Film - The Founder
Watched on board ANA flight to TokyoThe priority order of films I see on a plane are:
- the ones I missed in the cinema
- world cinema
- any I want to see again.
The Founder came and went before you can say ‘do you want fries with that?’A phrase I don’t think I’ve ever been asked in McDonald's. This is the story of Ray Kroc, the person who stole the idea from the McDonalds brothers, paid them off, and made it his own.I love business, love logistics and adore amazing customer service so of course I’m going to watch a film about a company. (Except, The Social Network, I didn’t want to watch that as I loathe Facebook). I’m routing for the brothers who started the franchise and were determined to keep the business simple with just good old-fashioned customer service to prevent the trouble and strife big business causes.Krok, at that time is a stereotypical travelling salesman with a couple of failed ideas behind him and looking for the Next Big Thing. Living out of hotel rooms and on takeaways, early on we see Krok, who sells milkshake making machines, is a little bit different. Many a salesperson has a business book mantra they follow but this guy, carries a record player and listens to his: ‘persistence make you stronger, not education, not talent’.True enough.He takes a big detour to visit a café who he is intrigued by as they want to place a multiple order of milkshake making machines. Who is running this café that is doing so well?Before introducing himself, he tries out the merchandise and is hooked when he really is served his first takeaway at the counter in 30 seconds. He wants in.We learn the actual founders are approaching middle-aged were actually wannabe actors and drove trucks in at Columbia Pictures in Hollywood before the fast food idea came into them.They had tried expanding and franchising but it just gave them stress and health scares.Ray Kroc on the other hand had nothing to lose, other than his marriage, which he wasn’t precious about. He was full of entrepreneurial spirit and wouldn’t let previous failures discourage him from persistence making him stronger. He has the energy to draw out potential new kitchen layouts to scale on tennis courts; whatever it takes to make the delivery to the customer faster and for the model to be replicated all over America through franchising. Krok, with the help of a business associate, decides on buying the land for his franchises which in the long run certainly, is worth a lot more than the franchise fee from the profit on hamburgers.Krok is portrayed as pretty ruthless but nonetheless, his ambition is still endearing and everyone wins in the end.8/10