Motivational movies that help entrepreneurs to do business

“Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.”

 Frank Abagnale Sr, Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Does this dialogue ring a bell somewhere in the recesses of the mind? Have you seen Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) where Steve Jobs says, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”  The line clearly sums up the entire gist of the story.  There is something about showbiz that makes it so inspirational and aspirational. Today’s entrepreneur can simply watch a movie with a business theme to get motivated to ignite creative ideas. Mani Ratnam’s Guru based loosely on late Dhirubhai Ambani, The Social Network based on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Wall Street, and most recently The Intern, show how a person can get inspired after a great fall.

Let’s begin with the admirable quotes that set the tone of the inspiration for entrepreneurs & leadership quotes

“Show Me the Money.”Rod Tidwell, in Jerry Maguire (2006)

In Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise is a cold-blooded sports agent. He lists his weaknesses and why he has failed in his career and personal life. He loses clients, but as the narrative moves on there is a ray of hope-there are still two people who still believe he can come out of the dumps. And he does.

“I know there is a hole in my life and I need to fix it”- Ben Whittaker, The Intern (2015)

The Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro are a classic example of a married woman entrepreneur struggling with her e-commerce company. She does not want an intern, but she needs one. In comes an old, retired, widower, Ben Whittaker. He is old school and does not know a thing about work culture today. But he needs to move on. While Jules (Anne) feels, ‘Leaders set the tone.’ The senior intern has a thing or two to teach the young lady. The entire office celebrates things by ringing a bell each time a new client comes or a staff birthday.

Reel to real motivation

For decades, Hollywood has produced movies that have shaped the business landscape. Movies like, The Social Network, The Intern, Wall Street, In Pursuit of Happyness, Baby Boom, Jerry McGuire, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, and Moneyball are just a few movies that should be taken up as a case studies to succeed in reality.  These reel life stories have entertained and taught a few lessons to young Turks, business people and late bloomers. It’s show time folks! And here’s how you can also get inspired.

Hard facts

Being an entrepreneur is not easy. You struggle with many obstacles, there are budget issues and demotivators galore! But if you are thick skinned, then march forward till the goal post is reached. If you fail watch the above films to keep going. Take for example when The Social Network was released in 2010. everyone wanted to see how Mark Zuckerberg became transformed from a Harvard student to launching the most popular social-media network in the world.

Why watch it? Never mind if this was overdramatised. The film gives viewers a better understanding of how to make a start up succeed by exhibiting such qualities as being flexible and resilient. Every time you watch this movie it will motivates you to be a better entrepreneur.

When Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) released it showcased the early days of leading technology hub and the eventual rise of both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The documentary-style movie provides an interesting take on the lives of the founders of Microsoft and Apple. Entrepreneurs are still looking for inspiration from these two iconic “pirates.” It definitely provides pointers to learn from.

Another film In Pursuit of Happyness released in 2006 was a true story. of Chris Gardner, this 2006 Will Smith vehicle is one of the most heart warming and motivational films for entrepreneurs. If you’re not moved by watching Chris and his son struggle to follow a dream Even though he became homeless and struggled to provide for his son, Chris never gave up on his dream. That passion and sacrifice is something every entrepreneur should be willing to embrace. 

When The Wolf on the Wall Street released it increased sales by almost 50% for some marketing people. They re-assessed their long term and short term goals and started using the phone to make positive sales. This film also taught people what not to do…cheating and lying to get the sales graph moving. From customers to partners to employees, many times success comes down to one thing: the people. To build a great company you need to find great people. If you don’t nail that you are going to be fighting an uphill battle.

Do these movies inspire you to take charge of your life?

If you have not watched them, watch at least The Intern which is the latest in the series of motivational films. People who are lagging behind technology can get emotional about it. If you are retired and feel life is walking all over you, maybe this story will offer some inspiration. Sometimes, we need to take a leaf from the reel life to make reality more interesting. You may not wish to change the way the world is, but you can change to fit into the world. We learn the most valuable lessons in life when we relax in the darkness of the movie halls. We, close with the following inspiring lines from Jerry McGuire, “The key to this business is personal relationships.”

1 thought on “Motivational movies that help entrepreneurs to do business”

  1. Do these movies inspire you to take charge of your life?
    YES. It is said that visual aids are very important tools for a salesman as it gets full attention of the prospect. Same way watching a motivational movie is more effective than listening to a motivational talk. In a movie one feels as if he is living the character.
    Some or Bollywood motivational movies are —
    Guru – depicting the struggle of senior Ambani
    Manthan – the struggle behind creation of AMUL
    Rocket Singh – salesman of the year – how an academically weak person becomes a successful entrepreneur.

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