In 1949, Sanders married his secretary, Claudia. Three years later, he founded a restaurant called Kentucky Fried Chicken. Curiously, the familiar name KFC appeared only in 1991 after rebranding. But as it turned out, it was too early to celebrate. Fate prepared another blow for him. When the construction of a major interstate highway was completed, Sanders’ restaurant was out of the passing travelers’ sight. So the once successful business became unprofitable, and he was forced to sell his property to pay his debts. He went almost broke when he was 65, living off a monthly Social Security check of 105 dollars and some savings. Many people would have given up, but not Colonel Sanders. He decided to sell his recipes to other restaurants and started traveling across the USA looking for potential franchisees, often sleeping in his car. He got rejected numerous times, but his wife was a big support for him, and it worked. By 1964, he had franchised over 600 outlets and built a company worth millions of dollars. When Colonel Sanders was in his 70s, he decided to sell his “offspring” to a group of investors for 2 million dollars and remained the official face of the company, for which he was paid about 250 thousand dollars a year.
In his final years, he lived his dream life. Colonel Sanders passed away at the age of 90, but he will be remembered as the most iconic entrepreneur ever.
Vocabulary
prosperity [prɑːˈsperəti] – процветание, успех
make both ends meet [meɪk bəʊθ endz miːt] – сводить концы с концами
unbearable [ʌnˈberəbl] – невыносимый
forge [fɔːrdʒ] – подделывать
volunteer [ˌvɑːlənˈtɪr] – вызываться добровольцем, стать волонтером
colonel [ˈkɜːrnl] – полковник
governor [ˈɡʌvərnər] – губернатор
midwife [ˈmɪdwaɪf] – акушер(ка)
income [ˈɪnkʌm] – доход
dismissal [dɪsˈmɪsl] – увольнение
blame [bleɪm] – обвинять, винить, упрекать
reunite [ˌriːjuˈnaɪt] – воссоединиться
misery [ˈmɪzəri] – горе
despair [dɪˈsper] – отчаяние
vocation [vəʊˈkeɪʃn] – призвание, предназначение
true calling [tru: ˈkɔːlɪŋ] – истинное предназначение
burn (in)to ashes [bɜːrn ˈɪntuˈæʃəz] – сгореть, сжечь дотла; испепелить
pressure cooker [ˈpreʃər ˈkʊkər] – скороварка
gold mine [ɡəʊld maɪn] – золотая жила
bow tie [ˌbəʊ ˈtaɪ] – галстук-бабочка
unprofitable [ʌnˈprɑːfɪtəbl] – невыгодный, неприбыльный, нерентабельный
go broke [ɡoʊ brəʊk] – обанкротиться
franchisee [ˌfræntʃaɪˈziː] – покупатель франшизы
Exercises
1) Who was Harland Sanders?
2) Was Colonel Sanders actually a colonel?
3) What was his childhood like?
4) At what age did he learn to cook?
5) At what age did he start earning his first money?
6) What kind of relationship did Sanders have with his stepfather?
7) Why did Sanders decide to drop out of school?
8) How old was Sanders when he volunteered for the U.S. Army?
9) What jobs did Colonel Sanders have throughout his life?
10) Why did Colonel Sanders divorce his wife?
11) What was the first business he started?
12) When did Colonel Sander found his restaurant called Kentucky Fried Chicken?
13) Why did Colonel Sanders go broke?
14) What important decision did Colonel Sanders make? What business idea did he have?
некоторые люди достигают успеха в более зрелом возрасте; маленькому Гарланду пришлось рано повзрослеть; у Сандерса был природный талант к кулинарии; у Сандерса не сложились отношения с отчимом; он подделал дату в свидетельстве о рождении; слишком рано радоваться; некогда успешный бизнес стал убыточным; он стал почти банкротом; благодаря своим кулинарным способностям он заработал репутацию отличного повара; он начал продавать путешественникам еду домашнего приготовления; он усовершенствовал свой секретный рецепт жареной курицы с 11 травами и специями
her brother blamed the unlucky businessman; he dreamed to find his true calling; he had a lot of financial challenges, setbacks, and disappointments; he was forced to sell his property to pay his debts; it looked like things were finally getting better for him; the flow of customers was endless; to make matters worse; he was disappointed in life
Creative task No. 8
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Discuss what this proverb means. State your opinion on the topic.
