One of the scariest things about entrepreneurship is getting so involved in your business that you forget to take care of yourself. There are nights when an entrepreneur stays up until 5 am, days when they hardly eat anything, and weeks where they barely leave their home. It’s easy to think that all of this sacrifice will pay off eventually.
However, if it’s not balanced with some time for leisure activities, even just once in a while, there can be serious consequences.
“Balance” seems like such a simple word but it represents something that many entrepreneurs fail at achieving.
Between work and family life there’s no guarantee an entrepreneur has enough time or energy remaining to do anything truly fun for themselves
That’s why it’s important to have a few movies you can watch to relax and learn from because no matter how busy life gets, it’s important to remember that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
There are so many amazing entrepreneur movies out there these days that it’s hard to choose which ones will end up becoming the future classics. These are our picks for the top 25 best entrepreneurial films of 2024.
To make this list we considered originality, story-telling quality, production value, how much an entrepreneur could relate or learn from each film.
Of course, any one movie is never going to be a “perfect” model but hopefully, they give budding entrepreneurs some insight into their own business journey as well as remind them not to forget about themselves every once in a while.
Top 25 Entrepreneurial Films of 2024
1. The Pursuit of Happyness:
Based on the true story of Chris Gardner and his struggles to raise his son as a single father, this movie will remind any entrepreneur about what’s really important in life and how difficult it can be to find that balance between all of your obligations.
2. Office Space:
Even if you’re not an office worker by trade there probably comes a time when almost everyone feels like Peter Gibbons, looking at their jobs wishing they would just disappear already because no matter how hard they work it doesn’t ever feel like they’re seeing any return on the effort they put in.
A funny and relatable film for anyone who has ever felt underpaid and overworked.
3. The Jungle Book:
Although it’s not a true story and the main character Mowgli is actually an orphan, this movie will be one every entrepreneur should watch because of all of the amazing things it can teach about life in general and how no matter your past you can always control what happens to you in the future by listening to your instincts and following your heart.
It’s also filled with great entrepreneurial wisdom like “treat people how you want to be treated” and “live life king size” which any budding business owner should pay attention to.
4. Fight Club:
Be prepared for some serious spoilers here but there isn’t a single entrepreneur that won’t learn something important from reading or watching this cult classic.
So much so that it’s been studied by business schools around the world as a fantastic example of why consumer culture is not something to aspire to and how even if you have nothing left there are still things worth fighting for.
5. The Lobster:
This movie isn’t your average comedy but shares a very important message about life as a business owner and what happens when you stop worrying about yourself and only others around you which can make an entrepreneur stressed out, unhappy, physically sick, and more likely to fail at everything they’re doing.
6. Kung Fu Panda:
If you’re an ambitious entrepreneur no matter how much you’ve accomplished and all the hard work you’ve put in, it’s important to be reminded of other people out there like you who make things happen for themselves.
The underdog storyline appeals to every entrepreneurs’ need to succeed and even if we don’t have martial arts skills we can always try to imagine what living in a panda bear body would be like because God knows it couldn’t be any worse than our own!
7. It’s a Wonderful Life:
There are so many great quotes from this film that apply perfectly to being an entrepreneur but for us, the most relatable part is the feeling of never being appreciated.
No matter what do or how hard we work for our businesses it never feels like enough, but sometimes all it takes is one person to make absolutely sure you know how special what you’re doing for them actually is.
8. The Secret of NIMH:
Entrepreneurial movies that teach lessons are great and all but there’s nothing wrong with showing your kids a film that encourages curiosity, creativity, determination, and the power of the mind even if they’re not even old enough to understand it yet (which we can almost guarantee they will do someday.)
A fantastic example of how an entrepreneur should react when life throws them a curveball and they need to find new ways to solve problems!
9. Mr Popper’s Penguins:
A film about a man who is so driven by his work that he neglects the things closest to him? Tell us more!
Despite being a comedy there are plenty of lessons to be learned from how Mr Popper deals with adversity and all of the mistakes he makes when it comes to managing both his career and personal life.
For any entrepreneur, this movie will definitely hit home in some areas where they need improvement.
10. It Happened One Night:
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur then this 1934 classic will show you exactly what not to do in your love life if you want your business to succeed.
A quick reminder that money doesn’t equal happiness and that it’s important to remember who you were before whatever crisis you’re currently facing took over your life.
11. Annie:
We can all agree that there is nothing more inspirational than a young girl (or boy for that matter) believing in themselves enough to make their dreams come true no matter what anyone else tells them.
