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Who else agrees that binge-watching on weekends is a great way to recover after a stressful week at the office? Even a chance to absorb some additional off-center bits and pieces of information. Some of which can even help you with the best business decisions you’ve ever made. For these reasons, we love series like Black Mirror. So just in case you’ve missed some worth-watching episodes, check out a list of five business tips for entrepreneurs from the epic Netflix show.
One Outraged Client Can Ruin Your Business
Episode: Nosedive
The viewer is immersed in a utopian world where everybody has a ranking. The scores define your level of life and privilege. Young socialite Lacey struggles to ramp up her rankings; despite her efforts, the situation gets worse with every attempt.
The final chord to the episode, Lacey is invited as maid of honor to a wedding, which has the potential to raise her score. The plan begins to unravel as the tragic character becomes more desperate with every attempt. Pushed to her breaking point, she sabotages the wedding and threatens the bride. After all, the heroine ends up in jail with a drastically low score. The irony of this all is that Lacey was 0.3 points away from receiving her ultimate score.
This episode contains one of the best pieces of advice for new entrepreneur, investigate the extremes. Give your customers a discount or sign them up for a loyalty program even if they lack a few credits (or at least give them a chance to earn some).
Keep an Eye on Influencers
Episode: The Waldo Moment
The main character is a failed comedian who runs a children’s television show as a cartoon bear named Waldo. His guests are politicians and other authority figures whom he interviews in a very scornful and badass manner. The trick is, the show is streamed as a late-night entertaining program and becomes a hit among the British public. This is not left unnoticed by the producer of the show, who suggests Waldo take part in a local election.
Waldo’s campaign trail alters the existing power balance. He seizes the moment; as a powerful influencer and the puppet gets the majority of the votes leaving behind its real-life competitors.
In this day and age, one of the top tips for entrepreneurs is to collaborate with influencers. The trick here is to establish effective communication, and detect whether they work for your competitors on time.
Be Ready to Face the Limitations
Episode: 15 Million Merit
This episode is set in a dystopian society where everybody has to pedal bikes to produce currency called “merits.” People live in cells surrounded by interactive screens, forced to watch the never-ending stream of commercials. The only way to escape the slave-like existence is to buy a spot on the Talent show called Hot Shot. If the jury acknowledges their talent, they’ll receive a contract and a hope for a happy life outside the system. The main character, Bing, buys a 15 million merit ticket for his girlfriend, who ends up starring in porn. Later, he also takes part in the show. A long-awaited victory makes him a show-host where he rants and holds a glass shard to his neck, promoting accessories.
This case refers to the impact of the business environment. Online platforms such as YouTube or Amazon, set restrictions that are out of your control. Diversify your marketing and sales channels to protect your business customer churn.
Your Employees are the Greatest Deal-Breakers
Episode: The National Anthem
The very first yet mind-blowing Black Mirror episode.
A Prime Minister is forced to face an extreme situation. He is told to partake in sexual intercourse with a pig on national TV or else the Princess, an endeared member of the Royal Family, will be brutally killed. In hopes to save the authority figure from major disgrace, a special agent decides to record a video with a porn star whose head will be eventually replaced by Prime Minister. The plan looks perfect, but one of the crew members recognizes the actor and tweets about it. As a result, the whole world witnesses the disheartening scene.
One of the tips for becoming a successful entrepreneur is to hire a devoted team. Review and update your policies regularly. Don’t rush on-board people even if you’re searching for the low-level specialists unless you’re ready to face the consequences.
Black Mirror is Real
Episode: The National Anthem
This episode was aired on December 2011, and in September 2015, Daily Mail published an excerpt from the book called “Call Me Dave: The Unauthorized Biography of David Cameron” by Michael Ashcroft. The author recalls a time from his college when David Cameron (the Prime Minister of Great Britain until July 13, 2016) underwent a strange ritual of initiation set by the Piers Gaveston Society. The same pig it is.
An ultimate advice for young entrepreneurs: the most insane stories happen in real life. Keep up with the latest sci-fi series, and you’ll be aware of the most revealing insights.
Wrap Up
As you can see, you don’t always have to look for advice from successful business owners to gain the most valuable knowledge. These Black Mirror episodes just taught you that:
- One unhappy client can hurt your business
- One cannot underestimate the power of influencers
- Consider restrictions set by online giants
- Greatest threats come from within
- Sci-fi series is a source of incredible insights
Use these takeaways to fortify your business strategy and prevent possible risks. And don’t forget to take breaks.