The main character in this movie is bull rider, electrician, and later entrepreneur, Ron Woodruff. In the beginning of the movie, it was clear that Ron had some type of sickness, but after he was electrocuted at work, he discovered that he had HIV. This movie was based in the 1980's so this diagnosis was laced with bad feelings and discrimination from Ron's peers and coworkers.
At first, Ron was in denial about his HIV diagnosis, but after a few weeks, he understood the severity of his condition and decided to do something about it. This is where the entrepreneurial element of the movie is introduced. The drug AZT was first becoming introduced in the hospital that Ron was a patient at, but it was a trial run that involved placebo drug and a timeline that was longer than Ron's prognosis. He starts illegally obtaining the drug from the hospital, but soon is found out and is forced to find another method to reduce the symptoms and improve his own quality of life.
Entrepreneurially, Ron sees a need that needs filled. He creates value for himself and for others battling HIV by travelling to Mexico and obtaining vitamins and proteins that are not approved in the United States.
Ron then meets Rayon, another individual that is battling HIV, and together that for a partnership and begin the Dallas Buyers Club-- a small organization that provides the unapproved medication to many that have HIV or AIDS. Ron and Rayon have struggles with the IRS and the FDA all throughout the creation and operation of their organization, but they continue to push through this, sometimes illegally, to continue making money and giving people with HIV and AIDS medication that provides them with immense value.
This aspect of entrepreneurship in the movie is very interesting because there are so many struggles with the government, but that value that Ron was providing to the patients were very beneficial to them. He had to figure out many different ways to get around the government despite them having a large hand in this business, and he never stopped fighting for the necessary medication. One aspect of entrepreneurship that is beneficial in successfully creating value is when entrepreneurs keep progressing and innovating regardless of the forces trying to make them fail. In Ron's case, he was not going to give up finding medication for himself and others. He did this out of compassion, but he also created and organization that provided a steady, effective stream of income.
The interactions between entrepreneurship and society are very evident in this movie. The movie was based in a time period where HIV diagnoses were sky-rocketing, and the public outlook was very misunderstanding. Society had a very negative stigma around HIV and AIDS infections, and there were not many medical advances in relation to it, so many individuals that battled with the viruses were suffering through them by themselves. Ron's entrepreneurial actions provided this group of people with value in the form of medicine that could ease their symptoms and improve their quality of life. People suffering with HIV and AIDS were more than happy to pay a large price for these vitamins and proteins because the value of relief from the infection was worth more to them than the money that spent to attain it, regardless of whether they were FDA approved or not.
While there was a positive relationship with society in the form of individuals battling AIDS, there was definitely a negative one with Ron and the government. The IRS and the FDA were constantly trying to create regulations that undercut the work that Ron was doing, and they were trying to prohibit him from running his operation. The government was not benefiting from the independent work that he was doing, so they were not keen on continuing to allow it. This shows how the government so often uses regulations and prohibitions against entrepreneurs, just as we discussed in class. The group of society that was infected with HIV and AIDS were supportive of this "drug dealing," and they were willing to pay a larger price because of the value they would receive in return. Government, however, stifled this by confiscating the supplies numerous times and taking Ron to court over his actions. Ron ended up living much longer than his original prognosis and created a lot of value for numerous individuals.