Small Business Center

Movies have a big impact on our everyday life. There is no denying that even with DVRs where we can record everything on cable television, we still take a lot of time to watch movies. The 2009 movie “Avatar” now has become the highest grossing film in history — by a wide margin.

In fact, technology has increased our appetite to watch to entertain ourselves since we can now watch not only on television, but computers and smartphones.

There’s no reason to feel guilty about watching a movie, thinking you should be working instead.

Relax! You can actually learn about business by watching movies!

I asked a few small business leaders what were their favorite movie quotes of all time and then I thought about what I learned from that movie. Grab your popcorn and take a look at what they shared:

NO EXCUSES!

Movie:  Goodfellas. “Business is bad? F-you, pay me.  Oh, you had a fire? F-you, pay me.  Place got hit by lightning, huh?  F-you, pay me.” (From Bob London)

• Lesson: If you are part of the organization, there are no excuses for results. It is also an incentive to keep your company overhead low so you have cash to pay for what you really need.

FOCUS FIRST, GROW LATER!

Movie: Jerry Maguire: Remember the Mission Statement? “We are losing our battle with all that is personal and real about our business. Every day I can look at a list of phone calls only partially returned. Driving home, I think of what was not accomplished, instead of what was accomplished.”

• Lesson: Fewer clients, more personal attention makes for a better business. Growth for growth’s sake is a bad business strategy.

STAND UP FOR YOUR BUSINESS!

Movie: Road House: “Be nice.  Be nice until it is time to not be nice.”  (From Prasann Thakrar)

• Lesson: Being nice in business does not always get the results you want. Many times, we need to press our point.

RISE TO THE OCCASION

Movie: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium: “Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.” (From by Phillip Zannini – @PhillyMac)

• Lesson: We need to remember that we are responsible for our own success. Never look for that one magic bullet in business or for someone to save you because no one is coming. The magic comes from the hard work you give to your business.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO SELL

Movie: Glengarry Glen Ross “Good leads are for closers”.  (From Vicki Donlan)

• Lesson: You need to know what to do with a lead if you are going to close a sale. There is no substitution for being able to sell. We all need to learn and have skilled sales people on our team.

GET TOUGH — DON’T COMPLAIN!

Movie: A League of Their Own: “There is no crying in Baseball”.  (From Scratch at Boston Baby Dolls).

• Lesson: No matter how bad it gets, long term, crying does not help us in business.

From the same movie “Of course this is ‘hard’:

• Lesson: People always tell me that their business is especially hard. Guess what, every business is hard.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE POWERFUL

Movie: Hustle & Flow – You’re in charge of your business and the power of marketing relationships.  (From Elizabeth W. Wilson)

• Lesson: No matter where you come from, you can become successful.

DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN’T DO

Movie: Legally Blonde: Elle uses what she has to achieve her goals. (Submitted by Phillip Zannini)

• Lesson: We all need to make it work from where we are right now

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life:  The movie shows the principles of leadership. George Bailey puts his customers, employee and family interests first by taking responsibility.  (From Stephen Antisdel of Precept Partners)

• Lesson: If more financial institutions has operated this way maybe the “Great Recession” would have been avoided.

LOVE YOUR LIFE

My favorite movie quotes are from the movie, Jerry Maguire, as said by Jerry’s mentor, Dickie Fox:

”Hey, I don’t have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I failed as much as I have succeeded. But I love my wife. I love my life. And I wish you my kind of success.”

Want more? Check out Kevin Coupe and Michael Sansolo, the co-author of The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies interview on my radio show.

What are your favorite quotes or business lessons from movies?  Share them below.

Learn more about what’s important to your small business today. Here is our latest roundup of the news articles and blogs we’re reading and what’s important, from Small Business Trends.

Policy

Will small business really be better off with another layer of government regulation? Some small businesses have come out in support of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes. Entrepreneur.com

The road to patent reform runs through the Eastern District of Texas. VC investor Brad Feld runs this op ed about patent litigation in the U.S. and how it could strangle innovative small to medium sized businesses. Feld Thoughts

Employer-provided health insurance remains in proposal.  Excerpts from President Obama’s  remarks on his health care program today.  “The proposal I’ve put forward … builds on the current system where most Americans get their health insurance from their employer.” National Review Online

Tech

Want to know how other small businesses are using social media? Here’s a cool graph with stats and some other information. Mashable

Some things are just too good to be true. Free hosted phone service for your small business may be one of them. Be sure the company will still be around when you need them. SmallBizTechnology.com

Credit

The problem with small business – is it really lack of credit? In this interview, Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) insists he was told by one small business owner that lack of customers or sales was not the problem but only lack of credit due to lack of capital in the banking industry. How many small business owners would agree? TalkRadioNews.com

What do you need to buy a business? Before you even think about trying to secure a loan or other financing here are some things you may need to consider. Business.gov

Marketing

So, what do those little stars next to some Google search results mean? They may be an important factor in your Website’s positioning in the future and an important consideration when marketing your presence online. Wayne Liew Dot Com

New Hampshire small businesses are bucking a trend and exceeding the national average in exporting overseas. How that state’s small to medium sized companies are fostering growth and how other entrepreneurs can imitate their success at marketing abroad. NashuaTelegraph.com

What marketers really can’t stand about advertising agencies. Lack of communications, industry knowledge and insight into clients’ needs top the list in this report. American Association of Advertising Agencies

Who are you following on social media? If you’re just checking your own brand, you may be missing the boat. BetterCloser.com

Operations

Small business payrolls showed a 2% increase in hiring and slightly larger paychecks. From the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard for February 2010. Data based on thousands of small business payrolls. SurePayroll.com

Despite the best laid plans, your product or service will someday fall short of customer expectations. Roger Breisch, Executive Director at the Batavia, Illinois Chamber of Commerce draws on 25 years of business experience  about when the worst happens. Oops…There Goes My Worldview

What if there were a simple and complete guide on how to keep your customers happy? You’re in luck! Ken Beaulieu has seven tips that should keep customers and clients sticking to you like glue. FuelNet.com

Steer clear of the usual tax preparation pitfalls by keeping good records. Tips from the Associated Press to keep your business out of trouble at tax time. Associated Press

The secret to turning your business into one you can sell. John Warrillow draws on his experiences building his business, which he sold a few years ago. Small Business Trends