For the millions of viewers of the Starz network’s smash hit series, BMF, hearing legendary soul singer Charlie Wilson belt the opening lines, “I've got everything on the line, out here I'm on the grind, trying to get mine, at least you could wish me luck,” from the show's theme song—is reminiscent of a child hearing the signature music coming from an ice cream truck in their neighborhood.
That’s because both songs signify that you’re only minutes away from receiving a treat.
Now with a third season officially under his belt, the show’s executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, along with the show’s writers, have millions of the series' fanatics on social media discussing the direction of the show; due to a few new... let's just say interesting characters and storylines that were added this season.
Notwithstanding, as with the previous two seasons of the television series which debuted in 2021, if you look beneath the surface—there’s plenty of underlying messages in just about every episode of BMF of both what to do—as well as what not to do. Especially as it pertains to entrepreneurship.
1. Find a way to make magic
“As an entrepreneur, you can always find a solution if you try hard enough.” - Lori Greiner, Entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor
Whoever first said that entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, couldn’t have been more correct in their assertion. Despite studies that have shown nearly half of Americans have considered starting their own business, the harsh reality is that although many people have plenty of great business ideas that they could see becoming successful—most will allow two things to stop them.
Those two things are: the fear of failure and rejection. And unfortunately for most people, the fear of experiencing those two things overpower their belief in their business ideas.
But in order to become a true entrepreneur, it is an absolute must that you not only disregard those fears—but also supplant them with irrational confidence and resilience. That irrational confidence and resilience definitely paid off big time for the Flenory brothers (Demetrius and Terry) in episode two of Season 3 of BMF titled, ‘Magic Makers.’
Stressed over his inability to find a new manufacturer and supplier for his organization’s product, while living in Atlanta, GA, Demetrius (Meech) finds himself going to great lengths to find something that seems impossible to find at the time—a reliable connection. But as Meech says in the episode, “Magic is about making the impossible possible.”
Exhausting every avenue available, and after stepping into some pretty chaotic situations to get it done—through irrational confidence and resilience—Meech made magic happen and found a new manufacturer and supplier for BMF—a Columbian man by the name of Loco; who unbeknownst to Meech, also went through great lengths to find him as well.
As an entrepreneur, you will face many hurdles in business that are seemingly impossible to get over. Even so, you could still propel through them and make the impossible possible by having an irrational confidence in yourself with the resilience to do whatever it takes to accomplish your objectives.
By putting yourself out there and striving unrelentingly—opportunity could find you much like it did Meech.
2. Follow The Golden Rule
“To be successful, you need to shift your focus from yourself and your product or service outward onto the people who matter.” - John Hall, Author and Co-founder/CEO of Influence & Co.
As kids, whether we always adhered to it or not, I believe that most of us were taught The Golden Rule. Which consists of doing unto others what you would have them do to you. As an entrepreneur, rubbing elbows with others is an extremely important component to building something that every entrepreneur could benefit from—a great network of associates.
In episode three of Season 3, titled, ‘Sanctuary,’ Meech discusses the importance of networking and how treating people kindly could be beneficial to your business.
While attending the world famous Jack The Rapper hip-hop convention (which took place during the 90s) for networking purposes, Meech explains to viewers how hip-hop pioneer Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell utilized the power of The Golden Rule to not only network with radio programmers across the country—but also have them play his label’s records in exchange for the kind deeds he’d shown them.
Now, I won’t go into what kind of deeds Luke had bestowed upon the radio programmers to incentivize them to play his records (if you ever heard an Uncle Luke or 2 Live Crew hit single, just use your imagination and you’d probably be correct). Just know that as Meech states in the episode, “If you treat people right, they never gon’ forget.”
Build your network by intentionally focusing your efforts towards helping others receive things they would appreciate. And in return, they’ll keep you top of mind whenever the time comes that they could help you receive something you may desire as well.
3. Distribution is key
“Having a great idea for a product is important, but having a great idea of product distribution is even more important.” - Reid Hoffman, Co-founder/Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, Venture Capitalist
Oftentimes, the primary focus of first-time startup founders is directed towards ensuring that their company produces the best product possible; in hopes that potentially—it’ll lead to having what all companies covet—an unfair advantage over their competitors in their category or industry.
Undoubtedly, having the best product in any marketplace is a great thing for a company to hang its proverbial hat on. However, any advantages that derives from your company having the best product—pales in comparison to the advantages that comes with having the best distribution.
Meech accurately asserts the importance of distribution in episode nine of Season 3, titled, “Death Trap.”
Exasperated by the interruption of their operation due to their crew constantly being harassed and having their vehicles pulled over in Atlanta by the city’s "Red Dog" anti-crime police unit; the Flenory brothers head down to Miami with hopes of securing a deal with someone who could potentially help solve their problem.
First introduced through a mutual friend, while in Miami, Meech and Terry meet Francois—an absolute wizard when it comes to customizing vehicles with hidden compartments. Using their gift of persuasiveness, the brothers eventually convince Francois to join their team and customize BMF-owned vehicles so that Red Dog officers wouldn't be able to find and seize their product—which obviously, would disturb their distribution process.
As an owner or CEO of a product-based business, give your company an unfair advantage by directing your efforts towards not just having superior products to your competitors—but also having superior distribution channels. As Meech told Terry after finalizing the deal with Francois, “Once we control our distribution, we control the whole board. Then, we can name our price.”
If you also aspire to have the ability to name the price for your company’s products, keep in mind that getting those products in the hands of customers in the most reliable and cost-efficient manner is what’s most important. In other words—distribution is key.