Entrepreneurs need inspiration from time to time. And what better way to find it than to take a break and watch some thought-provoking movies.
Regardless of where you currently stand on the business path, you’re sure to find some much-needed inspiration by watching the films on this list.
These are 10 inspiring films that every entrepreneur should see:
Directed by David Fincher, The Social Network tells the story of how Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook while a student at Harvard and how he was later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and his best friend, who was kicked out of the company. .
¿Why see it? It gives you a glimpse into how Facebook started and reminds you that big companies often have small beginnings. In addition, it has a brilliant script by Aaron Sorkin, perfect direction by David Fincher and a great cast.
Best scene: When Mark Zuckerberg meets Sean Parker for the first time.
Based on the book “Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer”, Pirates of Silicon Valley explores the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates between 1971 and 1997.
This film was released in 1999, just when Steve Jobs was beginning to flourish in his second stage at Apple. The movie ends with Bill Gates gaining the upper hand in the rivalry, but we all know what happened next.
Why see it? It offers a glimpse into the humble beginnings of two of the world’s most iconic technology companies and chronicles the rise of two men who totally transformed the world of technology.
Best scene: Steve Jobs interviewing a potential Apple employee.
If you want to learn more about the rise and fall of Internet companies during the dot-com bubble, Startup.com is the perfect movie. Startup.com is a business documentary that follows the story of GovWorks, a promising startup that failed miserably due to mismanagement and internal power struggles.
Why see it? In addition to showing you the rise and fall of the dot-com bubble, the documentary also tells a cautionary tale about how friendships can turn into bitter rivalries due to internal politics. It’s one of the best startup movies of all time.
Best scene: There isn’t any clip that stands out in particular, so I suggest you watch the movie to find out everything. Luckily, you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube.
This is the movie with the famous “Greed is good” speech, delivered by the charismatic Gordon Gekko played brilliantly by Michael Douglas, who won an Academy Award for his performance.
Directed by Oliver Stone, Wall Street tells the story of ambition and greed, played brilliantly by Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas respectively. The main protagonist, Bud Fox, idolizes Gekko and falls for his glamorous lifestyle, only to find himself entangled in the vicious web of insider trading.
Why see it? As young entrepreneurs, it is often easy to get carried away by greed and make morally reprehensible decisions. Wall Street is a cautionary tale about how ambition can sometimes lead us down an unethical path.
An advice: Skip the 2010 sequel starring Shia LaBeouf.
Best scene: Gordon Gekko’s famous, or rather infamous, speech.
A film starring Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon and Alec Baldwin (in a scene-stealing cameo) should alone serve as motivation to see this film.
Success at any price is based on Glengarry Glenn Rossan award-winning play that depicts the plight of real estate sellers during a tumultuous sales season.
Why see it? The film shows what it’s like to work in a high-pressure sales environment and how you have to use your wits to survive and thrive. Since its release, the film has been used to train real-life salespeople on how to sell and how not to sell.
The best scene: Alec Baldwin’s “motivational” speech to the sales team. Enjoy it.
Based on the book by Michael Lewis, it tells three separate but parallel stories of people who were able to predict and benefit from the 2007-08 American financial crisis.
Directed by Adam McKay (best known for the Anchorman franchise before this film), the film features Oscar-worthy performances from Christian Bale and Steve Carell.
The film is also notable for employing unconventional techniques to explain complex and supposedly boring financial concepts, such as subprime mortgages and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs).
Why see it? If you’ve ever wanted to know the real reasons for the 2007-08 financial crisis and not be bored to death at the same time, you have to watch >The Big Short.
While it serves as a cautionary tale for entrepreneurs, it also highlights the importance of taking risks and having conviction. Very few people would bet against the gigantic real estate market of the time, but the characters in this film (based on real people) do so, despite facing ridicule and ridicule from the entire financial community.
Best scene: Mark Baum (Steve Carell’s character) meets a shady CDO manager.
The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort. It follows his rise and fall as a businessman, and shows how his company Stratton Oakmont became involved in trading penny stocks (ordinary shares of small companies trading for less than £1 in the UK and under $5 in the US). and the securities scam, drawing the attention of the FBI.
Brilliantly directed by Martin Scorsese, with stellar performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and a spectacular cameo by Matthew McConaughey.
Why see it? Jordan Belfort is the perfect example of what entrepreneurs should not be. He was driven by greed, had little or no empathy for the people he deceived, and led a life of extreme debauchery that ultimately led to his ruin.
Best scene: Matthew McConaughey describes what it takes to be a stockbroker.
(Fun fact: McConaughey’s chest thumping and humming were improvised and are actually a warm-up ritual he performs before shooting a scene.)
If you can ignore the fact that Vin Diesel plays a charlatan stockbroker in the film, you’re going to enjoy it. And if you liked The Wolf of Wall Street, you’ll like Boiler Room even more, as it’s loosely based on Stratton Oakmont, the fraudulent stock trading company founded by Jordan Belfort.
The film’s characters worship Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko and make a living manipulating gullible people into buying low-value stocks. You know where this takes us.
Why see it? Aside from exposing you to interesting cold calling tactics, Boiler Room is ultimately a cautionary tale to keep young entrepreneurs from getting carried away by the lifestyle of the rich and famous and making morally questionable decisions.
The best scene: The group interview.
The Fyre festival was supposed to be the best music festival ever. Hosted by Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule, the “luxury music festival” was promoted on Instagram by celebrities and social media influencers including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski. The only problem? It was all a scam, masterminded by MacFarland, who had a history of starting fraudulent businesses.
The Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened gives us an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the ill-fated music festival.
To understand the magnitude of this fraud, you have to watch the documentary, as it includes some shocking revelations from the unfortunate members of Billy’s crew, the festival attendees who were stranded on the island, and the heartbreaking story of a Bahamian restaurateur who had He had to spend $50,000 of his life savings to pay his staff who prepared and served meals to stranded festival-goers. Fortunately, she created a GoFundMe page after the documentary’s release in which she was able to recover the lost amount, thanks to the sympathy and generosity of people who were moved by her story in the documentary.
Why see it? In addition to being hilarious, it’s a cautionary tale for young entrepreneurs about making promises and not delivering a good product. Billy MacFarland was a dubious character who made misleading promises and twisted facts just to sell expensive tickets to a wealthy audience. He had no experience, no skills, not even the attitude to manage a music festival of this scale and magnitude.
The documentary also serves as a reminder to entrepreneurs who invest a huge amount of money in marketing and advertising without making any investment in improving the product. Fyre had great marketing, thanks to the influencers’ huge fan base on social media, but the event itself was so poorly managed that it’s incredible that MacFarland and Ja Rule thought they could get away with misleading their customers like this. .
Best scene: The shocking confession of the event’s producer Andy King. King became a viral meme on Reddit and Twitter after the documentary. A snippet will likely be removed from YouTube due to copyright issues, so I’m not going to link to it here. You’ll have to watch the full movie on Netflix. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer below:
Another Scorsese-DiCaprio collaboration on the list. The Aviator is a biopic of Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire who overcame all odds to become a famous businessman and successful film director, while dealing with a gradually worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder. DiCaprio is brilliant in the film and his performance earned him his second Oscar nomination. It’s also one of the best biopics of all time.
Why see it? Howard Hughes not only competed with rival companies with deep pockets and powerfully connected movie moguls, he fought his own internal battle against a debilitating mental illness like OCD. Despite so many obstacles, he maintained his passion for aviation and built a powerful legacy. He is the perfect role model for new entrepreneurs who have to overcome numerous obstacles in life to achieve great things.
Best scene: Senate hearings.
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