Starbucks began in 1971 with one coffee shop in Seattle. By 2006 it had grown to over 12,000 coffee shops globally, with 6,281 company-operated stores generating $7.79 billion in sales. Howard Schultz transformed Starbucks into a global corporation in 1987 through rapid expansion. While North America remains its core market, generating 85% of stores and sales, Starbucks uses a licensing model for most international growth to expand more quickly with less effort abroad.