Sample Written Business Bio
Page 5-1
SAMPLE BUSINESS BIO
STARBUCKS
Headquarters Address:
Starbucks Corporation, 2401 Utah Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98134
Telephone: (206) 447-1575
Web Site: www.starbucks.com
Business Description:
Starbucks is the leading specialty coffee retailer in the world, with more than 13,000
stores in 39 countries. Starbucks stores offer a variety of handcrafted beverages,
including fresh-brewed coffee, espresso, blended drinks, and teas, as well as fresh food,
coffee beans, accessories, and music CDs. Starbucks products such as coffee beans,
bottled and canned coffee and espresso drinks, teas, ice creams, and liqueurs are also
available at grocery stores throughout the world. In addition, Starbucks has developed
global alliances with many well-known companies to place Starbucks coffee in hotels,
airports, bookstores, and other establishments.
Year Founded: 1971
History:
Starbucks Coffee Company was founded in Seattle, Washington, by entrepreneurs Jerry
Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Ziv Siegl, who wanted to share their passion for coffee with
the public. During the first decade of its existence, Starbucks opened five retail stores and
developed a reputation in the Seattle area as a respected roaster and retailer of high
quality whole-bean and ground coffees. In 1982, Howard Schultz (now chairman of
Starbucks) joined the company as director of retail operations and marketing, and in
1984, he convinced the owners of the company to open their first coffee bar in downtown
Seattle. Over the next few years, the original owners of Starbucks became frustrated by
their inability to ensure the quality of their products and services, and in 1987, they sold
the company to Schultz for $4 million. After acquiring Starbucks, Schultz initiated a rapid
expansion plan, including the introduction of mail order service in 1988 and a total of 84
Starbucks locations by 1990. In 1992, Starbucks completed its initial public offering, and
by 1996, when Starbucks International opened locations in Japan, Hawaii, and
Singapore, the company had grown to 1,015 locations. During the past decade,
Starbucks has continued to expand dramatically, in terms of both number of locations and
variety of products.
Struggles and Risks:
During Howard Schultz’s initial rapid expansion of the company in the late 1980s,
Starbucks suffered financially. The years of 1988 and 1989 were lean ones for the
company in terms of finances; Starbucks simply did not have the resources to fund
business operations adequately. In more recent years, the company has experienced a
very different kind of struggle, one of striving to preserve the stores’ “homey” atmosphere
while increasing efficiency and enhancing their product line. Expanding its operations
Sample Business Analysis Report
Page 5-2
overseas also involves risk for the company; foreign cultures may not react as positively
as the U.S. to Starbucks’s presence. Also, while Starbucks’s competitive advantage—the
sale of coffee and coffee products—sets the company apart from its competitors,
becoming too dependent on the sale of one type of product can be risky. To lessen that
risk, Starbucks has expanded its product lines significantly.
Successes:
Starbucks has experienced great success over the years. From its humble beginnings as
one coffee shop in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks has grown into a multi-national
corporation with tens of thousands of locations around the world. In addition to expanding
geographically, Starbucks has also expanded its markets and products, successfully
adding handcrafted beverages, bottled frappuccino, ice cream, tea, music CDs, and even
movie production to its offerings. All the while, Starbucks has kept its employees and
customers in mind, enabling it to become a corporate powerhouse while retaining a smallbusiness attitude. As a result, Starbucks has been named to Fortune magazine’s Most
Admired Companies list for 2007, and the company received the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s “Green Power Partner of the Year” award in 2006.
Sample Written Business Bio (cont’d)
Page 5-3
Senior Officers/Managers:
Howard Schultz, chairman; James L. Donald, president and chief executive officer;
James C. Alling, president, Starbucks Coffee U.S.; Martin Coles, president, Starbucks
Coffee International; Paula E. Boggs, evp, general counsel and secretary; Michael Casey,
evp, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer; Peter Bocian, evp, chief
financial officer designate; Dorothy J. Kim, evp, Supply Chain Operations; David A. Pace,
evp, Partner Resources
Form of Business Ownership: Corporation
Owner(s): Publicly owned
Human Resources Utilized (i.e., Employees): 145,000+
Natural Resources Utilized: Coffee beans, milk, water, and other food products
Capital Goods Utilized: Espresso makers and other beverage machines, coffee
grinders, store buildings, kitchen equipment, cash registers, display cases, tables, chairs,
etc.
