18 Business Movies to Watch with Business Principles and Lessons
We have compiled a list of relevant movies to help you explore the challenges and problems in different business industries, as well as the full range of successful approaches that individuals have taken, not excluding their plights. Each of these business movies holds important lessons.
No matter where you currently stand, you’ll definitely find some inspiration by watching the movies featured in this blog post. Here are the top 18 relatable and wildly entertaining movies all business owners and entrepreneurs should watch, as soon as possible, for inspiration and a jolt of motivation. E N J O Y!
18 Business Movies with Business Principles and Lessons
1. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Looking for a fascinating presentation of crazy risks, moral issues, sex, drugs, brilliant deals, financial fraud, luxurious lifestyles, thirst for wealth, and the trade secrets of stockbrokers? This might just be the end of your search.
This movie features a famous young broker named Jordan Belfort who risked everything for the sake of wealth. His fun did not last so long as he was later convicted of fraud and money laundering by the FBI. This movie tops our list of movies to watch on business because it will spur you to dream bigger, work harder than you ever have.
With everything – ups and downs, this movie teaches the importance of simplifying seemingly hard tasks like being a stockbroker into clear and concise instructions that anyone with the desire to succeed would be able to follow.
2. MAD MEN
This drama television series, with a fictional time frame running from 1960 to 1970, is all about an advertising agency and the life of its creative director. Being a Spot on Show for marketers everywhere, this series really depicts business in the most real way incorporating both success and failure.
How could a show about marketing in the ‘60s help with your marketing career in this time and age? Oh well, a lot of what the ad people did in this show is still incredibly relevant in this digital age. Here are a few quotes from the movie you can definitely learn from…
Advertising is based on happiness. If you don’t like what they’re saying, change the conversation. I won’t settle for 50% of anything. I want 100% Stop writing down what I ask for and try to figure out what I want. Don’t be afraid to embrace changes and come up with new traditions. Want some more? Get the series! And oh! If you are one who pays attention to details, whether or not you are considering a career in marketing, you’ll definitely learn extremely valuable lessons from this series.
3. BILLIONS
Being about power politics in the world of New York high finance, Billions captures how power affects a relationship between two or more people, from the ones between boss and employee to that between husband and wife, to father and son, and more.
It portrays the intersection of philanthropy, politics, finance, and family lives, and how they can poison and enrich each other at the same time. Regarded as the smartest dumb show on TV, this series is definitely a must-watch for business owners.
Aside from being wildly entertaining and binge-able, the show is filled with insightful quotes on business, startups, and leadership. But hey! As you binge-watch this series, choose what to give your thoughts to, the great substance in it, or the great style displayed.
You don’t want to pay so much attention to style at the expense of substance, yeah? I thought so too.
4. THE FOUNDER
Looking to create the next big thing? Well, building an empire isn’t easy—especially when you’re challenging the status quo. You definitely can use a few lessons from this movie. The Founder is a film dramatizing the life of the founding father of McDonald’s.
Starring Michael Keaton, this movie tells the story of Ray Kroc who turned a local hamburger joint into a multi-billion dollar chain. With endless ideas and determination, Kroc cements McDonald’s name in history as one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world. Highlighting the importance of seizing opportunity, doing your research, and building relationships.
The Founder explores the side of the business that requires persistence not so many people know about. It also shows how hard work, and more importantly smart work and commitment often leads to success, with great emphasis on just how brutal business can be when you are not as determined and as confident you should be.
The Founder is certainly one of the best movies to watch on business with a simple business lesson; the importance of developing simple, repeatable processes to build an efficient and successful business.
5. WALL STREET
As young entrepreneurs, it’s often easy to be lured by greed and make morally reprehensible decisions. With 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.
Starring Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko, a Wall Street Shark whose greed and desperations to rise to the top of Wall Street led him to engage in illegal insider trading tactics. It highlights both the emotional highs and devastating lows of being a part of the business world and also offers a gentle reminder to be prepared to make tough decisions in a business where both personal and professional morals are tested.
With all its moments of high drama and nail-biting tension, this film portrays greed and how a cunning con man can trick everyone in their path. The portrayal gives an explicit show of what it costs when such an individual is allowed to rise to power. If you see this movie, you’ll understand that truly, Money Never Sleeps.
6. PAD MAN
You listen to great men like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk tell stories about their journeys. You get so inspired. But wait a minute, have you ever acted on any of these inspirations? Let’s face it.
Though inspirational, these intimidating stories do little to represent the realities entrepreneurs face, especially young entrepreneurs. Released in 2018, Padman debunks the myth of business and entrepreneurship and adds that it can be learned from a diverse range of environments.
It tells a relatable true story about Arunachalam Muruganantham who pioneered a process for mass-production of affordable and safe sanitary pads when he saw a number of women resorting to unhygienic options because they could not afford the sanitary pads available at that time.
