|
|
Go to page [Previous] 1~2~3 [Next] | ||||||||||
Tony S Special user New York 582 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-09-10 17:56, wizardofsorts wrote: Edd - I'm curious - did you work in an office prior to going pro full time? Or when you pray to not go back to an office again is it due to the 9 days as a temp? I ask because I work in an office now and I just have to get out! I am currently working on going pro full time. My office job pays well, but the stress is killing me. I know there will be other stress in doing magic, but at least the stress will be my own and I will be doing something I love to do. Tony |
|||||||||
wizardofsorts Special user Chicago, IL 935 Posts |
I never worked in an office before that temp job. I never want to go back. ::sobbing softly::
Edd
Edd Fairman, Wizard of Sorts is a corporate magician available for your next trade show, hospitality suite, client luncheon, or company event. http://www.wizardofsorts.com
|
|||||||||
Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-09-11 13:27, Tony S wrote: Tony, I have told my story before so I won't repeat it (you can email me or pm me and I will tell you the gory drtails) but I walked out on the corporate world, health insurance, benefits and all at age 54. (I am now 60 yrs old.) Told them all to kiss my (Democratic Party symbol) and started doing restaurant walk around magic. Got seen by enough people and asked about b'day parties, which I did. Got seen by a few more people and asked to do some corporate events. Which I do. Then learned to market myself by taking Jim Snack's "Success In Magic" course and am makeing a heck of a lot mre money than I ever did in the corporate world. Serious advice is get Jim's course ( http://www.success-in-magic.com ) and go for it. It is the best move I ever made in my life. Peter |
|||||||||
Tony S Special user New York 582 Posts |
Peter,
Thanks for your story. It's inspiring for me. I'm doing quite a bit of work in my spare time right now to be ready to make the jump. Once I'm ready it's going to be goodbye to corporate America! I do plan on purchasing Jim's course. I've heard nothing but good things about it here. Jim seems like a great guy too! I'll most likely purchase it next month on the next credit card cycle. Thanks, again. I'm going to PM you for the rest of your story. Tony |
|||||||||
mormonyoyoman Inner circle I dug 5,000 postholes, but I have only 2440 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-09-11 17:34, Tony S wrote: Paddy Peter told his story in wonderful detail here: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......4&25 And you're absolutely right: he IS inspiring!
#ShareGoodness #ldsconf
--Grandpa Chet |
|||||||||
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I was a full-time pro for 26 years. I retired from most of my performing, and am now in the publishing business. I stil perform from time to time, but not as my sole source of income. I enjoyed most of the work I did as a magician.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
|||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
Are there any full timers who DON'T rely on kid's parties for a large part of their income?
|
|||||||||
Jim Snack Inner circle 1338 Posts |
I used to rely on children's shows for most of my business. Not birthday parties, but schools, scouts, church groups, fairs and festivals.
Now it is mostly corporate and association work for adults. I still do schools and family festivals when they call, but I don't actively seek them. |
|||||||||
tctahoe V.I.P. Lakeland Fl. 731 Posts |
I don't do Children' parties...and greatly admire those who are good at it.
I thought it was only the laymen who assumed all magicians do kid shows... |
|||||||||
floridamagic Regular user lakeland Fl 157 Posts |
I mostly perform for theme parks like Disney World ,Wonder Works and Weeki Watchee. But I will do a kids show for the right price.
|
|||||||||
MentaThought Special user 615 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-09-08 20:09, flourish dude wrote: I'd be curious to know how many of the pros here take care of the above needs (paperwork, promotion, bookkeeping etc.) themselves vs. hiring other pros who specialize in these thinsg to do them. I (who would like to work professionally part-time in mentalism), for example, am the kind of person who likes to have "experts" take care of things I know I'm not good/experienced/knowledgable at, such as handyman jobs around the house, and would prefer to have other pros do it for me. Comments?
"A good mentalist ... will teach you a miracle because he understands the subtleties ..." -- Banachek
"If this works it'll be BEAUTIFUL!" - The Amazing Kreskin on a stunning effect he performed on his 1970s television series (PS: it worked) |
|||||||||
Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
I bought Quickbook Pro for my accounting software, it is not cheap but invaluable to me. I do everything myself, booking, advertiseing, promotion, the whole works. Jim Snack's Success In Magic ( http://www.success-in-magic.com ) was also invauable for teaching me about promotion and sales of my entertainment package.
Peter |
|||||||||
NJJ Inner circle 6437 Posts |
I use the 1992 version of microsoft money!
