Popcorn & Profits

Movie: Casino

What Casino Teaches Entrepreneurs (Yes, Even the Sane Ones)

This look is inspired by one of Abe Rothstein’s looks. Details here.

Let me guess: you didn’t expect to get business advice from a mob movie that involves a lot of velvet, violence, and unfortunate fashion choices.

But here we are.

Because under all the gold chains and gambling slips, Casino is a masterclass in what happens when ambition, ego, and chaos share a bank account. And if you’re building a business, running a household, or doing both in heels, you’d be wise to pay attention.

1. You Can Run the Tightest Ship in Town and Still Sink

Ace Rothstein is brilliant. The man knows his numbers, his margins, and his floor plan. He’s the kind of operator who even counts the blueberries in the muffins. That level of detail? (and as my son Cal says, Chef’s kiss.) But it doesn’t save him. Because no matter how flawless your operations are, they can’t outmaneuver broken relationships and bad judgment calls. Efficiency is important. But structure without stability is like a perfectly organized closet in a house that’s on fire.

2. Choose Your Partners Like You’d Choose a Babysitter—with Background Checks and a Gut Feeling

Ace brings Nicky in out of loyalty. Nicky’s loyalty lasts about five minutes, then he turns the whole operation into a war zone. The people you build with will either multiply your momentum or blow it up from the inside. Business, marriage, co-founders: it’s all the same: alignment first, charisma later. If someone makes your gut feel like it’s hosting a tap-dancing class? Pay attention. I’ll be the first to admit (now) that I did not take partner and team member choosing as thoughtfully as I should have when I started Happy Medium (and for many years). There are unlimited amounts of experts and information on hiring the best team members, what your hiring process should be like, and what your culture should feel like. Those are important, but at the end of the day, it's your company, use your gut and feel comfortable doing it. Whether in personal partners or employees. I would have saved myself a lot of pain by being more thoughtful about who I was letting into my life and company. (and honestly, probably saved them a lot of frustration too!)

3. Control Feels Safe—Until It Isn’t

Ace wants control over everything: his team, his wife, and his wardrobe. And at first, it works. Then it all unravels. Founders, listen up: gripping your business too tightly doesn’t protect it. It chokes it. I can admit I was the queen of control when I started Happy Medium. I had a vision, and I hadn’t yet learned the art of conveying vision and inspecting what I expect, while giving space to the team to grow and make things better in their own expert way. It’s tough when, at the end of the day, it’s your name on the line, but there is no way to grow without letting go of control. Letting go of control, though, doesn’t mean you need to let go of high expectations. But you don’t need to be in every Slack thread and approve every font. You need to build a system that works without you. That’s the real flex.

4. Your Personal Life Isn’t Personal if It’s Tanking Your Business

Look, Ace and Ginger? That mess wasn’t just romantic—it was operational. You can’t run a multimillion-dollar enterprise while your personal life is setting fires in the background. Here’s the deal: if your life is unraveling behind the scenes, it’s not behind the scenes. It’s everywhere. In your decisions. In your energy. In that one passive-aggressive email you probably shouldn’t have sent. This isn’t about having it all together. It’s about knowing when to say, “This isn’t working,” and doing something about it. I’ve kept a business running while my life felt like it was running me. And I’ll tell you strong businesses don’t thrive on silence and self-neglect. They thrive on clear boundaries, honest conversations, and asking for help before everything implodes. So go ahead—hire the sitter. Take the nap. Fire the toxic client.

And for the love of sanity, stop pretending you’re a machine.

You’re not. You’re human. Own it.

5. Vegas Changed. So Did the Game.

By the end of the movie, the mob is out. The corporations are in. And the old guard is watching from the sidelines. Markets evolve, and if you don’t, you’re gone. Don’t cling to the thing that used to work. Build the thing that works now. When I started Happy Medium, we were a media buying agency. My goal was simple: bring transparency to a corner of the industry where I’d watched too many clients get taken for a ride. But that was just the beginning. We evolved into a full-service digital agency as client needs shifted and the market demanded more integrated solutions. And then we learned something even more important: if we’re only solving for one silo—just media, or just design—we’re not driving the results our clients actually need. So we shifted again. Today, we focus on aligning operations, sales, and marketing to grow our clients’ peace and profit. The world moves fast. We move faster. Our evolution is constant, but our expertise remains. Because building a company that lasts means being willing to outgrow the version of yourself that first got traction.

The Bottom Line

Casino isn’t just about power and glitter and bad decisions. It’s about the cost of not paying attention to your people, your blind spots, and your limits.

So yeah, run your business like Ace.

But maybe... don’t live like him.

And when in doubt?

Bet on the version of yourself who’s smart enough to build the house, not just play in it. Connect with me on Instagram to see Abe’s original movie look, which inspired this outfit!