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Hey everyone, I know there are alot of pros and alot of people who have alot of knowledge about how to manage magic as a business, because you have your shows and also working on new material. Plus a girl friend or a wife or a family of coarse. How in the wild world do you manage your time effectively so you still have the ability to stay in business. Just wondering because I am stressed about everything right now. Thanks if anyone can answer my question.

Blimey—if you've got that many shows to do that you're having to worry about time management, then you're doing something right.

Perhaps you need a PA!!!

Time management is far too subjective a subject really. You just have to try and work to your own schedule and priorities.

If you're serious about it then I guess you'll have to treat magic like any other business. Set aside certain time slots during the week for magic and stick to it.

ANY business you start that is intended as a means of supporting you and your family will consume the majority of your time, there are no exceptions nor will length of time in that venture likely change said circumstance. The bane of show biz is the travel that's involved (time away from the "family"), the hours it demands (most of the time) and the monotony of doing the same act over and over and over again.

READ THAT LAST LINE AGAIN

The majority of the real working pros aren't worrying about "new bits" for their acts, they do what works and they hold to it for years, sometimes their entire career, making only minor adjustments here and there over time and only after lots of consideration. The only exceptions to this rule are your mega stars that have to have a new show each season, such as how Copperfield was for so long; and those who luck into having the same gigs year after year, who want to toss in one or two new things so as to not deliver all the same thing on their return.

Contrary to the dreams, ambitions and masturbative fantasies of most amateurs you do not need to have a two or three different close-up acts (unless that's going to be "your field"), you do not need to also have a bird & silk act plus a half-dozen or so grand illusions, an escape show, a psychic styled show and of course a spook show.

No... PICK ONE! Stick with it!

To do less makes you out as being nothing other than another wannabe in the eyes of the bookers; someone that's chasing the next gig just to make a buck vs. someone that lays everything on the line and says "This is my product, who I am and what I do and this is the price."

Getting paid to do tricks does not make you a pro, it just means you managed to find someone willing to give you a bit of cash... and from what I read in these forums, some of you are getting way too little for what you are delivering. But that's the habit many of us have gotten into as the result of "assuming" this is how it's done.

Instead of chasing after the next really cool hip piece of crapola from the magic shops over the next year, invest into some business books and classes... as my old chum Dean Hankey used to point out, "The word 'Business' is the bigger part of 'show'". So approach this exactly as you would any other business... not how you think a business is run but how businesses really are run in the real world if you want a better chance at success. Add to this education process those scenarios that will take YOUR ACT... that is to say, an actual set of routines that are fully scripted and proven that will not ever change... and get industry pros to help mold you into being a sound product. (most of us ignore this step and end up becoming a laughing stock vs. a viable product)

If you haven't noticed there's a theme here -- get something and stick with it! Become the best at what you do and stop worrying about keeping up with all the trends and latest gadgets. FOCUS!

You'll find more or less these same words in the majority of the business related materials for the magic industry that are out that that are reputable. You'll find it in the real world as well, all because it's a proven fact; you create a single product and get it up and making you money BEFORE you add to the product line, image, etc.


As to the Family Side of things... you need to look at the statistics. Show Biz and High End Retail Sales are two of the most stress field, time consuming vocations anyone can get into and two areas where chronic alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, etc. tend to be "the norm". Very few of us knowing what it's like to get married and living a long life together with the same person is going to be like because of the stress and strain and general environmental challenges Show Biz creates... especially for those who aren't pulling in the $100,000.00 annual gross +, which is the case for most (the majority of so-called professional performers in the U.S. grossing less than $50,000.00).

The other side of this crux is to have no kids and have a spouse that's just as eager to get out there and make the show work, no matter what. Though such scenarios exist, they are rare and can lead to a somewhat "empty" feel when you head into your 40s & 50s... most all of us wanting to leave that little biological imprint on the world.


Show Biz is a demanding and cruel mistress who is not easily tamed but if you aren't willing to invest the time and work with what it more or less the same exact show year in and year out, you're pretty much going to miss the boat... and she only gives you one chance to get "there" e.g. you must be selfish and willing to sacrifice certain things... starting with anything that is reflective of having a "normal" or "traditional" life.

Think about it...

