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_outlineThis 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 and Nick grill Jonah on the inner workings of his business, his performance schedule, and his philosophy on growth.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
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The Toronto Magic Company Story: How Jonah built a brand that doesn't just book him, but manages a roster of talent across the city.
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The FSM Rivalry: A behind-the-scenes look at the friendly competition between the top magic podcasts in the industry.
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The "Anti-Budget" Strategy: Why Jonah believes asking a client "What is your budget?" is one of the biggest mistakes you can make on a sales call.
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Managing a Roster: The logistics and ethics of taking a cut from other magicians' gigs and how to provide enough value to make it a win-win.
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The Power of Community: How The Magic Guys built a "fitspo" for magicians through livestreaming and Discord interactions.
Key Pillars of the Discussion
The Business of Management
Jonah dives deep into how the Toronto Magic Company operates. He explains the transition from being a solo performer to building a brand that clients trust, allowing him to book other magicians and take a management fee while ensuring the quality of the show remains high.
The Perfect Sales Approach
During the "grilling" session, Jonah shares one of his most important pieces of business advice: stop leading with budget. He argues that by focusing on the value and the specific needs of the event first, you position yourself as an expert rather than a commodity.
Content and Coaching
Jonah discusses his recent shift toward heavy Instagram content and his Magic Business Mastermind, where he helps performers scale from five figures to six figures and beyond.
Mentions & Links
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Follow The Magic Guys: Check out Josh Norbido and Nick Kay on YouTube and their podcast.
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Toronto Magic Company: Learn more about Jonah’s local management brand.
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FSM Awards: The annual awards recognizing excellence in magic media.
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The Mastermind: Message Jonah the word "SALES" on Instagram @discourseinmagic to get details on his upcoming workshop.
Ready to stop asking about budgets and start closing bigger gigs? If you enjoyed this deep dive into the business side of magic, make sure to follow the newsletter for tips sent out three times a week.