No deep meaning here. Just for fun!

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

Don’t get me wrong. I fully support non-profit organizations. I’m a particular fan of Heifer International. However, being a non-profit shouldn’t be an organizations excuse to get talent to work for free. Non-Profits are organizations. They have employees, they own or rent buildings, and they have budgets to spend on advertising. The CEO of many non-profits get paid six figures a year. So needless to say, there’s big money in not making a profit. So don’t get taken advantage of simply because someone says they’re a non-profit.

However, if you’re feeling generous and want to donate your time to a non-profit, then power to you. Just know that not everyone else is a volunteer. My personal credo (and many other talents’) is that if it’s a charity I want to support and everyone else is donating their time and service then I’ll consider it. But if others are getting paid, then so should I.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

I’ve heard the above quite often. People quit their days jobs because they dislike working with officemates. There’s too much politics. Too much watercooler nonsense. So they quit their day jobs so they can just sit in front of their computers and design or stand in front of their mics and perform. Sounds reasonable, right?

They soon discover that their dislike of people is not an asset in freelance work. More than ever, they need those people skills to deal with clients. And on a much larger scale! No longer can they hide behind a corporate PR spokesperson. They ARE their spokesperson. They can’t rely on the marketing team for messaging. They ARE the marketing team!

People skills are more essential now than ever. And if you don’t have them, get them.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

After my brief appearance on Fox News Huckabee show, traffic to my website made a very large jump. Lots of Google searches for my name. But I only got one real gig from it. The rest were all lookie-loos or wannabe voice actors. They were eyeballs, but they weren’t targetted.

Marketing is not about just getting eyeballs (or in our case earballs) to your demos, but getting the earballs that are hiring to your demos.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

I’ve written comics about low-ball clients and there’s no arguing how detrimental they can be to the profession. Sticking to your rates is a good thing. But there should also be a balance if the customer is not really a lowballer. If you’re so swamped with work that you can afford to turn away clients because they don’t meet your rates, then congratulations! You’re at the top of the VO food chain.

For the other 95% of us, we’re not in a position to turn down work. So if a client offers less than your usual rates, you need to think about this and consider the following:

• Will I feel ripped off if I do this work at the lower price.
• Is this client taking advantage of my skills?
• Can I afford to turn this paycheck away?
• Is my day so busy that I’ll need to turn away other work to do this job?

If the answer to all of the above is no, then take the job.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

If you’ve ever taken a low-ball gig from a P2P site or even Craigslist, you know the above can often be true. You’d think the lowball clients would be less of a pain because they know they are paying far less then market rate. But instead they are the ones who complain, ask for script changes (for free) or don’t pay on time, if at all. Why is that?

Because they don’t value the work you do. If they did, they’d pay more. Those clients who pay what you ask understand the value you bring and have respect for you as professional. I’m not saying don’t take lower rates, that’s entirely up to you. Just be aware that as the client’s value of your service goes down, so does their respect for you.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

Y’all know I’m right.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

I’m always amazed at how people always think that jumping into this business is a matter of equipment. It’s not. Anyone can buy a microphone. Not everyone knows how to use one. Not everyone knows business, marketing, and customer service.

If you’re new, the following are some critical areas you’ll need to study before you launch your career. And yes, in this order:

• Marketing. The work is getting the work.
• Accounting. Take care of your money. The taxman is very unforgiving of newbie mistakes.
• Local business requirement. permits, license, etc.
• Communication skills. Dale Carnegie is a good place to start
• Networking. Know the in-person networking groups, chamber of commerce and online resources.

Notice that none of these are VO related. This is a business, people. Treat it like one. Because only 10% of your time will be spent behind the mic. The other 90% will be spent running a business.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it:

Sorry, ladies, I couldn’t resist. No disrespect, just a little fun.

If you enjoyed this comic, please share it: