In this solo episode of the Club Capital Leadership Podcast, host Bradley Hamner uses his personal experience with two Starbucks locations in Huntsville to illustrate a core leadership principle: execution and people matter more than product or systems. He contrasts a once‑favorite store with friendly, attentive staff against a newer store with the same menu and corporate processes but a poor customer experience due to staff turnover and low morale. Hamner argues that small‑business owners must focus on recruiting, developing, and retaining A‑players to create a strong culture that drives consistent execution across locations. He shares a personal gesture—a handwritten thank‑you note to the Starbucks team—as an example of how leaders can show appreciation and reinforce culture. Throughout, he emphasizes that while good products and systems are necessary, they are insufficient without excellent people executing them. The episode ends with a call for listeners to lead well and apply these insights to grow their businesses profitably.
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So the big question is this: how do small business owners like us grow our leadership, develop our teams, and scale our business in a way that allows us to get our products and services out to the world yet still remain profitable? That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answers. I'm Bradley Hamner, and this is the Club Capital Leadership Podcast. Hey, before we get into today's episode, did you know that Club Capital is the largest accounting advisory firm for insurance agency owners in the country, providing monthly accounting, CFO services, and tax preparation. Check them out at— Hey everyone, so I'll admit it, I love coffee, but I in particular really like Starbucks. I really spend an obscene amount of money on a monthly basis going to Starbucks. I mean, I go there pretty much most days, not all the time. I really love to drink the brewed Starbucks coffee in the mornings at the house, and then I love to be able to go I'm kind of an Americano guy, but also if I'm feeling in the mood for some sort of a cold brew. Well, what in the world does this have to do with you, your leadership, and your businesses? So I want to give you kind of an idea of where I live in Huntsville. There's— I mean, there's, like most cities, there's multiple Starbucks, but, uh, there's really 3 that kind of go down the main— one of the main parts of town on the Parkway. And there's one effectively downtown. There's one more in, uh, I would say 5 to 8 minutes down the road. Um, and then there's one 5 to 8 minutes down the road from that one. Okay, so downtown, South Parkway, and then we'll just call it middle of the town for you. And so the one that I always used to go to was more in the middle of town, specifically off Airport Road. And the staff was fantastic. They knew me by the net— by my name, uh, kind of like Cheers. And every time I went in there, they would say, hey Bradley, we'd have a conversation. They knew what I like to order. But it wasn't just me, it was everyone else. Everyone was happy there. I saw regulars there. People would get there together to be able to have, you know, their early morning coffee. Some of them would— people would do Bible studies there. And it was just It was intimate. It felt, um, it, it, it just was a good atmosphere. I don't know how else to put it. And then the, some of the people left, some of the managers left, and they went to a new store, uh, which is the south part of the town. And, uh, everything changed at that one off airport. And so there's really like two newer Starbucks, and then there's the one in the middle of the town. And so now the one that I used to go to that I loved, it's terrible. The experience could not be worse. There's always a line. It seems like the app ahead— and I get this is like, you know, things that you get accustomed to for the fact that you, you know, be able to order a coffee on the app or whatever. But sometimes you do that and it's 30 minutes behind and you order a coffee 20 minutes ahead from that place and you get there and you still have to wait 15 or 20 minutes. A lot of times the app doesn't even work there because they're so behind. You walk in and there's 20 or 25 people that have been waiting 30 minutes on their coffee. Uh, the staff seems to just not be going as fast. Um, it's a mess. The place is dirty. There's things laying on the ground. There's coffee that spilled. You looking behind the counter and it looks terrible. Well, why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because the complete opposite experience is that the new Starbucks where so a lot of the people that used to be the old Starbucks are at. And so they're nice and the place is clean and it's organized. Now think about this. This is Starbucks, this massive Fortune probably 100 company. It's the exact same drinks. It's the exact same systems and processes. The product is exactly the same. Yet what is the difference? The difference simply is one thing, and it's the people. So therefore it's not just what you do, but it's how you do it. You've heard me talk about a lot of times around execution. And so if it's not what you do, I mean, yes, you gotta have a really good product, but at the exact same 3 stores, it's the same thing yet. So it's not the product itself that changes from one store to the next. Now, if you're a small business owner, maybe there is a different, you know, different products at one store versus another, but at a Starbucks, there's certainly not. And so therefore, again, it's not what you do, but it's how you do it, and that gets executed at the end of the day by people. And so we talk a lot of our Monday episodes around culture, and my goodness, the podcast is called the Club Capital Leadership Podcast. And so how do you become a a better leader to lead your team, to have a great culture. And so I will go out of my way at that Starbucks, the, the, the, the newer one with the, uh, the great culture and the great team. I'll go out of my way to go to that one. I bet you there are places in your life too that you'll drive across town or you'll go out of your way because you want to experience that, even though this other place might be faster, maybe closer. It's just not the same. And so I think that there's a big lesson in that for all of us. Yes, have good products, have good systems, but the execution excellence that you may have is going to make all the difference in the world for your business. Give me a week and I can find 10 people that have made a million dollars in a particular industry or niche. And give me a— that same week, and I'll find 10 people that have gone out of business and bankrupt doing the exact same thing. It's not what you do, it's how you do it. And so I hope that that illustration, uh, has given you a thought, especially if you've got multiple locations. Maybe one office is struggling, one location is struggling, but one is thriving and vibrant. You may be selling the exact same things, but one has a different vibe and energy. Why? It's probably going to be the people. It's probably not the music. It's probably not even where it's located in town, although some of those factors play into it. Sure, I get that. At the end of the day, it's going to come down to people. Finding, recruiting, developing, and then retaining true A-players on your team is what it comes down to. Just by the way, I actually wrote— I've never done this before, at least for a story like this— I wrote that Starbucks a handwritten letter for Christmas and just said, thank you for being so kind and helping my mornings. You lift me up every day. I'm so thankful for all of you and the way that you go out and serve. And, um, and that meant a lot. I, I don't— I, I wish I could do those kind of things more often and wish I say that I did, but that's actually one time that I did do it. So Anyway, all right everyone, hope you have a great day. Till next episode, lead well.
