13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

Grinding It Out: The Making Of McDonald's by Ray Kroc

About the entrepreneur:

• I began reading “Grinding It Out: The Making Of McDonald’s” by Ray Kroc assuming that Ray Kroc was the mastermind behind the idea of McDonalds, but I came to find out he wasn’t. I’m not sure why this surprised me so much because we’ve learned throughout this course that simply having an idea and actually carrying it out are two totally different things. I’m sure if I conducted a little research, I’d find that a lot of the large companies we see today were dreamt up by someone and then built into the empires they are today by someone else. 

• You have to be very passionate about something if you’re willing to pour your whole life into it. I admired Kroc’s passion for the business and all the hard work and dedication he put into making McDonald’s what it is today. 

• We’ve all heard the saying “business is business,” and unfortunately Kroc treated some people poorly throughout the development of McDonald’s. Although, it might not always be something personal, I found his behavior at times to be a little un-admirable.

• Like most businesses, they are built from the ground up and experience plenty of turbulence on their way to success. Kroc experienced adversity and failure, but overcame them by taking each step at a time rather than getting lost in the big picture all the time.

What competencies did the entrepreneur exhibit:

• Some of the challenges Kroc faced on his road to success would’ve sent some entrepreneurs packing their bags looking for their next idea, but Kroc never showed any quit. A competency that Kroc had was that he was confident in himself and he kept working toward his end goal, because he knew he’d be successful one day.

What was confusing:  

• Kroc could definitely argue that he created McDonald’s since he’s responsible for what the giant restaurant has become, but it is a little confusing at first because he wasn’t the actual idea holder of the whole opportunity. In a way, it almost felt like he was writing off the McDonald brothers.

Questions for Ray Kroc:

• I would ask Kroc where he’d see himself if he hadn’t gotten involved in McDonald’s and turned it into a successful company. I would also ask him to take a look at the company now and tell me what his least favorite aspect of it is. 

Opinion on hard work:

• Kroc seems like the type of guy to get something done at all cost necessary, no matter good or bad. Although I would describe myself as a dedicated person, I would say I would weigh my options a little more and think of some possible outcomes before acting and ruining relationships.