List of Top Software Companies in the World

List of Top Software Companies in the World:

--->> Microsoft leads list

The 10 Most Funded Kickstarter Campaigns Ever!

1. Pebble Technology

Raised: $10,266,845  (10,266 percent of goal)
Funded: May 18, 2012

With heavy hitters like Apple, Google and Samsung working to perfect their smartwatch technology, perhaps it is not surprising that Pebble Technology remains the most funded Kickstarter campaign to date, with a record setting $10,266,845 pledged by more than 85,000 backers in May of 2012. The Palo Alto-based company, run by CEO Eric Migicovsky, creates stylish, customizable and waterproof smartwatches with a full app store and batteries that can last up to a week. The well-regarded company sold 400,000 watches in its first year.

2. OUYA

Raised: $8,596,474 (904 percent of goal)
Funded: Aug. 9, 2012

OUYA is a videogame console made on the Android platform for users to hook up to their TVs. With an aim to make games more accessible and less expensive as well as inspire innovation, the creators of OUYA, who also built Jawbone's Jambox, a wireless Bluetooth speaker, made an open-source gaming console and kit that allows developers to build their own games. Run by Founder and CEO Julie Uhrman, and designed by Yves Behar, who worked with the design for One Laptop per Child, the campaign raised $8,596,474 , blowing past its $950,000 goal. 

3. PonoMusic

Raised: $6,225,354 (778 percent of goal)
Funded: April 15, 2014

PonoMusic's MO is pure sound fidelity. In 2012, legendary musician Neil Young started a digital music service that aims to provide fans with the listening experience that their favorite bands and artists intended. The PonoPlayer lets listeners hear clear-as-day studio quality sound, complete with a connected app and digital music store. More than 18,200 backers pledged $6,222,354. The initial goal was $800,000.

4. The Veronica Mars Movie Project

Raised: $5,702,153 (285 percent of goal)
Funded: April 12, 2013

Veronica Mars was a beloved cult TV series that ran from 2004-2007 about a teenage PI investigating the haves and have-nots of her noirish CA town. Diehard fans, known as Marshmallows, loved the show for its sharp writing and indelible performances.  After the series was cancelled, they, along with showrunner Rob Thomas and star Kristin Bell long held out hope that that the sassy sleuth could be seen on screen once more. The project's goal was for $200,000 and it was was met in only 10 hours. Funding reached $5,702,153 by the end of the campaign. The film was released in theaters on March 14, 2014.

5. Reading Rainbow

Raised: $5,408,815 (540 percent of goal)
Funded: July 2, 2014

Actor LeVar Burton, star of Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation,was also known to generations of young readers and their parents as the host of acclaimed PBS series Reading Rainbow. In the 26 years it was on the air, the show found its way into living rooms and classrooms, won a Peabody Award and more than 20 Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Children's Series." The Kickstarter campaign to reviveReading Rainbow has raised $5,408,815 through 105,855 backers – the most donors for any campaign ever.  Burton has also teamed up with his fellow former Star Trek cast mates as well as the teams from Veronica Mars, OUYA, Pono and Pebble, to provide rewards to its donors.

6. Torment: Tides of Numenera

Raised: $4,188,927 (465 percent of goal)
Funded: April 5, 2013

The Newport Beach, Calif.-based inXile Entertainment adapted Numenera, a fan-favorite tabletop roleplaying game created by Monte Cook, who has worked extensively on Dungeons and Dragons, into a narrative-driven, RPG videogame called Torment: Tides of Numenera.  With 74,405 backers, the company surpassed its goal of $900,000 with $4,188,927 pledged. 

7. Project Eternity

Raised: $3,986,929 (362 percent of goal)
Funded: Oct. 16, 2012

Obsidian Entertainment's aim with Project Eternity is to bring back the feel of classic PC RPG games, complete with magic powers, epic quests and detailed world building. In the fall of 2012, thanks to 73,986 supporters, the company surpassed its $1,100,000 goal with $3,986,929.

