There are times you cherish being a book reviewer (even if it’s occasionally). It brings you the books you’d otherwise not buy or not know. The hidden gems, the underrated masterpiece… I got one such book as I start the 2023 reading challenge. Directing Business, Movies and Management by Lakshmi Narayana is my second book of the year and already my favorite one.

As a sucker for business and management books, this book serves perfectly fine to me. From dropping a hard lesson of management to smooth storytelling, Directing Business has everything going on its way. Author Lakshmi Narayana has used his vast experience in the movie industry to narrate some core principles of business and management in the simplest possible language.

Movies and Management:

The book has eleven chapters in total, talking about one subject at a time. As the name says, “movies and management”, this book has connected every management lesson to one or the movie. And, if you think the book is only about the business of entertainment, you’re wrong.

The book is anything but casual. It is all a serious business but not burdensome. The author has mentioned multiple movie incidents in the book and connected them with a business lesson. Be it from hiring the right people for the right job or analyzing where your business stands, the book talks about every aspect of its business.

Highlights:

Though it’s not a full-stack book on business management, it is a very informative one. To begin with, the book talks about the need to prepare a business pitch, the importance of learning financial reports and sketching down a business plan. It may sound cliché but it’s a technique used for decades and still relevant.

It goes on to show why it’s crucial to deep dive into your business’s health. Analyze your business, not rhetorically but by data. And then comes my favorite part, how to hire the right people. This chapter is longer than others and more insightful. If you understand it, you’ll avoid making critical mistakes in your hiring process.

The next few chapters are dedicated to building a team that puts its heart and soul into a vision. It goes on to talk about managing the team and most importantly, managing your role within the team. Even though leadership is dynamic, some rules and guidelines make the job a bit easier. A little bit of knowledge about when a leader has to be soft and when s/he has to be harsh, what he needs to do to keep the team motivated and when s/he has to step back can come in very handy.

Conclusion:

If you’re a first-generation entrepreneur starting your venture, I’d highly recommend this book to you. This will give you a brief idea of what running a business demands. In an era when startups are glamourized as much as movie stars, Directing Business, Movies, and Management talk about the hardships of being an entrepreneur. It’ll prepare you for the roller-coaster that awaits you ahead.

Book Information:

• Amazon Links: Paperback | Kindle
• Author: Lakshmi Narayana
• Publication: Notion Press

I write about Startups and Books regularly. You can check out my blogs in both categories on this site.