My Top Five Favorite Business TV Shows
I’m personally not an advocate of spending huge quantities of your free time watching TV, but I’m also not the type who watches no TV at all. I am very selective with what I watch, and I since finance is my passion, I tend to go for the more business/finance oriented shows. So here is a quick list of my personal top five.
- How It's Made
This show isn't explicitly about business, but it is very informative about the production process for so many types of goods. I am in awe of the efficiency of the manufacturing that the show covers, it gives me an even greater appreciation for capitalism and all the work it takes to get products on the shelves for us consumers.
- Restaurant Startup
I didn't think I would like this show at first, but now I love it. It features celebrity chef Tim Love and restaurant entrepreneur Joe Bastianich, the son of celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. Each episode has two startup, or pop op, restaurant owners looking for an investment from Bastianich and Love. Only one gets picked initially, but they still have to set up a “pop up” location for a night and do it within a given budget so the investors can see how they are in action.
- Dragons’ Den Canada
This show was the first of it’s kind when it first aired back in 2006, a group of wealthy entrepreneurs being pitched venture capital style. The mix of personalities of the Dragons is interesting to watch, as they interrogate the entrepreneurs on their business in order to get an investment. Kevin O’Leary made this show, and it’s predecessor IMO, especially when he tears down an entrepreneur who has clearly valued their business far too high.
- Shark Tank
The same concept as Dragons Den, but set in America instead. My favorite shark would have to be Mark Cuban, as I’m a fan of his as a capitalist and entrepreneur. The fact that this show is so popular is a good sign for entrepreneurship in the US, in spite of all of the intervention taking place by the state in the market.
- The Profit
This essentially picks up where Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den leaves off. The show features Marcus Lemonis, who is the multimillionaire CEO of Camping World and Sam Good Enterprises. Marcus focuses on finding small businesses throughout America that are struggling and looking for an investment to save them. The basis of Marcus business philosophy revolves around what he calls the “three Ps”, which are people, process, and product. He attempts to turn around the business, and he has a keen sense of efficiency with all operations. His changes make a dramatic difference in the businesses, but he doesn’t always invest due to the business owners who turn out to be way too shady, some of them even downright con artists.