Teen makes up to $5,000 a month from magic - By
Crystal Chan
AsiaOne
LIKE many boys his age, Gabriel Wong, 17, studies in a
neighbourhood secondary school.
But unknown to many of his peers, Gabriel is a businessman
too.
In 2007, Gabriel started his own company, Magicrazed, which
provides magic shows for private functions and lessons on magic
tricks.
Magicrazed is a one-man show - besides performing shows, Gabriel
manages the corporate website and the accounts.
In a good month, Gabriel said he can make as much as $5,000,
although in lull months, his earnings can drop to below $1,000.
His love affair with magic began when he was 5. His childcare
centre had invited Ronald McDonald to perform, and he was
mesmerised.
'He made flowers appear from an empty vase and he also made 10
magic wands appear from his bare hands. At that point in time, I
fell in love with magic,' said Gabriel.
His interest was further fuelled a few years later, when he saw
David Copperfield perform on television.
From the age of 8, Gabriel began learning magic tricks from
books and has never looked back since.
He said: 'After more information on magic tricks became
available on the Internet, I surfed the Internet to learn more
tricks.'
Gabriel began performing at private functions when he was in
secondary school.
His parents helped to spread word about their only child's
abilities, and that helped to win him contacts.
Wanted to be own boss
But Gabriel felt it was necessary for him to open a company to
enable him to reach out to more potential customers.
And he did not want to wait till he finished school to do
so.
He said: 'I wanted to achieve something immense before I really
step into society. I also wanted to earn more money for a better
quality of life.
'I read self-help books like Rich Dad Poor Dad and I was
inspired to be an entrepreneur.'
He roped in three primary school friends for the business
venture.
As he is still under 18, his mother had to register Magicrazed
in her name.
The company had a paid-up capital of $10,000, contributed by
Gabriel's parents and relatives.
Gabriel's mother, Madam Jenny Poh, 47, a patient services
officer, told The New Paper she supported her son as she believes
he has the talent for magic tricks.
She said: 'If given the right opportunities to excel, amazing
things can happen. If not, his talent will be lost.'
Being a new company, Magicraze had a bumpy ride and business was
slack.
Seeing that the company was not making money and having trouble
juggling work and studies, two of Gabriel's friends backed out of
the business.
Undaunted, Gabriel thought of ways to grow his business.
Besides selling merchandise for magic tricks on Magicrazed's
website, Gabriel also got his company affiliated with Imuone
International Group, a business networking company.
By leveraging on the contacts Imuone provided, Gabriel received
more requests for his services and that brought in more income.
He admitted it wasn't easy to juggle work and studies as both
commitments were time-consuming.
He said: 'Without my parents, I wouldn't be able to handle the
amount of stress I faced at the start of the business, when I faced
criticism and sarcasm from my friends, who mocked me by telling me
to stop daydreaming and being childish.
'My parents never said anything negative. My mum told me studies
aren't everything and I shouldn't waste my talent and passion for
magic.'
Gabriel manages his time by reserving Fridays and weekends for
his magic shows and revising his schoolwork from Mondays to
Thursdays.
He scored five distinctions for his N levels last year.
He declined to say how much he charges for giving lessons and
performing.
What about studies?
Gabriel will be taking his O levels this year.
He said: 'It's likely that I'll go to a polytechnic as I still
believe education is a foundation for success. A junior college is
definitely not for me as it's too academic. I want something that's
more hands-on.'
Veteran ventriloquist and magician Victor Khoo feels Gabriel is
doing well considering that his occupation is only part-time.
He said: 'For someone aged 17, earning $5,000 in a month is a
lot, since he's only a semi-professional. But if it's a full-time
job, $5,000 isn't a lot these days.
'But in all kinds of jobs, education should come first. An
O-level certificate is nothing these days. If Gabriel can manage
his studies and magic tricks, then why not?
'It's not every day that you have corporate events. I wouldn't
advise him to stop studying because he's not going to be performing
every night.'
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