To Have a Good Living, You Do Not Have to Be an American Idol

Do you have to be the next American Idol to be in show business? You can be a performer in your own hometown and make a very good living ... without having your name in lights, or having a pesky manager tell you what to do.

There are countless performers working out of their homes being independent entertainers. Many of these people are magicians, clowns, singers, mindreaders, jugglers, dancers, comedians, or even tea party planners.

One performer, Silly Billy, works out of New York City, and does comedy and magic for birthday parties. Yet, he makes a good six figure income right out of his apartment.

Maybe you just want to throw flaming bowling pins over the heads of after dinner guests. Your imagination is the only thing stopping you.

First determine what you'd like to do.

Do you want to make a few extra bucks at parties or at the holidays? Maybe all you need to do is sign up to represent the local Santa or Easter bunny at the mall. But if you want to perform at a number of local parties, say, as a magician. You need to get some training.

You could find a local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians or The Society of American Magicians. Look in the local library for books on magic. The web has tons of sites on performing.

Just look around and you'll find some place on the web that can help.

But it's not just about learning to perform. Say, you're very well versed in playing the piano. Do you just place an ad in the phone book and wait for the calls?

I was placed in a local phone book covering about 300,000 people. In the first seven months, I got only TWO calls. But, when I performed for a local daycare and had the director write a letter to all her associates around town, I booked `12 shows.

Getting the word out can be done with you becoming a "Hometown Hero" to other business people by giving special talks about what you do and how it benefits the local community. As you learn how to run your business, you become an expert in small business affairs. You talk to local groups about business topics and then they find out you are a performer!

Imagine going to a local networking meeting and telling everyone that you are an entertainer.

You'll get business right then and there.

Then there's the FREE show. But you have to give out these shows in a very specific way, not just willy-nilly. Can you give a program to a group that has these types of programs often? Can you give a program to a charity that will give you a list of attendees as payment? Can you donate the show and get a receipt from the organization.

Any performers who have been around for a while have been approached and done the FREE show. But before you do it, ask the planner if the food is donated ... are the other acts donated ... Is the power and meeting place donated? If nothing else is donated, except you,then you need to rethink performing for FREE (For the exposure, of course).

Other ways to get exposure is to always carry business cards and when you get within 3 feet of someone, be friendly. The conversation will always come up as to what you do, so you can give out your card at that time.

Is it possible for your to work in a fancy restaurant performing? Even if the pay is low, you will actually be getting money to promote yourself before the patrons.

The main thing you need to do is learn how to become a Marketing Maven. Learn all you can in selling yourself. Once you learn how to sell yourself, you have more shows than you know what to do with.

If your dream is to be in the spotlight, learn how to sell yourself on a daily basis, and your dreams of being your own hometown star will come true.

Millard Grubb has been a professional performer for most of his adult life. He has performed as a magician, mentalist, family entertainer, and had his own tv show in Chicago called, "Miracles of the Mind."© If you want more information on how you can learn to be a performer as well, then go to http://www.millardgrubb.com