I watched this movie on and off for several days, during which I ate two McDonald's angrily.
This film is adapted from the real experience of Ray Kroc, the father of fast food. Just as there are many interpretations of real life, this film also has many interpretation angles. Just like when you examine a life, it is difficult for you to simply put a label on it. Looking at it from different stages, it can always give you different feelings.
The McDonald Brothers: The Lean Startup Paragon
The McDonald brothers lost their business in the end, which has a lot to do with their character flaws and decision-making mistakes, but as the founders of McDonald's in the true sense, these two people are simply role models for contemporary entrepreneurs.
Simple, mobile storefronts with limited product selection (a principle that McDonald's still uses to this day) and standardized product controls. When I saw them use the tennis court to practice the process of making burgers, I almost jumped with excitement. Isn't this the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of Lean Startup? !
Through non-physical simulation, the design of the assembly line was continuously optimized under the condition of reducing costs, until the speedee system was invented, so that "each burger only takes 30s from grilling to completion". Their lean startup philosophy led them to start the fast food industry. I have to say that the two brothers really had a good hand in their hands, but they broke it.
Exclusive authorization: vision determines height
Without Ray Kroc, the McDonald brothers' burger joint would be at best a business that stands out in terms of revenue and branding. rather than being a "representative of the United States." You could see the light in Lei's eyes when he faced the two brothers and asked for an exclusive license.
It is precisely because of Lei that McDonald's can continue to improve and update on the basis of a simple hamburger restaurant. From the franchise model, to the storage of goods, to alternative solutions, Lei's ideas focus on cost and efficiency, which is the way an entrepreneur should think. At this time, the McDonald's brothers remained complacent and began to be timid about all improvements.
But don't forget, these two brothers are the people who built the speedee system in Lean Startup. Why did they become the people who hinder the development of McDonald's in the end? Maybe the gap is in vision, they didn't imagine McDonald's as a business empire in the first place. Entrepreneurs say Dream big is what it means.
Enemy: The barbarian at the door?
If you stand today and think about the scene when Lei signed the contract back then, in all fairness he agreed too easily. For those harsh terms, they agreed without serious deduction, which also caused disputes between the two parties on the terms of the contract in the future.
But Lei is really not a kind character. After adjusting his business model, he quickly raised a lot of capital. And with the capital, he also has the confidence to fight with the McDonald brothers. First overturned the contract, and then bought out McDonald's brand management rights. The McDonald's brothers offered a sky-high price that they thought at the time, but in a bigger picture, it was still a loss-making business.
And through the subtitles, we learned that what's even more tragic is that Lei not only used the means to prevent the brothers from even getting their own share, but also provocatively opened a new McDonald's on the opposite side, crushing the last of the brothers. Business. Today, Lei with capital is undoubtedly the "barbarian at the door" in the mouth of entrepreneurs. This person is not a good person, but he has indeed made a business. From the time of McDonald's, the savage defeating the founder is an ordinary and uninteresting story. We have placed so many high hopes on Wang Shi, so that's it...
Love Story: An Embarrassment That Passed By
It's not hard to see that Ray's wife doesn't understand Ray. But when she was at the club, she took Lei's hand and said to those friends, "You should listen to him, this time is different", still moved me.
Later, Lei not only ended the relationship, but also hooked up with his brother's wife... After checking the information, I found that the two have been getting along very well since then. However, it is embarrassing to put this part in the movie, so it was passed by.
But this also has the advantage of making the characters more three-dimensional. Lei is far from the image of a big entrepreneur who is correct everywhere. He is a person with vision and a person who dares to break through; But when we look back at entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Musk, it seems to be the same. Hey, who in the world isn't like that?
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