Ministry: Starbucks.

For Christmas my wife gave me a Starbucks card with like $15 on it. Pretty cool gift, too bad I used it in just 3 visits! The whole Starbucks thing totally amazes me. People (including me) will pay $4 for a cup of coffee all because of the environment that is created. Honestly, does Starbucks coffee taste $3 a cup more than the competitor? NO. Its all about environment. I can sure learn a lot from Mr. Starbuck (if there is such a guy). So with this in mind, I have compiled my own list of things I have learned from Starbucks, enjoy, or maybe share some things you have learned from Starbucks.

4 Things I Have Learned From Starbucks:
1. Excellence. When you walk into a Starbucks franchise, you always notice specific things, the warm colors, cool lighting and inviting sitting areas. The quality of the products used such as tables, chairs and light fixtures is amazing! They use high end items so that people will have a high end experience. I believe excellence is what separates Starbucks from the rest.

2. Pay Attention to Detail. Of the thousands of visits I have made to Starbucks all over the country, I have had one bad experience at a Starbucks. Its because the employees want to serve the customer because they believe in what they are selling. When I walk into my local Starbucks the staff there knows me, and are eager to serve me. They always know "the usual"..........tall sugar-free vanilla soy latte! That's detail.

3. Be Consistent. Starbucks offers the most consistently good product out there. The product isn't just the coffee or drink. Its the sugar free banana bread, the background music (today some Aretha and Otis Redding!), the consistently pleasant employees, the tables, the chairs, the smell and even the ridiculous prices! All consistent. Dependable. Something we could all use a little more of.

4. Availability As I drive around the area, here in South Florida, Starbucks are everywhere. I mean you can't go five miles without a franchise close by. In my town of Jupiter right now we only have one, before long there will be another (in the spring). If I want a tall sugar-free vanilla soy latte, I am always within five minutes of having that warm cardboard wrapped cup of Starbucks latte.