Reading Reflection No. 1 - Assignment 13A

1. So I did not know much about Ray Kroc before I read Grinding It Out, I did not realize what all his story entailed and I was surprised most about how successful he was right from the start. He definitely faced many challenges in his story, but he was such a motivated, go getter who would not take “no” for an answer.

That, and the fact that he pushed himself and surrounded himself with people who would do the same, made me admire him. He started out with debt from starting the McDonald’s franchise, yet I do not think anyone needs to be told how successful he would become.

What I did not admire about him was how he was so caught up in his work, he neglected his wife and family. They were pushed to the back burner as he chose the success over them. It is important to choose wisely what you will put your time and effort into- that is what will be left at the end of it all.

Before McDonald’s, Kroc was a salesman for other items such as the Multimixer- it allowed Kroc to meet the McDonald brothers. Starting the McDonald’s franchise was not an easy feat for Kroc. He encountered much opposition from the McDonald brothers themselves when they would not budge on certain aspects of the store that Kroc was trying to change in order to make things better. Buying the brothers out would also result in debt, but with help from his financial gurus, the franchise would do just fine.

2. Ray Kroc exhibited many competencies throughout his story. Kroc was fifty-two when he met the McDonald brothers and opened his first franchise. Kroc is known for being an enthusiast, intuitive people person. He was able to push past people in his life who did not think he would be successful in the creation of the McDonalds. He was a very good salesman and people person. He knew when to ask for help, and he knew the right people to ask.

3. I do not think there was any confusion in the reading. Kroc is known for being a good story teller and his autobiography definitely attests to that. The book was very quick, he did not drag each event of his life out like some authors do. Instead he walked you through his life like he was teaching a seminar, he would talk about the important parts of his life longer, but you were never bored with a topic because they switched so frequently.

4. If I could ask Mr. Kroc any two questions, I would probably ask him how he knew the McDonald brothers’ restaurant design was such a good one, other than the fact that it was run so efficiently. I would also ask what advice he would give to young entrepreneurs about the key to success.

5. If Mr. Kroc was anything, it was hard working. Throughout his career in sales and then in the creation of the McDonald’s franchise, he was never afraid to get his hands dirty. Before he even considered opening his own store he made sure he had the exact method of making the hamburgers and fries down to a science. He made sure the ingredients were kept in certain environments and that the restaurant was clean and the employees were presentable. He was this careful and precise in each store he opened, going as far as providing training for employees in the creation Hamburger University.

I agree with his methods entirely. More often than not, the big wigs of companies are not willing to get their hands dirty after they have reached their goals of president or CEO, but they need to remember that is how they got to where they currently are.