61 Business Tips from Fictional Characters

Welcome to the 400^th post on the Fishbowl Inventory Blog! That’s a lot of blog posts in three and a half years. This calls for a star-studded celebration. I have collected 61 business tips I shared in blog posts from six fictional characters: Bane, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Darth Vader, Harry Potter, Homer Simpson, and Mr. Miyagi. I love looking for comparisons to inventory management and other business subjects in popular movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, it’s easy for all of that great content to get lost in the shuffle as I continually add new posts that bury older ones farther down the pile. That’s why I am calling them out again. In those blog posts, I shared a number of quotes from fictional characters or ideas from films and then related them to a specific business topic. Below, you’ll find the quotes or ideas I shared, and you can click the links to see how in the world they relate to the business subject listed under the character’s name. I’ll go in alphabetical order, starting with Bane.

Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)

Inventory Management 1. “They expect one of us in the wreckage, brother.” 2. “Now’s not the time for fear.” 3. “Time to go mobile.” 4. “It doesn’t matter who we are. What matters is our plan.” 5. “Follow him.” 6. “He’s dead.” “So show me his body.” 7. “Our plan is proceeding as expected.” 8. “Your money and infrastructure have been important.” 9. “Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated. But we are initiated, aren’t we, Bruce?” 10. “I will show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice. Then I will break you. Your precious armory, gratefully accepted! We will need it.” 11. “Gotham, take control… take control of your city.”  

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Leadership 12. “I’m Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise.” 13. “You’re a Starfleet officer.” 14. “I don’t feel comfortable with children.” 15. “I was a different person in those days – arrogant, undisciplined, with far too much ego but too little wisdom.” 16. “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.” 17. “I can’t live out my days as that person. That man is bereft of passion and imagination! That is not who I am!” 18. “Suggestions.” 19. “What better place to find oneself than on the streets of one’s home village.” 20. “Make it so.” 21. “Engage!”  

Darth Vader (The Original Star Wars Trilogy)

Order Management 22. “I’m here to put you back on schedule.” 23. “Commander, tear this ship apart until you find those plans!” 24. “Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed.” 25. “The circle is now complete.” 26. “Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory.” 27. “If he could be turned, he will become a powerful ally.” 28. “Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.” 29. “I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.” 30. “You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. No disintegrations.” 31. “The Empire will compensate you if he dies.” 32. “I do not want the Emperor’s prize damaged.” 33. “The Death Star will be completed on schedule.” 34. “You are unwise to lower your defenses!” 35. “Don’t underestimate the Force.” 36. “Your skills are complete.”  

Harry Potter

Small Business 37. Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans 38. Wands 39. Gringotts Wizarding Bank 40. Time-Turners 41. Room of Requirement  

Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

Inventory Management 42. “Every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain.” 43. “I think Smithers picked me because of my motivational skills. Everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I’m around.” 44. “Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean I don’t understand.” 45. “The three little sentences that will get you through life. No. 1: Cover for me. No. 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! No. 3: It was like that when I got here.” 46. “Well, it’s 1 a.m. Better go home and spend some quality time with the kids.” Part 2 47. “To start, press any key. Where’s the ANY key?” 48. “Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Fourteen percent of people know that.” 49. “Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers.” 50. “Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.” 51. “If something’s hard to do, then it’s not worth doing.”  

Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid)

Inventory Management 52. “Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything.” 53. “Yeah, but you knew karate.” “Someone always know more.” 54. “Hai, can see. No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do.” 55. “Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later get squished just like grape. Here, karate same thing. Either you karate do ‘yes’ or karate do ‘no.’ You karate do ‘guess so,’ just like grape. Understand?” 56. “In Okinawa, all Miyagi know two things: fish and karate.” Part 2 57. “Wax on… wax off. Wax on… wax off.” 58. “Up… down. All in the wrist.” 59. “Hey, where did these old cars come from?” “Detroit.” 60. “Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?” 61. “Just remember, license never replace eye, ear, and brain.” All images are the copyright of their respective owners.