The Power of Perception
Interview with Kostya Kimlat
Photography as noted
You moved to America at age nine. Tell us about that experience:
I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union. I lived there long enough to experience the harsh realities of Soviet rule, such as standing in line to get bread and milk rations and seeing my parents barter to procure basic necessities. Coming to the United States, I was immediately struck by all the abundance and freedom. I’ve always felt that it’s an amazing country and that the American dream is alive and well.

Was it always your goal to own a business?
No, I just knew I wanted to do magic for the rest of my life because it brought me and everyone around me so much joy. I figured I would be a “starving artist” forever, and I embraced following my passion. Remarkably, a thriving business emerged and grew naturally from that decision.
What was your first big break?
When I was eighteen, RaceTrac hired me to perform at their conference with seven hundred franchisees. That was so much larger than any of my previous audiences. I arrived five hours early to soak in the crowd. And I learned a ton that helped me connect with the audience once I got on stage. From then on, I made it a habit to arrive early for every event, immersing myself in the client’s business. This also deepened my fascination with the world of business. The success of that initial gig led to further opportunities, highlighting the value of repeat clientele. Through repeat bookings, I made long-term connections with my clients and expanded my offerings to include speaking and training.
What inspired you to start your own business?
Being in the back of the room at these conferences allowed me to observe the inner workings of successful businesses and see the importance of culture and leadership. It also made me realize that there is an art to doing business, prompting me to embrace being a business owner.
Performing magic is a form of customer service. Treating people with respect and understanding their perspectives are paramount skills. Transferring the ability to captivate an audience into wowing customers came naturally. Instead of asking about my tricks, clients began to inquire, “How did you engage the entire audience?” This led to the birth of a separate venture, where I started training sales and service teams on effective communication. Despite my young age, my enthusiasm and passion for people were authentic and were the key to my success.
During my travels across the US, I saw the demand for clean and thought-provoking entertainment at business events. So I founded See Magic Live, a platform that trains, certifies, and books magicians and speakers nationwide. Now I get to work with amazing businesses and wonderful artists. That, to me, is the essence of the American dream—creating abundance and elevating everyone.
How did COVID-19 impact your business?
When COVID hit, everything stopped overnight. My wife was expecting our second child, and we were all set to live off our savings for a while. I was fully prepared to spend quality time with my family. But then I read a New York Times article by General Stanley McChrystal that stressed the importance of shifting your work culture online and promoting team spirit. Serendipitously, a client popped up in my inbox asking for a magic show during their virtual happy hour in two weeks. In preparation for my first paid virtual event, I invited my past in-person clients to get a sneak peek, which garnered great feedback and instant bookings. That saved my business.
I was faced with a decision as a self-employed person: Do I apply for government COVID aid, or do I figure out how to adapt my business for the virtual world? I chose the latter—the more exciting and demanding path. The next months were a whirlwind of constant and never-ending change and improvement. By December, I was performing globally, up to seven times a day, all from my home.
What I had found was a way to use technology to enhance human connections, something many folks and businesses still struggle with. As a result, I had my best business year ever during the pandemic, got to stay home with my kids, and didn’t miss a single bedtime. Now I have two distinct ways of helping my clients: virtually and in person. I never expected this wild part of the ride!

Would you elaborate on how you help businesses?
As a magician, I know that the way people see the world is different from the way the world actually is. Your company may have the best product in the world, but if your customers’ perception doesn’t match that reality, then you’ve lost the game. On the flip side, your competition’s product may be inferior, but it can be perceived better because of their marketing, advertising, or customer service. It’s not fair, but perception is reality.
So when I meet a CEO who asks me what I talk about, I always reply with a simple question: “Does perception play a role in your business?” Their answer is always a resounding “Yes! Perception is everything.” So then my follow-up question is: “What are you doing about it?”
It’s very easy to be skeptical about how a magician can help someone’s business. People make jokes about making money appear or their boss disappear. And then there’s the more negative assumption: “Are you going to teach us how to lie, cheat, and steal?” So I always tell my audiences that for me, magic isn’t about deception; it’s about perception.
I want everyone to understand that our perception is always being manipulated and influenced, for better or worse. And we all do this to each other, whether our audience is our family, spouses, clients, or coworkers.
As a magician, I have a distinct understanding and mastery of what I call “perception management”—my ability to influence what you see, how you think, how you act, and what you’re going to remember. In one of my keynote speeches, “Think Like a Magician,” my ultimate goal is to help people be more effective and responsible communicators. Being more perceptive can help us be better at everything we do with each other. It can help teams communicate better. It can help salespeople sell. And it can help executives lead their teams with authenticity.
What are some concepts you share when you speak?
One thing I do is ask my audience whether they are perceived by their coworkers as jugglers or magicians. The difference is that a juggler will spend decades showing off their skill, but a magician will spend decades hiding their skill. The mindset of many employees is of the juggler: “Hey, everybody! Look at me and how much I’ve got on my plate.” But people don’t care that their doctor has ten other patients that day or that their server has seven other tables. They only care about how they are taken care of. That distinction is important. People want their customer experience to feel magical, and they want to feel special. So I talk about fostering those perceptions.
I also take my audience through a process for identifying their methods and effects—the former are real but invisible, while the latter are imaginary but perceived and drive people to make decisions. So I show them how to rethink what they do from the point of view of their audience, whether it’s a client or coworker or even their children, spouse, or community.
My newest keynote speech, “Don’t Be Fooled,” is dedicated to avoiding misperception and miscommunication. It’s particularly important today considering how our understanding of events can be impacted by deepfakes and AI.
After I finish a keynote speech, people will often come up afterward and say how helpful these concepts are for rethinking their personal or work relationships. To me, that’s even more fulfilling than being told they love my magic.
Which other business topics do you focus on?
“Personality Magic” is one of my favorite presentations because I get to turn personality assessments upside down. Every business has done the DISC and Myers-Briggs versions, but most people take them to learn about themselves. That doesn’t easily translate to a sales and customer service environment, where you have less than a minute to engage someone and create a positive interaction. So I use the four card suits—diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades—as a simplified identification and mnemonic system. Within thirty seconds of meeting someone, I can match their demeanor to their card suit and adjust my language and approach immediately to meet their style. I teach this as a more in-depth workshop and follow up with virtual training to reinforce the content.
I’m also helping businesses embrace virtual communication. Many seasoned CEOs just want things to go back to the way they used to be, but digital leadership—enhancing the experience and engagement for virtual audiences and finding new ways of using this medium to create better connections and business culture in a hybrid world—is the future.
What advice would you give business owners?
Realize and embrace that it’s not only about what you’re doing but also about how it’s perceived. Reinforce this to your team regularly. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle, to be the juggler flaunting your busyness. But don’t lose sight of the fact that your real methods have a perceived effect that exists only in someone else’s mind. Therein lies the real “magic” of your business.
TAKE ACTION:
Take an objective look at how your business is being perceived by analyzing customer service feedback and social media reviews.