A reminder of the importance of working on developing our own natural talents instead of constantly striving towards something we’ll never be good at, which will only lead to stress and disappointment (and therefore more stress.)
12. The Martian:
If an entrepreneur has ever got into trouble while trying to get ahead then Matt Damon is the perfect role model for us because he knows exactly how to handle getting left behind by his team and turning a bad situation into a great one.
A reminder that even though there’s a good chance we’ll fail at least it will be on our own terms and if we do succeed, well the rewards are going to be all ours.
13. Wall-E:
Okay so maybe it doesn’t have much in the way of plot, but if you ever need some inspiration to keep going with your mission then just remember that eventually, humanity will come back around to scavenging for their next meal in the garbage dump and when they do, maybe our entrepreneurial efforts will finally pay off!
14. The Truman Show:
We could just say this movie is about how much we’d love to have our own reality TV show but when you get right down to it, Truman is actually a reminder that what we think is our whole universe isn’t in fact anywhere near as important in the grand scheme of things.
Sure there are times when we all need some self-validation but usually, the only opinion worth worrying about is your own so don’t waste too much time caring what everyone else thinks!
15. American Psycho:
This is kind of perfect for entrepreneurs who let their work consume them and spend way too long obsessing over a single task which in turn turns them into a psychopath.
Okay, so maybe you’re not going to literally become a murderer by working too hard but it is important to remember that we need to have an outlet for our creative energy, or else we could eventually go insane!
16. Jerry Maguire:
This is the perfect film for those times when we really want to impress our bosses and convince them that we’re doing an amazing job even though they’re still not completely convinced.
Whenever we feel like giving up this movie reminds us that as long as you never let go of your dreams then eventually you’ll get there, just keep putting one foot in front of the other!
17. That Thing You Do!:
We all know how important teamwork is but sometimes it’s also necessary to be the hero who makes everything happen on their own.
Tom Hanks shows us how following your gut instincts can lead to success no matter what anyone else thinks, after all, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose just as long as you do it with style!
18. The Lego Movie:
There’s something to be said for the whole ‘think outside the box’ philosophy and it’s exactly why this movie can really help entrepreneurs in their day-to-day routine, especially if they’re having a hard time getting started with a new venture or just struggling to come up with fresh ideas.
It’s important to remember that as an entrepreneur you have the power within yourself to do anything you want if you set your mind to it!
19. Iron Man:
Tony Stark is kind of a genius when it comes down to inventing all those complicated gadgets but more importantly he reminds us that even on bad days we should never give up on our dreams because there will always be a smarter plan waiting right around the corner.
20. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:
Anyone who’s ever had to work hard every single day only to be stuck in an office doing the same thing over and over again really needs to watch this movie because, like its main character, Ferris, we all deserve a day off now and then no matter what our job is.
21. The Godfather:
In any given situation, being able to size up a potential business partner is definitely going to be easier when you have someone who can offer you inside information so it helps to have friends in places where other people would consider ‘the enemy.’
Of course, if things go wrong then there may come a time where you find yourself having to make a tough decision and sever ties with whichever group of ‘friends’ you’d rather not turn against you, but by then hopefully, you’ll have learned enough from the Godfather to figure out what needs to be done.
22. Up In The Air:
This isn’t exactly a feel-good film which is why it’s important never to spend too long away from those who are closest to us or we risk starting to lose touch with our friends as well as with those who care about us most.
It is possible however to still enjoy some parts of life even when you’re constantly traveling so remember to never give up on your dreams even when everything starts to go wrong.
23. Forrest Gump:
Sometimes you just need those moments in life that force you to take a step back and realize where you’re going wrong because as an entrepreneur it’s easy to get caught up in your work and lose track of everything else that might be important like friends or even money (that probably won’t happen though.)
24. Wall Street:
Having a mentor can really help entrepreneurs learn how they should best go about achieving their goals so if you’re not too sure how you should be spending your time then maybe it’s best to take a note from the movie Wall Street and surround yourself with people who know more than you do.
25. The Social Network:
We put this movie about Mark Zuckerberg at number one because while he may have made some mistakes when it comes to managing his company, there are always valuable lessons to be learned from watching someone else go through success or failure in their line of work.
The main message here is that if you want to make Facebook-like money then you need to thoroughly plan out what kinds of changes might spark an increase in revenue before diving straight into business without any research because otherwise, you’ll end up losing everything like poor Mark did!
Conclusion- Best Entrepreneurial Films 2024
This was my top list of best entrepreneurial films of 2024. Let me know which one is your favorite of yours in the comment section below.
Note- All Image credits to IMDB.com
