Fan Claims ‘Breaking Bad’ Is A Guide To Entrepreneurship

A fan of Breaking Bad has decided to explore the show in an unconventional way. Instead of reviewing his binge watching of the Breaking Bad series, managing director at Madrona Venture Group, Greg Gottesman, decided to outline a pretty comprehensive list of why Breaking Bad is the series for entrepreneurs.

The series revolves around chemistry teacher turned kingpin Walter White, and his former high school student Jesse Pinkman, who’s the supplier of the meth the two cook up. Walt is probably the most complex character of them all, but instead of dissecting Walter White for the fiftieth time, this fan decides to give tips on how to be an entrepreneur while using examples from the AMC series.

The Breaking Bad fan’s published entry on All Things D spotlights a few tips, including choosing the right co-founder, pursuing your passion, picking partners you trust, thinking before talking publicly, and avoiding jail. All of these tips seem like a no brainer, but it’s framed around Breaking Bad in a really clever way.

The writer states that the careful balance between Jesse Pinkman and Walter White was an immensely important tool for any entrepreneur, because as an entrepreneur you have to have several founders on board to gain important investors. Having a partner in crime (in the case of Walter White, literally) is an important backbone to any business.

It was obvious that Walter White’s excuse of making meth as a financial backup plan for his family was really just a cover for his underlying passion for the business. The writer states that you have to be passionate about a business to make it work. For Walter White, he loved the order, structure, and limitless power the business of making meth gave him. White was fanatical, and the writer puts forth an important quote to express this important point:

“I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really … I was alive.”

The think before you talk publicly point addresses just how dangerous some of the scenarios Walt got himself in and out of actually were. In the real world, we have social networks to deal with, and if an entrepreneur says something without thinking it could be damaging for their business. For Walt, it was his business and his life that constantly hung in the balance.

This isn’t the first time Walter White’s business moves have been featured in an article. Last year, Forbes highlighted some of the best tips to take away from Breaking Bad‘s Walter White.

Do you think the fictional character makes a great entrepreneur?