Tweet

Picture of Ray Kroc

Article Overview: To get a picture of Ray Kroc, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of the internationally successful fast food chain McDonald’s, is to get a picture of a man whose ingenuity and determination could have no other outcome than success. He might not have invented the concept behind McDonald’s – that owes itself to the MacDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California – but he knew a great idea when he saw one, and he never gave up on it.

Picture of Ray Kroc

To get a picture of Ray Kroc, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of the internationally successful fast food chain McDonald’s, is to get a picture of a man whose ingenuity and determination could have no other outcome than success. He might not have invented the concept behind McDonald’s – that owes itself to the MacDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California – but he knew a great idea when he saw one, and he never gave up on it.

Kroc was not in the best state of health when he first came across the MacDonald brother’s hamburger operation. He was 52-years old, and had been suffering for years from a combination of arthritis, diabetes, and the loss of his bladder and thyroid in previous surgeries. However, he never lost his positive attitude or his faith in the future. “The best is ahead of me,” he would always say.

The telling of this tale reveals the story of a simple and ordinary man, with less than ordinary dreams. How many people would think of starting up a new business in their 50s, not to mention with a myriad of health problems? Even many young entrepreneurs find themselves drained from all the energy it takes to successfully start up a company. How many people would place a mortgage on their own home to get enough money to get their business going? Much like the golden arches than shine brightly in the eyes of the over 54 million customers McDonald’s serves daily around the world, the story of this entrepreneur is one of shining hope and perseverance.

There are many pictures of business and entrepreneurial success, but few demonstrate the persistence and dogged willpower like the picture of Ray Kroc. He was a tireless worker who was always on the lookout for new and hidden opportunities. When one customer purchased eight of the multi-mixers he was selling, Ray Kroc immediately got on a plane and visited that customer to see how they were using it. It turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of his life, when he met the MacDonald brothers and the idea for a national chain was born.

How many others would have done the same – boarded a plane to meet a customer after they purchased more than one of whatever product was being sold? How many others would have simply congratulated themselves on their sales success and moved on to the next customer? No, this entrepreneur had to satisfy his curiosity. It was that thirst for knowledge and new ventures that characterizes his life story.

When he died in 1984, the picture of Ray Kroc had been firmly cemented in U.S. history. Not only did he completely transform the fast food industry and American culture, but he did so at an age when many others were content to simply retire. That is the true picture of Ray Kroc – a man who never stopped, who never gave up, and who never took ‘no’ for an answer.

Related Articles
  Lesson #4: Use Failure As A Catalyst for Success
  Grinding Out Success: How Kroc Made McDonald’s A Golden Triumph
  Lesson #1: Take Your Business Seriously
  The Burger King: Ray Kroc is Born
  Lesson #2: You’re Only As Good As The People You Hire

Article Tags: billionaire, enough money, entrepreneurial success, faith in the future, food chain, golden arches, health problems, hidden opportunities, ingenuity, macdonald, mcdonalds, ordinary dreams, ordinary man, perseverance, positive attitude, ray kroc, san bernardino california, tireless worker, willpower, young entrepreneurs



Related Forum Posts
Ray Kroc was 52 When He Started! - Wow - thanks Evan! I didn't realize Ray Kroc was already 52 when he STARTED McDonald's - it's a great story to help us all realize that if we put our minds to it we can grow our businesses quickly no matter how old we are! Julie.
Hello, I'm a newbie too - Hi, I was introduced to your site by a friend from a different forum. I had asked the question "how many people became successes after age 45?" and one response led me here. I'm still looking for the answer to that question, I've been studying a variety of things, and I've read Ray Kroc's autobiography, which led me to wonder how many people became a success after the age of 45. So far I've come up with Kroc, Colonel Sanders, and a few singers. Can any one assist me with this? Thanks, Anita
In A Previous Life... - I was a pharmacist - and one of the weirdest things sometimes happened (there were quite a few, but this is one of the best irritants). Picture this. A woman walks up to the counter with a man trailling behind - usually this way round, I don't know why. Her - "Ee's got a cough" Me - "What kind of cough is it?" (trust me there are different kinds of cough) Her (to him) - "What kind of cough is it?" Him (to her) - "Its dry". Her (to me) - "Its dry". Me (to her) - "How long has ee' had it?" Her (to him) - etc. I wonder why we could never seem to miss out the middle person and be truly direct. Aaaargh!
Drones work at franchises - [quote="RussellWebb":1no28ggu]I think franchising is for the conforming mindset. I understand Ray Kroc of Mcdonalds was quite ruthless with franchisees about adhering to his system. And many of the good franchise systems are based on his principles. Conform, conform, conform.... it's just not in my dictionary.[/quote:1no28ggu] Hi Russell, Have you ever worked for any franchises in the past? And if so, did you find your experience to be a good or unpleasant one? As I've mentioned numerous times before in the forums, I used to work for McDonalds during my undergrad. And while I respected their "military like" operation, I really didn't like being asked to recite store policies (e.g. to list the proper way to assemble a customer's order) on my evaluations. I don't think there's anything wrong with working for someone else, but I [u:1no28ggu]HATE[/u:1no28ggu] the idea of being nothing more than a non-thinking [u:1no28ggu]replaceable drone[/u:1no28ggu]. We're all human beings, so why do franchises treat their employees like "worker bees" (i.e. work them till they quit or die or at least wish for their own deaths)?
Re: Which movie will make the most money this summer? - [quote="ideasuniversity":1941330f]I saw Mummy 3 yesterday with my friends yesterday and I was really impressed. The movie house was filled to the brim. I also saw Indiana Jones, but I am yet to see The Batman. I don't know which will make money more thn the ohter until I check wikipedia.com[/quote:1941330f] I feel that movies like "The Dark Knight" that are genuinely good and make the most money should win all the accolades/awards. I mean, how can a movie that barely anyone has seen like last year's "No Country For Old Men" win the Oscar for "Best Picture"?? While I did take the time to watch "No Country For Old Men" and thought it was ok, it's not something I'd want to watch over again or recommend to a friend. In fact, "Fargo" was probably a better version of "No Country For Old Men". For instance, would you award the Entrepreneur of the Year Award to someone (or a business) no one has heard of, but did everything perfectly... or would you give it to the person/business that made the most money/media impact?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales Training – Top Salespeople Are Not Dunces

The Golden Rule of Communications

What Aweber Can Do For Your Online Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.