Most people think passion leads to success—but what if it’s the other way around? What if success comes from doing the hard, unglamorous work first, failing, adapting, and pushing through resistance until your passion, mission, and skills align?
This is exactly what happened to Howard Schultz, the man who transformed Starbucks from a small Seattle coffee bean shop into a global empire. His journey wasn’t about luck or instant success—it was about embracing rejection, financial setbacks, and skepticism until his vision became reality.
Finding the Passion (By Accident)
Howard Schultz didn’t grow up dreaming about coffee. Born into a poor Brooklyn family, he saw his father struggle with dead-end jobs, no health insurance, and zero job security. He wanted to escape poverty, so he went into sales, eventually landing a marketing job at a small coffee company called Starbucks in 1982.
At the time, Starbucks wasn’t what it is today—it was just a retailer of high-quality coffee beans. But everything changed when Schultz took a business trip to Italy.
There, he saw espresso bars on every corner, filled with people socializing, working, and taking a break from their busy lives. Coffee wasn’t just a drink—it was an experience. That was his lightbulb moment.
But here’s the kicker—nobody agreed with him.
The First Major Barrier: Rejection
Schultz came back to Seattle with a vision: Starbucks needed to become more than just a coffee retailer. It needed to be a place where people gathered, a “third space” between work and home.
His bosses shot him down.
They had no interest in turning Starbucks into an Italian-style café. It wasn’t the business model they had built, and they weren’t about to change course.
So Schultz did what most successful people do: he walked away and started his own company.
The Struggles of Building a Mission
Schultz launched Il Giornale, his own coffee shop, based on the Italian coffee culture he fell in love with. The early days were brutal:
- He was rejected by 242 investors before one finally said yes.
- He had to hustle for funding, often feeling like he was begging for scraps.
- Many people told him that Americans would never embrace a “European” coffee culture.
But he believed in his vision. He wasn’t chasing money—he was building something bigger.
And finally, his hard work paid off. Il Giornale gained traction, and in 1987, Schultz got the opportunity to buy Starbucks. He rebranded all his stores under the Starbucks name, and the modern coffeehouse movement was born.
Discipline, Iteration, and Overcoming Doubt
Even after taking over Starbucks, Schultz faced constant doubts and obstacles:
- The 1990s recession made people question whether expensive coffee was a viable business.
- Investors worried Starbucks was expanding too fast and would collapse.
- Competitors tried to undercut prices to push him out.
But Schultz stayed the course because he had built discipline, not just passion.
He focused on quality, creating a culture that valued employees (introducing stock options and health benefits for baristas), and iterating Starbucks into something bigger than just coffee—it became a global lifestyle brand.
The Real Lesson of Ikigai
Schultz’s journey embodies the true essence of Ikigai because he didn’t start with all four components in balance. He had to earn it through trial and failure.
- What he loved – At first, it wasn’t coffee, but over time, he developed a love for the coffeehouse culture.
- What he was good at – Sales and business, but he had to learn the nuances of hospitality and brand building.
- What the world needed – He saw a gap in the market: Americans lacked a “third place” to relax and connect.
- What he could be paid for – He had to fight for investors, prove his model, and refine Starbucks into a profitable giant.
The barrier to Ikigai isn’t discovering it—it’s having the discipline to push through rejection, failure, and doubt until it materializes.
So if you’re struggling to find your purpose, don’t wait for passion to magically appear. Start taking action. Learn, refine, pivot, and persist—because your Ikigai isn’t something you find.
It’s something you build.