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20 Best Business Movies To Teach You Important Entrepreneurial Lessons

Today people learn everything from TV shows and movies which not only give you entertainment but also provide knowledge, the best businessman movies tend to hit home the hardest for business owners.

It’s no secret that movies can provide us with a great escape from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Whether it’s an action-packed adventure, a romantic comedy or a documentary, we all love to watch movies every now and then. But what if you could also learn something from them?

The world of business is so fascinating that it has earned its own movie genre. Many films, both fiction and documentaries, have explored the trials and triumphs of entrepreneurs. From comedic biopics to devastating dramas, these films teach some important lessons movies about running a business.

If you’re looking for motivation, watching business movies can be a great way to stay inspired!

Here are some of the best films that focus on the world of business and offer invaluable insights into entrepreneurialism.

1) “Wall Street” (1987)

“Greed is good,“ is the tireless mantra of  “Wall Street”‘s money-obsessed person Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). This entrepreneur movie tells the story of Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young man who is a stockbroker who dives head into the volatile 1980s stock exchange market.

With his new boss’s aggressive thesis established in his training, Bud finds himself susceptible to the glamour, surprise and excitement of his newfound business lifestyle this movie is for entrepreneurs.

Takeaway:

You will get an experience of the corporate finance world. Investment, and capital markets, “Wall Street” shows just how slippery the slope of greed truly is, and the ultimate consequences of fraudulent business space.

2) ‘The Founder’

In this movie of the founding father of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc is a businessman who cashes in on a hotel with a new style of food delivery hamburgers made in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes delivery this movie is about business.

He is persistent in his pursuit of building the world’s greatest fast-food empire, and his path to greatness doesn’t come without struggle. With new ideas and determination.

Take away:

Building an empire isn’t easy, especially when challenging the status work culture. “The Founder” explores the side of the business that needs a persistence unknown to many, but will surely inspire entrepreneurs that are determined to create “the next big thing.”

3) “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”

When a candy-maker Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) decides he needs to pass his candy empire on to a next entrepreneur, he selects five lucky children to tour his top-secret chocolate factory, he quickly realizes four of the five children are just coming for fun, bratty, and blasé.

But Charlie Bucket, a sweet, good bright kid, is wide-eyed with delight at the incredible inventions Wonka shares with the group of that 5 kids.

The brat’s 4 kids meet horrible ends, while a competing candy maker promises Charlie wealth if he’ll smuggle some candy out of the chocolate factory. When Charlie refuses, Mr Wonka tells him he’s “passed the test” and names him as his partner.

Take away:

Finding a partner who shares your vision & goals is one of the most difficult tasks every entrepreneur faces today. This entrepreneur movie proves that through imagination and passion you can take your need for ethics to create a business that’s worth passing on.

4) Startup.com

Startup.com is a documentary movie that examines the rise and fall of the real-life startup GovWorks which raised $60 million from Hearst Interactive Media, KKR, the New York Investment Fund, and Sapient This movie comes to the list of corporate movies.

Take away:

This movie gives a good viewing to better understand the growth and bust of the dot-com period and serves as a cautionary tale on how friendships can easily be threatened by business partnerships and teach you about growth management, entrepreneurship skills, team building and management skills

5) Lord of War

If you like dark comedy with a good bit of action, Lord of War is the movie for entrepreneurs. This war-crime movie chronicles the life of Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), an immigrant from Ukraine who decides his route to success through the illegal gun trade in the country.

Morality aside, Yuri’s ambition, tenacity, and ability to tolerate risk in the business are the very qualities entrepreneurs need to succeed.

Take away:

If you want to learn more about growth hacking, building customer loyalty, and negotiation techniques, this movie delves deeply into these business topics. You’ll probably find yourself incorporating some of the business ethics in your own business venture.

6) Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross is based on the award-winning movie which is about four real estate salesmen whose jobs are on the line when the corporate office declares that in one week all except the top two men will be fired.

Take away:

This movie is an entertaining showcase of competition and manipulation of the corporate world. If you’re starting a new business, be forewarned sometimes the road to success is far more than you think. The movie will teach you about sales techniques, customer relationship management, and negotiations.

7) The Social Network

The Social Network is the ultimate story about Facebook’s founder It shows Mark Zuckerberg and the way he brought to life his idea of building a social media platform which is a successful platform.

Soon afterwards, his project got substantial financial backing, and all of a sudden, Facebook was ‘live’ all around the world for the people. This movie also shows Mark’s struggles and lawsuits from his once-friend and first investor, Eduardo Saverin best movie for entrepreneurs.

Take away:

The movie also shows that even huge corporations often have small and struggling startups, and it can be quite inspiring for young entrepreneurs to see that for

8. Casino

The casino is an epic drama that lets you know a gambler’s life, working alongside the Mafia that manages a casino in Las Vegas. It’s a perfect representation of what greed, power, and money can do to a man’s life. It also shows how thin is the line between leading a decent life and letting all of the above consume you.

Takeaway

Casino picks on a topic that’s always sensitive in the corporate world: should you do business with your best friends or not? This movie has showcased that’s not always the smartest decision and things can go south pretty quickly.

9. Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the most-watched business movies which you shouldn’t miss as an entrepreneur. It shows the life of four real estate agents and their issues while working under pressure for their new trainer.

All four of them are forced to use their knowledge, skills and expertise to overcome the current events and keep their job, during a difficult sales period this movie is in the corporate world.

Takeaway:

This movie should be shown to anyone who would like to become a better seller, as it teaches real-life salesmen the right and wrong way to sell a product and how to work in a high-pressure environment.

