Bob Holland — Creating New Markets

This Podcast is all about taking the knowledge you have and creating new markets as the markets expand. Bob Holland began targeting business' almost 40 years ago with his idea to expand computer training in Universities. This gave him an advantage because businesses did not know what and advantage already trained employees would be. He then decided to branch off and open a company that helped to set up networks within organizations. As he says in the podcast this is a problem that now has a solution, so instead of staying in the changing market where the need for solutions was decreasing he began yet another business. He took his knowledge and passion for computer systems and continually found ways he could expand the market. This was really interesting, based on how he opened three different successful businesses all based around computers yet all completely different target markets. One note to the interviewer, the concert or music going on in the background is very distracting to the interview. Lena Heyn EMU Student E00243434

As a returning student who is finishing my Bachelor's degree and is preparing to start a Master's Program in the spring-I was especially interested in hearing what Bob Holland had to say since he is not only a successful entrepreneur but also the former head of the CIS department and established the program at EMU. For me, it was interesting to hear how he was able to see this missing element within not only the educational training that was available in this field but also in how he developed the Business venture that worked to optimize computer networks within various businesses. It was obvious that he had a well developed Business Plan that helped him to take his idea from simply that, an idea to the full product and service that was able to accomplish the end result. This application was not targeted for a specific type of business instead for ANY business that was looking to streamline and integrate all IT aspects of the company while reducing costs. As now the Chairman of TEC Detroit, he coaches companies to do what he has done for 30 years successfully. Bob has demonstrated how his companies have created a "Competitive Advantage" that set his company apart from other competitors and now works with emerging companies to help them in turn build a competitive advantage to do the same. One of the main reasons I am interested in this field is because I want to focus on the consulting aspect vs. the technical development of the programs whereas I work with the company to establish cost saving measures, work with the IT department to evaluate the current systems and determine if they are acceptable with changes or need to be scraped and a new system brought in and help implement and train the existing employees to ensure success within the company despite resistance to change. What additional courses should I pursue to develop the skills necessary to enable me to successfully make this transition? What types of internships should I be focusing on to further develop and implement the skills learned in the classroom? What recommendations can be made to better prepare me for the types of fields I should be focused on; industrial, health care, automotive, etc… This semester I am taking two wonderful courses that I believe cover the basics of this program: Management 388 Introduction to Entrepreneurship and IS 350 Enterprise Resource Planning. I would like to know more about this field in regards to whether or not I need to have a background in the technical side of computing or what role/program should I be following to pursue a career that encompasses what I described above. Nicole McCoubrey EMU Student