13A: Reading Reflection
Grinding It Out: Ray Kroc
1) Entrepreneur: Ray Kroc
a) Something that thoroughly surprised me about Ray Kroc & his endeavors as an entrepreneur is that Kroc was 52 years old when he met the McDonalds brothers and opened his first franchise. When I imagine a typical entrepreneur, I envision a young person, going out into the world, and setting the path for the rest of their life. Ray Kroc was more than halfway through his life when he began his true life mission.
b) I really admired how radical Ray Kroc's degree of change had on his market. Ray Kroc truly changed the way we live with his revolutions within the food-service automation, franchising, shared national training, and advertising. I also really admired his ambition throughout the entire process of his career. He truly embodied what it means to be a hardworking individual.
c) Truthfully, I don't think anywhere in the book gave me a place to find things I disliked about Ray Kroc. The book mainly highlighted his successes and what he did to benefit America today. The front of the book even reads "The Personal Story Behind Founder Ray Kroc's Amazing Success!" Although this is what I felt during the book, I actually watched the movie as well. In my opinion, the movie does a better job of showcasing who Ray Kroc really was, a businessman whose true mission was success, and people like this, can definitely be harsh at times. The movie just did a better job at depicting his true personality, which definitely can be hidden within a book.
d) When Ray Kroc initially talked to the McDonalds brothers, they showed little to no interest. Ray Kroc also happened to be 52 years old, and suffering from diabetes and arthritis. Kroc was facing all sorts of adversity at this time, but he didn't let this stop him. On April 15, 1955, Kroc opened his first restaurant and by opening two more within this year, he grossed $235,000 in sales.
2) Competencies: Ray Kroc exhibited a large range of competencies throughout the course of his career: Problem Solving, Managing Information, Creativity & Innovation and Collaboration. At times, he exhibited some of these stronger than others, but overall, I think he exhibited Creativity & Innovation throughout his entire career. Ray Kroc is known for making a number of innovations in the food service industry. He changed the food-service automation process, he offered single-store franchises instead of territorial franchises, and introduced a number of national advertising programs. Although Ray Kroc exhibited a number of competencies throughout the book, his ability to innovate is truly what made him successful.
3) Confusion: I began to grow a little confused when clashes between the McDonalds brothers and Kroc started to occur. The shift in ownership and what was referred to as "royalty" became confusing to me. In 1961, Kroc bought out McDonalds for $2.7 million, and expected the deal would include the original restaurant. Last minute, the brothers refused to part with it, and Kroc denied them what was referred to as "royalty." I assumed Ray Kroc would be the main owner of McDonalds, with control over everything, including whatever this royalty aspect was. Not really sure what this meant, but in 1965, Kroc became president of McDonalds, so I assume he took full leadership.
4) Questions:
Do you wish you had opened McDonalds at an earlier age? (Being 52, I wonder if Kroc feels as if he wasted a portion of his life, opening the business so late)
Do you like the items you sell? (Random question, but I wonder if Ray Kroc acutally enjoyed his burgers and fast food items, being that not everyone loves McDonalds)
5) Hard work: I honestly think Ray Kroc truly valued hard work, and saw it as an essential piece to success. The book highlighted that even in Kroc's early life, he was a hardworking individual. I honestly don't think Ray Kroc would have made it to where he is today without hard work, and I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same.
1) Entrepreneur: Ray Kroc
a) Something that thoroughly surprised me about Ray Kroc & his endeavors as an entrepreneur is that Kroc was 52 years old when he met the McDonalds brothers and opened his first franchise. When I imagine a typical entrepreneur, I envision a young person, going out into the world, and setting the path for the rest of their life. Ray Kroc was more than halfway through his life when he began his true life mission.
b) I really admired how radical Ray Kroc's degree of change had on his market. Ray Kroc truly changed the way we live with his revolutions within the food-service automation, franchising, shared national training, and advertising. I also really admired his ambition throughout the entire process of his career. He truly embodied what it means to be a hardworking individual.
c) Truthfully, I don't think anywhere in the book gave me a place to find things I disliked about Ray Kroc. The book mainly highlighted his successes and what he did to benefit America today. The front of the book even reads "The Personal Story Behind Founder Ray Kroc's Amazing Success!" Although this is what I felt during the book, I actually watched the movie as well. In my opinion, the movie does a better job of showcasing who Ray Kroc really was, a businessman whose true mission was success, and people like this, can definitely be harsh at times. The movie just did a better job at depicting his true personality, which definitely can be hidden within a book.
d) When Ray Kroc initially talked to the McDonalds brothers, they showed little to no interest. Ray Kroc also happened to be 52 years old, and suffering from diabetes and arthritis. Kroc was facing all sorts of adversity at this time, but he didn't let this stop him. On April 15, 1955, Kroc opened his first restaurant and by opening two more within this year, he grossed $235,000 in sales.
2) Competencies: Ray Kroc exhibited a large range of competencies throughout the course of his career: Problem Solving, Managing Information, Creativity & Innovation and Collaboration. At times, he exhibited some of these stronger than others, but overall, I think he exhibited Creativity & Innovation throughout his entire career. Ray Kroc is known for making a number of innovations in the food service industry. He changed the food-service automation process, he offered single-store franchises instead of territorial franchises, and introduced a number of national advertising programs. Although Ray Kroc exhibited a number of competencies throughout the book, his ability to innovate is truly what made him successful.
3) Confusion: I began to grow a little confused when clashes between the McDonalds brothers and Kroc started to occur. The shift in ownership and what was referred to as "royalty" became confusing to me. In 1961, Kroc bought out McDonalds for $2.7 million, and expected the deal would include the original restaurant. Last minute, the brothers refused to part with it, and Kroc denied them what was referred to as "royalty." I assumed Ray Kroc would be the main owner of McDonalds, with control over everything, including whatever this royalty aspect was. Not really sure what this meant, but in 1965, Kroc became president of McDonalds, so I assume he took full leadership.
4) Questions:
Do you wish you had opened McDonalds at an earlier age? (Being 52, I wonder if Kroc feels as if he wasted a portion of his life, opening the business so late)
Do you like the items you sell? (Random question, but I wonder if Ray Kroc acutally enjoyed his burgers and fast food items, being that not everyone loves McDonalds)
5) Hard work: I honestly think Ray Kroc truly valued hard work, and saw it as an essential piece to success. The book highlighted that even in Kroc's early life, he was a hardworking individual. I honestly don't think Ray Kroc would have made it to where he is today without hard work, and I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same.
Hello Kasey! I hope you are doing great. I watched the movie about Ray Kroc too and the desire of him to be successful is the one thing that most grab my attention. In addition to this, the idea of him being 52 and strive to be recognized is something remarkable. As you, I do feel a little dislike on how he obtained the McDonalds franchise from the two brothers. However, his desire to be successful and the opportunity he saw in the restaurant is what made him do this and he is the reason why its so famous now. Great job on your post, it is very entertaining to read!
ReplyDeleteKasey, you did an excellent work describing this book. What I also found the most surprising is that he started his business career at 52. It is hard to imagine that some entrepreneurs start their journey in their middle ages and yet, be so successful. Another example would be Sam Walton, which opened the first Walmart at the age of 44! unfortunately, I have not watch the movie but based on your reflection, I would definitely watch it.
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