Top 10 fictional entrepreneurs

As the recession continues to take hold of the world’s largest economies, entrepreneurs and small businesses are struggling to stay alive.

But it’s comforting to know that somewhere, some intelligent entrepreneurs are making their businesses work – even if they aren’t real.

Courtesy of Inc.com, here are the top 10 fictional entrepreneurs.

10. Harold Hooper, Sesame Street – The proprietor of Mr Hooper’s Store has provided general retail items with a consistent customer base for 40 years, and has survived a number of downturns in the process.

9. Tony Stark, Iron Man – A technology genius, Stark inherited a business from his father that he transformed into a giant weapons corporation.

8. Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane – This newspaper mogul was the best in his game, but sacrificed all his personal relationships in the process.

7. Homer Simpson, The Simpsons – This beloved pop-culture icon is the very essence of an entrepreneur. He’s been a snowplow entrepreneur, sugar tycoon, internet consultant, grease recycler, tabloid publisher, bar owner, bounty hunter, talent manager and detective without resigning his job as a nuclear safety inspector.

6. Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – A confectionary entrepreneur who knows how to make a spectacle when he announces a once-in-a-lifetime tour of his factory.

5. Mildred Pierce, Mildred Pierce – Set during the Great Depression, this single mother attempts to bring her family out of financial turmoil by opening a restaurant chain. Today’s entrepreneurs are following suit, with several businesses defying the downturn in the food industry. 

4. Jerry Maguire, Jerry Maguire – Forceful and thorough demands such as “show me the money” are definitely a direct way to do business. 

3. Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood – An oil tycoon who only looks out for himself is sure to earn money, but his story isn’t without a violent ending.

2. Milo Minderbinder, Catch-22 – Several war novels depict the experience as something dreadful, but this entrepreneur views it as an opportunity.

1. Hank Reardon, Atlas Shrugged – This steel mogul is a self-made entrepreneur and staunch capitalist who pays his workers a fair wage and has never been threatened with a strike.