I see your point, I'm not saying I'm claiming I have enough experience, I'm saying being in a smaller town I have done pretty good so far, part time. There are not a lot of people even in a 4-5 state area. Montana, ND, SD, Wyoming... all very rural areas. I am mostly talking about these people. They aren't expecting David Copperfield. I'm really not sure what you suggest I do. I want more experience, and think, based on the shows i;ve done in the past, I can at least do as many shows as I can to get more experience. Should I quit until I get more experience?

For the record, I wasn't "ready to be the top pro" I was looking for ways to make my show have more perceived value.

As for the photos, I found a good deal for some professional ones. It's around $100 which I can almost afford. Other deals have been a bit too much out of my price range.

I appreciate the help, and I'm not trying to argue, but the advice I'm getting from you is "You're not good enough" The others have had practical advice.

If I suck I'll try to get better. Point made. thanks.

Posted: May 25, 2011 11:45pm
I hate to keep harping on this point, but please consider where I am. These rural areas want some bar entertainment. I charge like $125 a show. The same my dad charges and he's in the IBM Order of Merlin. I'm not looking to be a vegas show, I'm looking to charge $200-$300 instead. Im not trying to do a huge illusion production, I want a small funny, exciting show for farmers and bar flys. Of course I want more, but for now I want to do more than birthday parties. Im not trying to be a big shot, I'm just trying to make a living.

Does this course focus on any specific show to get? corporate, family, kids?

Armando

Yes. It covers all of the above.

hehehe. My town has a population of about 400. I have to cover a 100 mile radius to reach 125,000.

Kameron
You don't have to move to use James' course. Beano, Starrpower, ans last week I hooked you up with Kipp Sherry, all work full time from a small community.

There are a lot of courses out there. Many of them are excellent at teaching the basics of making a business out of performing full-time. If you don't understand the fundamentals of the BUSINESS of performing they are excellent investments.

Having done this for over twenty years and having read every post in this thread, here's some advice, offered with respect:

1) If you want to perform full-time, go into it with your eyes open. It's hard, hard work. No course on the planet is going to do the job for you. You need to be working hard, meeting people, networking and selling yourself. There's a saying that show business is 10% show and 90% business. It's true.

2) So many performers are chasing "The Trick" -- the one that will bring them fame and fortune. It doesn't exist. The "trick" that will make you a full-time pro is YOU. Of course the magic has to rock. But the totally irreplaceable component is what YOU bring to the trick, not the latest greatest rising card/bruised skin/"fill in the blank" that EVERYONE is doing. Work on YOU.

3) Your promo is important. Don't make your decision about what to include based upon price. If you were taking part in a race across the desert, would you choose the cheapest car...or one that will get you to the finish and won't leave you stranded? Your promo (by this I mean the way you choose to promote yourself) is a critical tool in your kit. Promo, by itself, won't do it for you. Unless you apply step 1 above, it will sit on a shelf.

4) If you can't afford a great promo kit, think of another way to promote yourself. A creative, inventive way. How do you get people to notice you? How can you get them to book you? Invest sweat equity in getting there. Invest serious creativity. We're still talking about Houdini -- (respectfully) -- but it's not because of his magic alone. He was a master promoter.

5) If your motivation for going full-time in performing is based upon wanting to get away from your "crappy job" -- I doubt there is enough motive to sustain you through the long trip ahead. You have to want to perform with everything that is in you...wipe away the glittery expectations and do the bare knuckles work to get there.

No course will do it for you. Neither will a killer You Tube video, a flashy website or a new trick. Those things help, of course. But here's the point: there is no magic bullet. (And YES...I wish there was.) Seriously: don't waste your time looking for short cuts. There isn't one.

I took the time to write this because you said you're not looking to be in Vegas -- but that you just want to work. That's a very realistic approach. So lay your groundwork, take your time, prepare your promo, execute it EVERY DAY and hone your marketing skills with the same passion you hone your performing skills. THEN you can quit your crappy job and make a living performing.

I hope this helps.

David

Don't waste time looking for short cuts. Good point. Munton offers none.

http://www.success-in-magic.com/

Give it a look.

Also Francis Marshal wrote The Success Books back decades ago and most of the information is still very valid.

Well, there are some short cuts, but not the sort most magicians think of.
There are plenty of ways you can waste time and money doing the wrong things. By doing things the right way, you are in effect taking a short-cut.

But there are definitely no magic bullets.

All I did when I moved to Dallas was take ten years of business building experience and extract all the things that worked. Then I did them all in a very condensed way and booked a bunch of shows very quickly and the snowball started rolling. Then I wrote down everything I did and shared it in an online course.