8. Mighty No. 9

Raised: $3,845,170 (427 percent of goal)
Funded: Oct. 1, 2013

With Mighty No. 9, Indie Japanese game developer Comcept created a throwback to 8 and 16-bit games with an updated look and feel for fans who love robot games. More than 67,200 backers pledged $3,845,170, ultimately beating the goal of $900,000. 

9. Reaper Miniatures Bones: An Evolution of Gaming Miniatures

Raised: $3,429,235 (11,430 percent of goal)
Funded: Aug. 25, 2012

Texas gaming company Reaper Miniatures created a highly comprehensive cast of characters through its line of gaming sculptures and miniatures. The promise of intricately designed fantastical figures of vampires, dragons, giants, monsters, fighters and elves netted the company $3,426,235, surpassing a goal of $30,000, thanks to 17,744 backers.

10. The Micro: The First Truly Consumer 3-D Printer

Raised: $3,401,361 (6,802 percent of goal)
Funded: May 7, 2014

3-D printing has made its way into industries as varied as food, fashion and medicine and it seems that everyone was to get in on the 3-D printing action. The Micro 3D, developed by engineers Michael Armani and David Jones aims to make it possible for anyone to have a 3D printing experience in their home or office.  The 2.2-pound printer can be plugged in and used immediately.  Thanks to 11,855 backers, the venture gained $3,401,361, toppling its original $50,000 goal.  

psychology of color in marketing and branding

The psychology of color as it relates to persuasion is one of the most interesting--and most controversial--aspects of marketing.

The reason: Most of today's conversations on colors and persuasion consist of hunches, anecdotal evidence and advertisers blowing smoke about "colors and the mind."

To alleviate this trend and give proper treatment to a truly fascinating element of human behavior, today we're going to cover a selection of the most reliable research on color theory and persuasion.

Misconceptions around the Psychology of Color

Why does color psychology invoke so much conversation ... but is backed with so little factual data?

As research shows, it's likely because elements such as personal preference, experiences, upbringing, cultural differences, context, etc., often muddy the effect individual colors have on us. So the idea that colors such as yellow or purple are able to invoke some sort of hyper-specific emotion is about as accurate as your standard Tarot card reading.

Related: How to Use the Psychology of Color to Increase Website Conversions

The conversation is only worsened by incredibly vapid visuals that sum up color psychology with awesome "facts" such as this one:

Don't fret, though. Now it's time to take a look at some research-backed insights on how color plays a role in persuasion.

The Importance of Colors in Branding

First, let's address branding, which is one of the most important issues relating to color perception and the area where many articles on this subject run into problems.

There have been numerous attempts to classify consumer responses to different individual colors:

Image credit: The Logo Company

... but the truth of the matter is that color is too dependent on personal experiences to be universally translated to specific feelings.

But there are broader messaging patterns to be found in color perceptions. For instance, colors play a fairly substantial role in purchases and branding.

In an appropriately titled study called Impact of Color in Marketing, researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone (depending on the product).

And in regards to the role that color plays in branding, results from studies such as The Interactive Effects of Colors show that the relationship between brands and color hinges on the perceived appropriateness of the color being used for the particular brand (in other words, does the color "fit" what is being sold).

The study Exciting Red and Competent Blue also confirms that purchasing intent is greatly affected by colors due to the impact they have on how a brand is perceived. This means that colors influence how consumers view the "personality" of the brand in question (after all, who would want to buy a Harley Davidson motorcycle if they didn't get the feeling that Harleys were rugged and cool?).

Additional studies have revealed that our brains prefer recognizable brands, which makes color incredibly important when creating a brand identity. It has even been suggested in Color Research & Application that it is of paramount importance for new brands to specifically target logo colors that ensure differentiation from entrenched competitors (if the competition all uses blue, you'll stand out by using purple).

Related: When It Comes to Branding, It's All About Color (Infographic)

When it comes to picking the "right" color, research has found that predicting consumer reaction to color appropriateness in relation to the product is far more important than the individual color itself. So, if Harley owners buy the product in order to feel rugged, you could assume that the pink + glitter edition wouldn't sell all that well.

