Keeping Track of Stuff

“I can’t believe I did that,” I thought.

An hour before writing this, I was packing for a mentalism show tonight. It will be one of the few non-themed shows I perform all year.

Most of my theme shows are packed away in their own cases, making prepping for a gig easy. But tonight’s show is a simple mentalism show.

As I dug through the case holding my mentalism supplies, I saw something that stunned me.

An uncashed check. From October. Inside the envelope, I could see my name and address on the check…along with a notation indicating the check would be null and void after 90 days.

I looked at the date and breathed a sigh of relief – September 20th. I had almost three weeks before the check was canceled.

I quickly deposited the check using my mobile deposit app on my phone and immediately made plans to use this story for today’s newsletter.

The theme is simple: stay organized.

I have a specific procedure for handling checks. It’s certainly not the best or even one I recommend. But it works well enough for me.

The client usually hands me my check either while I’m setting up the show, right before I go on, or as I’m packing up my props after the show. I simply fold the check in thirds and put it in the back pocket of my dress pants. It’s right next to my car keys.

And since I have keyless ignition, I don’t have to worry about the check falling out as I remove my keys to start my car.

My banks hate me for bringing in folded checks. When they ask me if I can stop I simply say, “No.”

Truthfully, I’ve tried other methods. I would put the check in my roll-on table. Then I’d forget the check was there. Or it would get lost as I shuffled props. Remember, pre-COVID I was on the road most days. And the show I performed on Monday wasn’t necessarily the same show I’d perform on Tuesday. So checks got lost in the prop shuffle every day.

But I know my system isn’t for everyone.

Some entertainers bring a zippered day planner with them. When they receive their check, into the day planner the check goes.

Other performers do place their checks in a special compartment in their show cases. Only they don’t forget them as I do.

Another area where you must be organized is your show information.

When I book a gig, I enter all the information into my CRM. (For context, I use Mago.)

When I send the contract and booking information to the client, my system automatically emails me all the show information, including location, client info, phone number, etc. in one tidy document. I print these out and store them in my zippered day planner, sorted by month.

It’s all very convenient and organized.

When I spend tax-deductible money for this gig (hotels, meals, etc.) I record the amounts on the back of these sheets so When I have to enter the information into my spreadsheets, it’s all there in one tidy list. The receipts themselves get stapled to the top of the page.

When I leave for the gig, I also write down my starting mileage. When I return home, I immediately write down my ending mileage. I do all of this before I even leave my car.

If I wait until I get into the house, it gets put off. I’m distracted by barking dogs, Wifey, and who knows what else.

Staying organized this way makes keeping track of expenses and income very easy. Depending on my performing schedule, I enter the show information into my spreadsheets every show or after every few shows.

Getting back to show information for a minute, I also have my CRM app on my iPhone, so I’ve got a backup in case I’m missing information on the hard copy of my show information sheet.

Back to taxes. When the year is over, I generally don’t have any tax work to do, other than a few odds and ends my wife may ask me to do.

These spreadsheets are printed out and given to our accountant, who always marvels at how organized we are (my wife owns her own business too).

I know some of my methods may not fit you. I only point out my system to encourage you to develop your own system. Life moves fast and having systems in place reduces the risk of confusion when things go wrong.

When running your magic business, keeping yourself organized will save you headaches both at the shows and during tax time.

How do YOU stay organized?

Until next time, have a great week!

--Cris

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