Entrepreneurship requires continuous learning, creativity, and resilience. While books, podcasts, and seminars are invaluable sources of knowledge, inspiration can also come from less conventional places — including television. Netflix offers a wide range of shows that not only entertain but also provide lessons on leadership, innovation, ethics, and perseverance.
Here are 10 carefully selected programs that every entrepreneur can benefit from watching.
1. Dirty Money – Exposing the Cost of Corruption
Why watch: This investigative docuseries examines major cases of corporate fraud and greed, including emissions scandals, predatory lending practices, and money laundering.
Key takeaway: Dirty Money serves as a reminder that short-term gains achieved through unethical practices ultimately lead to long-term failure. For entrepreneurs, it underscores the importance of transparency and ethical decision-making.
2. Suits – A Study in Confidence and Negotiation
Why watch: Set in a New York law firm, Suits highlights sharp negotiation, mentorship, and the challenges of navigating high-stakes corporate environments.
Key takeaway: The series demonstrates how confidence, perseverance, and strong communication skills can shape outcomes in business and beyond.
3. Workin’ Moms – Navigating Work-Life Balance
Why watch: This comedy-drama portrays the professional and personal challenges faced by working mothers striving to balance family and career.
Key takeaway: For entrepreneurs managing both personal and professional responsibilities, Workin’ Moms offers an honest perspective on resilience, adaptability, and maintaining balance under pressure.
4. The Mind, Explained – Understanding Human Behavior
Why watch: Narrated by Emma Stone, this docuseries explores memory, dreams, anxiety, mindfulness, and psychedelics, providing scientific insights into how the brain works.
Key takeaway: Entrepreneurs can apply these lessons to better understand consumer behavior, improve decision-making, and enhance leadership effectiveness.
5. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber – A Cautionary Tale of Leadership
Why watch: Based on Mike Isaac’s book, this dramatization traces Uber’s rapid rise under CEO Travis Kalanick and the ethical challenges that followed.
Key takeaway: The series illustrates how aggressive innovation can disrupt industries, but also how toxic leadership and a “win-at-all-costs” culture can damage an organization’s long-term sustainability.
6. Broken – Investigating Consumer Industries
Why watch: Each standalone episode investigates industries such as cosmetics, vaping, furniture, and plastics, exposing harmful practices and marketing strategies.
Key takeaway: Broken highlights the responsibility entrepreneurs carry when creating products, reinforcing the importance of integrity, consumer trust, and sustainable practices.
7. Better Call Saul – Reinvention and Risk
Why watch: This Breaking Bad prequel chronicles the transformation of Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, a lawyer navigating morally questionable choices.
Key takeaway: While the character’s methods are ethically flawed, the series illustrates the entrepreneurial themes of reinvention, calculated risk-taking, and building a personal brand.
8. The Playbook – Lessons from World-Class Coaches
Why watch: Featuring leaders such as Doc Rivers, Jill Ellis, and José Mourinho, this docuseries examines the psychology of winning and the principles behind elite coaching.
Key takeaway: Entrepreneurs can draw parallels between coaching championship teams and leading successful organizations — with lessons in motivation, leadership, and resilience.
9. Girlboss – Building a Business from Scratch
Why watch: Inspired by Sophia Amoruso’s autobiography, this series follows her journey from selling vintage clothing online to founding the fashion retailer Nasty Gal.
Key takeaway: Girlboss demonstrates the entrepreneurial journey of starting small, facing setbacks, and scaling a vision into a thriving business.
10. The Playlist – The Founding of Spotify
Why watch: This dramatized account of Daniel Ek’s creation of Spotify showcases the challenges of disrupting an established industry.
Key takeaway: The series offers valuable insights into startup growth, regulatory hurdles, and the determination required to turn an idea into a global platform.
Final Thoughts
Entrepreneurship is as much about mindset and leadership as it is about strategy and execution. These shows, while varied in tone and subject matter, provide valuable perspectives on ambition, resilience, ethics, and innovation. For entrepreneurs seeking both entertainment and professional growth, Netflix can be an unexpected yet powerful source of insight.
