Top 13 business documentaries to teach you valuable lessons

13 eye-opening business documentaries to expand your business knowledge

From the rise of iconic IT startups to the impact of global financial frauds, these documentaries offer a fascinating glimpse into the business world and knowledge. Get ready to learn valuable lessons from big-name business blunders, become inspired, and be entertained by some of the most thought provoking and informative documentaries about the business community. 

Becoming Warren Buffett (2017)

Becoming Warren Buffett is an HBO documentary that peels back the layers of one of the world’s most successful investors. Directed by Peter Kunhardt, the film shows us the human side of the Oracle of Omaha, from his early days as a numbers-obsessed Nebraska boy to becoming a global investing icon.

Through personal interviews and family footage, we see Buffett’s methodical approach to business and his famously frugal lifestyle – still living in his modest Omaha home and starting each day with McDonald’s breakfast, despite his billions. The documentary reveals that great wealth doesn’t have to change fundamental values.

Lesson: Success in business comes from patience, staying true to your principles, and understanding that wealth is a tool, not a goal.

The triumph of the nerds (1996)

The documentary takes us through computing’s early days, from the first home computers to Microsoft’s rise and Apple’s revolution. Through candid interviews with tech pioneers, we see how a bunch of “nerds” accidentally created one of history’s most significant industries. What makes this film special is its capture of tech legends when they were still underdogs, showing their raw ambition and determination.

Lesson: Innovation often comes from unexpected places, and passion can turn side projects into empires.

Catching the sun (2015)

Catching the Sun is a compelling documentary that explores the global race for solar energy leadership. Directed by Shalini Kantayya, the film follows unemployed workers in Richmond, California, seeking new careers in solar installation, while contrasting their story with Chinese solar entrepreneurs aiming to build an empire.

Through personal stories, from American solar installers to Chinese CEOs, the documentary reveals how the clean energy economy is changing lives and reshaping global markets. We see both the opportunities and challenges of the solar industry, from job creation and economic growth to international competition and policy barriers.

Lesson: Sometimes the best business opportunities come from solving real-world problems that affect us all.

Capital C (2014)

Capital C is a business documentary “about the crowd revolution,” sponsored by Kickstarter and directed by Timon Birkhofer and Jorg M. Kundinger. 

The plot follows three entrepreneurs as they attempt to crowdfund their projects. Zach Crain, a Texas-based designer who creates a deck of playing cards; Brian Fargo, a video game designer seeking funding for a sequel to his popular game “Wasteland”; and Jackson Robinson, a graphic designer creating a luxury deck of playing cards.

This documentary explores the core of crowdfunding principles and the platforms for it, such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. It also explores the psychological and emotional aspects of crowdfunding, as entrepreneurs struggle to convince people to back their projects and face the potential of failure. 

Lesson: Success in crowdfunding is not guaranteed, and failure is a real possibility.

Generation Startup (2016)

Directed by Cheryl Miller Houser and Cynthia Wade, this inspiring documentary shows us the world of entrepreneurship and the challenges and rewards of starting a business. 

Generation Startup introduces us to American entrepreneurship and gives us an honest, down-in-the-dirt look at what it truly takes to start a business. The story follows six budding entrepreneurs who recently graduated from college. For 17 months, they were observed how they risk everything as they try to start new businesses in Detroit. 

The documentary humanizes the millennial entrepreneurial culture by highlighting their battles filled with triumphs and fails doubts and insecurity. 

Lesson: No matter how difficult may be in the beginning, believe in yourself and don’t give up.

Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)

Joe Berlinger did an excellent job when he directed this documentary film about Tony Robbins’s life. The film follows the renowned motivational speaker Tony Robbins getting ready for his yearly “Date with Destiny” seminar, which attracts over 4,500 guests to Boca Raton, Florida. 

The documentary provides an intimate look at Robbins and his methods as he works with guests seeking personal transformation and growth. Throughout the plot, Robbins uses approaches such as group exercises, one-on-one counseling sessions, and motivational speeches to help guests overcome their challenges and achieve their goals.

Lesson: Create a positive and growth-oriented mindset, and start believing in your ability to create the life you want.

Betting On Zero (2016)

Directed by Ted Braun, Betting On Zero is a business documentary that emphasizes the importance of consumer education and government regulation in protecting individuals from financial fraud.

The story follows the main character Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager who takes a position on Herbalife’s stock and launches a public campaign to reveal the company’s pyramid scam. 

This documentary raises important questions about the ethics of MLM companies like Herbalife and their impact on the market and the role of government regulation in protecting consumers from being scammed. Also, it highlights the high-pressure tactics used by MLM companies to recruit new distributors and the difficulty that many distributors face in trying to sell products and make a profit.

