Startup lessons from the movie “The Founder”

Jotting down my learnings from the movie The Founder (McDonald’s Biopic)

The rise of McDonald’s

Getting the Product-Market fit

• Solving a pertinent customer problem
• Focusing on one thing at a time(reduce wait time for fast food from 30 mins to 30s)
• Setting a high bar on Quality
• Iterating on the solution until it is perfected (behind every success there are innumerable failures)
• Sacrificing what’s not absolutely essential in the product & just focus on solving for the majority of customers (burgers, fries & drink)
• Symphony of efficiency in operations to create a burger in 30s with a consistent quality every single time
• Early growth hacks & patiently waiting for the early adopters, subsequent word of mouth
• Passion, customer fixation & persistence until the product is nailed

The symphony of efficiency

Scaling the growth

• Undying ambition to make it big
• Getting the right leaders on the bus
• Ruthless decision making
• Quality @ scale
• Milking the first-mover advantage
• Franchise, partnerships & rapid expansion
• Reinventing as a habit
• Creating an awe-inspiring brand

Path to profitability

• Pivoting on the business model (Restaurant => Real Estate)
• Increasing cash flow, Reducing costs

Founders Dilemma

• Attachment to the creation and the struggle to let go
• Keeping pace with the changing world
• Legal nuances