1) The thing that surprised me the most about Ray Kroc as I read Grinding it Out was the fact that he started his McDonald's career so late in his life, at the age of 52. I've always told people that it's never too late to change what you're doing, and the fact that he did the same thing is something I really admire. I also admired his determination in pursuing his goals, even when things got touch, as he put it: "grinding it out". The thing I least admired about Kroc is the fact that he kind of took advantage of the McDonald brothers it seems. He recognized that they had a great idea and he took control of it to sell his own product and expand his own businesses, which seems kind of messed up. Kroc absolutely encountered adversity and failure, and like he mentions throughout he "ground it out". In the face of adversity and failure he squared his shoulders, grit his teeth, put his head down, and kept trudging forward despite everything that was going against him.
2) The core competency that I noticed of Kroc's was his ability to recognize great opportunities before anybody else. His first he recognized was the disposable cup and the turn towards disposable products, a prediction which turned out to be very true, though with a lot of help from the man himself. He also recognized the potential in the restaurant that the McDonald brothers ran, both as a way to revolutionize dining and as a way to sell his own product.
3) I was kind of confused when reading about Kroc's contracting with the McDonald Brothers and with the milkshake machine company before them, the specifics of the contracts were obviously important because they shaped what he went on to do instead and how he took McDonald's forward, but they were not super clear to me how that actually worked.
4) The first question I would ask of Mr. Kroc is if he could have ever seen McDonald's becoming as big as it became, with restaurants all over the world. I would be interested to hear his outlook on the company's success in the 21st century. I would also like to ask him about the role of McDonald's in popular culture and what he thinks of that. I am a history major, and the role that cultural institutions such as McDonald's have played in major historical events such as the fall of the USSR really interests me.
5) Ray Kroc's opinion of hard work definitely seems to have been that it would pay off in the end, as long as you really put yourself towards your goals in spite of the opposition you might face. Hard work is what got him to McDonald's in the first place, and it is what made him able to turn it into the worldwide phenomenon that it is. Kroc's principal of "grinding it out" wouldn't be possible without hard work, and I think that really tell's you all you need to know of his opinion on the matter.
Hey Elery,
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued from reading your reflections included in this post because I have watched "The Founder", a 2016 film representing the story of Ray Croc -- and found an interesting connection with your post. First, I was also sort of confused with the contracts presented throughout the movie, especially the land contracts. Furthermore, I believe this was one of the largest contributions to his success. Not only was he franchising, Croc created a great deal of supporting cash flow through being the landlord of the areas near his McDonald's. I'm not sure if you interpreted this as well from the book, or perhaps I'm just completely inaccurate!
Hey Elery,
ReplyDeleteI think that 52 is a older but never too late age to start building a business. I think that it was absolutely wrong to run over the McDonald brothers in the way that Ray Croc did. I think that is some of the huge problems that we face when it comes to entrepreneurship. We have to realize how far and whose toes are we willing to step on to be successful. Sometimes hurting relationships with friends and families is nowhere near important trying to start your own business or singling them out of the business plans that you had because you want all of the glory and success to yourself.
Dear Elery,
ReplyDeleteYou chose such an interesting topic to read about and I applaud you for that. It's crazy to think that even at 52 a human still has the capacity to do something amazing. However, I do agree that Kroc took advantage of the McDonald brothers. In the world of business, this is very easily done and way to often. If one knows more about the loop holes and how to get things done, then they have the advantage - they can mis guide you.