Mrs. Washmon is an avid golf lover and the founder and head professional of the Golf Institute Dallas.

Did you have a business plan when you started your business?

No, but I probably should have. They are a good thing – not necessarily for the golf business, but yes for the Head Hunter business that we are starting now. We have one.

Do you think business plans are necessary for entrepreneurship?

Yes, you definitely nee a business plan. It should come from experience. Both yours and someone else in the industry that would have knowledge.

What three pieces of advice can you offer developing arts entrepreneurs?

• Do your homework.
• Make sure there’s a need for the business that you’re starting before you start. Look at the economy. Wait a while if you can, if the economy is in a downturn.
• Get into the business with people that are ready and willing to work with you.

Can you speak to the art that goes into your work?

Shaping the golf swing is different for everybody. Being able to treat everyone like an individual, based on what they need to do to get their swings to work, is bigger than a specific methodology. It’s a designing process.

Interview by Andrew Burgess, student in Developing an Arts Venture Plan, Arts Entrepreneurship at Meadows School of the Arts, SMU.