Starbucks Just Threw Out a Strategy It Spent 40 Years Perfecting and It's Totally Brilliant

For 40 years, Starbucks has built a business on the premise that it could be the "third place" for its customers. While Starbucks didn't invent the concept, Howard Shultz, the former CEO, was heavily influenced by the idea and set out to create an experience for customers that was about more than just a cup of coffee.