Ekaterina & Vera Miroshnichenko
People who started something from scratch and achieved a remarkable success have always fascinated me. Their life stories inspire and encourage me to follow my dreams. After all, as someone with a creative mindset, I tend to introspect and seek my true purpose in life. So, when I lack inspiration, I sometimes read motivational self-help and personal growth books. They frequently feature wealthy and renowned individuals who reveal their success stories, break stereotypes, and show how to improve life. To be honest, I have always had a keen interest in talking to famous entrepreneurs in order to comprehend their thought processes and to uncover their success secrets. If I had such an opportunity, I would ask them a lot of questions. What did they dream about as children? Where do they find inspiration? Or, maybe, how do people around them react to their success? I believe that one meeting or some wise advice can sometimes totally change your life. What I know for sure is that if you want to succeed, you need to surround yourself with people you can learn from.
When I compared the life stories of successful entrepreneurs, I noticed a common thread: they all think big, seek independence, work hard, take risks, make quick decisions, and keep moving forward no matter what happens. They believe in themselves and make their way to the stars. Each of them, undoubtedly, has their own life story and path to success. Importantly, all those stories are truly inspiring and optimistic.
One day, I happened to come across an interesting book called The Business Dynasty. Five Family Values That Create Capital. The author of the book is Nikolay Miroshnichenko, who is also Ekaterina and Vera Miroshnichenko’s father and the strategic leader of their company, E. Mi. Their products are favored by such global celebrities as Rihanna and Doutzen Kroes. Besides offering a wide range of high-end nail products, including nail polishes, gels, and accessories, the company also provides excellent customer service, training, and support for its clients. Today, E. Mi can boast 120 representative offices in 22 countries worldwide. Just imagine that over 30,000 beauty salons use the E. Mi brand! How did the two young girls manage to achieve such remarkable heights in their career? Let’s try to unravel the secret of their success.
Ekaterina and Vera were born in a small town in the south of Russia. It was no accident that they fell in love with the beauty industry. The girls’ mother, who has a medical background, briefly worked at a cosmetics chain before setting up multiple beauty salons. Obviously, their father – a determined, strong-willed, and wise man – had a hand in it, too. To support the family business, he got involved in salon equipment manufacturing. In my opinion, he was the key figure in shaping his daughters’ personalities. He taught them financial literacy and instilled love for work and a sense of responsibility in the girls when they were young. “Money is not the most important thing in life, and it’s better to use it to grow your business and avoid overspending.” This is his main motto.
I fully share this view. In my opinion, it is very important to teach children to handle money properly. I personally know many wealthy families whose children are raised in opulence and get everything on a silver platter even before they have a chance to to ask for it. It is not for me to judge whether it is good or bad. Here is what I think. If kids are never told “no,” where will their motivation to succeed come from as adults? If dreams come true immediately “by magic,” the vividness of emotions will gradually begin to fade. After all, it is not only the result that is important but also the process of expectation. Therefore, in my opinion, letting children dream and motivating them to take steps to achieve their goals is really important.
This was the case in the Miroshnichenko family. Both girls combined work and study effectively. Vera did her fellow students’ nails and worked summers as an administrator in her mother’s beauty salon. One day, during a family council, it was decided to set up a small beauty studio in Rostov-on-Don, where both girls studied. Things did not go well at first. There were only a few clients, and the nail technicians used to quit very quickly. Katya (Ekaterina) got involved and began to help her sister. As an educated artist, she was not only a fast learner but also the mastermind behind E. Mi.
Many people believe that one cannot mix business and personal relationships. There’s probably some truth to this. So how did the two sisters manage to maintain a warm and friendly relationship while taking their business global? Remember the commercial: “We’re so different, but we’re still together.” I think the point is that each sister has a different function in the company. They are like links of the same chain. Ekaterina is a creative, easy-going, and open-minded woman who does not get offended easily. Vera is rational, persistent, ambitious, and striving for perfection. Vera says, “We all come from childhood.” After all, it is important not only to recognize a child’s talents and abilities but also to develop them. The sisters’ parents knew about it very well. For example, Katya had a visual imagination from an early age. Her favorite pastime was drawing and making outfits for her dolls. The girls’ family o