Magician to Magician: Bob Garner Interview

Some people have the ability to take their passion and turn it into a seriously successful business – Bob Garner is one of those people.  Although I have never met Bob personally he was generous enough to agree to a 30 minute interview which lasted well over an hour!

I first heard of Bob through Marc Paul and have wanted to talk with him ever since.  Bob has built the career that I would personally give my right arm for – he is multi-faceted in his approach to corporate magic, extremely funny and a brilliant businessman.

The interview is audio only and I have edited it down to around 20 minutes.  I hope to be able to include all the bits I reluctantly cut out in a Part II at some point, but for now I hope you enjoy this edit.  I had fun putting this together although it took way longer than anticipated and of course I would love feedback from you.

If you can’t see the audio player click here

It’s clear from listening to Bob that he has always viewed magic as a business but that doesn’t detract from the desire to be the great performer that he is.  His ambition to create a successful business was backed up by an ability to deliver a first rate product.

Bob has focused on the corporate market, he has dug his foundations deep rather than wide and this has enabled him to build a substantial client base and a formidable reputation.  He understands his target market and everything that he does is specifically tailored to that market, he doesn’t want to be “all things to all men”.  This approach enables him to pay incredible attention to detail which is the mark of a real professional.

The Bob Garner Secrets:

• Learn your trade, don’t run before you can walk. Just because you can do close-up doesn’t mean your ready for Trade Shows etc.
• Be specific and know your market.  Separate out your websites and marketing for each client group.
• Make the decision to treat Magic as a business if you are really serious about it as a career.
• Learn as much about business as you can and spend less time looking for the “next big thing” in magic.

For more information on Bob you can visit www.bobgarner.com

So I’ve done my bit now all you have to do is:

• Leave your comments and feedback in the comments section.
• If you like what I’m trying to do with this site then spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or anywhere you can.
• Subscribe to the site via the subscription box on the home page.  The bigger the crowd the more likely people will say yes to being interviewed.

Thanks.