1) You read about an entrepreneur:
- What surprised you the most? I was surprised by all the people that Coco Chanel knew as an acquaintance, friend, or something more. Even more surprising what that one of her "friends" was a Nazi general that she colluded with and the author did not condemn her for it.
- What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? I find it really impressive how Chanel was able to come out of poverty. Especially for a woman at the time, that was especially difficult.
- What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? The fact that she was a Nazi spy. Honestly, because of that, she had it too good.
- Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? Not enough. After WW2, the French government started to question her about her relationships with German officials. Unfortuately, Churchill intervene and she was able to keep her power and money without any consequences.
2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? Chanel is a skillful networker. She was able to use her womanly charms to have power and wealth before, during, and after WW2 as she worked with powerful people in the French and German government.
3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. I felt like the author tried to list everyone that Coco slept with and all the names got confusing. I was frankly more interested in her entrepreneurship and the author did not talk about that as much until the end when Coco was older.
4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
- Why would be a Nazi sympathizer if you have Jewish friends who have helped you finance your operations? Isn't that hypocritical?
- What is your most proud accomplishment? The thing that haunts you the most?
5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? Chanel definitely believes in hard work but we definitely have different visions on how to reach success. I would not sleep with men for success especially the married ones or the Nazis. I also wouldn't look away from Nazi occupation to ensure my own success.
Hey Jane!
ReplyDeleteI read the book on Chanel for the first assignment, and I was similarly surprised by a lot of elements in her life. The thing that surprised me the most was that she was able to build her business again after the Great Depression at the age of 70. In a time where society was dominated mostly by men, she was able to carve her own path, not once, but twice, using her networking skills and work ethic. Great job on this post!
Hey Jane! This is the book I wanted to read, but couldn't get it from the bookstore. I had no idea that she started from humble beginnings and was able to build herself up the way she did. I am even more surprised that she was a Nazi sympathizer and how she used men to crawl to the top. Kind of gross!
ReplyDeleteJane,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading and learning what you read about for your last reading reflection. I agree with you in how I didn't know Chanel started and succeeded in a very tough time with WW2 and Nazi Germany. This definitely puts a new perspective into creating a successful business that still does well today like Chanel. Her networking and talent got her to have one of the most famous luxury brands out there.