13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

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

What surprised me the most was learning that Kroc's entry into the start of the McDonald's business didn't happen until he was 52 years old. Before that, he spent decades in various other other sales gigs such as playing piano for a radio station and selling paper cups. It takes a lot of patience and hard work to go all those long years to achieve a successful business opportunity. What also surprised me from reading about Kroc was his early run-in with Walt Disney while the two were working with the Red Cross during World War I as teenagers. It's really neat and coincidental that the entrepreneurs of among two of the most iconic brands of all time were once acquainted with each other at a young age and Kroc would later reach out to Disney in hopes of a business deal for both McDonalds and Disney. What I admire the most about Kroc was that he never gave up hope. He went through many years of serious hard work to eventually get to his franchise agreement with the McDonald brothers which included many low points and mistakes. What I don't admire about Kroc was how his relationship with the McDonald brothers later deteriorated. Kroc and the brothers had disagreements about the direction the franchise was heading towards and he would eventually buy out the brothers and put them out of business. Ray Kroc had to face many adversities and failures such as health issues, unsuccessful early business opportunities, and financial troubles. Despite these adversities, Kroc continued to work as hard as he did to overcome these adversities and achieve the success that he achieved.

2) Competencies that I noticed that Kroc exhibited was his determination and ability to identify and sell a business opportunity.

3) One part that confused me was how although Kroc was super passionate and committed to his businesses, he wasn't committed to his marriages and poorly handled his personal life. He was married to his first wife Ethel for over 30 years but then met Joan and fell in love with her. However, she was married as well and didn't want to get divorced from her husband. Kroc divorced Ethel and married another woman named Jane and then both Kroc and Joan got divorced so they could marry each other.

4) The two questions I would ask Kroc would be 

    A) What was the biggest personal sacrifice you had to make to achieve your goals?        
    
   B) Would you change any part of your entrepreneurial journey?

I would ask these questions to get a better insight from his perspective about the trials and tribulations he went through in his life in order to achieve major breakout success with McDonalds.

5) I believe that Ray Kroc's opinion of hard work was to never give up on something you're passionate about no matter how much the cards are stacked against you. I do share that opinion and this type of mindset is what helps me get through any struggles. This is the type of mindset I used in high school and to get accepted to UF and I'll continue to use it throughout the remainder of this course and my time at UF.