6 business lessons from Soviet cartoons

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

"The Adventures of Buratino" and "Three from Prostokvashino" will help to avoid typical mistakes of entrepreneurs.

Lesson 1. Smartly look for investments to start a business

Three from Prostokvashino

• 1978 year.
• Duration: 19 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

As our survey has shown, one of the most common obstacles to starting your own project is the lack of finance. There are many ways to attract start-up capital, but you need to remember the main thing: in the vast majority of cases, you will have to return this money, with interest. Therefore, before taking any funds, you need to very carefully calculate the business model and understand how and when you will repay the loan.

The cartoon characters refused from the neighbors' money when buying a cow and decided to look for a treasure. They succeeded, in the end it turned out to be a very profitable farm.

- We ought to buy a cow, - suggested the cat Matroskin.

- It would be necessary, but where to get the money? - Uncle Fedor answers.

- Or maybe borrow from the neighbors? - Sharik suggested.

- And what are we going to give? Give it back! - objected the cat Matroskin.

- And we will give it in milk, - Sharik finds the answer.

- If you give milk, why then a cow?

Lesson 2. Choose Your Business Partners Carefully

The Adventures of Pinocchio

• 1959 year.
• Duration: 64 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

When starting the implementation of a business project, entrepreneurs understand that great success can be achieved if partners are involved. This step can really accelerate growth many times over due to new knowledge, skills and resources, but it can also completely ruin you.

Yes, unfortunately, there are more and more scammers who want to cash in on someone else's expense. Fortunately, most often they use standard schemes - for example, playing on greed and offers to get rich quickly. Be careful and do not trust your money to any crooks, as the gullible Pinocchio did.

“There is a country of Fools, there is a Field of Miracles in it. Dig a hole in this field, say three times "Crax, fax, pax", put gold in the hole, cover it with earth, sprinkle salt on top, fill the fields well and go to sleep. In the morning, a small tree will grow out of the hole, gold coins will hang on it instead of leaves”.

Lesson 3. Set clear goals

Golden antelope

• 1954 year.
• Duration: 31 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

It is impossible to run a business without clear planning. The more specific the goal you set for yourself and your team, the more likely you will be able to achieve the desired result.

For goal setting, you can use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) technique. From the name of the method, it becomes clear that any business goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and limited in time.

Raja from the cartoon did not know the art of planning and setting specific goals, for which he paid.

- How much gold do you need? Antelope asked.

- Uh, a lot! - answered the Raja.

- And if there is too much gold?

- You stupid animal, there can't be too much gold!

Lesson 4. Plan resources

Greedy rich man

• 1980 year.
• Duration: 5 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

To achieve any goal you need resources - time, money, knowledge, people. If an entrepreneur does not know how to manage resources, then this greatly inhibits the development of his business. Problems such as bloated staff (due to a lack of understanding of how to optimize production processes) or lack of marketing budget (because there is an illusion that a lot can be done for free) are common problems.

As a result, the business owner gets a completely different result than he planned. So it happened for the rich man, who demanded that the furrier sew seven hats from one sheep's skin.

- Is this my order? Are you thinking of joking?

After all, none of them can be put on the nose!

- But you yourself wanted it! Now you grumble, weirdo.

There is no way to carve out seven big hats from a sheep!

Lesson 5. Competently motivate employees

The cat that walked on its own

• 1968 year.
• Duration: 20 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

One of the most important resources of any company is its personnel. But a person, unlike machines, has to be motivated to work. Unfortunately, it is not enough just to pay people a salary - everyone needs to be able to find an individual approach and tools for non-material incentives.

The Woman easily coped with this task, agreeing with the forest dwellers that they would now serve man.

- Tell me, oh my enemy, wife of my enemy, that it smells so tender among these wild forests? asked the wild Dog.

The woman threw a bone to the Dog without further ado.

- O my enemy, the wife of my enemy, throw me another equally tasty bone, - asked the Dog.

“If you guard our cave at night and help my Man to go after the prey, I will give you as many bones as you need,” the Woman set the condition.

- Oh, this is a very smart Woman, - concluded the Cat.

Lesson 6. Highlight the competitive advantage of the product

How the old man sold a cow

• 1980 year.
• Duration: 6 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

Not a single business can do without sales. Therefore, the more cleverly you can set up this process, the sooner your project will become successful and profitable. To do this, you need to experiment with the product itself, constantly improving it. Search and change sales channels to achieve maximum effect. But often it's enough just to learn how to properly present your product.

The old man from the cartoon was helped by a "marketer" who repackaged his cow so that the old man gave up the idea of selling such a treasure.

- Will you sell the cow?

- Buy if you are rich.

Cow, look, not a cow, but a treasure!

- Is it so? Looks too thin!

- Not very fat, but good milk yield.

- Does the cow give a lot of milk?

- If you don't milk it in a day, your hand will get tired.