Today is his is mini-lesson #2…
Yesterday I gave you some homework. I honestly hope you did it. Let’s review…
1. If I could design the perfect business, what would it look like?
2. What shows would I be doing?
3. How much would I profit consistently?
4. How can I automate it as much as possible?
These are crucial questions for the success of “The Magic System” we’re going to be creating. Please do not take this lightly.
It will be your foundation. It may sound a little hokey, but it will all make sense shortly.
Now I have no idea what your answers are to these questions and they should be different than mine or anyone else completing this, anyway. You will very shortly see how easily you can tailor this System no matter where you are now or regardless of where you want to be.
Let me share my sample answers with you and we’ll springboard from there…
1. Some of the biggies for me as far as the “perfect” business included things as:
-it must be highly profitable
-it must run easily, almost to the point of being automatic
-it must be able to afford to hire someone else/ others to do the things I don’t want to do personally
-it must make a positive difference in the community/ giving back
-it must afford me the luxury to take off of work often without concern
-I MUST LOVE WORKING ON IT, day in & day out… waking up excited to get into my office
-it must be able to grow and scale up year after year
Wow, that’s a lot of stipulations. But remember, it’s my business and it’s mine to create. Why not plan it for maximum enjoyment? You should do the same with your own stipulations.
One of my biggest concerns when really looking at my life as a magician/ entertainer was being tied down to the local market only… not being able to travel, book gigs outta town & tour the country & the world. I didnt want to be seen as a small fish in a local pond… or the local backyard birthday guy… not that there is anything wrong with that.
But, BY CHOICE, that’s one of the reasons I stopped doing birthday parties – after I booked Disney LIVE presents Mickey’s Magic Show waaaay back in 2005.
Not that they weren’t profitable, because they certainly are and very easy to book. I have a ton of clients & friends making a GREAT living (six figures in fact) doing birthday parties & local gigs… These gigs just conflicted with higher priorities for me and with my overall positioning.
And that automatically brought me to the next question…
2. Looking at the above criteria, what type of shows would fit in here and what type of shows am I best at and enjoy the most?
-High end corporate gigs fit in perfectly as well as speaking opportunities.
-Theme parks provide me a great sit down location to perform our large illusion show and the pay is pretty damn good!
-Theaters, performing arts centers & resorts are another area that we focus on as they meet my criteria.
Now these are just a sampling of the shows my business actually produces, but it’s a great start for sure.
The key to notice here is that none of the above markets conflict with my previous values and stipulations as a “perfect” business.
Very rarely do I run into a conflict. I very simply DO NOT take the shows that do not align with my business plan and values. This “Magic System” affords me the luxury to do the shows I want to do, not the ones I have to do!
3. How much will I profit? Wowsers. Now that’s a great question!!!
Every year I have a different goal and it typically close to doubles the year before. I break this down into monthly bite-size pieces and I attack from there.
I am a big fan of Maxwell Maltz and “Psycho-Cybernetics”. I originally learned about him through Dave Dee in my early days getting into the direct marketing world. His program is based on self-esteem building and visualization.
I visualize the money literally rolling in each month with no resistance and I tell you what, it works. I may not hit my exact goal each month, but it does flow nicely.
The zero-resistance part comes from all of this stuff being so closely aligned. No conflicts. That’s why this foundational questioning and evaluation is so important!
So please, if you haven’t done it yet, go back and answer these questions for yourself. This is so much more important that that new trick you bought from ellusionist or that lecture you’re about to watch from Penguin Magic! LOL
4. And now the last of the big questions…How can I automate this?
I want my life and business to run as smoothly as possible and the less actual “work” I have to do the better!
That’s what this whole Magic System is based on. The whole reason for it’s creation.
For me, there are way too many other things I want to do out there and my magic business is just 1 part.
Granted, we are extremely lucky to be able to make money doing what we love, but there’s so much more!
In the next session, I will officially introduce you to my Magic Three-Step System. This is AWESOME STUFF! You will be very excited!
Until then, I urge you to re-visit the questions I gave you. Let your mind go and imagine the perfect business for you. Not for me, not for your friends, but for you.
Also, have a blank yearly calendar handy for next session.
Kick Butt With Your Marketing and…
& LOVE What You Do!
