This week Ete sits down with Candy Will, aka Butterscotch the Clown, and owner of Candy Entertains Kids and a founding member of Family and Variety Entertainers (FAVE). Candy is 68 years-old, a California resident, and mother of former guest, Mike Will.
Some big takeaways from this episode:
Completely ridiculous, out-of-nowhere events can cause problems for your business.
- When Pennywise-wannabes get stabby in real life.
- When Conan parodies you with a nasty clown.
Networking within your industry and learning from your peers will up your game.
- Taking classes, making friends, talking extensively with people who do what you want to do, going to conventions, entering competitions, becoming a board member in industry groups, and teaching classes will help you grow and put you in contact with people who can offer random opportunities.
Jumping into business before you really know what you’re doing can sometimes work.
- In the beginning “I didn’t know what the heck I was doing.”
- She may have started out painting faces with acrylic paints but it got the ball rolling. Now most of her gigs are for face painting.
- You can figure a lot of things out as you go.
There are things you about clowning you’ve never considered.
- 4-H has “clown leaders.”
- Quality face paint is not cheap.
- Balloon animals are a great idea until the kids start crying. Beware of grass.
- For clowns at parties, parents’ expectations are more of an issue than unruly kids.
- There are three categories of clowns.