Brian Niccol — The Man Rebuilding Starbucks

When you hear that Starbucks paid $96 million to hire a new CEO, your first instinct might be disbelief.

Ninety. Six. Million. Dollars.

But what if I told you it makes perfect business sense?

This isn’t just about a title or a resumé. It’s about results. Brian Niccol, who was CEO at Chipotle before taking the Starbucks gig, isn’t just a leader. He’s a systems thinker. A brand transformer. A guy with receipts.

Let’s back up.

Before Chipotle, Brian was at Taco Bell. He came in as Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer and helped shift the brand from “cheap late-night food” to a cultural staple for Gen Z. He spearheaded one of the most successful product launches in the company’s history: Doritos Locos Tacos.

Over 100 million sold in 10 weeks.
Over $1 billion in revenue in the first year.

That kind of success doesn’t go unnoticed.

He eventually became CEO of Taco Bell, grew their revenue to $10B, and made them a brand people actually talked about again.

Then Chipotle called. Their stock was tanking after a food safety scandal. Niccol rebuilt trust, modernized the digital experience, cleaned up the menu, and doubled revenue. He turned things around. Again.

So yeah… Starbucks paying him $96M? That wasn’t wild — it was necessary. He brings a proven playbook to a company that desperately needs a reset.

Here’s what we can learn from Brian Niccol’s journey:

• Mastery matters. He didn’t try to do everything. He focused on customer experience, operational efficiency, and digital transformation — and became elite at those three things.
• Reinvention is a skill. He didn’t just maintain brands — he transformed them. That’s the kind of leadership people pay for.
• Repetition builds reputation. One success can be luck. Two makes a pattern. Three? That’s proof.

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If you're an entrepreneur or CEO, here’s what this means for you:

You don’t need to be everywhere. But you do need to get extremely clear on what you’re world-class at — and start building a repeatable process around it. That’s what builds your brand. That’s what increases your value.

And if your current systems, strategy, or marketing aren't helping you do that… you’re not building value. You’re just busy.

Inside Power Your Launch, I help entrepreneurs build a system that works — not just for today, but for where they’re going. Because your growth isn’t just about working harder. It’s about getting your business ready to scale with or without you in the weeds.

Check out the Power Your Launch Marketing Accelerator.

Even if no one's offering you $96M (yet), you should be building a business that demands attention. A business that speaks for itself.

And a brand people trust to deliver results — at scale.

Talk soon,

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—Abu

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