Turns out Trader Joe was a real guy, and his shrewd instincts led him to create a counter-culture grocery empire.
Click here to read the story at cnn.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What is entrepreneuership?
- Who is Joe Coulombe?
- How does the story of Joe Coulombe represent an example of entrepreneurship?
- What does it mean for a business to “pivot”?
- How did Joe Coulombe pivot his business strategy in 1967?
- Why do you think he chose that strategy?
- What is differentiation?
- How did Mr. Coulombe differentiate his store from other supermarkets?
- Who was his target market?
- Do you think Trader Joe’s still targets the same audience? Why or why not?
- How important do you think a company name is?
- Do you think the business would be just as successful if they had called it something else? Why or why not?