Psychologist and Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker has conducted studies on this very topic via research on Dimensions of Brand Personality, and her studies have found five core dimensions that play a role in a brand's personality:

(Brands can sometimes cross between two traits, but they are mostly dominated by one. High fashion clothing feels sophisticated, camping gear feels rugged.)

Additional research has shown that there is a real connection between the use of colors and customers' perceptions of a brand's personality.

Certain colors DO broadly align with specific traits (e.g., brown with ruggedness, purple with sophistication, and red with excitement). But nearly every academic study on colors and branding will tell you that it's far more important for your brand's colors to support the personality you want to portray instead of trying to align with stereotypical color associations.

Consider the inaccuracy of making broad statements such as "green means calm." The context is missing; sometimes green is used to brand environmental issues such as Timberland's G.R.E.E.N standard, but other times it's meant to brand financial spaces such as Mint.com.

And while brown may be useful for a rugged appeal (think Saddleback Leather), when positioned in another context brown can be used to create a warm, inviting feeling (Thanksgiving) or to stir your appetite (every chocolate commercial you've ever seen).

Bottom line: I can't offer you an easy, clear-cut set of guidelines for choosing your brand's colors, but I can assure you that the context you're working within is an absolutely essential consideration.

It's the feeling, mood, and image that your brand creates that play a role in persuasion. Be sure to recognize that colors only come into play when they can be used to match a brand's desired personality (i.e., the use of white to communicate Apple's love of clean, simple design).

Without this context, choosing one color over another doesn't make much sense, and there is very little evidence to support that 'orange' will universally make people purchase a product more often than 'silver'.

Color Preferences by Gender

Perceived appropriateness may explain why the most popular car colors are white, black, silver and gray ... but is there something else at work that explains why there aren't very many purple power tools?

One of the better studies on this topic is Joe Hallock's Colour Assignments. Hallock's data showcases some clear preferences in certain colors across gender.

It's important to note that one's environment--and especially cultural perceptions--plays a strong role in dictating color appropriateness for gender, which in turn can influence individual choices. Consider, for instance, this coverage by Smithsonian magazine detailing how blue became the color for boys and pink was eventually deemed the color for girls (and how it used to be the reverse!).

Here were Hallock's findings for the most and least favorite colors of men and women:

The most notable points in these images is the supremacy of blue across both genders (it was the favorite color for both groups) and the disparity between groups on purple. Women list purple as a top-tier color, but no men list purple as a favorite color. (Perhaps this is why we have no purple power tools, a product largely associated with men?)

Additional research in studies on color perception and color preferences show that when it comes to shades, tints and hues men seem to prefer bold colors while women prefer softer colors. Also, men were more likely to select shades of colors as their favorites (colors with black added), whereas women were more receptive to tints of colors (colors with white added):

Image credit: KISSmetrics

The above infographic from KISSmetrics showcases the disparity in men and women's color preferences.

Keep this information in mind when choosing your brand's primary color palette. Given the starkly different taste preferences shown, it pays to appeal more to men or women if they make up a larger percentage of your ideal buyers.

Related: 5 Ways Store Colors Can Influence Shoppers

Color Coordination + Conversions

Debunking the "best" color for conversion rates on websites has recently been a very popular topic (started here and later here). They make some excellent points, because it is definitely true that there is no single best color for conversions.

The psychological principle known as the Isolation Effect states that an item that "stands out like a sore thumb" is more likely to be remembered. Research clearly shows that participants are able to recognize and recall an item far better (be it text or an image) when it blatantly sticks out from its surroundings.

(The sign-up button stands out because it's like a red "island" in a sea of blue.)

The studies Aesthetic Response to Color Combinations and Consumer Preferences for Color Combinations also find that while a large majority of consumers prefer color patterns with similar hues, they favor palettes with a highly contrasting accent color.