Speaking as an old hand at admin, anything run as a business has to be treated on a business footing from the start, or you're going to end up in a terrible mess when things get busier.

For a start, get yourself an accounting system (I personally like the Collins "Essential" accounts book) and set up a system for logging jobs and queries. If you've worked in any sort of administrative or office management job, you'll know the ropes.

If you've never had anything to do with admin, read up NOW on how to be self-employed and run a small business. Your local library should have plenty of books on the subject. When it comes to tax and other legal questions, it's best to check the latest positions on line because they can change fast.

If you're making money at all, or intend to, register immediately as self-employed with the Inland Revenue (or Revenue and Customs, as they call themselves now). You're required by law to register within three months of starting up as a business. If you're making less than a minimum amount per year, you can file as a "small earnings exemption" and not have to pay National Insurance. But you still have to register.

Don't forget to count all your magic-related expenditure as business outgoings for tax purposes. This includes things like business cards, stationery, telephone costs, mileage, accounting software, etc. as well as the obvious things like props and reference books. If you have a room set aside in your house as a dedicated office/workspace, you can even count part of your heating and electricity bills. (Again, check to find the latest rulings on things like utilities, mileage, etc.)

As far as time management goes, you have an advantage in that you've got to be at specific bookings at specific times, so there's a timetable to follow. Of course, you also have to build in time at home for practice and paperwork.

You need support from your family and friends. At the very least they need to take your work seriously and know that there are times set aside when you are working, even if you are at home. Help them by taking it just as seriously -- when you're supposed to be working, then work and don't let yourself be enticed away. If you can have more or less fixed hours when you're "at work", this will help.

Being self-employed is more stressful (in parts) than being an employee. Setting up the business in the first place is especially hard. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your family and friends -- either practical assistance or simple moral support. Google "self-employment" to find advice on line.

For some previous discussions on a smilar topic, have a look at http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic1989.php

When my dvd finally gets finished, it will be covering everything form time managment with the wife, to performing marketing and learning new routines whilst still have a life outside magic....

Watch this space.............

I would just like to add, and I like beating dead horses because I like the live ones and don't like to beat them.

I have found there are magicians who could not make a career out of being a magician and ended up trying opening a magic business be it as a dealer, (brick and mortar or internet) inventor, builder or the often dreaded agent. And in these cases the business failed as well. And in all of these cases they failed because while they love magic and all it entails they had forgotten the business aspect.

my advice that I can give in this format to anyone wanting to start this as a business is to print Mr. Brownings post read it, understand it. Take some classes get a proper business plan in the works understand the commitment and make sure your family understands the comitment and do this thing right. Otherwise you are going to fail.

bmat wrote:I would just like to add, and I like beating dead horses because I like the live ones and don't like to beat them.

I have found there are magicians who could not make a career out of being a magician and ended up trying opening a magic business be it as a dealer, (brick and mortar or internet) inventor, builder or the often dreaded agent. And in these cases the business failed as well. And in all of these cases they failed because while they love magic and all it entails they had forgotten the business aspect.

my advice that I can give in this format to anyone wanting to start this as a business is to print Mr. Brownings post read it, understand it. Take some classes get a proper business plan in the works understand the commitment and make sure your family understands the comitment and do this thing right. Otherwise you are going to fail.

Thanks Bmat

Something I forgot to mention in the above that your post reminded me of, is THE BUSINESS PLAN

Some years ago Richard Webster put together a couple of "Marketing" based manuscripts the more "generic" of them being entitled PLAN FOR SUCCESS... it takes you by the hand and introduces you to the basics of getting any kind of business started... it's up to you to follow through on things if you're going to keep it from sinking.

I can't wait to see what Magic Chris comes up with in that I've yet to meet a single full-time working pro capable of discovering and applying this magic formula he's apparently found I'm not saying that it don't exist Chris, only that I've never seen such a thing as being realistically possible (regardless the venture in question) when it comes to being self-employed.

In show biz the reality is, you are on the road 6-9 months a year minimum and when you are home you are working the phones, doing the mailings and MAYBE developing something "new(ish)" for the act. Working pros, as Chuck Jones used to point out, "simply don't have time to keep up on all that's new and hitting the scene"... they actually work!

