27A – Reading Reflection No. 3 Submit Assignment

Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc

• What surprised you the most?

I think what has surprised me most in all of our reading reflections is truly how small each entrepreneurs endeavors started. Moreover, I didn't know who Ray Kroc was or how McDonalds became to be as internationalized as it is now. So this whole biography was rather surprising. Learning that he didn't actually meet the McDonald's brothers until much later in his career and began working for the company. 

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I believe after reading this, I most admire Ray's work ethic and salesmanship. He routinely worked excessively long days while selling cups to playing piano on a nightly radio show. He never stopped hustling, especially in this part of his career, and he called it his "Grind It Out" time. Moreover, Kroc really emphasized the importance and significance of being able to sell something and do it well. I loved that he added that a good salesman is knowing when to stop talking - that's exceptionally true and good advice. 

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

I believe after reading this, I suppose I least admire the fact that many entrepreneurs including Ray truly don't demonstrate their value for family. Especially since McDonald's was known and advertised as a family business and American owned company - it doesn't fully make sense to me.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Ray absolutely faced adversity and failure. At the beginning of his career with McDonald's he struggled with quality control and placement for franchises. He also had many more stores to manage later on as the company became global and he did a great job at doing so by properly managing McDonald's finances and his own stress management.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

I believe he demonstrated several competencies such as: adaptability, competitve strategy, and innovation. Like previously mentioned, he "grinded it out" for many years before getting this opportunity with McDonald's and even during his time with the company he adapted and overcame several road blocks. His competitive strategy with maximizing the hours in a day in which he could work early in his career as well as the franchising and financing strategies that he implemented within McDonald's enabled him to successfully further his career. Lastly, innovation. McDonald's hadn't been a company very long before Ray came into the picture. He utilized various types of innovation within his strategies to advance the growth of McDonald's. 

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I don't believe there was a particular part of the reading that was confusing to me.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

First, I would ask what he thought of the "McMillion's" scandal. Since the recent documentary came out exposing this fraud that most people didn't know about, I would love to hear his thoughts on the matter as well as the advertising games. This is what led me to also read his autobiography - I have been yearning to learn more about McDonald's and it's history. Secondly, I would ask after seeing what McDonald's has become to be after his passing - would he change anything? He essentially created the solid foundation of McDonald's in it's entirety and was the one to globalize the company so I think his perspective on their current company placement and marketing would be very interesting to hear.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think the entrepreneur's opinion of hard work is simple - grind it out. Every single day. If you want it you have to work for it and it's nobody else's fault if you don't put in the time to get the experience, network, and skills. I share this opinion for the most part, however; although other people can't necessarily take away your ability to persevere, the actions of others such as unfaithful business partners can take a terrible turn for your career - many of which can be hard to bounce back from. So many entrepreneurs have given up on their endeavors because they can't seem to catch a break and it's already put them in a financial deficit - and I can't blame them for trying to do what's best for them and their families.