Turning a culture around is very difficult to do because it's based on a series of many, many decisions, and the organization is framed by those decisions.

People have come to me over the years and said to me: 'I admire the culture of Starbucks. Can you come give a speech and help us turn our culture around?' I wish it were that easy. Turning a culture around is very difficult to do because it's based on a series of many, many decisions, and the organization is framed by those decisions.

My father had a series of blue-collar jobs and never made more than $20,000 a year. When I was seven, he got injured on a job. That was a very important point - because of the injury, he couldn't walk, and the company he was working for did not pay him. There was no compensation. So there was no money and no food.

We live in an age where everything is based on the short term.

When we began Starbucks, what I wanted to try to do was to create a set of values, guiding principles, and culture.

While it is always difficult to make these kinds of decisions, it is occasionally necessary to close stores based on performance and growth potential.