A big part of what makes a great entrepreneur is vision—being able to see what others can’t, especially when it comes to your product or service. Vision was the difference between the McDonald brothers and Ray Kroc. By 1954, Richard and Maurice McDonald had opened a successful hamburger shop, and began franchising the idea to a few other small businessmen, one of whom was Mr. Kroc. The brothers were content with keeping the chain small, which frustrated Ray, who envisioned hamburger shops around the country. So Mr. Kroc bought the business from the McDonald brothers, standardized operations, and began to expand around the world, realizing his vision in ways even he couldn’t imagine in 1954. Some called him an “overnight success”, a moniker with which Mr. Kroc almost agreed, saying, “I was an overnight success all right, but 30 years is a long, long night.” Here are a few more things Ray Kroc said about growing a small business that we find inspirational:
“As long as you’re green, you’re growing. As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.”
“Take calculated risks. Act boldly and thoughtfully. Be an agile company.”
“Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.”
“If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customers first, success will be yours.”
“If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.”
“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”
“The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it.”
—Ray Kroc, Entrepreneur
