13A - Reading Reflection No. 1


I read Grinding it Out by Ray Kroc. I was mostly surprised that he expanded McDonald’s at an older age, in his 50s. I admired that he is an example of someone who became successful at a later stage in his life. Many often think that one is not going to have a much of a bright future or become successful in life if they do not have a structured and set path the second that they get out of school. However, success requires hard work. Ray Kroc had the competency of hard work, as he strived for his success. He states, “The more you sweat, the luckier you get.” I agree with his opinion on hard work. As someone increases their drive toward a goal, they increase their capabilities and chances of coming across something lucky. In Ray’s scenario, his hard work of being a salesman led him to the lucky location and he found McDonald’s. In addition, he stayed optimistic throughout his journey. While he had many physical problems, such as diabetes and thyroid problems, he kept striving toward his goals even though he was in his 50s. I least admired Ray Kroc for the morals he had, when he cheated and deceived Maurice and Richard McDonald. While he turned out successful, he did end up stealing the McDonald brothers’ idea and company name. However, the McDonald’s brothers did not see McDonald’s as a business to franchise, while Ray did. Before Ray had his big break with McDonald’s, he faced adversity when he struggled to make ends meet. He was a door to door salesman of paper cups and milkshake mixers for 17 years. One part that I found confusing leads to one of the questions I would ask him. While he was a good salesman for 17 years, how or why did he not try to think of his own entrepreneurial idea to franchise or sell? I would also ask him about the difficulties and details of real estate, while building a franchise.

Comments

  1. Nick HeikkinenOctober 13, 2019 at 10:28 AM

    Nicolette,

    I have never heard of Ray Kroc so I was interested to read your post. I love how you talked about Ray becoming successful at a later age and how you don't always have to have some set plan right away, it takes time for some people. It's a marathon, not a race. I feel like being at such a good school, with so many smart people, most of us think it's a big competition to see who can be successful the fastest. I feel being aggressive yet patient is the best way to approach career aspirations

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  2. Haonan WangOctober 13, 2019 at 10:56 PM

    Nicolette,
    I think Ray Kroc's successful experience encourages youth that success comes with hard work and the amount of time dedication. I also agree that if you work hard enough, you will grasp the opportunity when it comes. I also admire that he has the vision for a successful business and pursued his goal. Although he stoled the idea of McDonald's brother, that it is what entrepreneur do, try everything to accomplish their goal.

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  3. Minseok MunOctober 14, 2019 at 12:16 AM

    Nicolette,
    I've read and wrote about Steve Jobs, and I see some strikingly similarities between Steve Jobs and Ray Kroc. Steve Jobs, just like Ray Kroc, was able to work extremely hard which led to various ways for success for his business. However, one major difference between Jobs and Kroc was that Jobs basically created a business from scratch while Kroc built a legacy after buying a business that was already created.

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