Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with highs and lows. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of cinematic inspiration to reignite that entrepreneurial flame.
Here, we’ve curated a list of six movies every founder, creator, or freelancer watches. You’ll not only enjoy but also learn invaluable lessons and motivation for navigating the unpredictable waters of entrepreneurship.
Grab your popcorn!
1. The Social Network
Discover the genius behind Facebook’s Rise
The Social Network is a fascinating story behind the creation of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg’s relentless pursuit of his vision and the challenges he faced make this film a must-watch for budding entrepreneurs. The film explores the entrepreneurial spirit, shedding light on the complexities of startups and the determination needed to overcome obstacles.
The internet’s not written in pencil, Mark, it’s written in ink.
Erica Albright
2. Joy
Empowering entrepreneurs with grit and resilience
Joy is a powerful narrative of a woman’s journey from adversity to triumph. Jennifer Lawrence portrays the tenacious Joy Mangano, a self-made businesswoman who transforms her life by inventing the Miracle Mop. The film beautifully captures the entrepreneurial spirit, emphasizing the importance of resilience, creativity, and unwavering belief in oneself.
Don’t ever think that the world owes you anything, because it doesn’t.
Rudy Mangano
3. Wall Street
Navigating the ambiguous world of finance
Wall Street delves into the cutthroat world of finance and the pursuit of success. The iconic character Gordon Gekko, portrayed by Michael Douglas, embodies the drive for wealth and power. For entrepreneurs, the movie serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked ambition and the importance of ethical business practices.
Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.
Gordon Gekko
4. Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Celebrating honesty and integrity in business
This Bollywood gem tells the story of Harpreet Singh Bedi, an unconventional salesman. This film stands out for its emphasis on ethical business practices and the value of honesty in entrepreneurship. It’s a refreshing take on success that inspires entrepreneurs to build their ventures on integrity.
Customer ke liye hum customer se jyada kuch nahi, aur employee ke liye hum company se jyada kuch nahi.” (For the customer, we are nothing more than the customer, and for the employee, we are nothing more than the company.
5. Pirates of Silicon Valley
Chronicles of tech titans: Jobs vs. Gates
For tech entrepreneurs, Pirates of Silicon Valley is a riveting exploration of the fierce rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The film captures the birth of the personal computer revolution, offering insights into the determination, innovation, and strategic thinking that fueled the success of these industry titans.
We’re not pirates. We’re not stealing, we’re extending a hand to them. We’re saying, ‘Join us. Invent your future with us.
Steve Jobs
6. The Pursuit of Happyness
From struggle to triumph, a tale of perseverance
Will Smith’s portrayal of Chris Gardner is a heartwarming tale of resilience and determination. Gardner’s journey from homelessness to a successful career on Wall Street serves as a testament to the power of perseverance. This film is a motivational compass for entrepreneurs facing adversity.
You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.
Chris Gardner
So there you have the list of business epics every entrepreneur watches. These movies not only entertain but also provide valuable insights and motivation for entrepreneurs. Whether you’re navigating the complexities of a startup, seeking inspiration for ethical business practices, or craving a dose of perseverance, these films offer a diverse range of lessons.
Where to Watch?
You can find these movies on popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Max, and more. Go and have some valuetainment!
Attention: During the week starting 13th of November 2023, many people in Tanzania received WhatsApp messages from a foreign number. The person identified to be a representative of an agency from Tanzania.
Our agency, Tanzlite Digital was among the brand names these automated messages used. Some of the messages read:
My name is Ayanna, I am a Senior Representative Officer at Tanzlite Digital Marketing agency . Our company is recruiting part-time/full-time online employees, Our job is very simple, May I take a few minutes of your time? I would like to share a job offer for you.
FAKE!
Hello Hello I am Cynthia a Senior Representative of of Tanzlite Digital Ltd . Our company is hiring online employees for part-time. Can I share salary and job details?
FAKE!
And another similar message came from Vinza Masana
First of all, this is a PURE Scam. Just look at it yourself. It’s bullshit.
Let us reiterate what we posted on all of our social media channels:
First: There are no titles or hierarchical structures at Tanzlite Digital. If you receive a message that sounds corporatey, like some senior somebody from us —that’s NOT us. We don’t have Vinza Masana, Ayanna, or any representative with a foreign number.
Second: Tanzlite doesn’t reach out to anyone. People reach out to us.
Third: We single out talent from LinkedIn only. Not in your WhatsApp app.
Fourth: There’s no one in a foreign country with a foreign number representing us.
