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Year-End Checklist: Get It Done
Now! Catch Up & Plan Ahead ...
By Dave Courvoisier
Voice Actor & TV News Anchor
 Ah, December - the month all procrastinators hate! This is IT, after all - no more putting off ... if you want to get it done this year. (Of course, serious procrastinators cheerily look to 2010 with no shame or guilt.)
So here’s a short checklist of things to consider for your voice acting business before New Year’s rolls around: 1. Get out all those invoices to delinquent accounts with maybe a few strong words about how you’ve been patient enough, thank you. 2. While you’re at it, be sure to pay OTHER freelancers (SEO gurus, writers, graphic artists, etc.) the money you owe THEM. 3. Download all of 2009’s financial records from your bank into your accounting software. 4. Revisit whatever 2009 New Year’s Resolution list you had, and try to squeeze in at least one more undone item. 5. Backup your hard drive’s documents, sound-files and pictures - in short, any personally-generated files that you can’t just reinstall from the original disks. (You should be doing this every week, actually.) 6. Now that you’ve got almost a year’s worth of data behind you, run a Google Analytics check on the traffic to your web site or blog. It’s a treasure-trove. 7. Fire off an email or two to your favorite client, thanking them for their steadfastness and help in 2009, and reminding them you stand ready to help with their projects in 2010. 8. Plan now for whatever coaching, conferences, or business seminars you need to attend in other cities or states. Seriously consider VOICE 2010 - it’ll be the best! 9. Pay any State dues, fees, taxes or what-have-you to keep your business license up-to-date. 10. Start thinking about a serious 2010 New Year’s Resolution list for your business. Be honest. Aim high. Write down anything that comes to mind. BONUS ITEM: Pick at least one person – a mentor or supporter – who made a difference in being there for you when you were in a valley of VO. Tell how much you cherish their friendship and ask them what you can do for them. ABOUT DAVE ...
Dave Courvoisier (“pronounced just like the fine cognac, only no relation”) is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, voice actor, and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. Savvy with technology and social media, he also writes “Voice-Acting in Vegas,” an informative and entertaining daily blog of voice acting adventures and industry observations.
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Thanks for the great checklist. I wish I had "all those invoices to deliquent accounts" you refer to. For those of us in the "valley of voice over," I pray for a better year in 2010.
Regarding the back-up of files, there is a great service called "Carbonite" that one can subscribe to online. Carbonite backs up everything on your computer, in case it crashes. All one's "stuff" is stored off site, and can be restored instantly. It's only $49.95 a year, well worth it. Just go to Carbonite.com for full details.
Best always,
- Peter