Reading Reflection

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

What surprised me most about Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel was that throughout her whole life, she spent a lot of time trying to hide her past and upbringing. 

I most admired her ambition and ability to create something that she wanted for herself. At one point in the story, her guarantor told her that her business wasn't exactly making profit and that became the turning point at which she really put herself into her work so that it would be successful. 

It's hard to say because I really admire Gabrielle's personality as a whole, but there were instances in which she wasn't quite on the same page as her employees. For example, if they made a dress and she didn't quite like it, her employees would vent about how she didn't know as much about dress-making technique which was frustrating for them with some of her designs. 

The biggest adversity in Gabrielle's life was her childhood. She virtually grew up as an orphan in a convent because of her father's lack of presence and her mother's death. The rest of her surrounding family abandoned her and her siblings. This along with the fact that she really didn't have a lot of support during her childhood led her to resent most of her family and her past. She often covered up her past as a way of dealing with it. Another obstacle Gabrielle faced was during the war in the summer of 1914. At the time she had a shop in Deauville, France and was facing a shortage of materials in addition to the fact that the Germans were beginning to occupy France. Instead of closing her shop, she saw this as an opportunity. She worked with the few materials she had to continue creating clothes and hats for the socialites who had lost most of their luxurious items. As a result she produced fashionable but practical clothes and eventually earned 200,000 gold francs, the equivalent to £560,000 in todays currency, just from the summer months. 

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

Gabrielle was extremely confident in her ideas and beliefs. She knew exactly what she wanted and wasn't afraid to do what it took to get it. She also had a good sense of opportunism, which paid off in many different situations. 

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

The beginning of the book was a bit confusing because it started off talking about Gabrielle's heritage and family. They lived in more obscure areas of France so trying to keep track of those new French names and all of her family members' names was a bit confusing. 

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

First, I would ask Gabrielle if she ever thought her rough childhood had helped her develop qualities that helped her in the long run because her past was something she rarely talked about. The second question I would ask her is what mistakes she's made as entrepreneur. I would ask this because I think that people can learn a great deal from their mistakes and that they are necessary for success. 

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

I think that Gabrielle's opinion of hard work was that it is more important than anything. In interviews she often said that one only achieves things by working. One her most famous quotes is, "The secret of this success is that I have worked terribly hard... Nothing can replace work; not securities, or nerve, or luck." Based on that quote alone, it's clear how much she values hard work. I also share that opinion because you'll never truly accomplish a project/goal if you don't put the work into it.