Grinding it out

Ray Kroc, the founder of the McDonalds empire has always been one of my business heroes.

I didn't know much about him until recently, apart from the fact that he started McDonalds at the ripe old age of 52. As a late starter to business myself, that was enough for me, along with the ingenuity of the McDonalds concept - simple, effective processes, brilliantly executed can make for a great business.

So I was delighted to stumble upon Ray's autobiography, 'Grinding it out' in a second hand bookshop a couple of weeks ago. It's an honest, fast paced read about his rise to fame and riches. As the title suggests it wasn't an easy ride and success didn't fall in his lap. He earned it.

His work ethic was incredible. Ray was first and foremost a salesman. But he had other attributes as well. Not least he was an accomplished pianist.

In his early years he sold paper cups. Rising at 6am to pound his beat looking for new orders. He finished around 6pm and dashed off to his evening job - playing piano on a radio show. After the 6 to 8 shift he nipped home for a couple of hours to have tea and spend some time with his wife. Then back to the studio for the 10pm to 2am shift!

I've had periods of working fairly hard every now and then but Ray was at another level.

Of course his obsession with business left casualties. He was married three times and had some big business dust ups too. Business came first, rising to the top of his industry selling paper cups and mixers and then building McDonalds.

So why isn't McDonalds called Krocs? Well the McDonald brothers had already opened a successful burger restaurant with the signature attributes of simple processes, well executed and quick and friendly service. They were happy with their one successful store and had no desire to expand. Ray saw the opportunity, did a licencing deal with them and the rest is history. It was a fraught and strained relationship but the McDonalds brothers became rich beyond their wildest dreams when Ray finally bought them out many years later.

Like many super successful entrepreneurs he was multi-faceted. He was tough and driven but also had strong values of honesty and trust and had a knack for creating a strong, loyal team. He was also good at giving his team independence and freedom to make their own mistakes.

So this book in putting some flesh on the bones of Ray's life didn't disappoint. By today's standards he wasn't politically correct but it was a different era and I'll cut him some slack for that. He has left a thriving and enduring legacy and he remains for me a brilliant and innovative entrepreneur. He is an inspiration for me and other over 50s that it's not too late to do something great. Maybe not something as ambitious as a global food empire but something nonetheless.

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