By NY Public Library, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center

Online event

Dec 22 from 5pm to 6pm EST

Overview

Discover entrepreneurship through the arts, not just boardrooms or textbooks.

**This event will be online only**

Discover entrepreneurship through the arts, not just boardrooms or textbooks.

Martin J. McDermott discusses how to apply creative artists' insights to boost your business skills.

Topics covered include -

Life Lessons on Entrepreneurship from Artists

Entrepreneurial Types

Creative Entrepreneurship

Bootstrapping

Crowd funding

Keeping Score

Innovation

Click here to download the presentation.

In December, I had the privilege of presenting a webinar through the Thomas Yoseloff Business Center (SIBL) at the New York Public Library, a place that has long represented learning, curiosity, and intellectual courage. The session focused on a topic that sits at the heart of Rockstar MBA: the often-overlooked relationship between the arts and entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship is typically taught through balance sheets, market analysis, and strategy frameworks. Those tools matter. But what if some of the most valuable lessons for entrepreneurs come not from textbooks or boardrooms—but from musicians, actors, and artists?

That question has guided much of my research, teaching, and podcasting over the past two decades.

Creativity Is Not Optional in Entrepreneurship

One of the great myths in business is that creativity belongs only to artists, while entrepreneurs operate purely in logic and numbers. In reality, entrepreneurship is a deeply creative act. Entrepreneurs imagine something that does not yet exist and bring it into the world—often with limited resources, incomplete information, and significant personal risk.

Artists face these same conditions. A musician releasing a new album, an actor auditioning for a role, or a painter preparing an exhibition must confront uncertainty, rejection, financial pressure, and public scrutiny. These are not artistic inconveniences; they are entrepreneurial realities.

This is why creativity is no longer a “soft” skill. It is a core competency.

Modern marketing textbooks now define marketing as both an art and a science. That shift matters. Creativity fuels differentiation, value creation, and human connection—three things no algorithm can fully replicate.

The Iceberg Theory of Success

We tend to romanticize success. Whether we are looking at famous entrepreneurs or celebrated artists, we usually see only the visible portion of the iceberg: recognition, wealth, and status.

What remains hidden is the larger mass below the surface—failure, persistence, financial stress, self-doubt, and years of unseen effort.

Entrepreneurship statistics are sobering. A significant percentage of new ventures fail within their first few years. But failure itself is not the lesson. The real lesson is understanding what happens beneath the surface: industry selection, cost control, adaptability, and resilience.

As Julie Andrews once said, “Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.” Persistence is not glamorous, but it is universal. Anyone can develop it, regardless of age or background.

Why the Arts Teach Entrepreneurial Discipline

One of the most powerful insights I’ve encountered came from a theater professional who argued that every student should take at least one acting course. At first glance, that may seem unrelated to business. It isn’t.

The arts teach:

• Human connection – understanding audience emotion and perspective
  
  

• Adaptive thinking – improvising when things go wrong
  
  

• Professional discipline – preparation, punctuality, and accountability
  
  

• Collaboration – working with people you may not always like
  
  

These are entrepreneurial survival skills.

Entrepreneurs do not operate in isolation. They must pitch ideas, manage teams, negotiate partnerships, and communicate vision—often under pressure. Theater and performance cultivate exactly these abilities.

Banking Ideas Instead of Waiting for Inspiration

Many aspiring entrepreneurs believe creativity arrives as a sudden breakthrough. Artists know better.

One musician explained that he never experiences writer’s block because he “banks ideas.” Inspiration is captured continuously—during conversations, travel, and everyday observation—long before it is needed.

Entrepreneurs can apply the same practice:

• Observe daily interactions
  
  

• Capture ideas immediately
  
  

• Build a personal library of concepts
  
  

• Reflect before executing
  
  

Creativity is not accidental. It is cultivated.

AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute

Artificial intelligence is now part of the entrepreneurial landscape, and it raises understandable concern. Used poorly, AI replaces thinking. Used well, it amplifies creativity.

AI can assist with tasks like:

• Drafting marketing copy or jingles
  
  

• Translating content into multiple languages
  
  

• Accelerating production processes
  
  

But AI should never replace judgment, imagination, or human connection. The most effective entrepreneurs treat AI as a partner—not a replacement.

Different Paths, Same Principles

Not all entrepreneurs follow the same path. Some innovate inside corporations as intrapreneurs. Others build businesses from scratch. Some choose franchising for structure, while others pursue visionary ventures.

What unites successful entrepreneurs across these paths is not passion alone. Passion is common. What matters more is:

• Curiosity
  
  

• Persistence
  
  

• Financial awareness
  
  

• Willingness to learn from mistakes
  
  

Artists who fail financially often say the same thing in hindsight: “I wish I had paid more attention to the business side.”

Entrepreneurship, like art, requires both inspiration and discipline.

Final Thought

Entrepreneurship is not just about starting businesses. It is about seeing the world differently—and having the courage to act on that vision.

The arts remind us that creativity is not reserved for the talented few. It is a skill that can be practiced, refined, and reclaimed at any stage of life.

And perhaps the most important lesson artists offer entrepreneurs is this:
Success is not about avoiding failure. It is about learning how to continue when failure becomes part of the process.

McDermott, M. J. (2025, December 22). Rock star MBA: Untapped lessons on entrepreneurship from artists [Presentation]. Thomas Yoseloff Business Center, New York Public Library. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rock-star-mba-untapped-lessons-on-entrepreneurship-from-artists-registration-1975039685867