minutes, he told him to stand down, we're walking out of this office, and this kid's buying this company."
Gates then proceeded to help Schultz raise the $3.8 million he needed to make Starbucks his. Well the rest is history, Schultz bought the company, and now Starbucks is one of the most recognizable brands in the world with over 26,000 stores in 70 countries. When you have a dream, and you are committed to it even if you face challenges, and you will have difficulties, but when you have that desire, you have to push forward, and you will be rewarded at the end.
Even when everything seen lost, you must find the energy to fight and to never give up. I often wonder why we don’t encourage people to dream more. I see people just settling. Everything we enjoy today was once a dream. Great inventors and great leaders ran after their dream, people consider them unrealistic at the time, but as it turns out their dream changed the lives of many, many people all over the globe.
Run after your dream, and you will be rewarded at the end, seek to become a person of value. When people see your passion, believe me, you will get help. Don’t spend your time running down the almighty dollar. When you realize your dream, when you become someone of value, money will chase after you.
Run after your dream.
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Gifford is the founder of Leadership First, a leadership community dedicated to inspiring every leader into creating a great organization, one their employees will enjoy. Help us achieve our purpose, SUBSCRIBE to our community and get exclusive leadership articles from the best leadership minds in the world. Let's change the leadership status quo and inspire every leader into great leadership. Leadership First