Scott Eric Olivier is ready to blow the lid off of one of the biggest secrets ever held in the world.

Successful businessmen and women are artists.

Yes, artists – and what’s more, artists can make great business leaders.

This Friday, Jan. 27, Olivier will be the guest speaker for Creative Louisiana, a monthly meeting held at the Manship where creative Baton Rougeans get together.

Olivier will be speaking on the creation of art, and how the process can be applied to the business world.

“The way I look at it, it’s no different,” Olivier said in a phone interview last week.

Olivier is a renowned multi-instrumentalist and entrepreneur, and has led a very successful life bridging the two worlds. The name might ring some bells for you suits out there – Olivier was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Acadiana Business Magazine for Skyscraper Holding Company, which he’s had for about 18 months.

The name should also sound familiar to the music buffs. Considered a pioneer of digital sound recording, Olivier has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including The Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Cornell, No Doubt, The Offspring, and Evanescence. Did we mention Michael Jackson and Van Halen?

“I look at building a business no different from building a concert, or an album, or a song [sic]. I know what I want it to look like at the end of the process. Either a team, when it comes to starting an actual business, or a team of, say, instruments, or equipment. It’s an assembly of tools, whether it’s instruments or people.”

Olivier believes that one of the most important aspects of starting any project – whether artistic or business-related – is to have a clear idea of end product.

“What I do is work backwards,” he said. “The team can change a lot, but the vision should always be the same.”

Olivier also cautioned against rigidity in the process. That’s where the creativity comes in.

“It should stay malleable,” he explained. “The harder you hold on to something, the worse it gets. If you get the right people or the right tools together, then generally the project will stay on course.”

“Of course,” he added, “you have to micromanage at certain points in time.”

Olivier said there’s a lot both artists and entrepreneurs can learn from one another, and he said events like Creative Louisiana are a great place to start that learning process.

“I’m really big on engaging people. This is why I agreed to do it – it seems like a way to engage creative people. I think it’s important for everyone to understand that creative people really aren’t that different.”

Louisiana is Creative!

Scott Eric Olivier will speak at Creative Louisiana on Friday, Jan. 27. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. for coffee and mingling. The talk will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m., and will include a group discussion. This event is free, and is a great way to start off a Friday morning. Visit www.CreativeLouisiana.EventBrite.com to register.