This, of course, didn’t go without great opposition. Pad man is a great movie to watch on business because it teaches the importance of making efforts to make impacts, collaborations, and reinventions to stay relevant. And oh, a very important thing to note… NEVER UNDERRATE THE POWER OF ECONOMICAL INNOVATIONS THAT MEETS PEOPLE’S NEEDS.
7. THE MEN WHO BUILT AMERICA
Change and setbacks, in reality, are opportunities in disguise. Pick collaborators where you have a weakness. Never ever quit. Prioritize singleness of purpose over money. Have big huge goals. Be a straight forward negotiator. Don’t waste too much time on bargaining.
This documentary follows the life and business careers of five of America’s most innovative and influential businessmen, who developed their industries, from shipping and railroads to standard oil and gas to steel to general electric and of course automobile..all from nothing.
The show also offers insight from current business tycoons like Trump, Cuban, Deutsch, Perlman, Greenspan, and Welch. The Men Who Built America is the probably most inspiring thing ever shown on TV, portraying the bad decisions these five entrepreneurs made, their failures, and their great successes.
If you own a business and haven’t seen this documentary, Google it, beg for it, find it, and watch it by all means. You owe it to yourself, please.
8. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
The Greatest Showman tells a story about a man, Barnum, who turns to ‘show’ business to indulge his limitless imagination, after trying his hands at various jobs. Featuring acrobatics and exotic performances, Barnum's mesmerizing and impressive show soon takes the world by storm to become the greatest show on Earth.
The Greatest Showman is definitely one of the greatest movies to watch on business. The title says it all, yeah? With a touch of inspiration, this movie showcases what it takes to build a business, in this case, a circus business, with the main character going through a lot of the same challenges real entrepreneurs take on today.
Despite the fact that no one believed in him at the start of it all, he kept going. Though he made a number of mistakes, he tried to get better each time. One major highlight business owners should learn from this movie is how the main character never promised what he couldn’t deliver. He promises his customers entertainment and that’s exactly what they get. If you’re in business, you can’t help but be inspired.
9. BILLIONAIRES BOYS CLUB
Scam alert!!! Pause. This is no scam alert, was only saying the first thing that comes to mind when we think about this movie. You probably, no, definitely would have heard of these get-rich-quick schemes, which have been on the increase even up to the present day.
Billionaires Boys Club tells the story of how two young cunny, irresistible, and persuasive men duped their rich old school mates into joining an investment company called the Billionaire Boys Club, which was in actual fact a Ponzi scheme.
They effortlessly and skillfully created financial scams and pretended to be billionaires to get to the pockets of the real business lords. However, the consequences of their greed and corruption were so complicated and difficult to understand. When you see this movie, you’ll certainly know better. And oh! We hear it’s based on a true-life story that happened in Southern California.
10. BALLERS
This is a comedy-drama series starring former Wrestling star and Hollywood legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who plays Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player who must navigate his new career of choice as the financial manager of other NFL players.
With praiseworthy performances from Dwayne Johnson, this movie has a total of five seasons and 47 episodes. Four important lessons to take away from this movie amidst all the dramas that went down include;
1. Never buy a depreciating asset, lease it!
2. In PR, being open and honest from the outset is the best way for a company to deal with a potentially damning incident.
3. A large part of business is negotiation when signing new clients.
4. It is key to keep your partners in business happy as a source of moral strength and to take your company further than you ever could on your own.
11. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Starring Miranda, the best evil boss, and Andy, a fresh-out-of-college graduate and aspiring journalist who lands a job to work under Miranda at Runway, this movie portrays the power of success and intimidation.
Andy, despite her poor sense of fashion and a little fumble on the way, manages to impress her boss who kept giving her rules until Andy finds herself rising to the top of her boss’s most trustworthy associates.
Eventually, Andy comes to realize 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 inborn sense of ethics and integrity somewhere along her journey to the top. She eventually feels lost and out of touch despite her success.
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 is able to follow through and fulfill her original dream of becoming a journalist.
One of the greatest lessons to learn from this movie is to give employees the key they need to be successful by providing them with the information they require to do their job well, or you just might lose your best employees.
12. BUSINESS ETHICS
Fresh out of business school, Zachery Cranston appeared to have all he needed to succeed in the world of finance. But too much ambition lured him to new ideas for a not so legal fund.
Showing how a financial man makes money without ethics, the message this movie passed across was simple.. what goes around, comes back around. You should watch this one, really.
13. PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
What should you do when your back is up against the wall?! This true story starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden, pictures the life of American businessman, Chris Gardner, and his struggle of being homeless with his young son while going through a grueling 6-month unpaid internship as a stockbroker, enduring hunger, lost relationships, despair, and barely making ends meet.
He later meets someone who gives him the chance to intern as a stockbroker eventually leading to a full-time position and a prosperous career. This movie is listed in our top 18 movies to watch on business because it passes a clear message that we need to be ready to work hard to overcome unbelievable circumstances in our business ventures.
So we ask again, what should you do when your back is up against the wall? Well, work harder.
14. THE INTERN
To start with, this movie breaks so many stereotypes. First, a successful female entrepreneur with a supportive husband? Then, A CEO hiring SENIOR interns? ..and a company with a masseuse onboard? Employee wellness never got any better.
Confused? Wait a minute. A little background story. The Intern is all about Fit founder Jules Ostin who hires 70-year-old intern Ben Whittaker, with whom she ended up having a deep meaningful friendship, to work with her start-up.
You might think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, at least that was what Ostin assumed at first, but the wise and observant Whittaker learns pretty fast from his younger coworkers. He also offers some suggestions to optimize the business, and Ostin grows increasingly reliant on his advice when it proves successful.
However, Ostin got to a point where situations arose that had her have to choose between her family and the business. But guess who ended up having it all. Thanks to good friendships. We personally love how this movie teaches women not to let go off their career ambition all for domestic peace. You can have a bit of all, at least. YOU CAN HAVE A BIT OF ALL.
Still, Confused? Huuurryy, go get the movie!
15. MONEYBALL
Not just some movie about baseball. Money ball teaches important business lessons of being able to adapt, listen to new ideas, change the way things are usually done, success can through risk-taking and inventiveness. It also highlights how planning and research can turn some perceived disadvantages into pure power.
Brad Pitt definitely did justice to his role in this movie with a plot that deals with basic changes in life and the changing rules of the game. In the business world, as in sports, if you only can overcome fear and apathy, you can achieve great results and find an effective solution to the problem with just limited resources.
This movie also demonstrates how every business can not thrive without a few constraints, which can only be overcome by thinking differently and changing the status quo.
16. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
This is the tale of the birth of Facebook. Revealing the darker side of the story and its controversial release, this movie offers a glimpse into how Facebook began and a subtle reminder that big companies also have small beginnings.
The Social Network tells the story of how Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook while studying at Harvard and how he was later sued by two brothers, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, fellow Harvard students who claimed he stole their idea for a Harvard social dating site to help build his own business.
In addition, Zuckerberg hit hurdles while seeking funding at the start of it all, as he ran into serious problems with co-founder Eduardo Saverin, and stumbled when working with Facebook’s first president Sean Parker. Nevertheless, this movie gives entrepreneurs great insight into how to succeed in the cruel world of startup business.
Undoubtedly it makes our 18 movies to watch on business because it teaches one to learn to be flexible, as Facebook evolved over time and still evolves to suit the needs and desires of its users.
17. JOY
True entrepreneurs strive and find ways despite adversities. This movie in one sentence. This biographical film portrays a young New York-native woman, Joy Mangano, who went from being a single mother to a mop millionaire even with the all chaos she had in her life. Mangano battled a fickle industry, family betrayal, and money problems before achieving success.
Her continued belief in her product—and herself—ended up being her biggest strength. This movie showcases how using different marketing techniques and platforms can promote sales and brand awareness on a large scale, and it teaches how to be resourceful and not limit your actions to what society dictates if you really want to grow your business.
Also if you produce goods, you’d definitely learn, from this movie, to love what you make, because you are going to have to be your own cheerleader at times and seek out new platforms for exposure.
18. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS
Why learn the hard way when you can get all the business tips you need from movies like this? This film features an inspiring, quick, and classic rise up the corporate ladder. An optimistic recent college graduate, Brantley Foster played by Michael J. Fox, moves to New York City from his home in Kansas for a position in finance.
Shortly after arriving, he discovers the position has been eliminated. He begins work as a mailman and works his way up to an executive role through guts, persuasion, and business-savvy. So this guy literally puts on a suit, takes over an empty office, and poses as a new hire executive.
Lessons
Let’s not say too much because we don’t remember giving you a spoiler alert. However, a few lessons to learn from this great movie on business;
1. always, Always, ALWAYS have a Plan B.
2. Self-confidence is key.
3. Stand up for what you believe, even if it’s not the famous option.
4. Who are your support systems? Know them now.
5. Find a mentor. You’ll definitely get a whole lot more when you sit, relax, and enjoy the movie.
CONCLUSION
Whether or not you have the money, or are the best at what you do, all that matters for success is persistence and hard work, as these movies depict. And oh! Even if seeing these movies seems only like a pleasant pastime to you, you can’t do it without getting inspired to think about your resources and abilities, and maybe how to act on them to probably start your own business.
Do you think we missed some good movies to watch on business that just must make the list? Please share in the comment section below and we will update it. Waiting for you at the comment box.
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Three things make Onome really happy, no, four things totally excite her - hanging out with her family and friends, defending a cause, eating good food, and going to church!
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