We are currently in our third national lockdown and most of us are spending our time scrolling through what Netflix has to offer, but if you’re someone who has found their entrepreneurial spark during this time you may be looking for something a little bit more motivational, educational or inspiring.
Well, we’ve done the hard work for you and put together a list of the best business based TV shows, documentaries and movies that you can watch on Netflix right now.
Pepsi, Where My Jet?
Twenty year old John Leonard made headlines when he attempted to win a fighter jet following a Pepsi sweepstakes advertisement. The show follows ambitious Leonard in his entrepreneurial ventures to collect as many Pepsi labels needed to claim the jet, as well as the lengthy court battle in which Pepsi refute Leonard’s claim to the aircraft.
What you will learn: Determination! Without giving too much away, no matter the outcome of the court case, Leonard proved himself as a tenacious and driven individual with ambition – a good quality of any entrepreneur.
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates
An insightful documentary about one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates. The documentary tells the life story of Bill and each episode will help you to understand his thinking and how he used his knowledge to become one of the world’s richest men.
What you will learn: This documentary will help to highlight some of the characteristics of an incredibly successful entrepreneur and help you to value these traits.
Dirty Money
Dirty Money is a series that documents and examines instances of corporate greed and corruption in some of the world’s biggest corporations within the global economy. Each episode unpicks a different case using interviews and footage to tell the story. Some of the scandals include Volkswagen, HSBC, pharmaceutical giants, Donald Trump and pay day loan companies.
What you will learn: That you do not need to use exploitation as a way to achieve success and power.
Fyre Festival: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
What started out as a brilliant business idea quickly turned in to one of the biggest business disasters. Fyre documents the numerous failings of the young entrepreneur, Billy McFarland, on the run-up to his event ‘Fyre Festival’ which was advertised as a luxury, high profile music festival but actually materialised into chaos and a jail sentence.
What you will learn: This programme will help you to understand the importance of planning and also give you an insight into the power of influencer marketing and why it is crucial to get it right.
Steve Jobs
Similar to the Bill Gates documentary, Steve Jobs is a biopic which delves into the life of the man behind one of the biggest tech companies, Apple. It gives you a behind-the-scenes perspective on how Steve Jobs used his passion and visionary talents to revolutionise technology and what boundaries he had to overcome along the way.
What you will learn: Risk-taking can be extremely rewarding but may also lead to personal sacrifice.
Self Made
Self Made is a film that will tell you the true story of African American entrepreneur, CJ Walker. CJ Walker was America’s first female self-made millionaire and her journey took her from washerwoman to empire owner. This film will show you how she pursued her dreams all whilst overcoming business rivalries, racial and gender biases, betrayal and a number of personal issues.
What you will learn: Breaking boundaries and believing in your dreams will always help you to prevail.
Broken
Reminding us that consumerism comes at a cost, Broken highlights how some of the world’s most popular consumer products can often be the most dangerous to its consumers and the planet. It is an informative documentary that exposes corruption and ethical rule breaking in industries like cosmetics, technology and furniture and shows us how a rapidly expanding market can often compromise the quality of what we purchase.
What you will learn: How some business practices and disingenuous marketing tactics can create the type of consumerism that is bad for us all.
The Social Network
The Social Network tells the story of how Mark Zuckerberg started his life as an undergraduate and quickly became one of the youngest billionaires ever after inventing the global social network platform, Facebook. The plot reveals how his journey to success was not straightforward and that it even led to lawsuits and the loss of friends.
What you will learn: Sometimes starting a business can put a strain on friendships and relationships.
Looking for even more insight into the world of entrepreneurship? Birmingham City Business School offer a wide variety of Business and Management degrees.
