Belinda, a key employee, played a crucial role in establishing Starbucks in China, adapting the business model to fit local culture.

In 2008, I returned to Starbucks amidst a financial crisis, where the market cap had plummeted from $30 billion to less than $7 billion, and we faced negative sales growth for the first time in our history.

I faced significant challenges raising $3.8 million to buy Starbucks, including competition from investors who wanted to take over the company without due diligence.

Starbucks has expanded significantly in China, growing from 500 stores in 2011 to nearly 7,000 today, with a new store opening every 15 hours in 2017.

In 1999, Starbucks aimed for 2,000 stores by the year 2000 and achieved that goal a year early, opening its first store in Beijing during that time.

Starbucks provides health insurance to the families of its partners in China, a move that impressed the Chinese government.

When we first opened Starbucks, we were focused on no debt because of my childhood experiences with financial struggles.

In 1982, I joined Starbucks as the head of marketing when they were preparing to open their fourth store, still focused solely on selling coffee beans.

Starbucks was originally a small-time Seattle roaster that only sold beans before I took over and expanded it.