If you’re a small business owner looking to grow your company, you’ve undoubtedly perused your fair share of how-to books and articles. But, let’s be honest, we all get tired of the countless hours of instruction-reading. So, it may be a nice change for you to watch a few documentaries instead! Here is a list of the top videos for entrepreneurs trying to grow their business.
- Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006)
This film centers on the New York Cosmos, a successful the team from North American Soccer League owned by Steve Ross and Ahmet Ertegun. This documentary highlights the importance of attracting talented individuals to your company, a point that is proven by recounting the events of 1975 when the Cosmos signed a $5 million contract for a top athlete in order to help their struggling team. A mere two years later, the New York Cosmos won the NASL championship game.
- The Call of the Entrepreneur (2007)
This documentary focuses on three driven entrepreneurs: a dairy farmer, a merchant banker and a refugee from communist China. “The Call of the Entrepreneur” shows how each of these hardworking individuals was able to overcome adversity and reminds us that society depends on entrepreneurial ideas to grow and thrive.
- Beer Wars (2009)
“Beer Wars” is somewhat of a play on the Biblical story of David and Goliath in that it shows the adventures of small American brewers battling the market giants such as Anheuser-Busch. This film especially applies to those small business owners who are attempting to grow businesses in an already-established market. The take-home message is that the importance of educating your customers on the superiority of your product cannot be underestimated. To quote Same Adam’s founder, Jim Koch, “Almost all our beer knowledge comes from Budweiser, Miller and Coors. It’s as if all we knew about food we learned from McDonalds.”
- Steve Jobs: One Last Thing (2012)
Specifically focused on the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, “Steve Jobs: One Last Thing” highlights the highs and lows of Jobs’ career from the perspective of his closest peers. Jobs’ story should serve to motivate any entrepreneur as it proves that the ideas of one man are enough to change the way the world works.
The Map Makers 