Most Current Sales Figures:
Revenue for the Fiscal Year 2006: $7.8 billion
Revenue for Quarter 2 of the Fiscal Year 2007: $2.3 billion
Sales Trends over 10 Years:
Sales have steadily increased over the past 10 years, from $975 million in 1997 to $7.8
billion in 2006. The historical revenues for the last 10 fiscal years are:
Fiscal Year 1997: $975 million
Fiscal Year 1998: $1.3 billion
Fiscal Year 1999: $1.7 billion
Fiscal Year 2000: $2.2 billion
Fiscal Year 2001: $2.6 billion
Fiscal Year 2002: $3.3 billion
Fiscal Year 2003: $4.1 billion
Fiscal Year 2004: $5.3 billion
Fiscal Year 2005: $6.4 billion
Fiscal Year 2006: $7.8 billion
Products:
Coffee Beans
Handcrafted Beverages—Fresh-brewed Coffee, Tea, Espresso Beverages, and Blended
Beverages
Fresh Food—Salads, Sandwiches, and Pastries
Bottled Coffee and Expresso Beverages
Teas
Sample Written Business Bio (cont’d)
Ice Cream
Premium Chocolate
Liqueurs
Coffee Brewers, Grinders, Mugs, and Accessories
Expresso Machines
Gift Items
Music CDs
Books
Movie Production
Page 5-4
Sample Written Business Bio (cont’d)
Page 5-5
Brands:
Starbucks Entertainment
Starbucks Hear Music
Tazo
Ethos Water
Seattle’s Best Coffee
Torrefazione Italia Coffee
Targeted Customer:
Starbucks has several different targeted customer types—commuters, college students,
grocery shoppers, and individuals looking for entertainment or a place to spend time
reading, socializing, working, and escaping from the outside world.
Stores:
In the United States (in 50 states, plus the District of Columbia):
6,010 Company-operated stores, 3,391 licensed stores
Outside the United States (in 38 foreign countries):
1,511 Company-operated stores, 2,256 joint venture and licensed stores
References
Hoover’s handbook of American business 2006. (2005). Austin, TX: Hoover’s, Inc.
Reuters. (n.d.). Full description: Starbucks Corp. SBUX.O (NASDAQ). Retrieved May 28,
2013, from http://stocks.us.reuters.com/stocks/fullDescription.asp?symbol=SBUX
Starbucks Corporation. (2013). Company information. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from
http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information
Starbucks Corporation. (2012, August). Starbucks company profile. Retrieved May 28,
2013, from
http://www.starbucks.com/assets/9a6616b98dc64271ac8c910fbee47884.pdf
Starbucks Corporation. (2012). Starbucks Company timeline. Retrieved May 28, 2013,
from http://www.starbucks.com/assets/e56b2a6b08244aaab0632dc6ac25ad0d.pdf
Starbucks Corporation. (2007, May 3). Historical revenues as reported in quarterly
earnings releases. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://media.corporateir.net/media_files/irol/99/99518/fin_highlights/Q207/Historical_Revenues_At_a_glance
.pdf
Starbucks Corporation. (2007, May 3). Starbucks reports record second quarter fiscal
2007 results. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from
http://investor.starbucks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99518&p=irolnewsArticle&ID=995524&highlight=
Starbucks Corporation. (2007, April 3). Starbucks Coffee Company names Peter Bocian
as Chief Financial Officer Designate. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from
http://investor.starbucks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99518&p=irolnewsArticle&ID=981518&highlig
Sample Written Business Bio (cont’d)
Page 5-6