Eccles Business Buzz

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alumni, and today we are sharing another success story of connections made through the David Eccles Alumni Network with Ben Holley. Frances talks to Ben about how he went from earning a music degree at the University of Utah  and an MBA from Harvard Business School to now the VP of Finance for Disney Entertainment Television.  Ben discusses his career journey, the importance of curiosity, and how it has consistently opened unexpected opportunities along the way. Ben shares insights from his varied roles throughout his tenure with Disney and emphasizes the value of building relationships and connections along the way. He also touches on his philanthropic efforts supporting Ukrainian families affected by war through the efforts of To Ukraine with Love. This episode offers valuable advice for anyone navigating career changes, fostering curiosity, and maintaining optimism. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm. Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts.  Episode Quotes: Ben reveals how building relationships and connections shaped his career path [12:41] The other theme besides curiosity that might emerge in this conversation you'll hear me say again and again is the importance of building relationships and building connections. Whether that be, as we've been discussing, to help manage a business that you're part of, or whether it's building your career, connecting to those that are further on in their careers that may be able to provide advice or guidance. I remember an experience as a student when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and so I sat down and interviewed, in effect, 10 or 12 local businesspeople and asked them all about their jobs. I'd say, What do you like about your job? What do you hate about your job? What does your family think of your job? Do you make a lot of money? Do you not make a lot of money? What education did you have? Should I be thinking about an MBA? All of those questions. And the lesson I learned from that, walking away from all those interactions, there's not one that stands out to me as, Oh, that was the one; that was the silver bullet; that person knew everything that needed to be known. In reality, what happened was it was me talking about my interests and hearing other people react to those interests, and hearing a little bit about that helped me in my own mind to crystallize what I thought was sort of the right path for me, and that process of discussing and exploring different opportunities in different fields was really what helped me shape my own direction. On why students shouldn’t be afraid to approach mentors and industry leaders [15:43] At the outset you do have to have a little bit of self-confidence to pick up the phone or send an email or a text or whatever to reach out and make that connection. But what I found, and I think what most people will find, is that people are eager to share their own experience and eager to give advice. They feel flattered, right? When you reach out to them and say, “Hey, you're smarter than me; tell me what I should do.” And so, if I could dispel the fear that some people feel about reaching out, know that most people are eager to share their experience and talk to especially students. How being curious and making bold moves helped Ben get to where he is today [17:18] I thought to myself, I'm capable. I can certainly explore it, right? Figure it out and try and make that move, and through a series of interactions and connections and opportunities that I was able to find myself in the role I'm in now supporting the television side of the business, which is so funny. I came into this a little bit naive, right? Thinking, oh, finance is finance and Disney is Disney. But in reality, the television business is very different than the parks and resorts business, and it took a long time for me to learn the business, to get to know the people, but it's the same thing. It's the same thing I was doing at the call center, right? It's, you know, find the guy who's running the tech, who's asking you questions, figure out how the business works, how the business runs. Connect with the people, understand who's making decisions and guiding the business, and get to know them and let them get to know you, and that'll serve you well. It served me well, certainly. Show Links:Ben Holley | LinkedInTo Ukraine with LoveUtah Entrepreneur ChallengeDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine