Ray Kroc

They were getting calls from across the country asking about this multiple mixer or some such thing, and they wanted no part of it.

They were paper cup manufacturers.

That's what they intended to remain.

Kroc couldn't believe it.

The market was just getting started.

This is a moment worth pausing on.

Lilly sold paper cups.

This was their identity.

When a new opportunity appeared that didn't fit, they couldn't see it.

They looked at the Multimixer and saw nothing but distraction.

And Kroc looked at the Multimixer and saw the future.

It's the difference between defining yourself by what you sell and defining yourself by what problems you solve.

Lilly sold cups.

Crocs solved problems for people who served food and drinks.

That left room in his mind for the multi-mixer.

Left room for a lot of things.

Leaving Lilly Tulip proved harder than he expected.

His boss maneuvered him into a deal where the company owned 60% of Ray's new multi-mixer venture.

When Ray tried to buy that stake back, he discovered his boss had actually acquired it personally.

The price demanded was $68,000.