5 Most Powerful Business Lessons from Peaky Blinders | Unlock Success and Learn Business Strategies from Thomas Shelby

“I have business“, one of the best quotes of Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in Peaky Blinders. From season 1, we can see how Thomas plans to build his empire from being an illegal gambler and bookmaker to a successful businessman and politician. Although, this fiction series is made on scenes from the early 1920s when there was not much advancement and technology, but the strategies Tommy used to uphold his reputation are still remarkable and worth learning. With his brilliant mind and keen business sense, Thomas Shelby, the mysterious and charming leader of the Peaky Blinders, has captured the attention of audiences.

Thomas knows the importance of business and his overall career, he loves his family too, but as we can learn from the series he always plans his routine with such a strategy that no harm comes to his family or even his business. And sometimes, when everything is at stake he knows which one to choose first, as an example you can see in season 2 when Major Campbell (Sam Neill) tried to overthrow Tommy’s empire by trapping him in an intelligence business, he arrests Michael (Finn Cole) and Arthur (Paul Anderson), at that time Polly convinces Thomas to put out Michael first but he replies “Polly, business first”. That shows how strategic and well-concerned he is when it comes to business.

Thomas Shelby’s business strategies provide insightful guidance for modern business owners. In this post, we’ll examine five of Thomas Shelby’s most important business lessons that still apply today.

Powerful Business Lessons from Peaky Blinders

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is one of Thomas Shelby’s most unique qualities. Shelby’s success is based on careful preparation, whether he is pulling off a complex crime or negotiating the dangerous waters of political relationships. Strategic planning for enterprises involves determining objectives, understanding the competitive environment, and foreseeing any barriers. Businesses should participate in thorough preparation to achieve their goals, like Thomas Shelby.

Example from the show

If you’ve watched the series, you can understand how well-managed and planned Tommy is, right? But one of the best examples is when Thomas’s men robbed the wrong crates from the BSA factory in season 1 full of machine guns and ammunition bound for Libya. He could have dumped it, sailed it to the highest bidder, or even given it to the government as a concerned citizen. But no, he kept those guns and planned a perfect strategy to expand his business and make sure no one threatened him and that’s where his actual growth began.

Even at the end of season 2, when he was at Epsom Racecourse, on a mission from The Crown to kill Field Marshal Russell, he was inquired by Major Inspector Cambell when he questions him “Shouldn’t you be busy“, Tommy replies “when you plan something well, there’s no need to rush“. That clearly shows how strategic he is when it comes to planning something and the same thing modern businesses need to apply in their pre-plan strategies.

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Leadership and Authority

Thomas Shelby’s leadership style is a blend of charisma, focus, and authority. He is a strong leader who inspires his people to respect and be loyal to him. Effective leadership is characterized by strong team-building, trust-building, and setting an example for others to follow. Modern businesses and companies can take an example from Thomas Shelby and adopt a leadership approach that strikes a balance between compassion and authority to keep their staff motivated and committed to the company’s goals.

Example from the show

You can take the perfect example of Tommy’s leadership from his own wedding at the beginning of season 3. Surely, it’s very tough to behave all those gypsy guys who have no education, discipline, or morality for social events. But we can see how Thomas leads everyone and tells them how to behave and what they need to do on this special occasion. That’s where he says “No fighting“, and all the boys from Tommy’s family try to sobber and follow his instructions till the end of the wedding.

Modern businesses should adopt such a strategy to lead their employees like Tommy does.

Risk management

All business activities involve risk, and Thomas Shelby is an expert at handling it. He is aware that growth requires taking chances, but he also knows how to minimize any negative effects. Risk management for firms is locating possible hazards, evaluating their implications, and creating plans to lessen them. This can involve making backup plans, getting insurance, and diversifying your investments.

Examples from the show

At the end of season 2, Tommy puts his own life at complete risk when he plans a meeting with Solomon Alfie (Tom Hardy). The actual purpose of the meeting was to sign over all the business to Solomon so he could lift his charges from Arthur and he gets bail from the jail. But Thomas made a very smart and risky move, he entered Solomon’s distillery with a bomb and handed his remote to a boy outside. Alfie wanted to take over Tommy’s 100% business but Tommy says no deal, only 30% otherwise he’ll blow up the whole place.

That was a perfect example of how you put aside your ambitions and purposes and get results from a calculated risk. Although in every season, Tommy is risking something at some point but the way he manages everything and calculates every risk at each step is a valuable lesson for modern entrepreneurs.

Build Strong Networks

In addition to his cunning and intelligence, Thomas Shelby is also famous for his ability to establish and manage strong networks. He is aware of the value of forming powerful connections and the strength of alliances. Networking is important in business. Developing connections with other companies, business executives, and other stakeholders can lead to insightful and beneficial opportunities.

Examples from the show

Throughout the series, we can see whenever Tommy has a strategy in place or he’s about to do something serious, he’s just a call away. Moreover, besides his gypsy and Lee boys, he has a huge network of people in England and even in America, where he exports most of the liquor. Doesn’t matter what he needs and at what time he needs, he always has someone to do his work.

And when it comes to something personal he has his brothers to cover his back, which shows despite having a strong network he trusts and loves his family.

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Reslience and Adaptability

Despite all of the challenges and disappointments Thomas Shelby faced along the way, his adaptability and fortitude allowed him to succeed in the end. He constantly finds a way to overcome failures and turn them into opportunities for growth. For any firm, resilience and adaptability are essential attributes. Businesses need to be ready to accept setbacks and adjust to shifting market conditions. This can involve adopting new technologies, changing business strategies, and always learning and growing.

Examples from the show

Since we’re humans and we have limits to every action, same goes for Tommy as well. In the series, Tommy continuously failed many times because of his involvements in some unfortunate businesses such as Russian business and rivalry with Italian guys. He didn’t fall back, he worked on his loop holes and got himself recovered.
That should be a mindset of modern businessman, if you fail don’t stop adapt new strategies and work on your failures and soon you’ll be back in game like Thomas Shelby.