Entrepreneurial Thinking Audio Course
18 hours of mind-opening ideas and examples that will give you new insights and help you discover the opportunities that are all around us, only $149! Makes a great gift for students of all ages.
About 300 people have taken my in-person course in entrepreneurial thinking here in Austin, and several have gone on to create businesses or nonprofits, raising millions.
But this is not a standard business class – I combine my 34 years of experience as an active entrepreneur with my 53 years (since I was 12) of studying great enterprises large and small.
The course includes handouts (including how to write a business plan), a copy of my 300+ page PDF book The Art of Enterprise, and 12 audio files of about 90 minutes each, recorded live at the in-person class. The talks cover these topics:
Introduction to Entrepreneurship. What is entrepreneurial thinking? What personal attributes are required? Key big ideas that underlie anyone trying to change the world, or even a small part of it.
8 Keys to Building and Leading Successful Enterprises. Whether for profit or not, great ventures share these 8 key characteristics, not often taught in most business schools. Examples are drawn from the past and present, from startups to giant corporations. Thousands worldwide have found this talk intense and engaging.
How to Dream Up New Ideas and See Opportunities that Others Do Not. The key ideas that led to my own list of over 300 business opportunities, including the first book superstore chain and the business information website Hoovers.com. My book is a treasure-chest of ideas for thinking “outside the box.”
My Life as an Entrepreneur. Real world examples of raising money, how options and dilution works, building a team, innovating, success and failure, the emotional roller-coaster that entrepreneurship often is.
The Big Picture. How would an economist or Wall Street stock analyst look at a company? What are the key factors beyond the numbers that we should look at before starting a business, understanding an industry, selling to or buying from a company, or going to work there?
The Numbers Made Simple. Everything a leader needs to know about financial statements in three hours! The key concepts underlying balance sheets and profit and loss statements in simple language.
How to Become an Expert in any Company or Industry. The confidence to proceed with a new venture often turns on how much you know about the industry you are entering. Do you really have your head around the business and how it works? In my experience, very few university graduates really know how to research companies or industries. Learn all the tricks I have mastered over the last 30-40 years in this hands-on, real-world session.
Taken together, these tools can give you the inspiration, understanding, and tools to find opportunities and turn your dreams into realities, if you have the persistence and passion required.
If you sign up for the course, you will receive an invitation to Dropbox which contains all the audio files and PDF documents. You also get free lifetime 24/7 email support, to answer your questions and continue the discussions.
I hope to “see” you in class!
Testimonials: What People Say about Gary Hoover and this Course
Gary’s huge. He’s awesome. I don’t think I could have done this without him.
— Kristen Heaney, founder, Yardbar, Austin, Texas, quoted 2013 in Austin Business Journal.
Gary Hoover is a man of many, many talents, and I respect him dearly. He is really a genius level business thinker. You guys are super-lucky to have him as a teacher. I had a lot of great professors at Wharton and when I attended Wharton it was rated the #1 MBA program 6 years in a row. And none of them approached Gary’s level of knowledge about business history or entrepreneurship.
– Brett Hurt, Founder, Coremetrics and Bazaarvoice, Co-Founder & CEO, data.world
One night Erine (Gray) was lucky to be invited to a dinner with legendary Austin entrepreneur Gary Hoover at Fonda San Miguel, an equally legendary Austin restaurant serving fine Mexican cuisine. The topic of dinner conversation was Erine’s desire to start a non-profit organization to fill gaps in social services he’d seen while working with the state of Texas. Gary suggested that starting a for-profit business would be a smarter path, and keep him from competing for scarce resources with the nonprofit organizations who would be his likely customers. A little while later, Erine incorporated his vision as Aunt Bertha, a Delaware C Corporation and certified “B-Corp” – a new type of company that balances the drive for shareholder return with other stakeholders in the business.
— From startupgrind.com.
After running WhiteLeaf Marketing for about three years, Weisblatt learned about an entrepreneurship course that world-renowned entrepreneur Gary Hoover was teaching.
