How was your year?  Did you improve your standings and income?  Did you gain any big clients or lose any?   For me, it’s been a year of change.

Last year (2016) began with one of my favorite producers retiring from one of my biggest clients.  Hate to admit, they were a majority percentage of my income. Plus right before that, another agency I worked for, decided that one of the “cheap spots” online services, could cut their voiceover expenses and do car spots for $35 a pop.  Wow.  I was surprised, but not without knowing, they were cheapening their product.  Apparently it was time to kick in a major VO marketing plan myself. BUT…just weeks later, I was moving my entire life from Indiana to Arizona for the first time in my life.  If you’ve ever done that, it can be incredibly consuming.

My plan in Arizona, was to settle in and ramp up my voice marketing and also purchase one of those Vocalbooth.com  sound booths for my new rented condo, until I found the “perfect” house.  My last quarter had been very good and I didn’t realize at the time that those client loses wouldn’t be replaced with new clients as quickly as they always had been.  So a move, a new  sound booth and some serious foundation loses began to shape my move after I got to the Southwest.

And then she walked in…

I met a wonderful woman in late 2016.  She helped me find a home. By the end of the year, our loving relationship turning into a more serious one and we bought a home just north of Phoenix in mid winter of 2017.  I decided to build my ultimate voiceover studio.  Auralex Acoustics helped me design it to their specs with my contractor. And we did utilize the previous VocalBooth, as part of the north foundation wall. It turned out to be an incredible sounding room. It was 8x 11 and it was so awesome, Auralex wanted it to be their new voiceover example of their products in action.  You’ll hear more about that later.  I am so pleased at the result.  So happy to go in there each day and knock out such superior sounding voice work in such an incredible studio – now proudly called Anthem Studios.

Even with the income loses, I did pick up a few new clients that have made 2017 palatable.  We’re certainly not eating TV dinners. But I am looking to improve my client base this next year for sure.  We have plans and I must tell you, my new love is a spreadsheet junkie.  I love it.  She has helped me see how to I can better myself by seeing my ins & outs…my ups and downs and we’re devising a VO marketing plan to kick off in 2018.  We call our home, Paradise Found.  It truly is. Life IS good. Together, we are embracing our challenges and developing both our careers.

I hope I can enlighten my fellow voice talents to diversify.  Be sure you have a variety of clients.  Clients that are not so big, you rest on your laurels.  This can drop the bottom out of your income base in a second.  I learned that the hard way.  And I knew better.  I even spoke to several of you about this, way before they pulled out.  You just can’t have too many eggs in one basket. Please look at your client list now and be sure you don’t have anyone being so big, if they pull out, you’re in trouble.

I am quite a positive-based person, that I can continue to learn, improve and drive my career to that next level, as I have done throughout my career.  Have faith in yourself and forge ahead with A PLAN.  One that takes all considerations into your career path.  What we do is not rocket science.  But it is talent-based and our thick-skin allows us to take the audition rejections with the same zest as we do as we DO  when we get the voiceover jobs.

Research – Plan – Follow-thru

Make 2018 your year to take your VO career to the next level.  I know I will be.