Entrepreneurs are wired differently than most people in society.  They are commonly achievement motivated, happy to work long hours, think out of the box, risk acceptant, and have strong faith in their abilities with an unwavering belief outcomes will be positive. The advice I frequently provide to high achieving business owners, salespeople, and management executives is that it is important to unplug and recharge your personal battery through vacation.  No person can go on indefinitely red lining their RPM’s.  Time off extends careers and enhances mental & physical health.  It also provides an opportunity to clear the mind and generate original thought.  Time off does not have to be extended, although vacations of over three days are shown to facilitate leaving daily issues behind and generating a higher level of relaxation.  It is amazing where the mind will go on a walk with no music or podcast or getting lost in a movie or book for an entrepreneur.

I personally like to unplug with movies.  I find it an easy way to break up my train of thought and force my mind to another place.  I commonly seek movies that enhance my knowledge or inspire me.  The following is a group of movies that I believe provide good inspirational content for entrepreneurs or those that dream of being entrepreneurs.  I have divided them into four categories of attributes (Vision, Knowledge, Execution, & Perseverance) which are paramount for success as a business owner.

Vision

All entrepreneurial success stories start with an idea and identification of an underserved opportunity.  The most recent movie I watched that inspired me with a person’s vision, faith, and execution was the limited release 2024 movie, Cabrini (https://youtu.be/ZaMlUazXvyY?si=MtJMyXZqaSk4qbsp).  It is the story of a non-profit sector entrepreneur who truly made the world a better place from a foundation of limited resources and support.  Another movie that inspires is Patch Adams (https://youtu.be/bKLQBuSPVwQ?si=wgR94XWRBXLYpz4a), featuring Robin Williams, which based on a true story demonstrates the value of identifying a problem and seeking a solution in an industry where society has deviated from addressing the underlying issue. A movie people commonly are unfamiliar with is Flash of Genius (https://youtu.be/0Biy-okZ0l8?si=6rMGwqTUfzEkdxlV).  The movie conveys that original ideas often come from the most unlikely sources and that in a just world the originator of the concept should get the credit and financial rewards.

Family movie nights were an event I looked forward to as a child and a concept I continued as a parent.  Children have fertile minds that need ideas and content to grow and blossom.  The concept of entrepreneurship is a good one to introduce at a young age.  If you are going to dream, why not dream BIG about your future. Two good movies to introduce entrepreneurship to children are the recently released Wonka (https://youtu.be/otNh9bTjXWg?si=Rh0UfAbLh51xfZM3) and Hotel for Dogs (https://youtu.be/ObY7W7BVypA?si=FiAD6ubODlzoh-tG).

Knowledge

Setting sail for new horizons without a map will diminish the likelihood of success. The best decisions and creations are born from a foundation of knowledge.  Knowledge can be gained through educational institutions, self-study, or field experience.  One of my favorite movie soliloquies from a business leader about how knowledge impacts business and consumer behavior is provided in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada (https://youtu.be/vL-KQij0I8I?si=zt3LuHF5b2DIDUQK). One of the attributes of knowledge is that once you have obtained it, no one can take it away.  Knowledge is also something that can be readily employed as an entrepreneur when little else is possessed.  A great movie that demonstrates the resiliency possible when an entrepreneur possesses knowledge & relevant skill is Chef (https://youtu.be/qK-ZUFX5fnk?si=cDvx9HlV9SERLCLZ).

Execution

An idea is just a thought until it is executed successfully.  Elon Musk correctly conveyed on the Joe Rogan Podcast (https://youtu.be/tAJUwiAqW38?si=wyPsJz8wyW3PATnF) that the idea is the easy part, it is execution of the idea at scale that is the difficult part.  A couple of movies that convey the importance of execution and the skill & knowledge necessary to do it correctly are The Social Network (https://youtu.be/mWoUgftTj3Y?si=0vab8uydolZGpqt2) and Ford vs. Ferrari (https://youtu.be/zyYgDtY2AMY?si=d_OC9X4t2yeP91eO). The view from the top of the mountain is magnificent as an entrepreneur, but it should never be discounted that the climb there is likely to be difficult and test a person mentally, emotionally, and physically along the way. The other fact is that once at the top of the mountain, you will need to work hard to maintain the position and fight off competition. The movie Blackberry (https://youtu.be/fOj0lRfKiVE?si=B9S_34qbBulWbIij) conveys how a business can go from a dominant position in the market to non existent in a relatively short period.

Perseverance

I am an Oregon boy. I grew up in Beaverton, Oregon where Nike was born with the slogan, “Just Do It”.  One of my favorite movies to provide inspiration for myself personally is Prefontaine.  This scene from the movie (https://youtu.be/3xCKsE_owuQ?si=SKysPTse6SwVKXNZ) addresses a common concept for entrepreneurs, they are frequently not the smartest or most talented person in the room.  They instead have the ‘heart of champion” and achievement focused mentality that will accept nothing less than excellence in performance and success.  Two excellent movies about entrepreneurs, their drive, and perseverance on the pathway to success are The Aviator (https://youtu.be/FebPJlmgldE?si=7-BYIL8B555K0Mye) and Joy (https://youtu.be/SN4MLMHET7w?si=liPyQT-bOFZ3FNwJ).

Summer offers wonderful weather, long days, and quality local vacation destinations in the Pacific Northwest.  I am blessed to have lived in Washington & Oregon for most of my life.  IBA is honored to have served the entrepreneurial community with knowledge, experience, and skill since 1975 from the Pacific Ocean to the Snake River and North Cascades to Crater Lake.  If you had an idea, executed on your vision, and achieved success as a business owner and are now thinking about turning that achievement into a wealth creating event through sale, IBA’s large, talented team of intermediaries would like to talk with you and serve your needs from our seven offices spread throughout the region.  If you dream of being an entrepreneur and recognize it is much easier to take a business from $2 million in sales to $7 million than build from a foundation of zero revenue, we would also welcome the opportunity to support your journey.  All conversations with IBA are held in strict confidence.

If you elect to watch any of my movie suggestions, I welcome your thoughts.  If you have any film recommendations related to entrepreneurship or that are inspirational, I would also appreciate them.  Wishing all a good summer filled with family, friends, and shared experiences. That is the true wealth of life.  Hope you have some adventures and at minimum leave the office behind and get lost in a few movies.

IBA, the Pacific Northwest’s premier business brokerage firm since 1975, is available as an information resource to the media, business brokerage, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, legal, accounting, banking, and wealth management communities on subjects relevant to the purchase & sale of privately held companies and family businesses.  IBA is recognized as one of the best business brokerage firms in the nation based on its long track record of successfully negotiating “win-win” business sale transactions in environments of full disclosure employing “best practices”.