Business shows on television have grown more popular in recent years. This could be due to the proliferation of small businesses. Before this growth business shows were only concerned with corporate America or Wall Street. However, small businesses have grown in number. Following is a listing of shows that have dealt with small business.
Small Business 2000. Small Business 2000 was a show on PBS that interviewed successful entrepreneurs. Then it highlighted how those best practices can be used for entrepreneurs who are watching. It also had some reoccurring segments like marketing by Jeff Slutsky. It was a good show that existed a decade before the growth of other small business shows.
The Apprentice. Donald Trump’s comeback to the public consciousness had a huge hand in small business the first season of the show. After that first season all subsequent seasons, due to the show’s huge success, were corporate focused except for when they had to deal with homeland project free tv franchises. Still, it was good to hear from contestants as many were entrepreneurs themselves and some quite successfully so. Their perspectives came through and many business schools used the show for case studies and discussions.
We Mean Business. We Mean Business starred the winner from the first season of The Apprentice- Bill Rancic. The show helped an independent small business turn around with a designer make-over (which means the business was a retail business) and new computer systems (Dell was a show sponsor). Bill then helped with operations and marketing assistance. After the designer make-over and new computers were installed the business reopened with new grand opening.
The Shark Tank. The Shark Tank is the most recent show. The show has a number of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to come before a panel of venture capitalists. These entrepreneurs then try to get the investors to invest in their business or their business start-up. The show is an excellent portrayal of the tough questions savvy investors will ask plus what they are looking for. It also often serves as a reality check for the business owners, who may be too emotionally tied to their businesses.
These shows are good examples of general business principals. There are and have been more shows on the air that examine a specific business. There was the King of Cars which focused on a car dealership in Las Vegas. Flip This House is about the ups and downs of house flipping in the real estate business. These are just examples and surely more will come. Nevertheless, it is good to see more shows about small businesses as the number of entrepreneurs grows.