Being an entrepreneur is not an easy task.When times are tough, you’re still going to march forward. Yet when this whole entrepreneur thing becomes overwhelming, take a break and look for some much needed motivation. And what better way to find inspiration than watching movies?
Movies have always been and will continue to be an inspirational push for many people around the world. Movies have the power to inspire you to no bounds with slick storytelling and background score that gives a kick to get up and start working.
Here is the list of 10 such movies that every person who aspires to be an entrepreneur or is already one should watch …
1. Startup.com
Startup.com is a 2001 documentary film about the dot-com start-up govWorks.com, which raised $60 million USD in funding from Hearst Interactive Media, KKR, the New York Investment Fund, and Sapient. The startup did not survive, but it became a reference for lessons learned, as it was the subject of a 2001 documentary that follows govWorks founders Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman from 1999-2000, as the Internet bubble was bursting.
It’s good viewing to better understand the boom and bust of the dotcom period and serves as a cautionary tale on how friendships can easily be threatened by business partnerships.Topics covered include finance for entrepreneurs, capital raising, growth management, entrepreneurship skills, team building and management skills.
2. MoneyBall
You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. Because the team didn’t have the finances to spend on players, Beane had to discover a unique way to compete.
A very common saying is when life throws lemons at you, get some vodka! Same goes in this film also. A manager who wants to reinvent his team uses a innovative algorithm to calculate strengths of new average team players by investing minuscule amount in their on-boarding and training. A genius concept, many entrepreneurs can get inspired on how to turn their weakness into their strength.
3. The Game
Many entrepreneurs get into a tight spot when it comes to choosing between money, fame and family. Nicholas Van Orton played by Michael Douglas, is a successful banker. But in turn he is all alone. Thanks to his brother Conrad, he receives a gift of a lifetime which changes his perception about the world and how he wants to live in it.
4. Call of the Entrepreneur
The Call of the Entrepreneur is a 2007 documentary produced by Acton Media, part of the Acton Institute, along with Cold Water Media.
The main subjects of the documentary are Brad Morgan, Frank Hanna, and Jimmy Lai.[3] Morgan, a dairy farmer from Evart, Michigan discusses his journey from a struggling dairy farmer to the owner and operator of a million-dollar composting operation. Hanna, a merchant banker in New York City who originally hails from Georgia, explains how financial engineering not only makes credit more widely available to entrepreneurs today but also played a crucial role in the discovery of America. Lai talks about his childhood in Communist China and his move at twelve years old to Hong Kong. There, he founded Giordano, a retail outlet, and later Next Media. Lai explains that entrepreneurs, when taking risks, are “dashing into hope.”
5. The Corporation
The Corporation is a 2003 Canadian documentary film written by University of British Columbia law professor Joel Bakan, and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott.
The documentary shows the development of the contemporary business corporation, from a legal entity that originated as a government-chartered institution meant to affect specific public functions to the rise of the modern commercial institution entitled to most of the legal rights of a person.
6. Forrest Gump
A beautiful story about a simple man. This is a story about a simple man with good intentions, who accidentally becomes a phenomenal success just by living his life he knows best. He wins medals, becomes a professional ping-pong player, takes up running, owns a huge shrimping company and inspires people all across the country.
The story revolves around the simple nature of Forrest and how he appeals the entire world as he proves that you don’t have to be a genius to achieve something, all that you need to do is just try.
7. Wall Street
A film depicting the dark side of insider trading, where in “Greed is good” takes over life of a stock broker. What happens when he is pushed to his limit and asked what can he do and what he cannot do? Something not only illegal but morally culpable.
Also Read: Things you don’t know, the dark side of being an entrepreneur
This movie is a window into corporate finance, portfolio management, investment law principles and capital markets. More telling is the story of a young, susceptible mind, showing how easy it is to get carried away with the glamorous lifestyle that accompanies wealth. Plus, if you thought The Wolf of Wall Street was a bit too much, this movie is a tamer, more socially-critical version.
Topics covered include corporate finance, portfolio management, capital markets, investment law principles, mergers and acquisitions, company valuations and business ethics.
8. Office Space
This 1999 comedy from Mike Judge focuses on Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), who eventually discovers how much he hates sitting inside a cubicle taking orders from his creepy boss Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole).
This movie is what happens before the entrepreneur phase of every upcoming entrepreneur. A phase in which we have to work for others, take orders from others and make profit for someone else. A movie about an employee, Peter Giboons, who takes up extreme measures to get fired from the job, including embezzlement.
9. Boiler Room
You could say that this is an updated version of Wall Street, it shows the extremes people will go to to make a fortune – especially when it comes to the stock market. By the end of the film, however Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) discovers that making a fortune at the expense of other’s hard-earned money is no way to live life.
The film is based on interviews that the writer conducted with numerous brokers over a two-year period, and is inspired by the firm Stratton Oakmont and the life of Jordan Belfort, whose autobiography was later adapted into Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Belfort.
10. Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross is based on the award-winning play about four real estate salesmen whose jobs are on the line when the corporate office announces that in one week all except the top two men will be fired. This movie is an entertaining showcase of competition and manipulation. If you’re starting a new business, be forewarned: sometimes the road to success is far more sketchy than you think.
Unfortunately, the business world can be brutal, something you’ll learn even as a salesperson. This 1992 film illustrates just how vicious it can be.
