This past weekend I decided to go see the movie the Founder. I have always loved reading and watching true stories. The movie, starring the brilliant Michael Keaton, is about the history of McDonald’s, the hamburger born in the fifties. Since McDonald’s was a big part of my teenage life, I felt curious about the movie. Whether you agree or disagree with Ray Kroc’s strategy for success, there were some mega lessons in this movie easily translated to growing your own business.
Ray Kroc: “I know what you’re thinking, how the heck does a fifty-two-year-old, over-the-hill, milkshake machine salesman build a fast food empire with sixteen hundred restaurants and an annual revenue of seven hundred million dollars? One word: persistence.”
Four Lessons
1. Persistence and determination – two words that resonated throughout the movie, this guy rarely accepted ‘no’ for an answer, when someone tried to stop him, he became more determined rather than deterred.
2. The sky’s the limit – for Ray Kroc, the sky was the limit…and it was for everyone around him, too.
3. Fearless about outcome – the word fearless is so underused. It’s the ability to move forward without fear, understanding that there will be bumps in the road.
4. Fire in your belly – bingo – you either have it or you don’t, or maybe it’s just the entrepreneurial spirit.
What Ray Kroc had more than anything else was vision. He had the ability to recognize McDonald’s new way of serving customers a full meal in thirty seconds. He knew the name McDonald’s was a brand the customers could believe in and he knew that the golden arches (still here today) would be the symbol of delicious, fast, fun food for America.
Carol is a Motivational Speaker, Executive Coach, Fundraising Strategist, Social Media Quarterback and Small Business Advisor. She is Lehigh Valley’s sought after consultant who assists organizations with results driven growth. Her strategies can be easily adapted to a for profit or non-profit environment. Carol specializes in high impact leadership, million dollar fundraising, smash the box marketing, and creating word of mouth epidemics for her clients. Visit Carol’s website at www.caroltalks.com and “LIKE” Carol at Caroltalks on Facebook. Carol S. Ritter, Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia and past board chair for St. Luke’s University Hospital Visiting Nurses Association & Hospice.