There is no need to over complicate things if you don't need too! I do my own books but my account does my taxes. :) |
|||||||||
flourish dude Inner circle from ? But I know where I am going! 1195 Posts |
Sure you'll need to hire an accountant but you still have to keep the day to day books. By that I mean keep track of what you spent and where. As far as paying someone to promote you, no one can do that better than you. I know a few people how have hired someone to get the phone and book shows for them but this only comes after you are booking a lot of shows and can justify the expense. Jim Snack's book is great for showing a good path to follow. I myself only work around 35 shows a month and it does not make sense to hire someone to awnser the phone for me. There is a great saying out there "Are you using your time to save money or make money?" Sometimes I need to follow that a bit more.When you are working for yourself in show business the business side is the bigger side and a lot of work. I don't know anyone who just pays to have it done for them and they just sit back and do shows. This is a big mis-understanding when people think they would like to be a full timer. They think they can just do shows, this is not true there is a lot of work to be done and the shows are a very small part of running an entertainment business for yourself.
The best thing I learned was to set in place systems. I have a system for everything, this helps keep things simple. I use MagicBase for my client information. It is cheaper and I think easier then ACT (I have that too)I can print everything with one click, the contract, the thank you letter, the envelope and the poster for the show. It fills in all the details for that show for me. As far as the bookkeeping I use QuickBooks this makes it easy for my accountant to do the taxes. I have a system for booking shows and have made a marketing calendar so I know when I need to promote. The hard part is putting it together but when it is together it should make your job a lot easier. There is a lot of good information out there about the business side of magic. The hard part is doing it.
Nothing of the same will bring any change, take action today!
Just taking a step, is a step in the right direction because when you stop working, your dream dies. www.magicalmemories.us |
|||||||||
Somecreative Stagename New user Liberty Lake, WA 20 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-09-13 06:21, flourish dude wrote: Wow! Is that really true or a typo? 35 shows a month? Of course that would mean you're making some fairly big money, but no life outside of this... not even practice time... Hoping you get some rest, Paul |
|||||||||
MarkTripp Special user Michigan 618 Posts |
I have been a full time pro for over 40 years.
I have done every kind of show at any kind of venue you can name. I do all my bookwork and tax stuff myself. An average month of shows is about 80. In my younger days I did even more than that. |
|||||||||
Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Wow, Mark!
Now that's a lot of magic shows! Are those mostly trade show performances, or preschool shows? Those are the only two types of performers I have heard doing that many full performances in a month. - Donald P.S. I'm assuming that when doing table hopping for restaurants, that performers aren't counting every table visit as a performance. Same for strolling. Not that I am implying this is what Mark is saying.
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
|
|||||||||
Jim Snack Inner circle 1338 Posts |
I book about 150 dates per year, averaging 12-15 dates per month. It's been that way for many years.
Sometimes I will book multiple shows on a date - school assemblies, for example - but not as much as in my early years. My goal is the same one expressed by Tom Mullica several years ago in a Magic magazine interview: "More money, fewer shows, more free time." |
|||||||||
TheDean Inner circle Reno, Nevada 2164 Posts |
Yep! Jim is right on the money with that one! (As always!)
A few years ago I too was a maniac when it came to booking gigs. To date, I have performed well over 25,000 shows. Lots of those in "multiple show" venues. Earlier it was theme parks, (One year alone over 3,000 shows!) and later it was and is Casinos... (3 to 6 shows a day at Harrah’s then across the street for 2 more review shows each night, 7 days a week!) so it was EASY to get past those numbers. Yeah, I know… I was NUTS! Anyway, my aim (successfully or not – Hehehehe!) is to keep my show, speaking and consulting commitments down to around 4 “well paying” gigs a month. It's not easy, because of my 'maniac' past, and the fact that I have developed quite a relational base and business and the demand is well greater than that to say the least! Less shows, more money, better able to REALLY serve and support the re-elationships I work with. Anton Zeller has it right: He has 3 clients that support him, ad thet he supports for literally millions of dollars in income annually. Woo Hoo! Just one more “Chime-In” on the subject. I am at your service and In His Service, Deano <><
Dean Hankey, *M.D. - The Dean of Success Solutions!
Serving & Supporting YOU and Your Success! "Book More Shows... Make More Money... SERVE MORE PEOPLE! - Not Necessarily In That Order…" (*Marketing Doctor) |
|||||||||
MarkTripp Special user Michigan 618 Posts |
Well, depends on which part of my carrer.
I have done school assemblies for over 20 years. Two schools a day, 4 shows a day, five days a week. When I did theme parks I did 6 to 8 shows a day. When I was realy pushing bvirthday parties I did at least 7 or 8 a week; along with day care. Comedy clubs were one a night with doubles on weekends. Of course there were college tours and malls over the years as well. Right now I am just doing schools and summer camps with birthday parties when I am home. |
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Tricky business » » Who can earn money only with magic ? (0 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page [Previous] 1~2~3 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.06 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |