the founder — 3 insanely accurate lessons which the movie teaches us, and 3 myths it destroys
I will be honest here: Before I entered the theater to watch The Founder movie, I was pretty skeptical on expectations. Hollywood treats entrepreneur’s stories only two ways: Either like a fantasy with all that glitz and chutzpah with million dollars falling down the lap or like a plain stupid documentary.
But what happened in the next 115 minutes left me stumped, in awe. The popcorn which I had bought was left as it is, as the movie completely transfixed me, commanding over my senses and taking me to a world where a 54-year old failed entrepreneur creates a $37 billion food empire with only one quality: persistence.
If you are that person who is full of dreams, aspirations, but without much success to talk about and still refusing to give-up, then The Founder will work like a cheatbook for you; like a blueprint of success and determination.
The movie is about Ray Kroc, a failed entrepreneur who joins McDonald’s founders Richard and Maurice McDonald for expanding their franchisee. Gradually, Roy takes over the company, buys out Richard and Maurice McDonald’s shares, and becomes the actual ‘Founder’ of the company, taking it to new heights of success and growth.
It is a movie of deception, of dreams, of insane passion and determination. Depending on your perspective, the movie can be classified as a melo-drama, a biographical account of an entrepreneur, or simply a story about how McDonald’s became McDonald’s.
Here are 3 incredibly accurate lessons which the movie teaches all entrepreneurs, and 3 myths which it destroys once for all..
Official trailer of “The Founder”
Lessons:
Motivation:
One of the most impactful and unforgettable dialogues which the protagonist says in between is: A man becomes what he thinks whole day, every moment of his living life. As per some sources, it’s a quote by Thomas Edison, but that is not the point here. Ray Kroc, played magnificently by Michael Keaton, is actually seen struggling from the first reel. He is seen listening to motivational records by Dr. Floyd Nelson, and constantly reminding himself that all he needs is one hit. He refuses to accept realities, and like a possessed person, continues to drill holes in the destiny for extracting his success. In terms of motivation, the most valuable lesson which the movie teaches is that, you need it for protecting your dream. Getting discouraged is easy, but standing tall, and adamant for success is difficult. And motivation empowers you for the same. Find what motivates you, and stick to it until your mission is executed.
Destruction:
If the situation requires, then don’t be shy of destructing everything to build from scratch. Demolition is, sometimes, more important than creation, and the movie proves it. The foundation of McDonald’s success was the revolutionary process devised by Richard and Maurice McDonald, and in order to achieve that, they had to literally destroy their existing business, and then formulate a new plan which was quicker, and more efficient. This teaches us the lesson that destruction is not that bad, if it serves a purpose. And being an entrepreneur, it’s your job to find that purpose. I actually had a completely new viewpoint about destruction after watching this movie!
