The Day Starbucks Almost Didn’t Happen

And the Man Who Figured It Out

Before Starbucks became a global empire with green aprons, caramel drizzles, and over 35,000 stores worldwide…

It was just a quiet little shop in Seattle that sold coffee beans.

And one man with a bigger vision — Howard Schultz — nearly lost it all trying to build something no one believed in.

The Pitch That Fell Flat

In the early 1980s, Schultz traveled to Italy and experienced something he’d never seen in the U.S.:

Café culture. People sipping espresso, talking, building community.

He returned to Seattle inspired. Fired up. Ready to reshape the American coffee experience.

So he pitched it to the Starbucks founders.

They said no.

“We sell beans. Not seats.”

The Fork in the Road

At that moment, Howard Schultz could’ve walked away.

He could’ve taken the L, collected a paycheck, and stayed quiet.

Instead, he left Starbucks.

Started his own café.

And risked everything — maxing out his credit cards, borrowing from family, and pitching over 200 investors to fund a company no one believed in yet.

“I was turned down again and again. I was not part of the club. But I believed in what I saw. I believed in the vision.”

– Howard Schultz

The Comeback Moment

Then came the twist.

In 1987, Starbucks hit a wall.

The founders were ready to sell.

And the company Schultz once worked for was now on the verge of disappearing completely.

So what did he do?

He didn’t panic.

He didn’t back off.

He figured it out.

He pulled together everything he had, scraped up the money, bought the company…

…and built Starbucks into what it is today.

Why It Matters

This story isn’t about coffee.

It’s about grit.

It’s about being told “no” 200 times and showing up for number 201.

It’s about believing in your vision when nobody else does — and pushing through the dirt to plant the damn flag anyway.

The Figure It Out Mindset:

You don’t need everyone to believe.

You don’t need perfect timing.

You don’t even need a clear path.

You just need the guts to start…

…and the grit to figure it out along the way.

Written for the builders. The creators. The ones with 200 rejections in their inbox but one mission in their heart.

Welcome to the Nation.

You’re in the right place.