Beetlejuice:
Business Movie Review

Learn Business Strategies of
Marketing, Experimenting, and Fun

The movie: Beetlejuice (1998) is a Halloween classic packed with oodles of business strategies – if a Small Business Owner chooses to review it through that lens. If you haven’t seen it in a while, watch how masterful Beetlejuice is at marketing. This is a story about a couple who has their home invaded by another couple with a child. There are some odd characters, some with even deviant motives, who are interacting with one another to weave a tale. True to Tim Burton’s form, there are several plot twists along the way. Enjoy watching this light-hearted movie and apply the different strategies you notice to improve your business success. 

Beetlejuice Business Strategy #1
Marketing

Beetlejuice is a fabulous marketer! Who would’ve thought that? He is mischievous and wants to come to the realm of the living where he can create havoc. In order to do that he needs people to find him and then say his name 3 times. He has a neon sign to intrigue people – it’s important to know he exists. He provides shovels so they find him. Once people do, he tells them exactly what they must do to have him become a solution. This is marketing 101 at its best!

Small Business Owners, whose marketing is better: the fictitious character Beetlejuice or your business? If the answer is Beetlejuice, then you probably realized how important this is and have rearranged your priorities to have your marketing properly functioning.

Beetlejuice Business Strategy #2
Experimenting

The original owners of the home have a new role. They experiment to verify something is different. They must constantly experiment to improve their performance level in this new role. At times, they are reminded their performance is inadequate to complete their task. They don’t give up trying to accomplish their primary goal. In this experimenting process, they also fulfill a long-term goal of theirs as well.

Are you experimenting enough to make mistakes? Experimenting always gets you closer to your goal. Sometimes experiments come in unexpected shapes and sizes. It doesn’t matter, just play with it to learn what and where you and your business have the opportunity to excel. Continuous experimentation is one of the best strategies you can bring to life to create a peaceful and profitable business.

Beetlejuice Business Strategy #3
Fun

Without hesitation, every character is about having fun. Even though fun looks different to each character – that’s what they seek. Some characters are more obvious about what fun means to them, while others aren’t as apparent. Pay attention to what fun means to each of the characters. Note: Some may not reveal it until the end of the movie!

As a Small Business Owner, how do you have fun in your work? Do you remember to have fun in your life too? Often, I see Small Business Owners making the job they created for themselves into work and toil. It’s a peculiar thing and quite common. What can you do to eliminate more friction and frustrations in your business? How can you add things, which bring you joy, into your work routine?

FYI: You’re reading one of my joys. I needed new content for my blogposts. Watching movies is my thing. I have a gift for seeing endless business strategies in each one. I’ve mashed sharing business strategies of movies into content to help my readers look at their business from a fresh perspective. That’s one way to experiment and have fun 🙂  What’s yours?

Feel free to share in the comment section which one of the Business Strategies from the “Beetlejuice” movie would serve YOU and YOUR Business best right now?