22 Years ago, magician Phil Ackerly was laid off from his day job at Fujitsu Microelectronics with a wife, a ten month old son, and a brand new home that was just coming out of escrow. This ultimately resulted in him taking his passion of performing magic full-time, making it his career.
In order to be successful, you have to fail.
• How to plan events.
• You can't be hung up on yourself.
• Finding out what the clients need and fill that need.
• Up-selling to your client.
Not showing up at a show because of a rescheduling and a paperwork mixup.
Being able to make a living performing magic. Also, performing at the Hollywood Magic Castle and having The Professor, Dai Vernon compliment him on his show.
Balancing his "creative work" with his "business work."
• Tells his story about how he got layer off from his day job and then was able to transition into his passion of performing magic full time. He talks about his first year out there.
• Carving out a niche for himself in the family show market.
• Increasing your fees.
• Personalizing your show and differentiating yourself.
• Value and perception of value.
• The lengths he goes to confirm and re-confirm his bookings.
• Thank you notes.
• How he uses Yelp and how he gets reviews.
• How he uses his blog to connect with his clients on a personal level. He talks specifically about one post entitled Treasure the Moments.
"Make me care." — Max Maven
Make your audience care.
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Resource:
Arthur & Leslie Stead for writing custom music.
Books:
Beyond Deception by Tobias Beckwith
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo
The Apple Experience by Carmine Gallo