BUSINESS PLANNING FOR VOICE OVER ARTISTS
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there,” Lewis Carroll wrote in the 1800’s, and it holds as true today as it did then. A failed business doesn’t always succumb to poor ideas or lack of effort and enthusiasm; sometimes it’s as simple as not defining a reachable goal. Here, I’ll provide you, the Voice Over Artist, a simple and workable guide to successfully start your business by offering tips in creating Your Business plan. I will also provide crucial advice to those currently working in the Voice Over field but are looking to expand their business,reinvent themselves, or go completely in another direction.
First, clearly, objectively, and realistically define and picture your business. Create in your mind a three-dimensional vision. Understand how you want it to work and the benefits it offers clients. It’s not a business you’re running for yourself; it’s a chance for those who embark on your venture to reap massive rewards, and no one turns that opportunity down.
OBJECTIVE SELF-EVALUATION FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS
Next, self- evaluate: List your Strengths, Weaknesses (we all have them), Opportunities, and Threats, plus a realistic time frame to achieve this vision. Thoroughly fleshing out the pros and cons will pinpoint inefficiencies. Knowing where potential faults lie allows you to mend them before they ever see the light of day.
Once you’ve taken the time to clearly define your business, determine the actions necessary to achieve it. Whether it’s a few steps or several dozens of steps, you must take them. Be honest and objective with each categoryabove; even if you don’t like the outcome, now is the time to change it. A deep and honest dive into your dream holds far more value than envisioning success without repercussions.
Spend serious time on every step. A successful business or business change isn’t born overnight. Willingness and enthusiasm are born, and no one enforces them better than you. Offer clients a desirable endeavor, and you’ll reap the rewards tenfold.
But, what if you’re already in the voice over business and are looking to expand, change direction, or reinvent yourself? The process is almost identical to a new startup, but absent are some of the basic risks since you know the businessmarkets already. You also already have the equipment, which saves you vital time and money.
Before you move forward with any drastic measures, think about how seamless the change is. Does it require more resources than you have currently? The continued analysis of your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats all play just as critical a role in planning the change as they do in an initial startup.