10.  Boiler Room

If you wish to know the answer to the popular question which every entrepreneur thinks while doing business “How do you earn big money from nothing”, then this movie is the right one. Boiler Room is a movie based on Stratton Oakmont, a stock trading company created by Jordan Belfort.

Takeaway:

It teaches you the ambitions and decisions made by young future founders and their obsession to reach the top of the market. Entrepreneurs can learn plenty of cold-calling tactics regarding sales.

11. The Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happyness is a real story based on the life of a homeless salesman, Chris Gardner, and his son where Chris is offered an unpaid internship as a stockbroker, but his ambitions are bigger in his life.

Takeaway:

The movie teaches you how to manage to become a millionaire in only one year and the sacrifices and small things to make in the pursuit of a better life. It will reveal common challenges ambitious people face and what it takes to rise above one’s situation.

12. Moneyball

Moneyball is the story of Billy Beane and his innovative approach to attracting new people in Oakland Athletics, with the team’s low budget in mind. He uses computer data analysis to acquire potential signings and manages to overcome his rivals in the market.

Many startups face the same challenge as Billy in this. It shows the scenario where every startup is facing obstacles in the open market while competing against established companies in the market.

Takeaway:

This movie teaches you everything can be achieved through a mixture of risk-taking and creativity but only if you know what you’re doing to make your business successful.

13. Jerry Maguire

Jerry Maguire gives a very insightful perspective on what it takes to be a sports agent, and what to do when you get fired from your agency and decide to start over, your business this time with more dignity and righteousness The movie is about entrepreneurship.

Takeaway:

This is a great movie about the business world for anyone looking to get out of their struggling life. It’s packed with advice that can help anyone in the corporate world.

14 The Aviator

The Aviator movies tell the story of a businessman who has trouble finding meaning in life beyond money and business opportunities while struggling to keep his mental health balance.

This business movie is not just about making smart or risky business decisions or making money – it’s about how our mental health can affect and in some cases even define our success, or even failure.

Takeaway:

It’s an excellent way to learn how to deal with it if you ever struggle with personal matters at the same time.  As an entrepreneur, it’s important to recognise which business decisions are smart. In this movie, that’s presented in a way that will make you rethink the current decisions which you made in your business.

15. Joy

This movie is all about a woman’s joy and her life. It can’t be easy watching everyone around you becoming successful and some of them with your ideas and the best movie about business to watch.

That’s what happened to Joy, a divorced woman, a mother of two who was creative and capable enough to have a business of her own but somehow lacks the courage to actually get out and start from the start.

She faced many obstacles in her successful journey both business and personal, but she never gave up on her dream of becoming an inventor.

Takeaway:

It’s quite an inspirational story for every entrepreneur, but it’s particularly beneficial for women entrepreneurs. It shows how persistence and determination can help you make it despite a financial crisis and personal struggles won’t stop your way.

16. The Devil Wears Prada

This movie represents another way of leadership, cold-blooded, ruthless, and devoid of emotions in the corporate industry. The effects of this leadership style are shown all the time on the screen – a not-so-healthy way to manage your employees.

This movie is a representation of how far some people would go to reach the stars in the main storyline, presented to you by the CEO of a top-rated magazine and a small-town woman who finds herself in the middle of an unforgiving, highly-competitive working environment.

Takeaway:

It’s definitely one of those business movies every entrepreneur live-to-be should watch. Specifically, because it elaborates on matters such as the morality of choices in both professional and personal life. The effect a job has on employees’ personal lives, and how stepping over everyone can be devastating, especially if you’re the CEO of the company.

17. Becoming Warren Buffett

Becoming Warren Buffet is a great movie choice for businessmen. In this movie, he’s one of the wealthiest men on Earth, but at the same time, he kept his humble spirit.

How someone of his size, both intellectual and financial, hasn’t lost sight of reality and kept himself accountable, is a lesson you can learn from this movie and the best movie for entrepreneurs.

Takeaway:

The movie is the story of how the mindset of an innovator is built from a young age. It’s truly one of those movies that will definitely challenge your beliefs and moral core. One of the most important lessons you can learn from this movie is how to find life goals, aims and objectives unrelated to making more money, but focusing on becoming a better human being.

18. Billionaire Boys Club

A group of wealthy young men in 1980s Los Angeles devise a plan to get rich quickly with a Ponzi scheme in the city. The plan ends badly for all involved when Hunt and Jim Pittman end up murdering investor and con man Ron Levin and how his life gets changed.

Takeaway:

From this movie you can see that Billionaire Boys Club is not an exception to how badly a Ponzi scheme might end and for those people who think that get-rich-quick methods are never worth it, you should not get involved in one of them.

19. Limitless

A movie about science and business, this is a story of Edward Mora, a struggling writer who gets his hands on a brain-enhancing drug which you can see in the movie his exploits under the influence of the drug, both the good and the bad ones.

Takeaway:

The movie will teach you that it is our responsibility to be better people when we have the edge over our competition and others in need.

This movie is a good movie choice to provoke people to think about what kind of person a businessman would like to be.

20. August

In this movie, you will see how to balance his life while running a business and have a fulfilling social life pretty well. That’s until things start to crumble, customers start to stall and the company starts to financial loss.

Takeaway:

August is a fall from grace’ movie, is a good example of how failed planning, a false sense of power, freedom, and money can do to any man.

Summary

Entrepreneurs, and businessmen, like most people, need inspiration from time to time in their journey. And what better way to find inspiration than movies which will entertain as well as teach you important entrepreneurial lessons?

Regardless of where you currently stand on the entrepreneurial journey, you’re sure to find some much-needed inspiration by watching the movies featured in this article.

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