In terms of color coordination (as highlighted in this KISSmetrics graphic), this would mean creating a visual structure consisting of base analogous colors and contrasting them with accent complementary colors (or you can use tertiary colors):

Image credit: KISSmetrics

Another way to think of this is to utilize background, base and accent colors to create a hierarchy (as Josh from StudioPress showcases below) on your site that "coaches" customers on which color means take action:

Image credit: StudioPress

Why this matters: Although you may start to feel like an interior decorator after reading this section, this stuff is actually incredibly important in helping you understand the why behind conversion jumps and slumps. As a bonus, it will help keep you from drinking the conversion rate optimization Kool-Aid that misleads so many people.

Consider, for instance, this often-cited example of a boost in conversions due to a change in button color:

The button change to red boosted conversions by 21 percent, but that doesn't mean that red holds some sort of magic power to get people to take action.

Take a closer look at the image: It's obvious that the rest of the page is geared toward a green palette, which means a green call to action simply blends in with the surroundings. Red, meanwhile, provides a stark visual contrast (and is a complementary color to green).

Related: What Does the Color of Your Logo Say About Your Business? (Infographic)

We find additional evidence of the isolation effect in a myriad of multivariate tests, including this one conducted by Paras Chopra andpublished in Smashing magazine. Chopra was testing to see how he could get more downloads for his PDFProducer program, and included the following variations in his test:

Can you guess which combination performed the best? (Hint: remember, contrast is important.)

Here were the results:

As you can see, example #10 outperformed the others by a large margin. It's probably not a coincidence that it creates the most contrast out of all of the examples. You'll notice that the PDFProducer text is small and light gray in color, but the action text ("Download for Free") is large and red, creating the contrast needed for high conversions.

While this is but one study of many, the isolation effect should be kept in mind when testing color palettes to create contrast in your web design and guide people to important action areas.

Why We Love "Mocha" but Hate "Brown"

Although different colors can be perceived in different ways, the names of those colors matters as well!

According to this study, when subjects were asked to evaluate products with different color names (such as makeup), "fancy" names were preferred far more often. For example, mocha was found to be significantly more likeable than brown--despite the fact that the researchers showed subjects the same color!

Additional research finds that the same effect applies to a wide variety of products; consumers rated elaborately named paint colors as more pleasing to the eye than their simply named counterparts.

It has also been shown that more unusual and unique color names can increase the intent to purchase. For instance, jelly beans with names such as razzmatazz were more likely to be chosen than jelly beans names such as lemon yellow. This effect was also found in non-food items such as sweatshirts.

As strange as it may seem, choosing creative, descriptive and memorable names to describe certain colors (such as "sky blue" over "light blue") can be an important part of making sure the color of the product achieves its biggest impact.

largest company by revenue in every state of USA

The largest company by revenue in every state of USA is as shown in the map below!

