CARTERVILLE - Some people have one-word careers, but Chris Egelston? His career can't even be summed up in one sentence, let alone one word.

Carterville resident Egelston is a magician, motivational speaker and marketing consultant who prides himself on his ability to work with his clients in whatever capacity.

Don't ask him to juggle, though.

Egelston has been interested in being a magician since he was 6 years old.

"I saw a magician and I really wanted to do that," Egelston said. "Santa Claus brought me my first magic set."

The fledgling magician embarked on his first professional show when he was 15, a gig that quickly led to birthday parties and banquets.

"To me it was better than getting an hourly job," Egelston said.

Being a magician led pretty naturally to motivational speaking, said Egelston, who obtained his Masters in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University.

In fact, magic helped him create a program that he explains to businesses as a consultant: Success Magic, a five-step program, incorporates magic along with motivational speaking.

The motivational speaking came as a result of business expertise and necessity.

"When you're self-employed, you really have to learn how to motivate yourself," Egelston said.

Now Egelston travels year-round within a five-hour radius of his home, talking to businesses about what they can do to keep employees motivated and focused.

He is also on the executive board of the Southern Illinois Networking Association, a group that provides links from business to business throughout Southern Illinois. Although there are now seven chapters, Egelston was a member of Carterville's original group.

Although Egelston is a motivational speaker by trade, he doesn't consider himself as such.

"I'm not just a motivational speaker," Egelston said. "My niche is being practical. I want them to have an actual process to follow. If I speak, I can talk about how to bring more leads to businesses. It's not just broad themes and generalization."

Of course, the magic makes the speaking more interactive and interesting.

Egelston recently became a member of the Herrin Chamber of Commerce, inspired by the annual chamber dinner where he served as the entertainment.

He wasn't the only one inspired that night.

"The show was just great," said Sue Douglas, executive director of the Herrin Chamber of Commerce. "He's a very talented, professional and humorous performer. He provided a really entertaining show."

The worst - and only, as far as he's concerned - aspect of Egelston's job?

"It's a lot of driving," Egelston said.

Still, like any good motivator, Egelston has learned how to maximize the travel time - lots and lots of educational CDs.

ashley.wiehle@thesouthern.com

997-3356 ext. 5807