The Hardest Part
The hardest part of starting up the first Starbucks wasn't in renting a location in Seattle.
It wasn't buying some coffee machines and installing them in said location.
It wasn't making sure the place was up to code so the health department would give them a pass.
It wasn't making sure the design of the coffee in the bags was appealing enough so that people would buy them.
It wasn't getting the money in line, making sure that there would be enough money to pay the bills in the first few months.
That stuff all takes work, and none of it is easy. But the real difficulty behind starting the original Starbucks was in recognizing the potential of a new idea, and having the guts to test that new idea even in the distinct face of the possibility that it would fail.
People who think all that other stuff is the hard part are the types of people who raced to follow in Starbucks' footsteps after they were successful. And this is the reason that they're forever doomed to operate in Starbucks' shadow.
It wasn't buying some coffee machines and installing them in said location.
It wasn't making sure the place was up to code so the health department would give them a pass.
It wasn't making sure the design of the coffee in the bags was appealing enough so that people would buy them.
It wasn't getting the money in line, making sure that there would be enough money to pay the bills in the first few months.
That stuff all takes work, and none of it is easy. But the real difficulty behind starting the original Starbucks was in recognizing the potential of a new idea, and having the guts to test that new idea even in the distinct face of the possibility that it would fail.
People who think all that other stuff is the hard part are the types of people who raced to follow in Starbucks' footsteps after they were successful. And this is the reason that they're forever doomed to operate in Starbucks' shadow.