Reading Reflection No. 1

This book is an audacious and insightful biography about the renowned Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel that leads us through her slightly risque journey of entrepreneurship.

Here are some things I pondered while reading this book:

1.

• I was very surprised by Coco's rougher upbringing and how she was able to spring from poverty into something fabulous.
• I admired Coco's tenacity. Not only in the entrepreneurship realm, but in life itself, Coco resisted the standards of "femininity" to pursue her own desires and dreams. 
• I didn't like how people perceived Coco honestly, as some muse. Although that can be very flattering, I feel that she should be more recognized for embracing modern femininity.
• This designer faced copious amounts of struggling. She grew up in poverty, and was raised by Nuns, so I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to find the support and courage to run with a wild idea. Instead of finding her situation tragic, Coco looked for opportunity. She challenged the ideals of fashions by making "poor girl clothing" an astounding statement. She dared to try something that no one else had, and that's what set her apart. 

2.

This entrepreneur exhibited strength to get through her rough childhood, audacity to challenge the norms of the century (clothing, sexuality, etc.), rebelliousness in that she was willing to go against the grain to come up with a novel concept, and she was awfully witty too- going about her business in a very indirectly satirical way. All of these competencies I believe gave Coco a certain edge above other likely competitors.

3.The book itself wasn't confusing, however I suppose I was a little confused about the content at first. I was expecting to read a very dry biography about a simple entrepreneur. Instead, this was a thrilling biography about the very scandalous life of Coco Chanel.

4.

I would question Coco about how she seemed to gain support so quickly, and if she were to change one thing, what would it be? I am curious of these questions because typically, entrepreneurs experience many failures before landing on a great idea. Coco seemed to almost effortlessly incorporate "casualization" into fashion. Furthermore, many entrepreneurs wish they had more information about the customer base, monetary set up, etc. so I am curious to see what would have been most beneficial to Coco.

5.

From what I read about Coco Chanel, I'd imagine her take on hard work is "defiance and diligence." This is because she had the diligence to see through her current unfortunate situation and carry out an idea. She also had the defiance to take risks an go against cultural norms in order to become an unexpected fashion icon. I do agree that these are essential elements to hard work and innovation, along with motivation, enthusiasm and perspective!