Ray Kroc

  b. 1902; d. 1984 | American restaurant entrepreneur

At The Bottom

— 1919

An energetic daydreamer who bounced around between several jobs as a young man.

Just after World War I, a 17-year-old Ray Kroc was working as a salesman for a ribbon company, “peddling rosebuds for farm wives to sew on garters and bed cushions.” He enjoyed the work but could not imagine making a career out of it.  A self-described bad student, Kroc was an energetic daydreamer who bounced around between several jobs as a young man.  In his spare time, Kroc earned extra income as a piano player, performing anywhere he could find a gig, including a brief period of time playing in a Chicago bordello.  Though he eventually landed a job as a paper cup salesman — a job he kept for several years — Kroc was not content and hoped that something else might one day come along.