State	City	Top company by revenue	Revenue (billions)
Alabama	Birmingham	Regions Bank	$5.89
Alaska	Juneau	Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation	$4.44
Arizona	Phoenix	Avnet, Inc.	$25.45
Arkansas	Bentonville	Wal-Mart Stores	$476.29
California	San Ramon	Chevron Corporation	$228.84
Colorado	Englewood	Arrow Electronics, Inc.	$21.35
Connecticut	Fairfield	General Electric	$146.04
Delaware	Wilmington	E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company	$36.14
Florida	Doral	World Fuel Services Corporation	$41.56
Georgia	Atlanta	Home Depot International, Inc.	$85.53
Hawaii	Honolulu	Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.	$3.23
Idaho	Boise	Micron Technology, Inc.	$9.07
Illinois	Decatur	Archer Daniels Midland	$89.80
Indiana	Indianapolis	WellPoint	$71.02
Iowa	Cedar Rapids	Transamerica Life Insurance Company	$19.64
Kansas	Overland Park	Sprint Communications, Inc.	$34.56
Kentucky	Louisville	Humana, Inc.	$41.31
Louisiana	Monroe	CenturyLink, Inc.	$18.09
Maine	Scarborough	Hannaford Bros. Co.	$3.98
Maryland	Bethesda	Lockheed Martin Corporation	$45.35
Massachusetts	Boston	Liberty Mutual Holding Company, Inc.	$38.50
Michigan	Detroit	General Motors	$155.42
Minnesota	Wayzata	Cargill, Inc.	$136.65
Mississippi	Laurel	Sanderson Farms, Inc.	$2.68
Missouri	St. Louis	Express Scripts Holding	$104.09
Montana	Billings	Stillwater Mining Company	$1.03
Nebraska	Omaha	Berkshire Hathaway	$182.15
Nevada	Las Vegas	Las Vegas Sands Corp.	$13.76
New Hampshire	Portsmouth	Sprague Resources LP	$4.60
New Jersey	New Brunswick	Johnson & Johnson	$71.31
New Mexico	Albuquerque	Presbyterian Healthcare Services	$2.05
New York	New York	Verizon Communications	$120.55
North Carolina	Charlotte	Bank of America	$101.69
North Dakota	Bismarck	MDU Resources Group, Inc.	$4.46
Ohio	Dublin	Cardinal Health	$101.09
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc.	$26.09
Oregon	Beaverton	Nike, Inc.	$25.31
Pennsylvania	Chesterbrook	AmeriSourceBergen	$87.95
Rhode Island	Woonsocket	CVS Caremark	$126.76
South Carolina	Hartsville	Sonoco Products Company	$4.48
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	Sanford Health	$3.10
Tennessee	Memphis	FedEx Corporation	$44.28
Texas	Irving	Exxon Mobil	$438.25
Utah	Salt Lake City	Huntsman Corporation	$11.07
Vermont	Waterbury	Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.	$4.35
Virginia	McLean	Freddie Mac	$81.22
Washington	Issaquah	CostCo Wholesale	$105.15
West Virginia	Morgantown	West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc.	$42.73
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	Johnson Controls, Inc.	$42.73
Wyoming	Gillette	Cloud Peak Energy, Inc.	$1.39

Brutal Lessons From 4 Failed Startups:

With thousands of startups worldwide building new products, it’s no wonder 75 percent of them fail. It’s actually a good thing because startup birth and death helps the ecosystem overall. Entrepreneurs can learn as much from mistakes as successes. Poor management, ineffective marketing and team stress are some of the many reasons why companies fail.

“It's either you started making a startup with friends who didn't have complementary skills, or the opposite - people you think have the perfect balance of skills, but then completely different ways of communicating,” says Cassandra Phillips, founder of Failcon, a conference featuring startup founders who failed and share what they learned.

Consider these well-known startups that had great promise. Some were acquired or reached IPO, but never took off. Now each of them are just another statistic.

1. Gowalla. Millions of people enjoyed this location-based social network started in 2007 and shuttered five years later. Multiple problems blocked Gowalla from reaching mass appeal. Foursquarestole the limelight. Checking in was not that user friendly. The company was a mobile web app before smartphone technology was advanced enough to create a positive user experience. Usership and enthusiasm fell as Gowalla shifted focus and removed features.

The startup raised $8.3 million in a venture capital round, but was eventually bought by Facebook for $3 million. Even when your company is acquired, it can fail.

The takeaway: Avoid competing with a giant. If you go against Facebook, you’re facing an uphill battle. Make sure technology can deliver what you promise. You have to wonder how things might have been if Gowalla had debuted recently, as mobile apps have gained traction due to faster phones and more users.

2. Pay By Touch. Even with a long list of investors backing this company that used fingerprints to process payments, Pay By Touch never really got off the ground. Fraud allegations, and board issues dogged the founder before the company declared bankruptcy in late 2007. Investors were unhappy the founder spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying up rivals, but couldn’t afford to pay employees halfway through the year. It might have failed partly because many people are accustomed to credit/debit cards and like earning travel miles.

The takeaway: Pay By Touch invented a solution for a non-existent problem, one of the most common startup traps. “People think what they are making is cool, sexy or fun, and when they ask friends about it they get answers like ‘Yeah, that's cool,’” said Phillips. “To make a product that is actually used, you need to create something that people realize they can't live without. Easily half of the failed startups I hear from fail for this reason.”