Lesson: Before entering into a business, first study the market and the people you’ll work with because you can be easily fooled.

Abstract: The Art Of Design (2017)

Abstract: The Art of Design is a documentary series by Netflix. The documentary explores the profiles of leading designers from different backgrounds, including architecture, graphic design, fashion, and more. Each episode is based on each designer individually, focusing on their creative process and the challenges they face at work.

The documentary highlights the importance of collaboration with each other in order to find better and more effective solutions whether designing buildings, garments, or graphics. In order to build user-friendly and engaging products the customer’s needs and desires should in the center of the design process.

Lesson: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Failures and experimentation are normal parts of the creative process.

Mars: Inside SpaceX (2018)

Directed by Julia Reagan and narrated by Robert Redford, this documentary gives you an inside look at SpaceX’s ultimate mission to send humans to Mars.

The story wraps up the challenges and setbacks that SpaceX company has faced along the way, such as the explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket during a pre-launch test in 2016. The director highlights the human element of the company’s Mars mission, through interviews with SpaceX founder Elon Musk who discuss how he selects applicants for the SpaceX mission.

Lessons: Ambition and determination can lead to outstanding achievements.

Elon Musk: The real-life Iron Man (2018)

The documentary begins by tracing Musk’s early life in South Africa and his early entrepreneurial ventures, such as Zip2 and PayPal. It then delves into his current experiences, including SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company, and Neuralink.

Also, the documentary explores Elon Musk’s revolutionizing vision for transport technology with electric vehicles, the Hyperloop, and ground-breaking ideas for long-lasting computers and populating Mars. 

Lesson: Entrepreneurship lessons can’t be learned in business classes. 

Inside Bill’s brain: Decoding Bil Gates (2019)

Each episode spotlights different aspects of Gates’ life and work, presented through interviews with Gates himself, his family members, colleagues, and other influential figures from the tech industry. There are also rare archival footage and photographs that provide insight into Gates’ life and work early in his early days.

The first episode examines Gates’ early years, including his upbringing in Seattle and his education at Harvard. It also delves into his early work with Microsoft, including the development of the company’s groundbreaking software products.

The second episode focuses on Gates’ charitable work in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Also, shows his support for green energy and climate change as well as his efforts to handle current global health and education problems.

The final third episode focuses on Gates’ efforts to solve some of the most critical problems for today’s world population, such as poverty, eradication of diseases, climate change, etc.

Throughout the scenes, the director seeks answers to some of the most challenging problems in the world, and on the other side, Bill Gates unquestionably alters the world, whether it’s through nuclear power plants or clean drinking water.

Lesson: Dedication, consistency and hard work are key to success. 

American Factory (2019)

American Factory is a Netflix documentary about the new formats of global capitalism that working-class Americans have to deal with. Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, this documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. 

This documentary shows the changing nature of work and the challenges that arise when different cultures and economic systems collide. The plot begins with the opening of a Chinese-owned factory in Dayton, Ohio, which was established in a former General Motors plant. 

The focus is set on the arrival of Fuyao Glass America, a Chinese company that promised to create jobs and bring prosperity back to the region. Also, the directors observe the workers and management of Fuyao as they struggle to adapt to each other’s ways of working and communicating.

The Chinese management style is shown to be more authoritarian and focused on productivity, while the American workers are used to a more relaxed and collaborative workplace culture. This clash of cultures leads to tensions and conflicts between workers and management.

Lesson: Understanding and embracing diversity is a very important asset for building strong communities.

The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley (2019)

Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney stays behind this business documentary. The main focus of The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley is the risk associated with blindly trusting technology and the importance of holding companies accountable for their actions.

The plot focuses on the story of the founder and former CEO of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes. Theranos is a blood testing startup that claimed to have revolutionized the medical industry with a breakthrough technology. However, as the documentary reveals, the technology was fraudulent and Holmes was accused by medical professionals and the public.

It also highlights the ethical concerns and dangers associated with the “move fast and break rules” approach, including the misleading claims about the effectiveness of the technology, the company’s lack of transparency, and the ruthless tactics of the team to protect the company’s reputation.

Lesson: Honesty, transparency, and the need for ethical leadership are crucial in business.

Conclusion

Each of these documentaries imparts valuable lessons regarding persistence, recognizing opportunities, managing failures, embracing change, and the significance of ethical decision-making and social responsibility, among other things.

We hope that these 10 business films can serve as inspiration for you to accomplish your goals, whether you are just in the beginning or want to level up your business.