Waking up and texting on your iPhone, checking on Facebook, using your Mac as your home office, or for shopping, listening to music, or watching your favorite TV shows on the web. Going to McDonald's to grab some lunch and maybe catching a Disney movie before going to bed. Who hasn't done any of these, any time, any day?
Although any of these innocuous actions may be part of many people's daily routines, we wonder how many people are aware that we are contributing to the growth of some of the largest companies ever built by any of these simple acts.
Some of these companies, Apple, Facebook, or McDonald's, are icons to the world of entrepreneurship. All of them result from brilliant and creative minds, many years of hard work, failure, and success, but most of all, they are the result of the persistence of ordinary people who fought to pursue their dreams.
We don't know any of them in person but luckily for us, some movies tell us about their story. Today's blog is about them. So, prepare yourself for a nice long weekend, grab your coffee, blanket, turn the screen on and get ready for these four stories that will surprise you and inspire you.
1. The Social Network (2010)
Mark Zuckerberg was one of the first great entrepreneurs of the last decades to be recently represented on the silver screen. Fincher´s The Social Network, winner of three Oscars, narrates the life of the founder of Facebook since he began to put his computer skills into practice while he was still in college. Although Zuckerberg himself has sometimes mentioned that the character who represents him is not totally faithful to reality, the rest of the script is quite reliable and accurately describes the events that occurred since his college years.
If you want to know more about the harsh and hazardous road that this young technological entrepreneur had to travel, The Social Network may be an excellent choice.
Here is the official trailer of The social network: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4
2. Steve Jobs (2015)
Steve Jobs is famous for his love-hate relationship with his colleagues and some critics-- with society at large. Many films focus on Apple's charismatic founder, the movie Jobs (2013), Gibney's documentary film Steve Jobs: The Man Insider the Machine (2015). However, one of the most faithful representations of this computer genius is Boyle's 2015 Steve Jobs. The film was endorsed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak who openly declared that this picture best represented Steve Jobs' real personality.
The film explores the personal and professional challenges that Jobs had to face in the earlier stages of his entrepreneurial career, from the Macintosh launch to the later developments of the iMac. This fascinating movie takes the audience through the company's ups and downs, offering a never-before-seen vision of Jobs that will surely inspire you.
Check out the Steve Jobs official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEr6K1bwIVs
3. Walt Before Mickey (2015)
Without a doubt, Walt Disney is one of the most significant references in the history of the film industry. He has received many different recognitions and awards, just a brief mention to highlight that Disney holds a total record of 22 Academy Awards and was nominated a total of 59 times. Many people don't know that he had to overcome multiple obstacles before building his empire. Walt Before Mickey shows us the fascinating journey through the complicated beginnings of the artist's early life. An entertaining narrative that allows us to get a closer look at Disney's human side, his dreams, and the creation of his famous character, Mickey Mouse, before reaching universal success.
From Walt's story, full of emotional determination and economic struggle, we can learn the simple, clear, and powerful message: chase your dream and never give up.
4. The founder (2016)
If you ask anyone about the quintessential fast-food chain, most people will say it is McDonald's. And this is probably true. However, if you ask them how this restaurant chain got to be one of the world's largest, most people will probably not know. The Founder will tell you the story. Although the company was initially founded by the McDonald brothers (hence the brand name), the real strategy for its expansion came from someone else: Ray Kroc. The Founder tells the true story of Kroc, an American salesman who quickly captured McDonald's enormous potential early on. His drive and entrepreneurial vision led him to rapidly expand the business until he ended up buying the company from the founding brothers.
Beyond Roy Kroc's controversial history with the McDonald brothers, the film offers an intriguing approach on the ruthless side of the business world showing the pros and cons of doing whatever it takes to get what you want.
In short, anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur must be aware that it will not be an easy road and that even the best entrepreneurs who have created some of the largest and most valuable companies in the world had to overcome numerous obstacles. If you think you have the drive and spirit of an entrepreneur, enjoy watching these movies and look for inspiration in their stories.
Lastly, if you want to discover more about your own skills, don't miss our leadership and entrepreneurship courses:
Leadership course: https://www.infinitespur.com/leadership-for-the-future
Entrepreneurship course: https://www.infinitespur.com/introduction-to-entrepreneurship