“The Harder They Fall” and 3 Excellent Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Recently, I watched the Netflix movie, “The Harder They Fall” and it had three lessons for entrepreneurs. These lessons are:

• Sometimes things are hard.

• You cannot sit around waiting for destiny.

• Loyalty doesn’t last forever for everyone.

When I first saw the trailers for the Netflix movie, “The Harder they Fall” I had no interest in watching the movie. I have never been a fan of Westerns so I was going to let this one pass me by. Then I paid attention to all the actors in the movie and my interest was piqued.  I watched the movie and I am glad I did.

The movie had a lot of good points it talked about racism, empowerment, the importance of friendship, and more. Most importantly for me and this online magazine, were the three lessons for entrepreneurs listed above. Let’s spend a few moments talking about them in detail.

First of the lessons for entrepreneurs – sometimes things are hard.

When I heard the character Treacherous Trudy say, “How long you been alive in this country? A rock and a hard place is what we call Monday.” I knew I had to write this article. Often people think that when they become entrepreneurs, life will be easier. They think that when they are the boss instead of following a boss, things will be smooth sailing. Often, this is far from the truth.

When you are an entrepreneur, everything is your job and your responsibility. There may be employees who expect paychecks each week. They expect to be paid even if the company brings in no money at all. The entrepreneur is ultimately responsible for handling all problems that arise in the business and sometimes, this is a hard burden to bear.  If you are an entrepreneur, one of the first things you must realize is that sometimes, things are hard.

Second of the lessons for entrepreneurs – you cannot sit around waiting for destiny,

Stagecoach Mary asked her colleagues, “what are you waiting around for? You think destiny is coming to you?” Those questions perfectly match this magazine’s take action now Monday theme. Life happens to those who sit back and wait. But those who step up and make things happen are heroes. There is power and strength in reaching out to make your destiny rather than waiting for destiny to show up.

Smart entrepreneurs learn to take action now. They learn that whatever their destiny may be, they must reach out, grab it, and work for it. If you want to have a business get up and create it. If you want that business to succeed, go and work it. Success is not a matter of sitting around and waiting for things to happen. It is most often a series of actions carefully played out.

Third of the lessons for entrepreneurs – loyalty doesn’t last forever for everyone.

The statement, “Loyalty is a virtue, ’til it ain’t” was another good point for entrepreneurs to remember. Loyalty is important. It Is one of the characteristics I treasure most. Employees and employers owe each other a debt of loyalty. If you have loyal partners, they are a business’ precious treasure.

Want to read more about succeeding as an entrepreneur?

Check out:

Be Thankful for Your Business – It Provides Jobs — Even if you a solo operation with no employees, your business decisions matter far and beyond your business. Click here to read more. 

and

 Customer Service Matters, So Make Yours Excellent – Customers help make your business go around so treat them right! Click here to read more.

At the same time, it is important for entrepreneurs to understand that loyalty does not last a lifetime for everyone. Some people are loyal for a reason or a season. Only a precious few are loyal for a lifetime. So as you pay attention to your partners, employees, and other contacts, be sure to pay attention to the current status of their loyalty. Then act accordingly.

Bonus lesson for entrepreneurs – “shiny sh&^% gets shot.”

The character Cuffee told a show-off gunslinger on her team that “shiny sh&^% gets shot.” I took that to mean that shiny things aka things that demand attention, get attention. When you, your business, or its employees are good at what they do, they shine. That shine will cause attention. Some of the attention will be positive and some of it will be negative.

You must be ready for the attention that shine will bring to you and your business. In the spirit of don’t get ready, stay ready, prepare for the attention shine brings. Accept the good attention and share it with your team. Prepare to defend against the bad attention.

In conclusion, “The Harder They Fall” provided three lessons for entrepreneurs plus a bonus lesson. Those lessons are sometimes things are hard, you cannot sit around waiting for destiny, loyalty doesn’t last forever for everyone, and shiny stuff gets shot. Entrepreneurs would be well served to take these lessons and use them to make their lives and businesses better.