13 inspirational documentaries for entrepreneurs

We understand that starting a business can be a pretty wild ride and that some business owners experience feelings of guilt when they do anything outside of work, not involved with running their businesses.

Documentaries have a way of conveying profound ideas in an entertaining way that can lead to new thoughts, inspire action or simply shine a light on a stones unturned.

If you’re struggling to unplug, we hope these 13 documentaries will not only inspire you (to continue) to pursue your dreams, but also to kick back and de-stress for a moment — you’ll probably end up learning something.

Indie Game: The Movie

Why watch? Outside the comfort of big game studios, the movie follows the emotional ups and downs of of indie game developers as they put everything on the line to bring their ideas to life. It’s a fascinating look into the lives of struggling entrepreneurs that risk everything for their vision.

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview

Why watch? The interview from 1995 reveals fascinating insights into one of the most brilliant entrepreneurial minds of our time. Done while Steve Jobs was still at NeXT, the interview shows Jobs at this witty and charismatic best talking about disruption, the start of Apple and his vision of the future.

Wisdom by Andrew Zuckerman

Why watch? It’s a documentary about insights into life by some really notable people. “Your best work is an expression of yourself.” “Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.” “You don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to be an army. If you find yourself in a situation, that needs to be changed, if you’re willing to offer your life for it, you might actually get something done.”

Occupation: Fighter

Why watch? Entrepreneurs are fighters, not quite like the people in this documentary, but the same type of determination and dedication to win permeates both walks of life.

The Island President

Why watch? It’s a movie about approaching and overcoming really big problems. President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives fights against global warming for the survival of his country.

Transcendent Man

Why watch? Bill Gates calls Ray Kurzweil “the best person I know at predicting the future.” If you’ve ever wondered about what the future holds, there’s probably no one more qualified, revered and seemingly “crazy” than Ray Kurzweil. The documentary reveals his insights into a time that humans will merge with machines, live forever, and become billions of times more intelligent; all within the next thirty years.

Mind Over Money

Why watch? Gain fascinating insights into how the human brain works when it comes to money.

Freakonomics

Why watch? “If you can figure out what people’s incentives are, you have a good chance at guessing how they’re going to behave.” The documentary explores human behavior through unique research.

Startup.com

Why watch? Learn from the rise and fall of a tech startup around the time of the dot-com bubble (1995–2000).

Man On Wire

Why watch? Don’t let anyone convince you that your dream is too big and your vision too ambitious. Watch as tightrope walker Philippe Petit perform a daring, but illegal, high-wire routine between New York City’s World Trade Center twin towers in 1974.

Craigslist Joe

Why watch? Some services or products, conceived in simplicity, become massive influences on society. One has to imagine that when Craig Newmark created classified advertisements website Craigslist, he would have been happy to see it merely grow to serve the purpose it was intended for. But, it has become so much more. Watch as 29-year-old Joseph Garner leaves everything behind and aims to survive solely on the support of people advertising on Craigslist.

Corporation

Why watch? The documentary shows how capitalism has displaced politics as the controlling element in society. It shows the tremendous power corporations hold and it exposes how people, under the guise of corporations can get away with anything.

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi

Why watch? Take a look as obsessive discipline, rituals, passion and the quest for perfection leads to phenomenal sushi, but at the same time, puts strain and tension on relationships.