Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Clauder.
Hi Margaret, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started as a pharmaceutical represenative for a major US company in 1981. I was in Tyler, TX and after 1 year in the territory I was promoted to a medical school/teaching hospital territory in the DFW area. Clowning was a weekend hobby for me. I would peform at kids birthday parties on weekends. Sometimes I would dress up and surprise my doctors over their lunch hours on their birthday and go into their office and put on a little show and twist some balloons for them. In 1984 I had my first child. As many working parents do I put him in daycare. Then in 1989 he was LOST by the daycare center. I moved him and my newborn to a home daycare which did not work out. I felt I was sacrificing my children’s well being for a paycheck. I decided I needed to find a way to make an income while staying home M-F with my kids. My husband’s job was going well so I decided to quit my great corporate sales job after 10 years and numerous sales awards to be a stay at home mom and do a few birthday parties on weekends to make ends meet. On weekends my husband or grand parents could watch the kids. So, in 1991 I quit the corporate world and started clowning on the weekends only.
My business grew quickly. Soon I was turning away clients or referring them to other clowns because I was busy. I decided after a year or so of farming out work to others that I should make a little money, a commission, off the people I was referring out. So, I started my own entertainment agency. Once both children were in kindergarten I branched out into performing daycare shows M-F during school hours and still on the weekends. Fast forward to today. My company, DFW Fnny Business, contracts with over 200 DFW performers and acts to provide entertainment for sporting events, HOA’s, schools, businesses, libraries, cities, shopping centers and the occasional private party. My husband, Mark, works full time in the office as the booking agent. My 2 sons work for us as entertainers as well as hold down roles in other capacities. Our client list reads like a fortune 500 list now. I personally travel all over a 3 state area performing school and library shows.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle was with Covid. The live entertainment industry was shut down for almost 2 years. We pivoted to setting up Zoom shows and pre-recorded shows for schools and other entities. We ended up having a great year in 2020 and 2021 because we were able to pivot.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a performer I am personally known as an educational assembly performer. What is that? I write, produce and perform in costume programs for elemetary age children. The shows tie in with literacy or science. I may be Mother Goose and teach children what rhyming words are, how to write their own rhymes or act out rhymes. I may be a nerdy weather lady and teach children about the water cycle and weather. I may be an astronomer and teach the order of the planets, eclipses and facts about the solar system. I use puppets and ventriloquism. magic, music and more in the shows.
For 2 years in a row I have taught classes at the international ventriloquist convention held in Cincinnatti.
Our agency is known for providing high quality family entertainment at an affordable price.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To always treat your workers the way you would want someone to treat you. Our contractors are like our family. We value each and every one of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dfwfunnybusiness.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DFWFunnybusinss
Image Credits
photos by David Thomasson.
