How Ivan Went From Kids Magic to Corporate Parties
Discourse in Magic
In the third episode of Magicians and Margaritas, Jonah Babins sits down with Ivan, a Long Island-based magician who successfully transitioned from performing at kids' parties to booking high-ticket corporate events. Together, they break down the systems, mindset shifts, and team-building strategies that helped Ivan rapidly increase his revenue from roughly $100,000 to approaching $170,000 a year. Key Takeaways: Automated Lead Generation: To maintain a consistent flow of incoming inquiries, Ivan relies heavily on and maintains an active presence on multiple gig platforms, including , , , ,...
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Six-Figure Magic Business Blueprint
Discourse in Magic
In this episode, magic business coach Jonah Babins outlines the foundational model for growing a magic business from a part-time hobby into a six or multi-six-figure enterprise. He breaks the growth process down into three core pillars—Leads, Sales, and Systems—and provides actionable self-evaluation questions alongside real-world examples of magicians who have successfully scaled their incomes. Key Takeaways: Generating Leads: A magic business cannot survive without a consistent flow of inquiries. Leads are categorized into inbound traffic (such as Google Ads, which helped Cameron Leo...
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How Caleb Wiles Became a Professional Magician
Discourse in Magic
In this episode of Magicians and Margaritas, Jonah sits down with to discuss his journey from doing casual side gigs to becoming a full-time, highly successful corporate magician. They break down the mindset shifts required to elevate a magic business, the realities of raising your prices, and why you must stop performing for other magicians and start focusing on what real-world audiences actually care about. Key Takeaways: The Power of Raising Prices: Increasing your rates creates a healthy internal pressure to over-deliver; when you charge top dollar, it forces you to ensure...
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Stop Getting Ghosted on Gigs
Discourse in Magic
This episode tackles the frustrating nightmare of "ghosting" in your magic business—when a lead inquires, has a fantastic phone call, and then completely vanishes before booking. The typical sales process involves a website form fill, a sales call, and finally the decision to book, but many magicians lose their prospects in the ambiguous gap immediately following the call. By implementing a specific structure at the end of your calls, sending a targeted proposal email, and utilizing funny, low-pressure follow-up tactics, you can actively prevent ghosting and close more gigs. Key Takeaways: ...
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Unleashing the Power of Past Clients to Book More Gigs
Discourse in Magic
This episode transitions some of our best recent YouTube content into podcast form, giving you actionable business lessons you can listen to on the go. Many magicians constantly spend money trying to acquire new leads through ads, agents, or gig sites. However, the most underutilized resource in your magic business is the people who have already hired you. This episode breaks down how to properly re-engage your past clients, turn them into your biggest fans, and secure repeat bookings without spending additional money on marketing. Key Takeaways: The 9-Word Email: A highly effective, simple...
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Unleashing the Power of Past Clients to Book More Gigs
Discourse in Magic
This episode transitions some of our best recent YouTube content into podcast form, giving you actionable business lessons you can listen to on the go. Many magicians constantly spend money trying to acquire new leads through ads, agents, or gig sites. However, the most underutilized resource in your magic business is the people who have already hired you. This episode breaks down how to properly re-engage your past clients, turn them into your biggest fans, and secure repeat bookings without spending additional money on marketing. Key Takeaways: The 9-Word Email: A highly effective, simple...
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Magicians & Margaritas
Discourse in Magic
Welcome to the brand new series on Discourse in Magic: Magicians and Margaritas! In this inaugural episode, host Jonah Babins sits down over a margarita with Mastermind member and stellar Australian magician, Together, they pull back the curtain on Cameron's massive business transformation. We unpack the exact trajectory that took Cameron from zero to $20K a year, and then explosive growth from $20K to over $150,000 a year doing magic full-time. If you want deep business insights, actionable scaling models, and real strategies you can steal for your own career, this episode is packed...
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AI For Magicians
Discourse in Magic
The AI Revolution in Magic: Get Ahead or Get Left Behind In this solo episode, Jonah Babins reports back from the annual Mastermind Summit. Every year, Jonah takes the mastermind group to an epic, tropical destination to map out business growth, and this year they returned to a beautiful resort in Mexico. While the room tackled classic pillars like contracts, public shows, SEO, and cold email, one massive topic dominated the entire trip: Artificial Intelligence. Jonah issues a direct warning to performers: it is 2026, and running a business without looking at AI is simply irresponsible. This...
