Living Experiement

Schultz and his team were alert to customer response.

Schultz's proprietary information was only a glimmer in his mind, a mood, a feeling.  Others, exposed to exactly the same information and experiences, did not have this insight or feeling.  The privacy of his insight was both blessing and curse.  Were it easily shared with other, Schultz himself would have been irrelevant.  But because it could not be fully shared, it was difficult to convince others to back the project. 

Schultz left Starbucks to start his own shop (Il Giornale).  The new shop was a direct copy of an Italian espresso bar.  In it, he "didn't want anything to dilute the integrity of the espresso ad the Italian coffee experience."  Italian decor, shots served in small porcelain cups and Opera music in the background were all part of the shop.  

Had Schultz stuck to this initial concept, Il Giornale would have remained a single small espresso bar.  But, like a good scientist who carefully studies the results of experiments, Schultz and his team were alert to customer response.  Il Giornale, once started, became a living experiment.

ACTION POINT:  Take chances and test your hunches, then study the results.