What We Learn from Starbucks' Achilles Heel

Who Delivers Hope?

Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash

“It is the biggest Achilles heel for Starbucks. And it’s not even a close second.” — Howard Schultz, Three-Time CEO of Starbucks (Acquired podcast, June 4, 2024)

What do you think Howard Schultz was talking about? What do you think the biggest vulnerability for Starbucks is today? Is it the crowded coffee market? Is it their enormous size? Is it the economy? Is it the changing workforce?

According to Schultz, the biggest Achilles heel for Starbucks is their mobile app. That’s right, the app. It’s a huge money maker. It’s incredibly convenient. And customers love it.

But the Starbucks brand, Schultz explained, was built on human experience. And the mobile app threatens the quality of human interaction that is core to their values as a company.

This is a company with over 38,000 stores worldwide and over 450,000 employees. They know how to deliver coffee, but again, according to Schultz, they are actually in the people business. There are plenty of coffee shops in the world, but for Starbucks, it’s the community they build that makes the difference.

Technology is Indispensable, but Limited.

Technology is an important tool, and we need tools to get things done. Tools make hard work easier and complicated work achievable. But do you know how many unused apps I have on my phone? Me either. I don’t know the number, but it’s a lot.

I have unused apps because I have no personal connection to the services they provide. They are amazing, but not helpful.

The printed Bible is a good example. We know the Bible is the Word of God, but there are millions upon millions of printed copies of Bible laying on coffee tables, night stands, and pew racks that are never read. Translators have poured over original manuscripts. Publishers have given their lives to print Bibles. But if there is no personal connection, the Bible will go unread.

That’s why the apostle Paul wrote,

How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. - Romans 10:14-15 (CSB)

Christian Influence is Incarnational.

Paul tied proclamation to incarnation. Feet are not beautiful because they are clean or manicured. They are beautiful because they move us into the lives of other people. The Gospel doesn’t get to people without people. The Gospel runs on the rails of relationships. Transformation happens through people working together in community.

The printing press, for example, made possible the Protestant Reformation because it made the Bible accessible to the common person. But it was only a tool that God used to empower people, like Martin Luther and others, to ignite a Gospel movement.

That’s why you can burn books and you can exile advocates, but you can’t stop the power of the Gospel. It’s the Gospel that captivates hearts, changes lives, and moves us into the lives of others.

So, we don’t depend on the printing press, or now, social media or technology platforms. We use them, but we don’t depend on them. And we certainly don’t outsource the solutions to our greatest challenges to them.

We are in the people business, and when we lose personal connection with people, everyone loses. We lose influence, and other people lose hope.

Humans Deliver Hope.

Jesus is not here, but He did leave us His Spirit who dwells in every believer. So, when Jesus said, “As the Father sent me, so I send you,” He intended that we deliver the help and hope He offers.

Get in the car. Get on the phone. Take a plane. Make a post. Use whatever tools that help, but you are the disciple. You are the royal ambassador. You are the minister of reconciliation.

The world waits for you

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Poppa and Sweets visiting a Starbucks this week.

EVERYONE’S WILSON | THE EVERYONE’S WELCOME NETWORK

I’m the Executive Director of Everyone’s Wilson and The Everyone’s Welcome Network—a platform for Gospel transformation. Our mission is to unite the Church to engage the community, so everyone thrives. Very simply, we’re passionate about helping Jesus-loving people live like missionaries in their local community through prayer, service, evangelism, and collaboration.

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