But there are three or four very important steps in my course that people who succeed work hard at. They apply to any type of performer and they are not rocket science, but 99% of magicians don't do it and it is why they don't get bookings. These steps are all in the very first week of my course and many people skip them, get to the end of the course and then later start back over and realize they need to do those first few steps.

Best,
James

Well the short cut is doing it right, and hard work! Plus do it right the first time. Sort of "work smarter not harder" if you will.

I disagree James, I do not consider those short cuts. "Smart cuts" maybe LOL.

Kameron,

I understand what it is like living in an area like Billings (I used to live outside Missoula). My mom bought a tri-level house and 10 acres of land that came with horses, chickens, goats, peacocks, a barn, a wood shop, and a 3 car garage for $116,000 in the late '90s. Everyone makes less out there and the culture is slower (I'm comparing it to the suburbs of Philly).

Believe it or not, I have met some guys who have carved out a nice niche for themselves in smaller communities. They sort of have the area on lockdown. They work country clubs, schools, libraries, private events, and community gigs. And they get rehired every year. When I used to live in MT, I used to work restaurants. That may be a good start for you (if you are interested in that sphere of work). You can get private gigs as a result.

Look up annual events in your area and contact the organizers. Try to get booked for these and hand out business cards like crazy. Since you are experienced in pitching magic, get a booth at the street fairs in and around Billings, and pitch magic. But while you pitch, let everyone know that you are available for private events and even lessons. Contact the assisted living facilities in your area (if that kind of venue appeals to you).

Just some ideas that may help you (stuff I did when I lived in MT).

Peter

Kameron,

you know that I also understand your situtaion and Peter Pitchford makes some excelent suggestions. although I have know Peter for quite some time I never knew he lived in MT. learn something new each day huh

any way I would highly recomend getting some restaurant gigs
one- steady income
two-steady line of other shows like B-day parties etc
three- your name and face is out there often and people will recognize you

also I think I mentioned it before but what about the state fair. when I was out there performing I visited the state fair and they had a magician. try to get that gig.

good luck bud

sam

ps- Peter- loving the 50cents I bought from you at the Deaf festival lecture you did! good job my friend.

Groovy. Glad you like it. See you in Pittsburgh.

David,

Excellent post!


Kameron,

I'm always amazed when others say you CAN'T do something because you lack experience.

I started working as a professional magician a year and a half after I started learning magic by booking my first weekly restaurant gig. At the time I had a total of eight tricks in my repertoire. Others told me I wasn't ready. I kept that first restaurant for nine years, and my repertoire grew from eight tricks to 200.

A dozen years ago I received a call to perform at a trade show in Las Vegas. I had never done trade shows before. Others told me I wasn't ready. I was told to recommend the show to someone else and receive a finders fee. I booked it myself, charged $5000 for two days of work, and I kept that client for over eight years.

When I decided to become a speaker, I didn't do so by getting experience first and having someone else determine if I was ready. Instead, I claimed the title by declaring to myself and to anyone else that cared to listen that I was a professional speaker. By simply declaring who I was and letting others know about it, I was able to book my first speaking engagement. That engagement paid several thousand dollars for a one hour presentation. That one presentation opened the doors to many other opportunities both as a speaker and as a magician.

My reason for sharing this with you is to make this one point. Don't let others dictate the course of your life. You don't need approval from anybody to strike out on your own, enter a specific market, or charge a certain fee.

Throughout the years I've used a very simple four-step formula to push my career forward.

1. Vision. Before I can create a plan of action, I first have to create a vision for my life. I look at the big picture, and I ask myself, “What do I truly desire for myself? If I had the perfect life, what would it look like? How many hours would I work? Would I prefer to travel for work or would I prefer to stay close to home? Do I want to perform for children or adults? Would I rather perform at private events, corporate events, or both? How much money do I need to make to have the freedom to live the life I desire? What fills my life with passion? How can I share my passion with the world around me?”

2. Goals. Once I’ve clearly defined the vision I have for my life, I create goals that are aligned with that vision. I write down these goals as succinctly as possible and write down a date by which I am to accomplish the goal.

3. Plan. With my goals written down, I then create a plan to achieve those goals. Every detail is spelled out including the people I need to contact to help me in the achievement of that goal. I clearly define my market, and focus all my marketing efforts to provide solutions for that market.

4. Execute. The final step is to execute the plan. I have found that a little goes a long way. Instead of trying to accomplish a goal all at once, I work on it a little every day. In this way the work is much easier, less stressful, and much more enjoyable.

