13 Reading Reflection No. 1

Coco Chanel by Lisa Chaney

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

·       What surprised you the most?

I was surprised to find that she learned to sew by nuns in a convent after her mother’s death. It is extremely surprising to learn that most women in the French culture relied on prostitution and performances to earn an income.

·       What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I admired her impetus to make more comfortable clothes for women and her introduction of the wool jersey.

·       What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

I least admired her love life and the fact that she did not marry.

·       Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

She encountered adversity in her childhood with the death of her mother and absence of her father. She also struggled to find funding for her business at the beginning.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

She experienced a difficult childhood without parents. She also grew up in a culture that condoned prostitution for women.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

It was confusing to keep up with her different admirers and love life.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

I would ask her why she never married and I would ask her what she thinks about the Chanel brand today? These are two questions that only she can answer and it would be very interesting to hear her input on these topics.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

Chanel defines hard work as persevering to improve your product and maximize profit. I share this logic of pushing yourself and your product to achieve maximum success.