Putting in the Work

See the grass in the above picture? It is the bane of my existence.

It might be hard to tell, but there is a horizontal-ish dip running through that grass. I affectionately call it ‘The Trench.’

The ground on either side of The Trench slope inward slightly, making it tough to mow that grass. If it’s relatively short, I can push my mower through on the left, with the mower angled to the right. Then I repeat the other side, with my mower angled to the left.

When we first bought this house, we looked at the three acres of land and immediately knew we had to get a riding lawnmower. A push mower just wouldn’t cut it. (Oh dear, I really didn’t intend for that pun to happen.)

Not long after moving in and buying our riding lawn mower, it was time to tackle The Trench. Knowing the riding lawn mower would just topple over, it fell to me to cut the Trench using our old push mower.

But the previous owner had neglected it while cutting everything around The Trench. When we took over, The Trench wasn’t just overgrown grass. There were thick weeds, some of them almost two feet high.

It was exhausting work, getting The Trench under control. It took me several hours at a time over several days to get it to a manageable level.

I’ll confess, I’m not a fan of yard work. I wanted to give up. But I kept at it. And once The Trench’s grass was cut properly, cutting it every week (or every other week) was easy.

It’s been that way for a few years now.

But this past week, I had to tackle it for the first time this spring. Normally I’d give it the first shave earlier in the year. But our area has been pounded by rain. So when I was finally able to cut it last week during a dry spell, the grass had become quite unruly.

Once again, I had to exert a lot of effort grinding my way through. And again I wanted to give up halfway through. But I kept going.

Believe it or not, everything I just talked about directly applies to building a successful long-term magic business.

You see the needs of your market. And you build a product (in this case, a show) that matches the needs of your market. (Just like how I saw what my lawn needed and bought the equipment I needed to tackle the project.)

You purchase or develop the material for the show. And you have to put in the work to get eyeballs on it. In the beginning, it’s hard work. You may resent having to spend the money. (I certainly did not want to spend $3000 on a stupid riding lawn mower.)

This is where most magicians give up.

They do a few shows and if things don’t go well, they blame it on “bad audiences.” You gotta listen to the feedback. Adjust your show. If that $1000 prop isn’t getting the reactions, try reworking your routine. If it still doesn’t fly, cut it. Sell it.

My point? Put in the work until you’ve got a great show that your market loves. And they gotta love it enough to pay for it.

If you keep putting in the work, the CORRECT work, eventually maintaining this business gets much easier. (Once I got The Trench’s grass under control, each week mowing it was easy.) Your magic business is the same way. Put in the work and maintaining it gets easier.

That means putting together the right show to meet the demands of the market they are serving. It means setting your ego aside.

Want to make a lot of money performing children’s birthdays? You gotta have the right show. Think you can perform for a 6-year-old’s birthday by doing geek magic or adult sow material? Think again.

And to take my metaphor further, if you slack off your marketing efforts, that grass grows. And you gotta put in extra work to get your marketing back to where it needs to be.

Same with your show. Sensibilities change. Shows need to be updated. A couple of years ago I sold my Lester Lake Head Chopper. I just can’t see where that prop would be acceptable again in any of the markets I work.

To bring this full circle, think of your magic business as a lawn you need to mow and keep up with.

If your magic business is exactly where you want it, that’s great. But if not, you may want to make a change.

Not sure where your business needs help? Check this out. It’s a fully customized service where I conduct a deep dive into your magic biz and give you a game plan to move forward and achieve your goals.

And I’m not just some armchair expert. I’m in the trenches doing shows. (See what I did there?)

Over the last 20+ years, I’ve put in an insane amount of work into my business. I’ve built several shows to perfectly fit my market. I stay up to date on the latest digital marketing trends.

Now I’m reaping the benefit of all that hard work. I have a robust list of clients I can count on for work each year. My website is optimized so well that I’ve been on Page One of Google search results for several years.

Almost daily, I have potential clients contacting me from across the United States requesting information on my shows.

And I don’t do a thing to get those leads. All because I put in the work years ago and stayed current.

Until two weeks ago, I haven’t spent a dime marketing my shows in a little over three years. Recently, I started running Google Ads again to snap up some extra local work.

If you want to make changes in your magic business, I can help you. And this is the best place to start.

Until next time, have a great week.

--Cris

P.S. By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you grow your magic business to book more shows at higher fees:

 
1. Grab my FREE report for professional working magicians.

It’s called “The 2-Word Secret to Eliminate Your Competition & Become Your Area’s Busiest Magician.” This report reveals a strategy that almost NO magicians are using (and the ones who are don’t use it correctly). Get your free copy HERE.

2. Get my website video training for under $10:

 
In this 2-hour video training, I’ll reveal exactly what your website needs if you want to succeed as a professional entertainer in the 21st century. Get all the details HERE.

 
3. Get a complete business-building plan handed to you on a silver platter.

 
Not sure how to move your magic business forward? I’ll analyze your complete magic business (website, market, competition, and more) and give you a complete game plan for getting your performing business to the next level. Find out how HERE.

 
4. Work with me privately.

 
Need help in multiple areas? I can help you with your website, direct mail, email, or other marketing strategies. I also offer consulting services for crafting magic routines or even entire shows. Want to find out more? Shoot me an email at cris@theprofessionalmagicianclubpro.com.

To find out more how I can help you book more shows at higher fees, click the button below to see my list of services.

© Copyright Cris Johnson, Inc.