The artistic, cinematic masterpieces and documentaries presented in this article will be interesting and valuable for startups. And highly experienced business sharks seeking self-development and actively climbing the career ladder. These fantastic, unpredictable, inspirational movies will surely catch your interest. They convey the specifics of the trading and advertising business emotionally and accurately. Reveal the secrets of successful sales and the mysteries of famous entrepreneurs. In addition, they tell the stories of billionaires and their lifestyles. How did each of them begin their journey? What obstacles did they have to overcome? What did they sacrifice to achieve their dreams? You can also follow the link “26 Best Business Books”.
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Some films can push you to original thoughts and conclusions. Others will help you come up with fresh and exciting ideas or even help you make a real breakthrough.
Of all the movies created in entertainment, the best entrepreneur movies tend to hit home the hardest for budding entrepreneurs. There’s nothing like envisioning yourself on the big screen when the main character is bucking against the establishment, duking it out with the head honcho. Ultimately leaving their 9-5 only to build a legendary business.
Like the main characters in these films discover, running your own business is hard work. Sometimes you need a little inspiration to get through the rough patches.
Here are the ten best movies entrepreneurs need to watch ASAP and why they relate to small business owners everywhere. There’s something for everyone. So pick a movie title you like, and be prepared to question your current business principles and beliefs.
1. The Social network
The best entrepreneur movies always include some rail against the establishment—and “The Social Network” is no different. This movie details the treacherous path of Facebook’s beginnings when entrepreneurial-minded Mark Zuckerberg (played here by Jesse Eisenberg) launches the social network in his Harvard dorm to return to a recent ex-girlfriend. Soon enough, with financing from investor and friend Eduardo Saverin, Facebook takes on a life of its own. Ever the believer in his abilities, Zuckerberg builds Facebook’s platform single-mindedly, ignoring financial requirements, legalities, and other people’s feelings.
When legendary internet entrepreneur and creator of the early-aughts Napster Sean Parker comes on board, Saverin is pushed out of the company, and Zuckerberg is quickly entangled in a nasty lawsuit over the ownership and rights of Facebook.
Ripe with the drama of building a business that grows to take over the world and becomes its universal language, “The Social Network” is a perfect entrepreneur movie (and warning sign) of what can happen when an idea catches the world on fire.
With Facebook’s current relevance in the pop culture zeitgeist, this entrepreneur movie is a must-watch for any business owner who dreams of making it big—and learning the pitfalls of any significant endeavor.
2. The Pursuit of Happiness
This true story starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden, brings the life of American businessman Chris Gardner to the big screen. The movie centers around Gardner’s struggle with being homeless with his young son.
In the film, he works as a salesman, barely making ends meet when he becomes homeless. Around the same time, he meets someone who gives him the chance to intern as a stockbroker, eventually leading to a full-time position and a prosperous career.
Why it’s one of the best entrepreneur movies: “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a true story with real lessons that can be learned from it. Although it’s an extreme experience, there are valuable lessons embedded in the movie. Many of those lessons can be gleaned from the talks Gardner has with his son about never giving up and never letting anyone else define you.
3. Wall Street
“Greed is good “is the tireless mantra of “Wall Street” ‘s money-obsessed antagonist Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). This entrepreneur movie tells the story of Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young and ambitious stockbroker who dives headfirst into the volatile 1980s stock exchange. But unfortunately, with his new boss’s aggressive thesis ingrained into his training, Bud finds himself susceptible to the glamour and excitement of his newfound lifestyle.
Why it’s one of the best entrepreneur movies: A peek into the world of corporate finance, investment, and capital markets, “Wall Street” shows just how slippery the slope of greed truly is and the ultimate consequences of fraudulent business practices.
4. Jerry Maguire
In this entrepreneur tale of the fall and rise of a high-powered sports agent, Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is fired from his successful company after advocating for his belief that agents should have a more personal touch, with fewer clients’ time to understand them. So he impulsively starts his own sports management agency with the only client who believes in his newly adopted ethos. Rod Tidwell is a volatile football player whose family and financial needs push Jerry to become his best.
With former co-worker Dorothy (Renee Zellweger) as his sole employee, Maguire must build his business and overcome his only client’s doubts. Ultimately, he succeeds by putting his client’s needs before his desire to make money.
Why it’s one of the best entrepreneur movies: Striking out on your own because you think you can do it better is the classic startup story. It’s scary, sure, but as “Jerry Maguire “proves, all you need is one good customer and a lot of determination.
5. The Corporation
The Corporation is not unlike any of the other business movies on this list. It elaborates on a topic like no movie before – what would happen if corporations were people? Do they know how to distinguish between the good and the bad? For starters, it’s a documentary on corporate America. The movie shows the other side of the business world, which is much darker and not fun to watch nor live – but it’s here to stay. Multiple big-shots have a chance to tell their side of the story in front of the camera, and some might grow on you. But the question remains – are we living as total consumers, or have the big companies made us one?
6. Office Space
No one knows the monotony of corporate culture better than Peter Gibbons ( Ron Livingston). Peter’s daily interactions with tedious co-workers and an exhausting boss result in regular daydreams of destroying the software company he works for. Work relationships and office politics are at the center of this satirical comedy, and any entrepreneur who left office existence will relate to the ineffective bureaucracy of corporate life.
