Valeria Olmos
Valeria Olmos, senior B.F.A Design student with minor in Business Foundations
Q: As a creative and Design major, why did you decide to sign up for business courses?
A: As a Design major, I know the path in preparing myself to design beautiful things. However, I felt that there was a lack of business knowledge in what I was learning, which at the end of the day is what makes the money. I wanted to learn how to market myself and my ideas, how to manage my own money, how to create my own business and even how to be a design manager or a higher-up position one day. After attending CCE's 3 Day Startup for creatives, I enrolled in the Business Foundations Minor at McCombs, hoping it would complement my Design major and set me up better for life. (This was before they opened the Entrepreneurship Minor. I really wish there had been a class in Entrepreneurship in the Business Foundations Minor!)
Q: What about these business courses would you like to share with other creatives?
A: Business courses may not sound like the “most fun.” However, it gives you a wider perspective and skills all creatives should have regardless of their major. When I first came in, though, I thought I was the only one lost with all the “business talk.” It would have been nice to have been more prepared, but I quickly found that others felt the same.
Q: What has been your experience so far?
A: Honestly, when I came into my first business class, it was very intimidating. They used business terms that I didn’t know. The classes were huge, and for a moment I had second thoughts about signing up for the minor. However, with time, I started to familiarize myself with the classes and started to realize how important the business concepts would be to me in arts and design.
Q: What are some things you’d like to see that could improve the experience of Fine Arts/Design students?
A: If you had a group of friends who are taking the same classes, it could be much less intimidating and you could rely on each other. It would be great to have someone who can facilitate how to apply the learning from the classes to the creative majors. Especially for someone like me interested in creative entrepreneurship. I ended up working closely with Jan Ryan, and when I had business-related questions, I would ask her directly, and that was a huge help.
Q: What classes within the business minor helped you the most?
A: Marketing for sure. Most creatives have to eventually take their ideas and product into the marketplace. And LEB320F —I feel like everyone needs to take that class. It gives you an overview of your protected rights and how to react when you get into a legal situation.