“I was part of the initial group of students and really got into the whole concept of entrepreneurship and methodology,” Weisblatt said. “It really got me thinking. It got wheels turning about other opportunities, and it’s what led me to start UpgradeUSA.”
— From Interview with UpgradeUSA.com founder Jon Weisblatt on Moody.utexas.edu:
It was my honor to having you as my teacher and mentor. You won’t believe how much your class changed my thinking process as a business owner. It was almost 15 years since I have taken any classes after my masters. I have always hesitated to take any class because of my busy life. I had no idea that your class would inspire me so much.
– Ashif Mahmud, President/CEO ict Consultants Software Solutions
I have known Gary Hoover for over 20 years. With that background, I can tell you that Gary Hoover is one of the most amazing entrepreneurs and teachers I have ever encountered. He is literally a walking encyclopedia of business history and his story telling is incredible. He is the most prolific reader I have ever met and his ability to not only speed read but retain information is incredible. I consider Gary Hoover one of Austin’s most valuable assets and recommend him without reservation. Whether you are a lifetime learner, an aspiring entrepreneur, or an academic, you will find Gary Hoover as one of your truly great resources and your time spent with him among your most memorable.
– Jim Nolen, Distinguished Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Finance, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin
Gary is a truly inspiring speaker and teacher and I highly recommend any of his courses or talks (or even just chatting with him at lunch!). His unique experiences and his genuine, open nature create an ideal atmosphere for the flow of ideas and introspection. Taking his course on Entrepreneurship last fall was the penultimate push towards me finally starting my own business.
– Elayne Crain, Entrepreneur
I have recently been going over your class and all the material you have provided and I have to say it is exceptional. Aside from your videos, your book “The Art of Enterprise” is by far one of the most thought provoking books I have read. It has taken me way longer to read than I had anticipated due to me stopping and thinking about every single page. It is great, easy to read, and contains useful information that you cannot find in other books. Thanks for including it along with your awesome class.
– Mario Robles
I would highly recommend this entrepreneurship course for anyone toying with the idea of starting a business. Our class met once a week, and I would find myself so inspired and full of ideas during class that my energy would spill over well into the night.
– Taylor Journey, University of Texas undergraduate
I would like to thank you for inspiring me to look at life through the eyes of an entrepreneur. Your class was the most valuable and most enjoyable class I have ever taken. It truly changed my life.
– Tyler Kling, University of Texas at Austin undergraduate student
I walked away from Gary’s classes each week feeling that I had been shown the other side of the curtain. Gary’s passion for both his subject, and for communicating it in a clear and engaging manor has led me to suggest that each student be given an AHA degree.
– Allan Clark, entrepreneur
As a businessman and a thinker, Gary Hoover is a true visionary.
– Laurence J. Kirshbaum, former CEO, Time Warner Trade Publishing
I’ve been teaching at the McCombs School of Business since 1989. I have won every teaching award given by the students. Gary is one of the most gifted teachers I have ever known. He knows his subject cold and has a God given gift of being about to reach students in a way that is just awe inspiring. When you add his passion for teaching and helping people, he is priceless.
– John Doggett, Harvard MBA, Yale JD, Senior Lecturer in Management, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin
Gary Hoover is one of the smartest and most creative people I know.
– Leonard L. Berry, Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Texas A&M University
This is one of the finest teachers and courses I have taken – and I have taken a lot (BA, MPH, PhD, MBA) and I have taught at several universities. Gary Hoover is a fantastic person, instructor, and mentor.
– Blair Carter, Educator and Entrepreneur
Gary brings to the table both an understanding of the applied aspects on entrepreneurship as well as the ability to teach and engage in intellectual activity around entrepreneurship. Because he has started companies, he has an understanding of the entrepreneurial process, from idea to market. Because of his love for scholarship and teaching, he understands how to integrate the practical and the intellectual.
– John Sibley Butler, Professor of Sociology and Business, Director Emeritus of the IC2 Institute and the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Texas at Austin.