Why it’s one of the best entrepreneur movies: Through the lens of a corporate drone, “Office Space” shows how the mindlessness of traditional corporate culture leaves many employees feeling uninspired and passionless. In the end, Peter decides to leave the company and pursue a career that he enjoys—a story every entrepreneur can relate to.
7. The Aviator
Being a genius is not easy, and this movie portrays that as clearly as possible. The film is based on the story of Howard Hughes, the American business magnate, pilot, and filmmaker who loved to take risks during his lifetime. The Aviator tells the story of a businessman who has trouble finding meaning in life beyond money and business opportunities while struggling to keep his mental health in check.
This business movie is not just about making smart or risky business decisions – it’s about how our mental health can affect and, in some cases, even define our success or failure. It’s an excellent way to learn how to deal with it if you ever struggle with personal matters.
As an entrepreneur, it’s important to recognize which business decisions are smart and which ones are just foolish. This movie is presented in a way that will make you rethink your current decisions. Some ideas, as crazy or undoable as they might seem at first, might turn out to be a jackpot – the only way to bring these to fruition is to have an unwavering belief in them.
8. Pirates of Silicon Valley
You’re probably reading this article from a Windows or Mac computer – that’s the size of the influence of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. This movie is about their work, brilliant minds, challenges, and betrayals they encountered in the business world. It’s one of the best business movies to learn how to think like an innovator and protect your ideas from business sharks. Also, if you’re a tech-geek, you’ll love this movie.
Any founder-to-be can learn so much from this movie. Starting from the enthusiastic young innovators and the sacrifices they made to achieve their goals, all the way to developing the mindset of a businessman and how sometimes things won’t go as planned. Also, if you want to know how great minds are built from a young age, this is the movie for you.
9. Startup.com
Sometimes described as one of the most heart-wrenching movies for entrepreneurs, Startup.com tells the story of the rise and fall of one dot-com company. Two high-school friends merged business ideas only to discover that building a company when the Internet was new wasn’t easy. But, if you oversee it, Startup.com can be a lesson for every entrepreneur – think twice before going into business with someone you know, and don’t trust the crowd – trust your instincts.
The one thing to take from Startup.com is the effect money, greed, and power can have on relationships. The movie details whether material ownership is all that matters in the end, even if you lose the one friend who stayed beside you all the time. It’s an emotional roller-coaster that will make you think back on your business decisions but also analyze your priorities as an entrepreneur.
Honorary Mentions
A) The Intern
In the movie “The Intern,” About The Fit founder Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway) can barely keep her head straight when her commerce company rockets to success. When the startup hires 70-year-old intern Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro), Ostin assumes you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But the wise and observant Whittaker quickly learns from his younger co-workers. He also offers some suggestions to optimize the business, and Ostin increasingly relies on his advice when it proves successful.
When Ostin discovers her husband is cheating on her, at the same time, investors want to bring on a new CEO, and she’s desperate to find more time to spend with her family and save her marriage. Eventually, Ostin agrees to step down. However, Whittaker points out that she doesn’t need to sacrifice the business she loves for a happy marriage and that she can maintain both with the other. With Whittaker’s advice, Ostin ultimately decides to stay as CEO as her husband asks for forgiveness, resulting in a happy ending for both Ostin and Whittaker.
Why it’s one of the best entrepreneur movies: “The Intern” explores age and gender politics alongside stereotypes about Silicon Valley and romantic comedies in a fresh way. Plus, it’s a rare depiction of a woman entrepreneur who’s as passionate about her business as any man—and a man who supports her decisions and points out that success in one isn’t necessarily a failure in the other.
B) Boiler Room
If you wish to know the answer to the popular question “How do you earn big money from nothing,” this is the right one. Boiler Room is based on Stratton Oakmont, a stock trading company created by Jordan Belfort. It shows the ambitions and decisions made by young future founders and their obsession with reaching the top.
Like many business movies, Boiler Room warns everyone involved in the business of any kind. The rich and famous lifestyle can easily blind you, so stick to your moral code to avoid that. Aside from that, entrepreneurs can learn plenty of cold-calling tactics regarding sales.
10. The Devil Wears Prada
This tale of the power of success and intimidation comes from the real-life story of a young woman determined to make it in publishing. Andy is an aspiring journalist, and despite her fashion faux-pas, she manages to impress Miranda Priestly (a thinly veiled Anna Wintour), editor-in-chief of the prestigious Runway magazine (a thinly veiled Vogue magazine). What follows is a guide in “How Not To’s” until Andy finds herself rising to the top of her boss’s most trustworthy allies. Eventually, Andy realizes that being on top of a heap of The Worst People Ever is not all that it’s cracked up to be and that she may have lost her inherent sense of ethics and integrity somewhere along her journey to the top.
Why it’s one of the best entrepreneur movies: Andy’s ascent to the top of the fashion A-list ultimately leaves her feeling out of touch and lost despite her success. Like “Wall Street,” “The Devil Wears Prada” counters the idea that corporate success and massive wealth indicate a happy life and instead uncovers the emptiness of such endeavors. Andy moves on from her experience at Runway and can follow through and fulfill her original dream of becoming a journalist.
