- Do you work for, invest in, sell to, or buy from big companies?
- Do you really understand how they work?
- See companies through the eyes of a securities analyst or a merger and acquisitions specialist?
- Would you like to better understand how they think and develop strategies?
- See things that others do not, going beneath the surface?
Few things are more fascinating to me than how companies are built, the competition between enterprises, and how leaders and managers think and act.
I am offering my video course on Understanding Companies to the general public for the first time. In the future, it will cost $99, but through Sunday, June 11, I am offering it for just $49. The course consists of 10 parts, each 10 to 26 minutes in length, totaling just under 4 hours:
- Introduction
- What is a Corporation?
- A Human Endeavor
- Understanding Industries and the Economy (a longer one, broken into two parts, A and B)
- Change Through Time
- The Arc of Enterprise
- Strategy
- Purpose
- Personality
- Summing Up
You can watch the first episode for free here.
To enroll in the course, click here to pay, and then I will send you a link to a dropbox account with all the videos.
Along with the course, you get free lifetime (my lifetime!) 24/7 email support. I am always open to further questions and discussions about these topics!
My course reflects my 50+ years of study of big companies. I began studying big business at the age of 12, with my first subscription to Fortune Magazine, followed by studying economics at the University of Chicago under 4 future Nobel Prize winners, including Milton Friedman.
I analyzed public companies on Wall Street, headed strategic planning for them, worked for three of them, and created the company that became Hoovers.com, a leading website for information about companies. I created a number of other companies, and today teach entrepreneurship and business around the globe, to companies big and small, and students of all ages. There is no industry that I have not studied.
Hopefully all this learning on my part will prove valuable to you, as it has to my many other friends and students. Below are some of their comments, as well as links to my free materials online:
Gary Hoover is one of “Austin’s 30 most influential people” – 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 A. Hurt, founder, Coremetrics, Bazaarvoice, and Data.world, Austin, Texas
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, Department of Finance, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin
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
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
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 of the IC2 Institute and the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship, 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 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. Alumnus of the Hoover Academy is one obvious meaning. But in my, and many other cases from my class, we had an ‘Aha!’ moment. Something that either had not occurred to us, or that we had previously wrestled with needlessly, once Gary described it differently. I believe anyone thinking of starting a business would be well advised to add one of Gary’s classes to their curriculum. – Allan Clark, Entrepreneur
Your mentorship has served as an invaluable source of confidence, motivation, and eye-opening wisdom. – Maria Rivera, Marketing Teacher and Entrepreneur
I am daily reminded of things I have learned from you. – Jim Ross, Entrepreneur
For free goodies, see:
https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/ghoover?trk=pprof-feed
https://www.youtube.com/hooverbits
To buy my other books and courses:
https://garyhoover.dpdcart.com/
The Story of Enterprise, video histories of key industries:
Computer Industry: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0y2w3AGwCMU
Big media (magazines & broadcast): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6aB_npd0AGc
Movie industry: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu4dJ3oQU0g
Airlines: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w05YfegamWU
Auto industry: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RXUS65_KxEY
Retailing: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XyC2GkzKTeM
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