The 5 Most Motivational Movies For Entrepreneurs

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There are many motivational movies for entrepreneurs. As we know, entrepreneurship is not easy; you are facing a long, unpredictable and risk-filled road. You will find failure visiting you time after time, and you have to just keep pushing it out. There are going to be times when you feel like giving up because you don’t think you can do it anymore.

At such times, it is wise to take a breather and find your way back again. If you are looking for inspiration from movies, then read on. I’m about to share with you the 5 most motivational movies for entrepreneurs and the lessons you can learn from them.

*** There might be spoilers ahead ***

1. Moneyball

Duration: 2 h 13 min

Not into baseball? Neither am I. With my little knowledge about how the game works, I still enjoyed watching it very much and I am sure you will too.

This movie is based on real people and real events and it tells the story of Billy Beane and Peter Brand. Billy Beane is a general manager of an American professional baseball team and young Peter Brand is an economics graduate from Yale.

Peter Brand uses a method called sabermetrics to assess the value of a player, as opposed to the traditional method of relying on intuition to select players.

Although this is unconventional, Billy Beane saw the potential in using this strategy and believed in it. After facing multiple rejections and hostility towards this idea, they successfully formed a championship team that consisted of talented yet undervalued players.

These are some takeaways I had from Moneyball:

1. To always consider new possibilities
2. To embrace changes
3. That being out of the ordinary is needed to achieve the extraordinary
4. That I still do not understand baseball

Mixed in with a sprinkle of humour here and there, Moneyball is an excellent film that will inspire you to courageously take the road less travelled.

Moneyball began with this quote:

It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.

Mickey Mantle

Sometimes, when we follow others too closely, we lose sight of what is ahead.

Moneyball is available on Netflix. If you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?

2. Hidden Figures

Duration: 2 h 6 min

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and will gladly rewatch it several times. Hidden Figures is based on a true event and tells the story of 3 African-American women who worked as mathematicians in NASA during the 1960s. They are Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.

During those times, there was extensive racial and gender inequality; it was normal to have separate restrooms for the white people and the coloured people. Although times are changing and the perpetual prevalence of discrimination is fought against and gradually diminishing, this film contains several themes that will continue to stay relevant and embolden you to fight against difficult circumstances.

In this 2 hours film, get ready to be inspired by these 3 ladies who, through their hard work and determination, proved themselves in an empire dominated by white males. You will applaud the resilience these ladies had and be moved by their courage to keep their heads up despite being looked down upon.

You can catch this film now on Netflix.

3. Joy

When you hear about successful entrepreneurial stories, you feel inspired. But don’t stop here. Carry on and use this inspiration to achieve equally great results.

The film Joy reveals many hard truths of entrepreneurship; that the journey is not all rainbows and unicorns but an incredibly rocky one. Yet, it also shows us that there is a way to get ahead. Following the journey of Joy Mangano, we will see how she started off as someone who struggled financially to finally becoming a successful independent businesswoman. How inspiring is that?

Throughout the film, we will see how Joy overcame countless trials and tribulations to achieve great results. From her journey, I have learnt two important lessons:

1. Do not be afraid to ask for help from people we trust
2. It is important to ask for advice and consider feedbacks given to us. However, we should take courage to execute decisions that we think are right, even if they oppose what we are told.

Joy is truly an inspirational film that shows us that success is for everyone, and you will not be disappointed.

4. The Big Short

The Big Short is directed by Adam Mckay and is based on the 2007-2008 financial crisis that occurred in the United States due to the collapse of the housing market. It tells the story of four financial professionals who successfully predicted the crash of the housing market and profited from this.

The Big Short is a great film starring many strong-performing actors, and it absolutely encouraged me in two aspects. Firstly, their hard work to have a good understanding about the field. Secondly, their confidence to trust in their calculated predictions in spite of having no one else on their side.

This film is heavy with financial jargons and may become complicated for those who have not yet familiarise themselves with them. But do not be put off by this issue, for you are not alone and you can resolve this issue.

You will be able to find many write-ups online explaining the economics of this film and easily search up terms that confuses you. In addition, there will also be the occasional cameo appearances of celebrities like Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie to explain complicated financial instruments. Therefore, you will be well-equipped to enjoy this film.

Get ready to find your motivation in The Big Short now on Netflix.

5. Free Solo

Last but definitely not the least is Free Solo.

Apart from keeping you on the edge of your seat and leaving you with sweaty palms, this film will ignite the fire in you. While entrepreneurship may not require you to climb a mountain, the high risk of failing and the myriad of doubts that might assail you make them very much similar.

This film documents Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber. Before this, Alex had a goal to free solo El Capitan, that is to climb the mountain without any protective equipment. No one had ever done this before, and Alex wanted this achievement to be filmed. However, many people around him were opposed to this idea. They were reluctant and had many concerns; what if he fell to his death during the shoot? Could they deal with that?

This documentary follows the entire process leading up to the climb, and it importantly highlights the amount of effort required to achieve greatness. Behind every success is months, years or even decades of hard work and failures and most importantly, the courage to take big leaps.

And I quote:

With great risk comes great reward.

Thomas Jefferson

Conclusion

These are my recommendations for a list of motivational movies for entrepreneurs. Perhaps after watching one of these, you might find the spark that will fuel you on on this seemingly endless journey.

I hope this article has been helpful!

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