And lastly: You’re too smart to be scammed by this automated WhatsApp message. It’s the AI version of “Ile hela tuma kwenye namba hii.”
What should you do when you receive such a scam message?
Block and report that number to WhatsApp IMMEDIATELY. Don’t even waste time to reply because it is probably not a human on the other side. Just automated messages reaching you by guessing random numbers. They will probably come with a different name and company but, you have been warned.
African startups founded by whites may be winning the funding and PR game, but the local market (which these founders are dimly aware of) delivers the final judgment.
As for Kune Food, the markets have spoken. The startup did not do its homework. Kune Food started off on the wrong foot when its founder tried to come up with a false narrative that he launched the startup after failing to get affordable ready-to-eat meals in Nairobi. A blatant lie that immediately backfired on social media. Kune Food later apologized but the damage was done.
To me, if the problem statement was based on a lie, then Kune Food was a dead startup before it even launched. The only reason it even managed to go that far is because of a white founder. The startup overlooked a lot of market realities.
Starting with the food pricing; If you ask salaried guys in Nairobi or Dar es Salaam whether they are willing to spend $3 per meal, these are common replies you would get:
“Bro, spending $3 on a single meal is a once-in-a-while thing for the majority of us”
“If you are looking for repeat business, try to innovate something around Mihogo or Mandazi”
“Three dollars on one meal? That’s two meals at Mama Aisha’s eatery”
You may argue that the price was not an issue, which may be true. After all, Kune Food sold more than 55,000 meals and acquired more than 6,000 individual customers and 100 corporate customers. So the price was not an issue, right?
My contention is that it is easy to be fooled by first-time orders coming in droves based on the marketing hype you have done. But as soon as people start seeing the hole you are digging into their personal finances with that $3 per meal, they go back to Mama Aisha. You are easy to replace.
Another major challenge that led to their demise is a logistics issue. A B2C startup with a delivery component in Africa is destined to fail. It is not about fancy slogans with nice apps and a great e-commerce website, the real deal is logistics. Maybe it works in South Africa but in other places, the cost of running such a business is too high.
All of these of course could have been addressed if Kune Food did their homework. Not everything that looks like a business is a business. More importantly, people do not use a tech-based business for the sake of “tech”. So nice apps and websites do not work if you don’t bring new value from what people are already getting.
The lesson from Kune Food’s collapse is that we should not do our ROI and feasibility studies while seated in fancy hotels. Go and talk to real people down the street. They have the answers. Avoid “peer-reviewed” market research papers. Talk to people.
Another lesson: be grateful your business is taking longer to grow. You can only break your business by trying to move things too fast. Kune Food was in a hurry to nowhere, the hiring spree was crazy, and the marketing hype was too flashy. It is always wise to take things slow.
Markets don’t care how many rounds of funding you have nailed. You may have that privilege to easily access funds but unless you have a solution people want, your days are numbered. Business is hard.
The COVID 19 pandemic has brought a new awakening to big and small businesses in Tanzania. It has been obvious now that undergoing digital transformation is the only way to keep your business going.
In fact, businesses that did not have a digital presence of any kind are the ones losing the most during this pandemic.
And the reality is that things are not going to get back to normal! In fact, things were already beginning to change even before the pandemic.
Before Covid19, the digital landscape in Tanzania was already taking significant growth (over 26 million Tanzanians were using the internet by the end of 2019). So it is fair to say COVID 19 has brought the future early.
It was only a matter of time before businesses were forced to undergo digital transformations.
Welcome to the new digital Darwinism: If you don’t adapt, you are left behind and forgotten.
There is a big need for businesses to rethink how they operate in the world that is increasingly becoming digital. Not to mention recurring uncertainties.
Undergoing significant digital transformations can help you stay relevant and connected with your customers.
By saying digital transformations for businesses we mean, among other things, having infrastructures such as being able to collaborate online (remote work), knowing the best tools to use, leveraging online platforms such as websites, and social channels to grow brand awareness, as well as staying abreast with current trends in the digital world.
The way forward here is to adapt – so that you won’t risk being run over by your competitor in the disruptive digital communication’s race.
So, what are we doing to help?
Knowing the challenges small businesses and entrepreneurs go through on the journey of taking their business online, we have decided to be part of the help. Here is what we are doing to offer help during this pandemic.
Providing resources such as content calendars, social media posting ideas, and other resources. This includes changing the focus of our blog articles into helping readers on how to grow their businesses in the digital world.
Creating websites at affordable prices everyone can manage (we know these are hard times financially) plus a dedicated SEO strategy to help startups get noticed on the web just like we did on our business.
