Some people thrive on routines. Some enjoy complete chaos. To some, watching the morning TV show, eating the tried and true cereal, and getting out the door at 8:07 is the thing to do.
How about you? How will you manage your freelance VO day? Is there a time for and value in social media? Is there a best time to record? When will you edit your stuff? When will you market? When will you practice and keep up with learning the craft, adapting to the fast changing VO world?
And what will you do when a quick turnaround gig comes? Will you even notice that email? Will you know how to reply, how to knock it out of the park in short order?
What are you doing each day to be ready when opportunity knocks?
Voiceover performing is the mastering of each moment in a piece of copy. It’s about being there, focused. Same with your business. Be there. Focus. Bring it.
Some people develop a business plan for the year, the quarter, the month. Some have goals and write them down at the start of the year. What do you do?
This is a business after all. So, free floating through the year will just give you that old truth: WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING, ANY ROAD WILL GET YOU THERE.
If you’ve come to VO from another freelance profession, you’ll be ahead of the game. If you’re coming from a job where work has been handed to you, then there’s some adjustment needed when you go to work for you and only you each day.
In voiceover, as in a lot of fields related to sales (and we are selling something—that slick sound of yours, right?), often there’s not an immediate payoff. “Hi, I’m a voice actor, hire me,” usually doesn’t result in a gig and a check. But over time, you may find yourself building real human relationships with people in the business, people who one day may know you are the reliable go-to person for that rush job they just got handed.
They may not know about all the behind the scenes work you’ve done to get your recording space just right, to master the VO genre you’re about to deliver them, or the work you’ve done to operate in a professional, businesslike manner. They’ll just know with you, they get the goods, on time at the agreed-on price.
Are you ready to be a farmer, not a hunter? Are you ready to plant seeds, cultivate, and nurture, reaping the harvest down the road? What do you do with your VO day?