The movie “The Founder” portrays the story of Ray Kroc, the man who made McDonald's into a

multinational fast-food empire. Although Ray Kroc had a wide and complicated personality, the movie
highlights his motivated, aspirational, and opportunistic character.

The entrepreneurial process

Creating, launching, and expanding an enterprise can be done in a variety of ways. But any strategy needs
to cover a certain set of principles. The following is a breakdown of the essential activities.

The five stages of the entrepreneurial process: 1) idea development, 2) opportunity evaluation, 3) planning,
4) firm formation/launch, and 5) growth, are helpful for understanding how it works. (The Duke
Entrepreneurship Manual. (2022).)

1. Innovation

Although the movie is about Ray Kroc, to begin with Mc Donald’s was not his idea. The Mc Donald
brothers Richard McDonald and Maurice McDonald also known as Dick and Mac came up with an
innovative approach to beat the existed concept drive – thru where food was served to the customer’s car.
The Mc Donald’s brothers identifies the following unconvincing experiences the customers have to face.
And there innovative approach to fast food becomes focusing on the speed efficiency and consistency which
also becomes the foundation to Kroc’s vision.

2. Recognizing opportunities

After seeing the concept of the Mc Donald’s brothers Ray recognizes the uniqueness of their idea and works
to expand it while bringing consistency to each restaurant creating unique brand identity for Mc Donald’s
that set it apart from other competitors. Although the Mc Donald’s brothers fails to franchise it. Ray seizes
the opportunity to expand the concept into a nationwide franchise picturing a fast food empire that can be
a revolutionary in the restaurant industry.

3. Business plan development

Kroc develops a comprehensive plan that outlines the vision, goals, strategies, and financial projection for
McDonalds. Kroc never tries to destroy the principle of Mc Donald’s brothers where they focused on the
standard of the food. Kroc always tries to maintain the standard and the consistency to be the same at each
and every franchise. Kroc sees the importance of branding and marketing in building a successful business,
he works in developing a strong brand identity for the company and promotional campaigns. As a means
of quickly growing the firm, Kroc was a pioneer in the development of the franchising concept. To maintain
consistency among all franchise locations, he sets standard operating procedures, training programs, and
quality control methods.

4. Launch

Beforehand Kroc conducts a feasibility analysis to ensure the viability of the concepts to determine the
initial McDonald's restaurant's viability and scalability, he examines its operations, clientele, and financials.
Kroc establishes strategic alliances with business experts, attorneys, and financiers that supply the required
knowledge and resources in order to start and grow the company. In order to manage legal obstacles, obtain
money, and lay a strong groundwork for growth, he makes use of their contacts and knowledge.

5. Growth

Kroc never stops in growth he is an unsuccessful traveling salesman selling milkshake-mixers as shown in
the beginning. But as to his wife Ethel, they have saved enough to live a simple and comfortable life but
Kroc, he craves more. Kroc creates an organizational structure and operational procedures as the company
expands to accommodate the growing franchise network. In order to efficiently run the business, he employs
professionals to oversee various tasks such as real estate, finance, marketing, and operations. Throughout
the establishment of the company, Kroc looks for opportunities for advancement and adaptability. In order
to better serve the demands of the market and keep a competitive edge, he adapts tactics and systems in
response to feedback from customers and franchisees.

The role an entrepreneur

1) Visionary leadership

Throughout the movie, Ray Kroc's leadership is exemplary, showing his vision as the engine driving
McDonald's into a fast-food empire not just in the US, but globally. He pursues his goals with urgency,
inspiring others to come alongside him in fulfilling his vision.

2) Risk takers

In the movie, Kroc perfectly demonstrates the characteristic of entrepreneurs - the readiness to take
calculated risks. Even when the odds did not fall in his favor and he faced financial struggles, he persisted
with his own money, time, and hard work in fostering the McDonald's franchise model.
 3) Determination and perseverance.

Rejections, conflicts with the McDonald brothers, and other challenges don't discourage Kroc throughout
the film. With his ambitious attitude motivating him, he perseveres through numerous setbacks. It's clear
that his unwavering determination is emblematic of an entrepreneurial mindset.

Conclusion

In conclusion the video highlights the entrepreneurial process, the role of the entrepreneur, ability of an
entrepreneur to recognize the opportunity, how the entrepreneur plans the future of the business and
allocates resources to support innovation and growth as shown in the movie “The Founder”

References

The Duke Entrepreneurship Manual. (2022). The Entrepreneurial Process. [online] Available at:
https://sites.fuqua.duke.edu/dukeven/selected-topics/the-entrepreneurial-process/.