3. RealNames Corporation. Founded in 1997, RealNames let users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer register domain names using the browser address bar. This worked without needing to belong to a top-level domain such as ".com" or ".net.”

The company and its backers raised more than $130 million in funding. RealNames shut down operations in 2002 following a decision by Microsoft  to redirect the 1 billion page views per calendar quarter that RealNames resolved from the browser address bar into the MSN search engine.

The takeaway: RealNames depended on the decisions of a giant company for their survival. Don't depend on someone else’s company for the effectiveness and viability of your product.

4. Pets.com. This famous dot-com-era disaster that sold pet care products online only lasted two years, from 1998 to 2000. The company poured millions into marketing campaigns, including a Super Bowl ad. Executives who thought they were tapping into a recession-proof industry discovered the niche pet market didn’t bring in enough money. Pet supplies cost too much to ship. Higher priced items, like toys, couldn’t be offered at competitive rates. Pets.com sales were problematically dependent on discounts that slashed profits.

The takeaway: Be brutally honest with yourself on your progress. “Too many founders fail because they are afraid to ask for help, or don't speak up when they are struggling soon enough,” said Phillips. “I promise things will be three-times easier if you are honest with yourself and those around you. Too few founders are.”

10 Movies Every Entrepreneur Needs to Watch:

No one ever said being an entrepreneur would be easy. A million obstacles seem to stand in the way each and every day. The naysayers and budget woes can be enough for the average person to start waving the white flag.

But you are not an average person: You’re an entrepreneur. That means that even when times are tough, you’re still going to march forward.

Yet when this whole entrepreneur thing becomes overwhelming, take a break and look for some much needed motivation. And what better way to find inspiration than watching movies?

Whether it’s a heartwarming adventure, irreverent comedy or thought-provoking documentary, a film can inspire and motivate a weary business owner.

With that in mind, here are 10 movies that every entrepreneur needs to watch:

Related: Why 'Ghostbusters' Should Be Every Entrepreneur's Favorite Movie 

1. The Social Network: It was no surprise that The Social Network was a blockbuster when it was released in 2010. After all, everyone wanted to see how Mark Zuckerberg became transformed from a Harvard student to launching the most popular social-media network in the world.

Why watch it? Never mind if this was overdramatized. The film gives viewers a better understanding of how to make a startup succeed by exhibiting such qualities as being flexible and resilient. Every time I watch this movie it motivates me to be a better entrepreneur.

2. Glengarry Glen Ross: Based on David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this film explores the cutthroat world of Chicago real estate.Glengarry Glen Ross takes a closer look at the lies and betrayals people endure  just to succeed in business.

Why watch it? Unfortunately, the business world can be brutal, something you’ll learn even as a salesperson. This 1992 film illustrates just how vicious it can be.

3. Pirates of Silicon Valley: This was a made-for-TV movie released in 1999 that covers the early days of the country's leading technology hub and the eventual rise of both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The documentary-style movie provides an interesting take on the lives of the founders of Microsoft and Apple.

Why watch it? Entrepreneurs are still looking for inspiration from these two iconic “pirates.” It definitely provides pointers to learn from.

4. Citizen Kane: Even if you’re not an entrepreneur, watch Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece. The film revolves around the life of a fictitious Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper tycoon loosely based on William Randolph Hearst and his quest for fortune and power. In the end, however, Kane comes to understand what’s really important in life.

Why watch it? While launching a successful business is a goal of every entrepreneur, it’s not the only goal in life. 

Related: Need Inspiration? Surprising Movies, Books and More to Motivate Success

5. The Pursuit of Happyness: Based on the true story of Chris Gardner, this 2006 Will Smith vehicle is one of the most heartwarming and motivational films for entrepreneurs. If you’re not moved by watching Chris and his son struggle to follow a dream, then I am truly puzzled.

Why watch it? Even though he became homeless and struggled to provide for his son, Chris never gave up on his dream. That passion and sacrifice is something every entrepreneur should be willing to embrace. 

6. Moneyball: You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. Because the team didn't have the finances to spend on players, Beane had to discover a unique way to compete.

