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American Gangster | Business Lessons

AMERICAN GANGSTER. Great movie. Great story, Great acting. Great cinematography. And, great business wisdom.

AMERICAN GANGSTER? Great business wisdom? Oh yeah.

I know what you’re thinking … AMERICAN GANGSTER is a film about a drug dealer (portrayed by Denzel Washington) and the New York City cop (portrayed by Russell Crowe) who busted a big-time heroin ring. Business lessons to be learned?

Oh, yeah. Lots of business lessons to be learned, including: Mentors Matter, Launching New Products, Brand Dilution, Leadership Qualities, The Weakest Talk the Loudest, and Winners Can Quit.

[FYI … Long-time Brand Autopsy readers will recall a series of posts from February of 2004 highlighting STREET CORNER SELLING LESSONS from a book called Dealing Crack (Bruce Jacobs). So this isn’t new territory for Brand Autopsy.]


American Gangster synopsis:
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. As a result, his product is superior to what is currently available on the street and his prices are lower. His alliance with the New York Mafia ensures his position. It is also the story of a dedicated and honest policeman, Richie Roberts, who heads up a joint narcotics task force with the Federal government. Based on a true story. [SOURCE]


AMERICAN GANGSTER | BUSINESS LESSONS

LESSON ONE
Mentors Matter (Jan. 8th)


LESSON TWO
Launching New Products (Jan. 9)


LESSON THREE
Brand Dilution (Jan. 12)


LESSON FOUR
Leadership Qualities (Jan. 14)


LESSON FIVE
The Loudest is the Weakest (Jan. 15)


LESSON SIX
Winners Can Quit (Jan. 18)