Sum - Think big money for live musicians performers entertainers

THINK BIG (MONEY)

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Copyright2016 by J C Sum . All RightsReserved.

No part of this publication maybe reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or anyinformation storage and retrieval system, now known or to beinvented, without permission in writing.

About the Author

Introduction

The Creative Entrepreneur

Think Big (Money)

Riches are in Niches

Good to be Great, Great to be Different

Whats Next?

Bonus: Working with Agents

Bibliography

B orn& raised in Singapore, J C Sum is best-known for hiswork on stage and television as an illusionist ( www.jcsum.com ).For 20 years, J C has built a highly successful career as aninternational award-winning illusionist performingworldwide.

More than 120 million people have watched JCs magic in 27 countries. He is one of the highest paidillusionists in Asia and is widely sought after for his ability topresent a large-scale modern illusion show bilingually in English& Mandarin.

J C has been called Singapores most famousmagician by The Straits Times and Singapores Celebrity Magicianby TODAY as well as acknowledged as truly one of the worlds topillusion acts by MagicSeen magazine. AsiaOne notes that he is one of the most celebrated magicians in Asiaand The Business Times credits J C as bringing magic to themainstream in Asia.

Offstage, J C is a creative entrepreneur,content creator and investor. He holds a B.A. in Sociology andEnglish Language with a minor in Philosophy from the NationalUniversity of Singapore.

J C is world-recognized for hiscontributions to the illusion arts with his critically acclaimedbooks on original illusion designs & presentations that havebeen bought by hundreds of magicians in over 40 countries.

He is also the creator ofthree extensive resource websites for the theatre and entertainmentindustries:

Illusionbooks.com - Anextensive online resource for illusionists.

BackstageBusinessAcademy.com A website dedicated to educating entertainers in business,marketing and investing.

MagicKabukiDrop.com -The worlds most comprehensive resource site on Kabuki Drops, astagecraft technique and curtain release system.

Since 2008, J C has given numerous talkslocally & overseas on his perspective and approach to hisbusiness including TEDxNTU, TEDxCQ and Passion Unleashed talks. Healso has a presentation entitled Technology, Engineering &Design in Magic.

He has been nominated for a "Spirit ofEnterprise" business award and has been featured in leadingbusiness publications such as The Business Times and TheEdge.

J C is the author of The Showbiz MasterPlan, a live entertainer's blueprint to creating amoney-generating brand, making a consistent 6-figure income andsetting up for retirement.

I still remember the very first paid showthat I ever booked. It was in 1993 for a children's party at asocial club. I was paid the princely sum of SG$80 (about US$50 atthat time). While it was not a large sum of money for an adult, itwas a lot of money for a school boy who was taking his hobby to thenext level. I was ecstatic that someone would actually pay me toshare my creative passion with an audience.

I'm sure you have had a similar experience.Whether you are a live musician, variety performer or comedian,your art is your creative passion. And, when you are recognized inthe form of being compensated with cold hard cash, it is a strongform of validation that what you do has commercial value.

After booking your first show, you gethooked and can't wait to book your next show and then the next.Eventually, the never-ending goal is to book more shows and getmore gigs to make more money. Some are successful at getting asteady stream of shows while others find competition very stiff andare constantly struggling to book enough shows.

Going for more shows to make more money iscertainly needed, especially when you start off in your showbusiness career. But that can't be your end goal, especially for aprofessional live entertainer.

The key is to have a paradigm shift. The keyis to move from a "more shows more money" approach to your careerto one that is focused on increasing your differentiated value tosecure big money shows.

This little book will start you off with themental blueprint to create a money-generating brand, make aconsistent 6-figure income and set up for eventual retirement.

I have to admit that I also have a selfishreason for writing this book even though the primary goal is tohelp live entertainers transform their mindsets. You see, if thereare more live entertainers who have differentiated quality productsand become highly successful, the general market for liveentertainment will be elevated.

The value, fees commanded and perception ofentertainers will be raised. More clients will be interested tobook higher quality entertainers. The media and public interest inlive entertainment will grow. Investors will be drawn to liveentertainment projects and venues due to the increase in demand forlive entertainment. Entertainers will be booking more shows thatpay more.

As an industry professional, this overallupward shift in the market will have a direct benefit on me. So,this book and my full course "The Showbiz Master Plan" are not 100%altruistic endeavors. It is a devious master plan to make moremoney in the longest and most difficult way possible.

I hope you find value within these pages andmore importantly, are inspired to achieve the ultimate balancebetween financial, personal and professional goals in your lifewhile doing what you love.

Feb 2016

At some point in ones life, a person mayconsider the possibility of making money from their creativepassion or even making a career out of it. After all, it soundslike a dream job. You get to do what you love, be your own boss andmanage your own time.

As an entertainer, you are one of the fewwho are bold (or crazy) enough to do what you love and chargepeople for it. Cheers to that!

However, once you start making your livingor part of your income from your creative passion, there is a needfor a paradigm shift. When you decide to monetize your creativepassion, you move from being a pure creative artist or hobbyist tobecome a creative entrepreneur.

In hisbook, The Creative Economy: HowPeople Make Money from Ideas , John Howkins, defines creative entrepreneursas people who use creativity to unlockthe wealth that lies withinthemselves rather than externalcapital.

In simple terms, acreative entrepreneur is a person who sets up abusiness for profit in a creative industry . In essence, creativeentrepreneurship is where passion andprofit meet.