Why watch it? Beane had to be innovative. And that’s one of the most-well known traits of entrepreneurs: figuring out how to make something better. Also, Beane never listened to the naysayers and never backed down from his vision.

Related: How 'The Wolf of Wall Street' Helped Me Increase My Sales by 50 Percent

7. Rocky: This is another film that everyone has to watch at least once. Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in this ultimate underdog tale of Rocky Balboa going the distance with boxing heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.

Why watch it? Even when the world tells you that you'll never have a chance to succeed, keep fighting. That competitive spirit can take you a long way. And I dare you to listen to the classic score from Bill Conti and not become motivated. 

8. Wall Street: In 1987, director Oliver Stone made Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) one of the most infamous characters in cinema history with his motto “greed is good.” The film centers on the illegal and unethical decisions made by Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) to become filthy rich like Gekko, a corporate raider.

What watch it? Don’t sell yourself out just for the sake of money. Remember, being an entrepreneur isn’t just about becoming rich and famous.

Related: 10 Must-See Documentaries for Entrepreneurs

9. Jerry Maguire: The protagonist, Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise), had it all: a great career, lots of friends and a beautiful fiancé. One day, however, he has an epiphany: Sports agents shouldn’t just be looking at the money scenes but how to take care of their clients. Jerry loses everything and goes on journey to regain everything he’s lost.

Why watch it? When you’re following your dream, everything else will fall into place both professionally and personally. Jerry Maguire eventually learns this valuable lesson.

10. Office Space: This 1999 comedy from Mike Judge focuses on Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), who eventually discovers how much he hates sitting inside a cubicle taking orders from his creepy boss Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole).

Why watch it? Every entrepreneur hates working for someone else and will even sometimes go to extremes to get fired: I'm not condoning that you embezzle, though: it could result in jail time.

Top 10 successful traders ever:

There is a big difference between an investor and a trader although both of them can be ruined or wealthy. Starting a trade may not require huge investment or bank loan. Some of the worldwide traders managed to go through certain trials and still remain leaders of the best trades of all times.

The art of speculation (Jesse Livermore)

This art became even more thriving at Jesse Livermore’s call on the 1929 Crash. Through studies and gambling, this trader started his fame when he predicted both the 1907 and the 1929 stockmarket crash. From nothing, he succeeded in piling up to $100 million.

Understanding the dynamics (Paul Tudor Jones)

Paul Tudor Jones when predicting the Black Monday of 1987 understood a sequence of events that will lead him to success. If the market started to go down, instead of drying up, the selling would actually cascade. This means that an overvalued market is sure to create more selling. Gambling on this technique makes him win about 100 million.

Break of the Bank Of England (George Soros)

George Soros made fairly $1 billion by shorting the sterling pound. Although considered as being reckless, this gambling was more than rewarding. He managed BOF to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) in the exact date of September 16, 1992.

Bet on Japanese assets (Templeton Shorts)

This trader invested $100,000 stake in Japan in 1954 to go out with $55 million in 1999. Right after that, Japan was beginning its three-decade long economic miracle. He nearly put about 60 percent of his fund in Japanese assets which was a full success.

Oil trade (Andrew Hall)

The barrel of oil was trading at in $30. Andrew Hall gambled that this price would reach $100 per barrel within five years which actually became true in 2008. Citigroup, his employer made fortune and the trader returned home with $100 million.

Flipping (Paul Rotter)

Dwelling on the basis of the market’s psychology, this technique proved to be successful in handling and mastering markets. Rotter Paul is the initiator of this trade  when he executed trades on the Eurex exchange mainly in the Bund, in the Bobl and Schatz interest rate futures.

Shorting real estate market (John Paulson)

Foreseeing the asset bubble in real estate brought several billions of dollars on Wall Street. Famous for accomplishing the greatest trade ever, John Paulson made $15 billion in 2007 whereas he only planned pocketing $3.7 billion.

Prescient short-seller (Jim Chanos)

Jim Chanos got famous at the demise of Enron in October 2001. He profited from selling of commodity, currency and security. Its famous successful shorts include Baldwin-United and lately homebuilders like KB Home (NYSE: KBH).