If you have a few good routines that you know inside out and you know work really well, just stick with them. There's no need to continually develop new material to use. Chasing all the latest gizmos and gadgets is only going to lead to disappointment and the wasting of a lot of money.

Professional perfroming magicians stick to a handful of routines that they use again and again. Why? Because they work and they know they work.

There. Plenty of free time now to sit in front of the tele with the missus.

thanks for the tip of not chasing the new gagets of the new norm in magic. I am trying my best to learn from the basics. I have taken business classes and have learned the basics. Honestly I am stressed out of my mind right now. Thanks for the accounting system advice. I will take that in consideration. I have worked on it considerablely well on the business part my parents still don't think I am taking it seriously but by monday I am going to start managing my money better and be better off considering I have spent alot of what I need as a performer and as a business man. Also thank you Mandrake for that one resource i did some research before posting this and couldn't find a thing. Thanks craig for telling me to pick an act and stick to it. However, I have had the dream to do a little bit of everything in magic. I know i have to use my time effectively however, my parents sometimes make me do stuff so yeah thats gets in the way of things. Seige just wondering what is a PA? Does that mean a production assistent? Or am I completly wrong. Thank you everyone for all the help and support.

GooGooDolls wrote:Seige just wondering what is a PA? Does that mean a production assistent? Or am I completly wrong. Thank you everyone for all the help and support.

A PA is a personal assistant. Basically someone you pay to take responsibility for the organising of your life. Be it from tiny things like taking phonecalls and organising your diary, right through to complex tasks such as dealing with your bookings etc.

In a nutshell, the PA allows you to concentrate on WORK and FAMILY, as they take care of all the time consuming, mundane tasks of day-to-day running of the business.

My wife acts as my 'sub-PA', and she's a total asset.

Ryan,

I would tell you what a P.A stands for, but I am getting images of Seige in high heels, miniskirts and fluttering his eyelashes at you. (If anybody knows a way to permanantly block these from my mind, I would be grateful.)
Just don't trust him if he offers to use shorthand!!!!

I used to work for a man named Jim Ward of Gauntlet Enterprises and publisher of PFIQ magazine... in that world a P.A. was something waaay different from what I believe you all are referring... I'm confident we have a few here that can recognize the gist of my point


GooGooDoll, I really was the kid in the candy store having access to most every major illusion and classic hand-prop effects ever made. The odd reality, out of a collection of over 300 major pieces I personally used about six of them over and over and over again... An Owen Sword Suspension, Zig Zag, and Sub Trunk were my primaries for the night club act along with my dancing cane, some birds and a bit of shtick.

It was an exceptionally rare occasion that I'd pull something not normally in my show, out of the inventory and present it. Usually it was as part of a fundraiser, which was when I'd toss in a major escape or some historic effect like the Thurston Stretching or, in a few instances, chief routines from my larger theatrical show that would be requested by a client, such as my Princes of Light Levitation (I know I have a bias, but I still consider it one of the most "pretty" impossibilities ever put together).

If you were to use this as an example for how you can "work in" the random bit that goes outside your normal product, you will be able to see how the majority of the pros actually have their cake and eat it too. What's most important however, is consistency.

One last point along these lines...
A few years ago my buddy Rick Maue was called by a local agent who was looking for a "Mentalist" and had heard about Rick's work, etc. The gig was a solid $1,500.00 date that Rick turned down.

Why?

Because the agent was just looking for someone that did Mind Reading shtick, not what Rick was offering as an Act.

I've watched Max Maven and countless others do this very same thing and for the longest time I couldn't understand it. Slowly however, I started noticing that agents would hire me for "that act I did at..." They or a client were asking for specific bits that I did... the other indicator was me standing up for me and saying "No" to gigs where I was just filler talent i.e. Stilt Walking, Balloon Twister, Make-Up Artist & Clown... NONE of those things is who or what I was nor where I saw myself... making that decision is one of the things that separate the wannabe gig chasers from the working pros.

Time management is pretty similar for all businesses and walks of life. Simple searches in Waterstones in the business/management sections will yeild great results. I took the libery of looking yesterday whilst I was in. I wont mention specific titles as it pays to do research yourself. Also, consider looking through the Psychology sections too.
Cheers,
Dave