There are honestly not very many times that I will take a look at a fictional TV show or movie and actually get something worthwhile out of it. Usually, these shows are exactly what they are advertised to be- entertainment. Every once in a while, a show comes along that while far-fetched and not very believable, there are some inherent little jewels of advice that come along with it that are very true from an entrepreneurs' perspective. So without further ado, I will start out with some quotes from the competitive and successful Frank Underwood from Netflix's House of Cards.
1. "I never make such big decisions so long after sunset and so far from dawn."
This one is golden. Probably one of the best pieces of advice I have ever seen from a fictional TV show. If you have a hard decision, sleep on it. ALWAYS. If there is any time to make this happen, then you will want to give it a night to feel it out. When you do this, you end up being able to think through an issue in a few different mindsets, and not just approach it from the mindset you are in now. If you do not have the control and lack of impulsive to do this, then you may end up being the business owner that invests with the scrounge that steals all of your life savings.
2. "Treading Water is the same as drowning."
This is true from all successful entrepreneurs. When in business, you are walking up a downward-moving escalator. There is not such thing as "holding steady." If you are not moving onward and upward in business, and increasing your revenue streams, then you are backpedaling unknowingly. This is a cancer for all startups. What happens, is that they end up getting just to a point where they are comfortable and making the money to do some fun things in life, and will suddenly be content with progress and just simply stop. If you find yourself doing this, then you need to do whatever it takes to get a bigger picture going, and make yourself some new goals.
3. "Even Achilles was only as strong as his heel."
This is something that even in our personal lives we could use a touch of. When you are in a business, if you have just one item that is out of place or is lagging, it can drag down your entire operation. More often than not, your competition will find out about this weakness and play it to their advantage in a huge way. Don't catch yourself failing to do what you need to do to improve your business, just because you are not limping yet. Fix the problem before it becomes one.
4. "For those climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted."
This may sound a bit merciless, but it is unequivocally true. If you are in business, nobody else out there will coddle you. For my online invoicing software, nobody else will give you a second chance if you fall on your face. More importantly, if you want to be successful in a capitalistic society, then you know that others MUST fail in order for few to succeed. In the end, it is up to you which group you are in. If you are not succeeding, then rest assured that others will end up succeeding on the shoulders of your glaring failure. Don't let this be you, and you will be able to get your view from the top, not the bottom.
Featured image "House of Cards" TV show - Netflix.