AND HERE’S A GIFT FOR YOU: Download our list of social media posting ideas that can help you to increase engagement on your social channels. We use these exact ideas for our clients and they have proved to boost engagement especially on Instagram and Facebook.
And the best part of all, we are open to giving a dedicated Digital Marketing consultation to small business owners. This includes giving our best secrets that helped put us on top of Google in less than six months.
Wouldn’t you want to jump in front of your customers right at the moment when they are looking for you? Feel free to contact us HERE.
According to WHO, the virus spreads like the flu. Whenever someone with the virus coughs or exhales, they release droplets of infected fluid that can land on nearby surfaces like desks and can infect another person who comes into contact.
This health crisis is impacting everyone and everything in our daily activities including businesses. Events and workshops are now being canceled or postponed.
COVID-19 is impacting small businesses as they lack enough incentive to navigate during this time of uncertainty.
With that in mind, how will businesses continue to run smoothly in these challenging times? With everyone advised to self quarantine, your shop at Kariakoo is obviously going to receive fewer customers than usual and you are probably not going to able to import goods from highly affected countries.
If you are mamantilie selling maandazi at a school gate, your business is going to stop for 30 days.
With all these happening —what reasonably safe place can you go for shopping while not giving chances to contact COVID-19? Or if you have a business selling products and services, can you still sell (online and offer delivery?) without risking both your life and your customers’ lives coming at your shop?
It is time to work, buy and sell online (if possible)
Most Tanzanians are not big fans of buying online. They would rather go to an overcrowded Kariakoo or Karume marketplace looking for things to buy. But that is too risky especially now that we have confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the country.
During this social distancing time, it is important for businesses to leverage onlineplatforms that offer selling and buying services.
For schools, now is a crucial moment to start thinking of going digital. Event planners and organizers should forget about venues for a moment and shift to podcasts and webinars.
For managers in companies, now is the time to create remote work infrastructure and learn how to collaborate with your workers online. By using online collaboration tools like Trello, you can still work together even when you are quarantined.
Remember to use exact change when doing payments. If possible, always use mobile money payment.
It is time to embrace e-commerce and online platforms as a way to avoid crowds in Tanzania’s marketplaces. This will help you maintain minimal contacts with the crowd and stand a good chance of not being infected by the virus.
Remember, the basic protective measures against coronavirus include washing your hands frequently, maintain social distancing, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and practice respiratory hygiene.
All in all, safety and family comes first.
Coronavirus is real. Stay at home and don’t forget to put on your mask when you’re in mwendokasi or any crowded area. Avoid rumors and seek information from trusted sources only. Stay safe 🙏🏽.
As of November 27, Jumia announced to have made a difficult decision to cease its operations in Tanzania.
The Africa’s e-commerce giant has just decided to pull out from the 23 million internet users in the country. A statement from the company revealed that the retailer has decided to focus on operations in other countries where they can bring the best value and help Jumia thrive.
Business Insider reported that Jumia’s decisions have come at a time where the company is suffering terrible losses.
Does this suggest the difficulty in doing online business in the country?
Or it’s just Jumia’s failed business model? Because it is reported that the retailer has also closed down business in Cameroon.
We would say both. Yes, Tanzania is a difficult place for a business to go digital but also Jumia’s failed business strategy may be the reason.
Here are the reasons why;
Despite the growing number of internet users in Tanzania, the majority of them are not well equipped with online experience. Especially when it comes to shopping online.
It is hard to go digital in a community where people can barely tell the difference between Sign In and Sign Up. We are still keeping up with digital literacy in bongo!
We have talked to some of our friends and they admitted that they would rather visit the shop instead of buying online even when the shop provides free delivery services. They feel uncomfortable with filling forms and payment methods.
On the other hand, Jumia hasn’t really earned the human connection here. We doubt if they have any moving story to tell.
As we all know, big brands like Nike don’t pitch about their services or products, they just tell stories that unite people. This is something Jumia didn’t do quite well. They failed to humanize the brand. The Instagram account for Jumia in Tanzania is full of promotional content. We believe it could not cost them much to post testimonial videos from people who have bought products from the platform. Or featuring stories from vendors benefiting with selling on Jumia – just being creative.
The rule of thumb for running business in 2020 is not about advertising and branding, it is about focusing on building a great customer experience.
-Tanzlite
It is so unfortunate that digital platforms which are meant to connect businesses with customers can also work against them. Building trust with your customer goes beyond promotional content, it is about creating content that build trust with your customer.
Are you facing any familiar challenges with running your business in the digital world? Let’s have a conversation.
