Golden Opportunity Book | Remarkable Careers that Began at McDonald's

Golden Opportunity

Cody Teets - Author

“There truly is no such thing as a dead end job. Whether your first job or one of transition, discover how to build your career with necessary “real life” skills. See how others have found their personal path to success through inspiring stories that just might shift your perspective!”

Cody Teets

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RMHC

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Profits from the sale of this book are being donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

About book

Jay Leno

Hired in 1966

“Something that always impressed me about McDonald’s was that everybody in the company had come up through the company… ”

“Promoting from within is a lesson I took with me from McDonald’s to The Tonight Show.”

“There are a few ways that working there left a big impression on me. One of my favorite stories…”

About the book

Golden Opportunity is a myth-busting collection of 44 profiles of people who went from flipping burgers to building remarkable careers in business, the arts, politics, science, the military, and sports.

Fatima Poggi

“All the people at McDonald’s treated me like family and told me if I ever needed anything, they would be there.”

Eddie Davenport

“You can pursue a dream at whatever stage of life you’re in.”

Majasyn Turner

“It isn’t all about the numbers, it’s also about what you bring to the table.”

Charles L. Broughton

“I could go work in any industry in any business and succeed just because of the skills and the foundation that McDonald’s has taught me.”

Travis Heriaud

“Being a franchisee is like being a small-business owner but at the same time being part of a global brand.”

Karen Wells

“As big as McDonald’s is, you get a feeling that it’s a very large family.”

Alma Anguiano

“Life is full of roadblocks. The challenge is figuring out how to clear those roadblocks, but there is always a way.”

Jerry W. Hairston, Jr.

“No matter what you want to do in life, you’ve got put all your effort into it.”

Kyong Kapalczynski

“I’m going to show them what I can do.”

Stephanie Oliver-Greene

“It’s not about the burgers and fries anymore. It’s about changing and enriching people’s lives.”

Wendy Clark

“The biggest lesson I learned about being a good leader was that it’s not about me, it’s about the team.”

LTC Michael D. Grice, USMC

“I learned that success meant being the person who requires the least managing. It’s what I teach my officers, my Marines, and the people I work with.”

Laurieann Gibson

“For a long time, no one ever knew about my humble beginnings. Now it’s something I like to tell people.”

Susan Singleton

“Parents who bring their kids into our restaurants are often surprised when we don’t automatically hire everybody who walks in.”

Marlene González

“I learned from being a restaurant manager to be persistent and consistent. There are no shortcuts and no mysteries to it.”

Bridgett Freeman

“People have to learn to be successful. You have to help them understand how they can take an average job and turn it into an opportunity.”

Jeffrey P. Bezos

“You learn a lot as a teenager working at McDonald’s. It’s different from what you learn in school. Don’t underestimate the value of that!”

Cody Teets

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you fall short, you will land among the stars.”

Diana Thomas

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t learning something new.”

Mindy Bloom

“Just like working on crew at a restaurant, at the Ronald McDonald House it’s a team effort.”

Michael A. Smerconish

“If I were in college admissions, I would have a lot more respect for a person who had punched a clock, and learned how to rotate stock than someone who had a glamorous internship.”

Ajay K. Patel

“The culture of the company and the attitude of America is that where you came from doesn’t define who you are.”

Leo Lopez

“My grandfather would often talk to me about America and the opportunity it offered anyone who worked hard.”

Carla Harris

“There is no such thing as a dead-end job. It’s what you take away from it that adds value.”

Janice L. Fields

“Had it not been for the kind words of a stranger, my career might have been quite different.”

Danitra Barnett

“I learned to hire people who are different from me, who have different skills, and yes, who are more intelligent than I am. I make better decisions as a result.”

Rick Colón

“The day I came home and told my father I got promoted to manager, he beamed with pride. ‘You’ve really made it. You’re a success!.’”

James Collins

“Do good when no one else is watching because you never know where your blessings are going to come from.”

Leroy Chiao, PhD

“My experiences at McDonald’s have translated into almost anything I’ve done.”

Ed Sanchez

“The day I came home with a bigger paycheck than my stepfather’s, he changed his tune. ‘Wow! You really can make a career out of this.’”

Ana Madan

“One of my biggest challenges is keeping alive in my children the family tradition of working as hard as you can to take advantage of the opportunity we have had.”

Andie MacDowell

“Working at McDonald’s was my independence—the freedom of not having to ask anybody for money.”

Andrew Dornenburg

“It may have been Filet-O-Fish and fries at the time, the lesson was the same: it had to be hot, and it had to represent your best effort.”

Drew Nieporent

“Seeing McDonald’s on the resumes of applicants would be a huge plus.”

Steve Plotkin

“We are always developing our people and moving them up the ladder, creating the next generation of leaders.”

Don Armstrong

“Each of the owner/operators I worked for influenced me in a significant way.”

Marcia L. Fudge

“Decent work is never beneath anybody.”

Andrew H. Card, Jr.

“McDonald’s was a great equalizer—wealthy and poor, black and white stood in the same lines and sat at the same booths.”

Henry “Hank” Thomas

“They wouldn’t let him operate the register, so he bought the restaurant.”

Jay Leno

“Promoting from within is a lesson I took with me from McDonald’s to The Tonight Show.”

Frank J. Sandoval

“I was only nineteen years old and already managing a busy restaurant.”

Phillip E. Rosner, PhD

“Dignity came from what you did, not where you worked.”

James McGovern

“At fifteen, you’re not really exposed to the world and dealing with people like Ray Kroc you grow up quick.”

Lester E. Stein, Jr.

“Great leaders know they’re in the spotlight all the time and constantly act as role models.”

Golden Opportunity Book

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Cody Teets

CODY R. TEETS began her remarkable career in 1980 at a McDonald’s restaurant in Denver, Colorado. After working her way up through the organization, with responsibility of over 800 restaurants, she wanted to share the real “McJobs” story.

About the book

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Cody Teets

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