Questions with Rick Gantley, iQon Productions: 
Michael: Did you have a business plan when you started your business? Or did you use any other form of business mapping to get started?
Rick: Not initially no. The business had been started very small by a friend who really needed to supplement his income as he went through college. It was about four months into “assisting” him run and expand it that he felt that he could not take Continue reading
Interview with Deborah Sawaf- Founder of fine Accessories Company Thalé Blanc
Thalé Blanc is a fine accessories company founded by Deborah Sawaf herself in 2010.
Yes, I absolutely did! I am an artist. Most artists are driven by emotions, and in the past I’ve tended to sway in different directions and it took me longer to achieve my goals. When I was 23, I already had a couture line, but it was more of a hobby than a business. It could have turned into a business, had I taken professional advice Continue reading
The following interviews are created by SMU student Daniel McQuaid
Interview with Megan Berger
The first person I chose to interview was a friend of mine, Megan Berger, who currently runs her own business on Etsy. She currently works as a teacher in Austin, but creates calligraphy for weddings and special events. She started out by creating things for friends, but eventually found out she had a knack for creating quality goods and decided to take her passion for arts and crafts online. Megan did not have a business plan when she started out, but she said she thought it could have been useful had she done one from the beginning, because it may have allowed her to find her customers more easily through market research. Because she didn’t do market research, and didn’t advertise, she basically started out through word of mouth, and continues using this method. She said she didn’t think business plans are necessary for all entrepreneurs, but that more often than not, one should use a business plan. She said that [it’s] “Probably a good idea to construct a business plan, because it allows you to narrow your target market and get a better idea of the product you want to give to the consumer.” On the other hand, because she didn’t use a business plan, she didn’t think that it was necessarily “necessary,” because people can start successful business without them. When asked what three pieces of advice she could offer for creative arts entrepreneurs she said that “following your heart, doing what you love to do, and being good at what you do,” are the three things she recommends. Continue reading
The following interviews and anlayses are by Sterling Gavinski, student at SMU.
Brent Martone Interview
Brent Martone is the vocalist and guitarist of Buffalo, New York pop punk/ emo quartet
Head North. On the side, Brent also is the co-founder of Quiet Fire Media, a record label/ media collective based also out of Buffalo.
Q: Did you have a business plan when you started your business?
A: We worked up Continue reading
The following interviews are by SMU student Malachi Haines:
Zorric Sia
Chop Recorder
Malachi: Did you have a business plan when you started your business?
Zorric: Contrary to what you’re probably learning in your class, Continue reading
The following interviews were conducted by SMU, Meadows student Roberto Hernandez
Interview with Alan Davila
Alan Davila is an artisan in Mexico who works with wood. He makes small figures,
furniture and even houses. He’s been doing it for over a decade and it’s been good for him. I wanted to know if Continue reading
Interview by Emilie Blandin with Carly Reeves 
“ No, we didn’t. It was only the idea and after it was really instinctive. We just jumped in it. I guess it was more like a test process. I believe my husband and I have a Continue reading
Filmmaker/Teacher Cameron Watson
Q: Did you have a business plan when you started your business?
CW: I started in the business as an actor and then later segued into writing/directing and producing. As an actor, starting out, I did not have an official business plan, but I did have a “plan of action,” based on Continue reading
Introducing the Meadows Artist Bridge! 
The Meadows Artist Bridge serves as a bridge between those who want to hire Meadows student artists/creatives and those student artists/creatives who want to work. Check out our student artists/creatives who have chosen to present themselves entrepreneurially, while still in school. The current department represented is Music, but there will be more departments represented in the near future.
The Meadows Artist Bridge is a new project developed through the department of Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship–working together with other departments in Meadows School of the Arts at SMU.
The site www.majoringinmusic.com has a feature article titled, “Entrepreneurship Training for Music Majors”. In this article, a number of our artist entrepreneur students and their ventures are mentioned, as is our FACE class at Meadows and Jim Hart, Director of Arts Entrepreneurship.
Check it out!
