30 Most Memorable Fictional Entrepreneurs

You may never have thought you'd see the name Homer Simpson mentioned with the word "entrepreneur", but believe it or not the lovable yellow and quite often absent-minded cartoon dad made a top 10 list, of fictional entrepreneurs. Homer checks in at #8 on the list provided by Inc. magazine, which talks of the various money making endeavors Homer has been part of such as Internet consultant, tabloid publisher and sugar tycoon. Coming in at the 1 spot on the list is Hank Rearden a steel magnate from the novel "Atlas Shrugged". Other memorable names you may recognize in the top 10 include a sports agent who "shows the money", a magic candy factory owner, and a weapons-dealing man who's alter ego is tough as Iron.

30 Most Memorable Fictional Entrepreneurs

1) Hank Rearden (Atlas Shrugged, steel magnate)
2) Milo Minderbinder (Catch-22, uses war for opportunity)
3) Daniel Plainview (There Will be Blood, oil tycoon)
4) Jerry Maguire (Jerry Maguire, sports agent)
5) Mildred Pierce (Mildred Pierce, book/movie - working class mother of 2)
6) Willy Wonka (Chocolate Factory, owner and tour guide)
7) Homer Simpson (The Simpsons, multifaceted dad)
8) Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane, wealthy media magnate)
9) Tony Stark (Iron Man, weapons dealer & superhero)
10) Harold Hooper (Sesame Street store owner)
11) Maxine Lund (Being John Malkovich, co-founder of the experience Malkovich biz)
12) Stringer Bell (The Wire, real estate developer/dealer)
13) Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter, owners of Diagon Alley shop & owl-order business)
14) Bree Van De Kamp (Desperate Housewives, self-sufficient housewife, Caterer &
Author of Mrs. Van de Kamp Recipes)
15) Rick Blaine (Casablanca, cafe owner)
16) Lorelai Gilmore & Sookie St. James (Gilmore Girls, managers of Dragonfly Inn)
17) The Once-ler (Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, entrepreneur)
18) Seymour Levov (American Pastoral, business owner)
19) Bill Henrickson (Big Love, owner of 3 wives & 2 stores)
20) Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett (barber and baker)
21) George Jefferson (The Jeffersons, owner of Jefferson Cleaners chain)
22) Calvin Palmer (Barbershop, owner)
23) Benjamin Horne (Twin Peaks, owner of Great Northern Hotel)
24) Yermolay Lopakhin (The Cherry Orchard, change agent)
25) Frenchy (Small Time Crooks, founder of Cookie business/bank robber)
26) Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz &
Egon Spengler (Ghostbusters, founders)
27) Paul Dombey (Dombey & Son, wealthy shipping magnate)
28) Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump, founder of Bubba Gump Shrimp)
29) Julia Sugarbaker (Designing Women, interior design firm)
30) Tony Soprano (The Sopranos, mob boss extraordinaire)

(Source: Inc. Magazine)

Surprisingly Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell failed to make the list. After all he started several different product lines, published modeling calendars, spaghetti sauce, magic rings, formed a rock band, and even tried to pawn off Screech as an alien to make some extra dough from the FBI as reward money. Zach was the epitome of a hustler trying to make money while working but also while coming up with various money making schemes. I might also argue for Ari Gold from the hit HBO series, Entourage. Ari was fired from his job and ended up forming the Miller-Gold agency with Barbara "Babs" Miller, still managing his talented young client, Vincent Chase. He even gave up a lucrative position as major studio head to continue running his own biz.

So what do we take away from this list? Possibly the notion that you don't have to be a rocket scientist, truly famous, or a business person to become a successful entrepreneur. Seeing this list has given me some food for thought in terms of movies I'd like to see such as There Will Be Blood, and books to read including Atlas Shrugged. Perhaps these characters, although fictional, can serve as inspiration for us all. One day you even may see this character, the lovable Monetizer who makes money online ranking up on the list too!