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Inside the Chicago Magic Round Table
Discourse in Magic
In this special episode, Jonah Babins shares a "meaty" excerpt from his recent business lecture delivered to the Chicago Magic Round Table. Recorded while Jonah was in the midst of a residency at the Chicago Magic Lounge (654 Club), this session skips the tricks and goes straight to the systems that allow a performer to scale from a hobbyist to a high-earning professional. Jonah breaks down the exact philosophy they use at the Toronto Magic Company. While the full lecture covers everything from t-shirts to thumb tips, this episode focuses on the "engine" of your business: how you handle...
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Trading Places: Jonah Babins with The Magic Guys
Discourse in Magic
This week, Discourse in Magic looks a little different. Instead of Jonah interviewing a guest, we’re sharing an episode where the tables were turned. Jonah recently sat down with Josh Norbido and Nick Kay—better known as The Magic Guys—on their popular Australian-based livestream and podcast. The Magic Guys actually "robbed" Jonah of the FSM Award for top Magic Podcast this year, but there are no hard feelings here. Their show is famous for its high energy, active YouTube community, and hilarious banter, making this one of the most engaging "crossover" episodes yet. In this session, Josh...
info_outlineIn this week’s episode of Discourse in Magic, Jonah Babins returns with a behind-the-scenes look at the Mexico Mastermind Summit, his latest adventures in AI, and what’s next for the magic community. After a brief hiatus, Jonah shares the lessons, breakthroughs, and future plans that are shaping his approach to magic and business in 2024.
The Summit Experience: Magic, Community, and Growth
Jonah kicks things off by recapping the recent Mastermind Summit in Cancun, where 40 magicians gathered for a week of learning, jamming, and business breakthroughs. Unlike traditional conventions, this summit focused on real-world magic—sharing “bangers” (the best tricks magicians actually perform), everyday carry routines, and even a spontaneous show where names were drawn from a sombrero.
But the real value, Jonah explains, came from the community: magicians supporting each other, sharing feedback, and pushing each other to new heights. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, Jonah emphasizes that surrounding yourself with a group of like-minded performers is the fastest way to grow.
Three Big Lessons from the Summit
Jonah distills his experience into three key takeaways:
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AI is Essential for Magicians
The most popular session at the summit was all about using AI to supercharge your magic business. Jonah created custom GPTs to help magicians write viral posts and craft messages for clients—tools that attendees could use and implement on the spot. His message: AI isn’t just a trend, it’s a must-have skill for magicians who want to stay ahead. -
Magic Itself Needs More Focus
While business skills are crucial, Jonah realized that magic—the craft itself—can’t be neglected. The Mastermind is now doubling down on helping members improve their performances, not just their marketing. From joke writing to effect selection and stage presence, the goal is to help every magician become legendary, not just successful. -
Community is Everything
The biggest breakthrough? The power of working together. Whether it’s the Mastermind or your own circle of trusted friends, having a support system accelerates growth and makes the journey more fun. Jonah encourages listeners to find their own “band of magicians” if the Mastermind isn’t the right fit.
Actionable AI Tips for Magicians
Jonah shares his top strategies for making AI work for you:
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Use AI Every Day: Set your browser to open ChatGPT or your favorite AI tool by default.
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Better Prompts, Better Results: Use the “Role, Request, Context, Format” method to get more useful responses from AI.
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Teach AI About You: Take advantage of memory, custom instructions, and custom GPTs to personalize your AI’s output.
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Stay Ahead of the Curve: As AI changes how people find and book magicians, building a strong brand and community is more important than ever.
Where to Find Jonah This Summer
Jonah is hitting the road! If you’re in LA (May 27–30), Chicago (June 8–11), Philly (June 23–26),
Mentions
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Follow Jonah on Instagram: @discourseinmagic
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Email Jonah: [email protected]
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Previous episode with David Gerard on the power of a creative circle.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode! What’s your biggest takeaway from the summit, or your favorite AI tip? Share your thoughts in the comments or on social media, and let’s keep growing together.
Be sure to subscribe to Discourse in Magic for more insights, tips, and strategies to elevate your magic business.