A couple weeks ago I saw a notice from Starbucks on twitter that Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, was going to be speaking to their shareholders at their annual meeting and that the speech was available live on the web. I clicked on and listened to the talk while I was doing some busy work in the office.Like a lot of Northwest people, I’ve always rooted for Starbucks to succeed and do well. And I noticed the slide into potential problems as they commoditized their brand. But I was encouraged to hear Howard talking about some of the changes they are making and their efforts to remain ‘relevant’ in this economy.Of particular interest was his comment that they opened a new model store on 1st and Pike in Seattle. They are apparently getting the hint that the one-size fits all store decor is not what people look for in their local coffee shop.Anyway, I took a drive up North to see the store for myself and I must say I am impressed. It really was a big improvement on other Starbucks and if they follow up on this store design I think it could help reinvigorate customers. Particularly because some of us like to spend time hanging out with friends at our coffee shop – we want it to be comfortable and cool.The other thought I had was this: I wish they would have done this about 4 years ago, before the experience began to get a little stale. It led me naturally to think about what we do here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission and it’s implications for other businesses and non-profits.The lesson is this: Don’t wait to till your brand/minsitry/dept/business is on the downslope to innovate, experiment, change it up, or re-tool. Better to be in a constant process of evaluation and improvement, challenging the ways you do it differently. This is true for those things which you know need improvement, but equally as critical (but often not as obvious) for those things you are doing really well. Starbucks was riding high a few years ago and every coffee shop was trying to imitate them – thus making it hard for them to see the need to change it up. Let’s not let this happen at the Mission, or wherever you are making your mark.Keep sharp, Reinvent yourself!DC