This four-step formula has served me well over the years. It may seem overly simplistic, but you receive no results from knowing. You only receive results by doing.

All the best,

Lou Serrano

Very great post Lou, well done. I too share many similarities to your story, and I agree this is very possible but I also believe you had the initial skills and personality to pursue things the way you did. So did I. My only thought is that there are many people that can't see a complete vision and have a difficult time with the steps and details of how to get from point A to point B. Now I should say I'm not talking about Kameron here necessarily, I mean more in general. You had at least the initial skill, vision and aggressiveness to create a plan and turn it into your reality. While this does come easy to some, it is also quite difficult for most.

When I speak to teens and young adults about their lives, future, careers and aspirations, they don't seem to dream or visualize like we did in previous generations (just an observation)and they commonly look at the effort and tasks ahead of them and dread having to go though a process to get there. Unknowingly it is "the process" that is the greatest benefit. Fear is something that many have a hard time overcoming along with analysis paralysis.

Again great advice for those willing to accept it and to take the time to truly understand it and relate it directly to themselves.

Mr Serrano did indeed make a very good post. I have been trying to disapprove of him for some time but, alas, have not been able to manage it. I think he is beginning to win me over. Of course if that happens he will be done for.

And he is much more polite than Munton. I bet he even likes the Dr Sack Dice trick.

I very recently purchased James Mutton's program and I am very satisfied so far. It is a blend of material that what I would consider to be text book marketing and personal experience that provides specific suggestions on how to set up my business for optimal results. I am excited to follow his advice. Just one look at his approach made me impressed. I also believe some have a gift that allows them to prosper better than most. I am currently using my performance fees to pay for college and am interested in learning all I can about business by owning my own. I have already learned enough from Zero to Booked Solid to say it was well worth the investment from an educational stand point alone.

Yes. I can thoroughly recommend Munton's marketing course. He actually practises what he preaches and his online comment facility is the best thing about his course in my opinion. He can answer questions there and then.

Let me open a can of worms.

If you could only get one course would you get

1) Jim Snack

or

2) James Munton

...and why?

If you could go to college and only buy one textbook, which one would it be?

I suggest if you could only get one "course" (as you refer to them), then find a day job until you can adequately invest in your education. The $$$ cost of both programs combined is less than the revenue one should earn from performing a single show, so why limit yourself to one OR the other when you should invest in both (and a lot of others, quite frankly). They are both great programs with great insights into how they have been successful in their careers. I think the only prudent thing to do is invest in both, immerse yourself in both and pull the pieces from each that work for you.

I own both and give each 5 stars for content, insight and use-ability. You can't go wring with either and I strongly suggest you invest in both. And...once you've performed a show and made some $$$, invest in the other "courses" out there. You'll find that as time goes by, you'll use bits and pieces of all of them. In some cases, you'll realize what you don't want to do, or shouldn't do....but that in and of itself is an education as well.

My best advice: Take action. You can try to plan and analyze things to death, but until you take action, evaluate the results of your action, learn from your successes as well as your mistakes, then revise your plans and take action again, you haven't done a thing. Buy one....buy the other....buy neither....but just take action and you'll be further ahead of the game than you were yesterday.

I was aware of these two courses (Jim's and James') from The Magic Café and have seen great things about both. I was not sure if I was interested in actually buying either of them or for that matter any course at this time. I read a recent post of James Mutton's on TMC and was impressed enough at his wisdom to send him a PM in which I told him I was aware of his course but that I wanted his opinion on if it would be the most appropriate course for developing my particular magic business, or if there was another that would better fit my needs. I assumed he woulld probably say his course was the greatest, but I was interested in reading the "why" part of the response. I then planned on pursuing other courses (if I continued to have an interest in buying a course). James responded to me the same day as my PM. He gave me very specific areas of strength I had already developed (based upon his review of my website) and where his course would be of benefit. Most impressive, though, was that he spotted a typo buried in my website in the FAQ section. It was a transposition of the"e" and the "n" in the word "different" (shame on me). This demonstrated to me that James was thorough in his investigation ( if his course would be a good choice for me) as well as his attention to detail!
Furthermore, James has a most impressive resume of work and an outstanding website as a performer. Given the above, I never pursued any other course and ordered Zero to Booked Solid. I am very satisfied and can tell you it is very much a huge short cut (well, better described as allowing one to travel along a well trampled path up the mountain vs blazing one's own path. That is my long answer. My short answer is "if you are interested in either one of these courses, just make sure you get one of them".