Brilliant box sets small businesses can learn from

As lockdown continues, we’re sure you’re speaking to colleagues, friends and family about the next Netflix craze or that new Scandinavian show which is getting rave reviews. But with so many out there, where do you start?

To make it easy, here are some of our favourite box sets, which we think have a few lessons for small business owners to boot.

There are some minor spoilers lurking, you’ve been warned!

The Queen’s Gambit 

This latest binge-worthy boxset is all about a girl called Elizabeth Harman, an orphan who is rather good at chess. In fact, she isn’t just good, she is fantastic. 

Raised in an orphanage, she becomes a player at her high school, before eventually turning pro. 

With her adopted mother in tow, Elizabeth travels all over the world to compete in tournaments, winning money from her various victories. 

Takeaways - The point here is not about whether you’re good at chess or not. It’s about monetising your skills. Maybe you have a talent that you can offer which can be turned into a service that people might pay for. 

Perhaps you’re good with graphic design, coding or a writer. You might be a talented artist or baker. Whatever this talent might be, perhaps it might be something that you can turn into a proper business that you can make a living from - pretty cool eh. 

Kobra Kai

A karate Kid sequel series you say? 34 years after the first film, we get to see what happened to the film’s main villain, Johnny Lawrence. Lawrence was a former student of controversial dojo Kobra Kai, as well as being a bully of the main protagonist (the karate kid himself) Danny Leruso.

Now years later, Johnny is down on his luck, doing odd jobs and generally unfulfilled in life. He then comes across Miguel, a kid who has moved in next door. We see Miguel being bullied from kids at school, it’s here that Johnny uses his skills to defend Miguel. From there they reform Kobra Kai, bringing in a whole new generation of bullied students looking to gain confidence. 

Takeaways -  A business with a purpose can really connect with people. In this case, Kobra Kai builds the confidence of its students who have been bullied or are low on confidence. Suddenly these kids become karate machines, all thanks to Johnny’s teachings. 

You might not own a karate dojo, but if you can find a way to connect with your audience on an emotional level, your business could be ‘kicking butt’ just like Kobra Kai. 

The Last Dance 

One of the biggest hits of the first lockdown was this docu-series about the dominance of the Chicago Bulls and it’s superstars Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen and Denis Rodman in the 90s.

If you’re a basketball fan, you’re going to absolutely love this. But even if you aren’t it doesn’t really matter, because this is all about what it takes for a collection of talented individuals to be successful. 

So regardless if you like sports or not, this is a truly compelling watch.

Takeaways - The main message from this film is the importance of making sure everyone on a team is pulling in the same direction and meeting the same high standards in order to be successful. 

Success didn’t come instantly for the Bulls. When Michael Jordan signed in 1987, they kept getting knocked out of the play-offs and were generally seen as perennial nearly men. This failure made Jordan and his Bulls teammates learn from their mistakes before becoming serial winners of the NBA championship.

Jordan was the star, but he wouldn’t have been a success without an amazing team behind him. This is what made the Bulls so effective and dominant over their rivals. 

The Tiger King 

This crazy show was another star of lockdown and kept many people talking about something other than the pandemic. And for good reason, it is an astonishing piece of television. 

This series follows the colourful characters (putting it nicely) of the Tampa Bay big cat scene and the quite frankly bizarre feud between conservatory owners Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. 

We really don’t want to ruin the plot, but let’s just say it involves numerous lawsuits, accusations of murder, involvement from the FBI and plenty of other eccentric characters - none of whom have any redeemable qualities whatsoever, this truly is a riot and utterly addictive viewing. 

Takeaways - The whole show is completely bonkers and the characters certainly didn’t come out of it looking good. Reputations have been ruined through this documentary. Yes, it certainly got many people talking, but not a lot of people will want to be associated with Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Doc Antle or anyone who was covered in this series, anytime soon. 

So while it’s important to stand out from your competitors, it shouldn’t come at the cost of your own reputation. 

David Goulden

Copywriter