START-UP: An Impressive K-Drama For The Budding Entrepreneur In All Of Us

Everyone knows the hardships of starting a business. Blood, sweat, and tears are just literally the surface of it all. Too often you’ll hear the terms: sacrifice, capital, burn-rate, and return of investments and too often you’ll see budding entrepreneurs give up midway through the whole ordeal especially when their product or service is subject to a lot of nitpicking and rejection. Starting your own business is first and foremost a risk. “Damned if you do and damned if you don’t” a quote that is regularly used by CEOs when it comes to decision making. Either way you’ll be scrutinized at every angle and certain things will be sacrificed when making a choice. In the world of business great sacrifice either obtains the greatest failure or the greatest success. There is no middle ground. Once you succeed you’re known as a CEO or Founder but once you fail immense scrutiny happens.

Each person puts up a start-up for different reasons and their end goal may not necessarily be wealth and fame. Which is why That feeling of plunging into so much uncertainty especially when you’re an entrepreneur, is one that is all too relatable. The start-up journey is one that is of self-discovery, filled with invaluable lessons such as humility, perseverance, hard work, and camaraderie. Most oftentimes we find entrepreneurs doing everything they can in order to make the business survive, which is where this K-Drama is set. Start-Up is all about one’s journey in building their own company from scratch but it goes a bit deeper than that. If you’re an entrepreneur or an aspiring one, then you know all these raw feelings of what it takes to plunge yourself into building your own empire. If you’re intrigued, we’ve listed a couple of things that we find impressive about the series to give you a quick view of what makes it interesting to watch:

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1.     Presents relatable scenarios when starting a business

In the series the protagonist experienced the trials and tribulations of putting up a business such as the rejections and the triumphs. It also portrays the lengths one goesthrough such as the numerous financial and personal sacrifices in order for thebusiness to take off. The series depicts a series of character development,consequences, and a bunch of other humbling moments that are all too relatablefor anyone wanting to make their business dreams come true.

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2.     Projects business terms and plans

Every now and then the series would pause and will flash different business and financial term and what they mean. These terms are usually flashed when the protagonist is in contact, using or experiencing these business terms. It’s very helpful especially for those who want to understand business scenarios. You will quickly learn as the terms are projected to you and you’ll be able to associate them with the different scenarios presented in the series. The show also reiterates that in every business, one must have a plan to be able to generate profit, allowing the viewer to see how the characters navigate to develop their own profitable business plans.

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3.     Contrast between debt by gratitude and financial debt

Like every K-Drama, there’s always the good Samaritan who helps out the protagonist of the series. We see how gratitude plays a huge part in building a business and how it affects decision-making scenarios. What is impressive is that the show also presents another form of debt which is financial debt. It teaches the viewer certain lessons when it comes to dealing with others and when it comes to managing finances. It depicts humbling circumstances where pride and egos are set aside in order to achieve a certain goal.

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4.     Gives an overview of howa start-up is organized and structured

The K-Drama series gives a glimpse of the structures and hierarchies of a company. It’s able to demonstrate a brief introduction on certain key positions and their significance within their business. Knowing the positions, the viewer is able to distinguish the responsibilities that comes with the title each character is bestowed upon. The viewer could also deduce how these key players in the business interact with one another and as a result would be able to come up with solutions on how they could properly delegate their tasks and communicate with one another.

5.     Showcase of venture capitals, investors and incubators

The series presents key external factors when it comes to building a start-up company such as Venture Capital firms, Investors and Incubators. These types of key external factors are not always mentioned in other series which sets this one apart from all of them. The series teaches the viewers that there isn’t just one way of securing a funding for your start-up. It enlightens viewers that there are places that will help you discover the potentials of your business without having to risk a lot.

Apart from all that is mentioned, the show presents a noteworthy plot, and admired Korean actors such as Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, and Kim Seon-ho who have graced other popular series such as Vagabond, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, and 100 Days My Prince respectively. Overall the series is not only insightful but also an enjoyable one as it speaks to so many individuals on an emotional and situational level. You don’t have to be a business owner to be able to relate to the characters in the show. The show doesn’t sugarcoat the harshness of the world where everyone is taught to always get ahead.  Start-Up presents the audience not only with an overview of what it’s like to start a business in this modern day and age, but it presents the reality of what it takes to build your company from the ground up and that hard work, dedication and believing in one’s vision does indeed go a long way.