27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

Assignment 27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

I read the biography on Coco Chanel. Here are my thoughts:

• What surprised you the most?

What I found surprising is where Gabrielle Chanel took inspiration from. She was inspired by men's clothing. She strived to make women's clothing more simple. It is innovative that she uses elements of men's clothing and incorporates them into women's clothing.

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

What I admired most about Chanel is that she was determined and did it all on her own. She did not stop working for what she wanted, which is such an admirable trait and something I hope to emulate. She reimaged how the stereotypical women should dress and what they should wear.

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

Something that I did not admire was that she did not really put effort into her relationships. Although she did try to get into relationships, she was more invested in her business. Maybe it is due to her coming from a broken family and also not having time to dedicate to a relationship.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure?

She encountered numerous adversities throughout her life. For example, her partner passed away and she was driven into a bad, deep depression. She was persistent and did not let that affect her business.

• What competencies did you notice the entrepreneur exhibited?

Gabrielle demonstrated that she quiet yet clever, something that she used when working in her business. She paid close attention to the people she worked with and also the fashion that was in style at the time. She did not have many competitors, which helped her business grow even more. 

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

What confused me was the story about how Gabrielle was a spy for Germany during World War II. Apparently, there was an interrogation but she was released. Overall, that part of the book was the most complicated to follow for me.

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

I would ask her what she thinks of modern fashion. I would ask her this since fashion is constantly changing and sometimes it goes in cycles. Also, I would ask her what it takes to make a business successful. I would ask her this since she has been through many adversities and she knows what it takes to succeed in a business.

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

Gabrielle definition of hard work was never giving up. She wanted to have indepedence and she worked to obtain it. I agree with her opinion, I would rather work hard in order to be independent than have someone do the work for me.