Gambling on Geopolitical play (Louis Bacon)

In 1990, Bacon anticipated the invasion of Saddam Hussein in Kuwait. Right the following year, he gambled that the U.S would defeat Iraq with the oil market recovering. Betting and anticipating a geopolitical event to make the most in trading  field.

Investing in distressed assets (David Tepper)

Tepper’s track record in distressed investing proves otherwise to be a success. He bet the Bank of America and Citigroup wouldn’t be nationalized and he won a lot. He bought severely depressed shares and saw them quadrupled in value in the end of the year 2009.

5 Questions to determine if you are ready to be an enterpreneur:



The only difference between people who want to be an enterpreneur and the one's who actually are is the work and the risk of getting started.If you feel like you want to be an enterpreneur but aren't certain if you are ready yet here are 5 questions  to help you determine your capabilities.

1. How comfortable are you with being? uncomfortable? Entrepreneurship will mean a lot of uncertainty. If you’re the kind of person who needs a lot of control and a strictly scheduled life, you may not be able to handle the ambiguity that surrounds entrepreneurism. That being said, don’t think just because uncertainty makes you nervous you can’t be an entrepreneur. If you find you have a need for a controlled schedule, that trait could actually work in your favor.

Entrepreneurship requires long hours, hard work and dedication when you start out. Being able to manage your schedule and control your environment could help you with the organization of your business. However, you might want to plan before you leap in. A few great ways to do this are to stockpile savings, already have a business plan you’re prepared to work and seek out a community of support to talk you through the tough times.

Related: Risk is the Admission Fee of Entrepreneurship

2. Are you disciplined? You are totally responsible for yourself. Right now, wherever you’re at, whatever you’re doing -- it’s your choices that got you here. How do those statements feel to you? If you feel yourself bristling and ready to argue, then you might not be in the right mindset for entrepreneurship yet. When you start, you must take full accountability for everything -- there’s no back-up plan on why you got passed over for a promotion or why you didn’t get your report done on time. Clients won’t want excuses and they’ll drop you.

Even when it’s their fault you have to be prepared to deal with the possibility that you’ll have to handle it. You need discipline to survive and stay ahead of your work, ahead of your bills and to grow your business. If you struggle with accountability and discipline, don’t rule out entrepreneurship forever. Take stock of ways your current situation could be improved by better decisions and try holding yourself accountable.

3. How’s your health? Taking care of your body is important for everyone, but can have particularly far-reaching implications for the entrepreneur. There are no sick days in entrepreneurship when you’re getting started. There’s a chance there won’t be for years. That’s going to mean you have to be productive, even when you don’t feel good, or risk missing business opportunities. You have to keep yourself in good health with diet and exercise that keeps your body strong and your mind keen.

Related: When Passion Is a Pitfall and Seeking Bliss Is Bogus

If you aren’t a healthy person, you may want to figure out a plan for improving your lifestyle before you transition into entrepreneurship. Also important, think of how you’ll cover health insurance and medical needs when you start your journey. Get a plan for your health and work it.

4. Do you love what you do and are you good at it? There are going to be long hours in entrepreneurship. If you enjoy what you’re doing and are passionate about your project, that intense amount of work is enjoyable. Don’t fool yourself into thinking money alone will be enough to motivate you.

Make sure you’re passionate about what you’re intending to pursue as an entrepreneur and that you have the skill set to get to work. If you don’t, consider how you can improve your skills before making the leap and how you might get involved in something you’re passionate about doing.

5. Do you play well with others? You might think entrepreneurship is a solo activity, but the truth is that having great relationships is crucial to long-term success. It's not only for the value that comes from referrals and the camaraderie of close relationships, but also for the support you will need. If you’re starting out as an entrepreneur, you’re going to have periods where you need to rely on the strength, wisdom and friendship of others.

Look for opportunities to build your network: mentors, mastermind groups and other programs will help you find the right people. Just be sure that you invest in them, too. Relationships are based on give and take. Build strong relationships and open yourself up to the great support and learning that comes from others.