Mark Hoelscher
Director, Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
Illinois State University
Posted 11.1.2006
Could you describe Illinois State University's Arts
Entrepreneurship efforts?
Right now there are only two business classes for Arts
majors - Entrepreneurship in the Arts 1 and
Entrepreneurship in the Arts 2. This is the only current
effort by the College of Business to reach out to the
College of Fine Arts Students. However, I am involved in
another (somewhat different) interdisciplinary effort with
the College of Applied Science and Technology. The main
benefit I can see coming from this interdisciplinary
approach is that we can all play to our strengths; the
College of Fine Arts students for their creativity, the
College of Applied Science and Technology students for
their strong technical background and ability for rapid
prototype development, and the College of Business students
for their strong business backgrounds - both in breadth and
depth.
Was the genesis for your class a request from the
Arts units, an independent effort from the College of
Business or student demand?
The class arose from interest expressed by the College of
Fine Arts Music Business program. It is currently open to
all College of Fine Arts students but is mainly populated
by those in Music Business. The class began through a
generous grant from the Coleman Foundation to help us get
the program off to a running start.
Could you describe your class? What are the core
competencies, objectives and expected outcomes?
The Entrepreneurship in the Arts 1 class involves a
focused, "nuts and bolts" approach to running a small,
lifestyle oriented business. We get around the lack of
business background by most students through a very focused
approach. There simply is not time to give them a breadth
of business knowledge that they would probably have very
little use for anyway. Therefore, we focus our approach in
very practical areas. First we identify the difference
between a seriously growth oriented entrepreneurial
endeavor and a lifestyle business. We recognize the
possibility and the existence of such a business but in
practical terms, note that most of these students are after
a way to practice their artistic passion in a more
lifestyle-oriented setting. We then move into forms of
ownership, various basic skills and abilities such as
bookkeeping, inventory etc. Also, we look at ways of
determining personal suitability for becoming a small
business owner; then to opportunity recognition, idea
generation, assessment, analysis, all leading to a
breakeven analysis, feasibility study and eventually a
go/no go decision on the chosen idea. Entrepreneurship in
the Arts 2 is business plan development. This is a stretch
for some because it involves a more in-depth knowledge
base.
How long have you been teaching your
"Entrepreneurship in the Arts 1" course? Will there be an
"Entrepreneurship in the Arts 2?"
I have been teaching this particular course for three
years, once a year. As noted above, there already is an
Entrepreneurship in the Arts 2 but it has yet to make. I
think it intimidates the non-College of Business Student.
This semester, however, I have four students from the
College of Fine Arts who plan to take the course (Business
Plan Development) as an independent study with me.
Are there any plans to expand Illinois State's
commitment to arts entrepreneurship?
Expansion is always my dream but right now, there are no
plans in the works.
How are the Fine Arts units responding to your
class?
The students are responding quite well and the class had
near the maximum number of students allowed. However, it
has been harder to garner excitement from Fine Arts
faculty. I think it is hard for Fine Arts to view a
relationship with business as anything less than making a
deal with the devil.
Your class stresses group work. How do your
students respond to working in groups?
Definitely something they are not used to. However, they
quickly understand the benefits of working in groups,
especially when their business knowledge base is weak.
There are more brains, and braun to go out and get the
answers when working in groups.
The capstone project in your class is a feasibility
study. What are the reasons for this choice?
I think that a feasibility study is a necessary first step
towards the making of an entrepreneur and the fulfilling of
a dream. The first thing an entrepreneur needs to know is
how to sort through all of the seemingly wonderful ideas
and find the one worthy of all of the time and effort that
a professional business plan requires. Most folks call what
they do a business plan but in reality they are also
conducting a feasibility study. The difference is in the
depth of information required and the time necessary. I
contend that a feasibility study should be capable of being
done over a hard weekend. Perhaps that is a little bit of
an overstatement but a feasibility study certainly should
be done in less that one third of the time of a properly
done business plan.
How are students responding to your class?
Quite well, though there are some who bolt around
mid-semester when they realize that work is actually
required - but that isn’t always the case. The problem is
the amount of background information to gather; these
students have no business knowledge on which to build.
Can you share any student success stories?
I have two that I would like to share.
The first involves an arts student who draws in charcoal or
pencil. He draws beautifully and his idea was to draw
portraits for celebrities or anyone who wishes. After he
went through the breakeven analysis however, he looked at
me and said, “This will not work. There are not enough
famous people in the area." I suggested that he take the
weekend and consider his talent and how else he could apply
it. When he came back to me he had changed his idea from
portraits to architectural rendering of houses. It seems
that he had visited several area architects over the
weekend with his work and had gotten rave reviews. He
finished his feasibility study, went to work for local
architectural firms in the area and, to my knowledge, has
been successful ever since.
The second is shorter. I had a student who was a metal
worker (castings). He listened attentively for about two
thirds of the semester. He had developed a way in which to
turn the practicing of his art into a bit of a spectator
sport (much as Krispy Kreme does the making of their
donuts). He came in to me one morning and said that he had
found an angel investor and needed to drop my class in
order to go make his first million. What could I say? More
power to him! (He already had the credits to graduate, he
was just holding off to take my class).
It has always been my contention that this class performs a
great public service to these students. Without it, they
risk having a job they are no good at because they have no
passion for the enterprise. Thus, they try to practice
their passion at night; that inevitably fails because of
time constraints.
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