Entrepreneurs and successful salespeople have nearly unlimited chances to enhance their abilities and skills. With so much fresh ideas and innovative thoughts available today, the opportunities to learn and improve are greater than before.
One of the greatest sources of inspiration is movies. A great film can transform your visit to the cinema to something more than just a moment of relaxation. It can motivate your mind and help bring originality, vision, imagination, and flair to your role.
Irrespective of where you presently stand on the entrepreneurial path, you’re going to find some much-needed inspiration by watching the movies contained in this list.
Here are the top 10 inspirational movies every entrepreneur should watch.
Pirates Of Silicon Valley
This is a classic movie that shows the beginnings of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs while they were building their technology empires in the 1980s. The film highlights their trials, triumphs, rivalry and the different ways the tech founding fathers operated.
In the movie, you’ll see how a 20-year old boy take on a large corporation like IBM and you will also learn the importance of believing in your dream and holding fast to it, no matter what happens.
It doesn’t matter if someone replicates your ideas, what matters is your execution and how unique it is – no one can copy that. Also, when you’re just starting as an entrepreneur, a little competition never hurts.
Boiler Room
At some point in their career, every entrepreneur in business faces moral problems. Boiler Room is about Seth Davis (a 19-year old college dropout) who is faced with a terrible moral issue.
Seth rose to become one of the most excellent agents at a brokerage firm called J.T. Marlin, but there was something suspicious at the firm.
What does he do whenever he’s faced with the dilemma of greed and money versus legality and morality? What would you do? Boiler Room will inform you about the real struggle between wrong and right, greed and money, legitimacy and morality in business.
The Social Network
This is another excellent movie that every entrepreneur should watch. The film shows the dramatic rise of the world’s youngest billionaire and Facebook (his dorm-room startup).
Mark Zuckerberg took a novel idea and transformed it into one of the most lucrative business to date. You’ll see how he was able to do this and the challenges he encountered along the way.
Apart from learning from Mark’s experience, you’ll also enjoy some brilliant background score and skillful storytelling.
The Pursuit Of Happiness
The Pursuit of Happyness is an inspirational story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a struggling salesman who lost everything including his wife, money, and house.
Instead of wallowing in defeat and self-pity, Chris picked up himself, worked smarter and harder to make life better for himself and his son.
It’s a potent motivational movie and a true-life story that’ll give you goosebumps and help you see the importance of having a strong work ethic and the right attitude in the pursuit for a better life and happiness.
Wall Street
Arguably, Wall Street is one of the best entrepreneurial movies of all time. The movie is all about Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) – an ambitious young stockbroker who will do just anything it takes to become successful as he’s guided by the ill-defined motto “Greed is good.”
All of a sudden, everything comes to a head when Bud was asked to assist in something illegal and morally reprehensible.
One of the lessons you’ll get to learn from this movie is that you shouldn’t sell yourself out for the sake of money. Being a successful entrepreneur isn’t just about fame and riches.
Limitless
Limitless is a thrilling movie about Eddie Morra (a struggling writer). The movie will teach you something about quick fixes, taking shortcuts and easy path to success.
Eddie is sure that he has no future as he was faced with his girlfriend’s rejection and unemployment. However, his situation was transformed when an old friend offered him a mysterious pill that allows him to access 100% of his brain capacities.
Stocked on the untested drug, Eddie rises to the peak of the financial world, but dreadful side-effects and a decreasing supply of the drug threatens to ruin his house of cards. After all, quick and easy fixes aren’t so easy, or are they?
Flash Of Genius
If you’re an entrepreneur, then this movie is a must-see because it’ll make you understand the importance of protecting your ideas from being stolen.
Robert Kearns (a college professor) invented the windshield wiper that’s embraced by all auto giants in the 60s. As a matter of fact, the windshield wiper became a very standard device on all cars.
However, the automakers do not give Robert the credit he deserves. It might be pitiful to watch as Robert fights powerful corporations for his credit but therein lies an essential lesson that all entrepreneurs can learn.
The Godfather
The Godfather is another powerful contender for the all-time utmost piece of cinema for entrepreneurs. The movie follows the story of the Godfather and his son Corleone Michael who supervised the growth of a small family business and transformed it into what ultimately became the largest organized crime family in New York.
Even though we don’t suggest that you take an illegal route, the Godfather is a must-see for entrepreneurs who’re looking to learn what it takes to get to the top and most essentially what it takes to remain there.
Office Space
This funny movie is for anyone who dislikes their 9 AM to 5 PM office job and those who’re eager to dive into entrepreneurship. The film revolves around Peter Gibbons who discovered how much he hates to sit inside a workspace every weekday, receiving commands from his Bill Lumbergh (his creepy boss).
If there’s ever a movie that’ll make you laugh, motivate you to get out of a desk job you hate, give you a refreshing new outlook on life and inspire you to pursue a venture that you love, then this is it!
The Wolf Of Wall Street
Even though the wolf of wall street might not have won Leonardo Di Capro an Academy Award, it can teach you valuable lessons about fame, greed, fortune, success, and respect for the law.
After watching the movie, you’ll get to discover that as an entrepreneur;
“the only thing standing as an obstacle between you and your dream is the bullshit story that you keep telling yourself concerning why you can’t achieve it.”
However, with achieved goals, power, fame, money, drugs, and women come many temptations that can endanger your success. Awareness and discipline is key to retaining any achieved success.
Which of the above-listed movies have you watched? Would you like to tell us about other movies that aren’t in the list but you think entrepreneurs should watch? Please do leave a comment below. We’d be eager to hear from you.
