Book: Grinding It Out: The
Making of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc
What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most about Ray Kroc's life story was how ruthless he slowly became in his transition from a milkshake-machine salesman to the head of the largest fast food company in the world. It wasn't discussed a whole lot in the book, but it is common knowledge how Kroc muscled out the owners of the first McDonald's restaurant in California, and settled in court to give them a small sum of money to get them off his back. I expect all leaders of massive organizations to have what it takes to be the best, but I did not expect Kroc to take advantage of people at every turn.
What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
I most admired Ray Kroc's passion and drive to be the best at what he did. Whether it was selling milkshakes, negotiating land permits, or maximizing efficiency in the McDonald's kitchens, Kroc always found a better way to get something done fast and easy. Kroc never settled, he always strove for greatness.
What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
I did not appreciate how Ray Kroc treated his wife throughout his journey to grow and expand the McDonald's brand. Kroc was on the road for extended periods of time, leaving his wife at home for most of the year. Once the brand started to grow, Kroc met a new woman and ended up leaving his wife for her. There was never any void or trouble between the two until Kroc went on the road and slowly distanced himself from his wife.
Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
Ray Kroc encountered a lot of adversity. As a Milkshake-machine salesman, he struggled to sell the new and improved machines to restaurant owners who were satisfied with the existing product. The original McDonald's brothers were interested in Kroc's machine because they needed to make milkshakes at a significantly faster rate than they were. Kroc then realized that his milkshake machine would only succeed in restaurants that worked at a fast pace such as McDonald's.
What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
Kroc was an exceptional salesman, especially in his efforts to convince the McDonald's brothers to make him a business partner. Kroc utilized his personal skills and business-acumen to grow the brand into several locations, and then it blossomed into the chain is is today.
Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
I was confused by the legalities of how Kroc muscled out the McDonald's brothers. When the brothers wanted to expand on their own without him, Kroc had the idea to simply buy the land, and then force the brothers into building franchises on his land. How did Kroc have the capital to buy up so much land to do this?
If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask and why?
1. Ray, was there ever a moment where you thought you wouldn't achieve your business goals?
2. Ray, what does the future of the McDonald's chain look like? Will we see more automatized service?
What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
I think Ray Kroc is a symbol of hard work. He never stopped trying to make McDonald's the biggest name in fast food. Kroc would probably say that hard work is the most important factor in a business' success, which I wholeheartedly agree with.
What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most about Ray Kroc's life story was how ruthless he slowly became in his transition from a milkshake-machine salesman to the head of the largest fast food company in the world. It wasn't discussed a whole lot in the book, but it is common knowledge how Kroc muscled out the owners of the first McDonald's restaurant in California, and settled in court to give them a small sum of money to get them off his back. I expect all leaders of massive organizations to have what it takes to be the best, but I did not expect Kroc to take advantage of people at every turn.
What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
I most admired Ray Kroc's passion and drive to be the best at what he did. Whether it was selling milkshakes, negotiating land permits, or maximizing efficiency in the McDonald's kitchens, Kroc always found a better way to get something done fast and easy. Kroc never settled, he always strove for greatness.
What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
I did not appreciate how Ray Kroc treated his wife throughout his journey to grow and expand the McDonald's brand. Kroc was on the road for extended periods of time, leaving his wife at home for most of the year. Once the brand started to grow, Kroc met a new woman and ended up leaving his wife for her. There was never any void or trouble between the two until Kroc went on the road and slowly distanced himself from his wife.
Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
Ray Kroc encountered a lot of adversity. As a Milkshake-machine salesman, he struggled to sell the new and improved machines to restaurant owners who were satisfied with the existing product. The original McDonald's brothers were interested in Kroc's machine because they needed to make milkshakes at a significantly faster rate than they were. Kroc then realized that his milkshake machine would only succeed in restaurants that worked at a fast pace such as McDonald's.
What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
Kroc was an exceptional salesman, especially in his efforts to convince the McDonald's brothers to make him a business partner. Kroc utilized his personal skills and business-acumen to grow the brand into several locations, and then it blossomed into the chain is is today.
Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
I was confused by the legalities of how Kroc muscled out the McDonald's brothers. When the brothers wanted to expand on their own without him, Kroc had the idea to simply buy the land, and then force the brothers into building franchises on his land. How did Kroc have the capital to buy up so much land to do this?
If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask and why?
1. Ray, was there ever a moment where you thought you wouldn't achieve your business goals?
2. Ray, what does the future of the McDonald's chain look like? Will we see more automatized service?
What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
I think Ray Kroc is a symbol of hard work. He never stopped trying to make McDonald's the biggest name in fast food. Kroc would probably say that hard work is the most important factor in a business' success, which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Hi, Greg
ReplyDeleteI didn't read this book yet and honestly, I don't know the story of McDonald’s at all, so your post was pretty interesting and had some surprising facts as well. The facts that Ray Kroc took advantage of other people in order to have his company succeed and that he neglected his family so were especially shocking. I wonder why he named his brand “McDonald’s." I guess I'll have to read the book as well!
Greg,
ReplyDeleteI'm not super familiar with the details of Ray Kroc's background so your post gave me some much needed insight. I liked your answer to the thing you least admired about him, especially because the subject of him leaving his wife wasn't something I would have expected to be in the book. I think all your answers were pretty good and covered just enough material without getting too lengthy so I wouldn't tell you to fix anything.