Trader Joe's

If you are from one of the twenty-five states that doesn't have Trader Joe's yet, take it from me, they rule. They're healthy, inexpensive, and being in their stores just kind of feels good. Until now I knew virtually nothing about the place, but this article by Fortune tells all (or at least just all they can find out).

Starbucks

I know some of you reading this probably visit Starbucks daily, while others think it is going to end the world. Regardless of how you feel about the buck, you cannot deny their success as a business and the ingenuity of founder and CEO, Howard Schultz. Here is an interview with Schultz on the Harvard Business Ideacast.

Listen now, or download it on itunes. The itunes release date of this episode was 6/24/10.