I was fortunate to catch a television interview with Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks this morning. Aside from inducing a craving for fresh coffee it reminded me of what I always dreamed possible in America.

Howard Schultz was born into a poor family and he isn’t and never was an academic in the traditional sense, “He excelled at sports”. Yet Schultz has gone on to create and lead one of the worlds most successful sustainable companies. Starbucks is what I like to call a “real” company in that it produces tangible value and wealth and it does it on a global scale.

I have visited stores in many countries and product consistency is astounding, but more so is their unique ability to tailor the service and experience to the local culture. For example, in Singapore Muslim female employees are free to adorn their Hijab and afford time for necessary prayer. This adaptability to facilitate individual expression is a common thread amongst the world’s most successful companies.

What inspires and motivates me personally is not really the coffee or “product” in a traditional sense, but the lives that are positively impacted by the company. From daily customers, countless serendipitous rendezvous and each of the 170,000 employees and their families who can exist because of the solid foundation and provided benefits. What could we achieve as a nation and a global community if this “sharing success” philosophy was taken seriously by others?

In a previous life of toil for one “digital marketing agency” which suffered from a constant identity crisis, I observed as management guilefully collected millions from brands desperate to wheedle the world into believing they were “great!”. Sadly, it’s never anything more than pretty pictures and “buzzy” malarkey, they care nothing for their customers and employees, it’s only ever about lowering costs and maximising profits.

With all of the hype around new-age technology startup’s and social media I think it’s worth taking a step back to reflect on how brick and mortar companies can adapt and grow with “people” at their core and benefit localities across a global plane. Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook may be flavour of the month but do they provide income and benefits for 170,000 people thus affording them opportunity to participate in their own economies and maintain the economic cycle? Not last time I checked.

Starbucks is proof that there can be a balance between profit and continuous internal health of a company, specifically for its employees. I have been personally touched many times by Starbucks employees who consistently reach above and beyond to provide the very best service.

I rarely go to Starbucks just for coffee, I go for the experience. Perhaps its my fresh hot tea already waiting at the counter, the Barista singing “Happy Birthday” and asking about my day or just the lively camaraderie and energy you can “feel” from the moment you enter the store.

The impact that can be made as a large entity is tenfold to what can be as a singleton. Power in numbers, the power of one, collective intelligence, whatever you choose to call it, the result is the same, change and forward movement woven through a thread of electric passion.

Thank you Starbucks for giving us hope that free-market capitalism can work for everyone.