Interview with Julian Spearman, Owner of JSpear Productions
SC: Did you have a business plan when you started your business?
JS: Not initially, no. Plan around the dream. For example, when I made JSpear Productions, I knew I had to get word out to people. So in planning, I decided I would advertise myself mostly through social media, and I made a list of different means to get my music to as many people as possible. Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook… to be honest, I’m still in the planning phase, but I’m tip-toeing before I run!
SC: Do you think business plans are necessary for entrepreneurship?
JS: I don’t think they’re necessary for everyone, but they are definitely beneficial to most. They provide a sense of direction and short term goals to accomplish. Even the plans are small, the smallest steps forward are still steps that need to be taken.
SC: What three pieces of advice would you offer aspiring entrepreneurs?
JS: Experiment. Try anything you think will help. Sometimes the weird stuff works.
- Exposure. There are so many people in the world. Your audience exists somewhere in there like a sculpture in a block of marble.
- Listen. Watch carefully at the results of your plans. See what can be improved, what worked, and what to capitalize on.
- I know I was only asked for three, but the hands-down most important thing as an arts entrepreneur is to be persistent. Never give up. It usually takes time to start to make it as an artist. Have contingency plans and day jobs, sure. But never lose sight of the dream.
By Sara Carraway, student in Developing an Arts Venture Plan, Arts Entrepreneurship at Meadows School of the Arts, SMU
