Movies are mostly watched to just relax the mind and have some fun. But apart from watching movies for leisure, there is a lot you can learn about the plight of entrepreneurs from the comfort of your couch.
Whether you are just starting out on your business venture or have been at it for years, you can glean some powerful insights from these 15 entrepreneurship movies.
1. STEVE JOBS
Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.
2. THE FOUNDER
The Founder is the story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers’ innovative fast food eatery, McDonald’s, into the biggest restaurant business in the world, with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness.
3. CHEF
Chef is about a head chef who quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise while piecing back together with his estranged family.
4. SILICON COWBOYS
In Silicon Cowboys, three friends dream up the Compaq portable computer at a Texas diner in 1981 and soon find themselves battling mighty IBM for PC supremacy. Their improbable journey altered the future of computing and shaped the world we now know.
5. SOMETHING VENTURED
Something Ventured is a story of how a few individuals built an industry that would go on to finance nearly all of the major advancements in technology in the past 50 years with companies such as Atari, Genentech, Apple, Intel, and more.
6. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
The Social Network depicts Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, who creates a social networking site that would become known as Facebook. He is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
7. PIRATES OF SILICON VALLEY
This is a movie which talks about the history of Apple and Microsoft.
8. MONEYBALL
In Moneyball, Oakland A’s general manager, Billy Beane’s successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
9. THE INTERNSHIP
This is a movie about two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.
10. THE FIRST $20 MILLION IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST
This movie talks about Andy who works in marketing but wants to create something “real” so he gets a job in research with a huge pay cut. He teams up with 3 nerds to develop a $99 PC for 3rd world students.
11. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
This movie is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption, and the federal government.
12. THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ
This is the story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
13. CROCODILE IN THE YANGTZE
This movie follows China’s first Internet entrepreneur and former English teacher, Jack Ma, as he battles US giant eBay on the way to building China’s first global Internet company, Alibaba Group.
14. MIDDLE MEN
This movie tells the story of Jack Harris, one of the pioneers of internet commerce, as he wrestles with his morals, and struggles not to drown in a sea of conmen, mobsters, drug addicts, and porn stars.
15. JOBS
Jobs is the story of Steve Jobs’ ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
And there you have it, must-watch movies for every entrepreneur. Apart from the entertainment and leisure aspect of watching these movies, you also gain a deep insight into the intricacies of entrepreneurship.
