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When Is Enough, Enough?
Or - Where The Money Goes!
By Kara Edwards Voice Talent  I've heard many voice actors talk about the point where they are 'finished' purchasing equipment ... 'done' with their web site ... 'complete' in their advertising. In my own VO career, the idea of finally ending the spending streak - and beginning the complete earning streak - seems simply glorious!
But In reality? The spending should never end.
There should come a point in any business where the outgoing is considerably less than the incoming. Otherwise, why work at all?
MOVE WITH THE TIMES
However, to truly achieve success, one must be prepared to constantly move with the times. This means updating equipment as new technology becomes available, changing your web site on a regular basis to keep things fresh, and promoting your services as often as possible.
Yes, it can become overwhelming and exhausting to think of:
The key to voice over is learning to take things one step at a time.
NEED VS. WANT
A few months ago, I made the decision to start a 'need' list and a 'want' list for my voice over company. This came after one particularly stressful day in which I felt I should purchase an isolation booth for my studio along with a new computer monitor, studio speakers, ISDN and more.
I looked into the price of each of these items and realized I was being ridiculous.
I am often complimented on how quiet my studio is, and on how clean my mic sounds. So why on earth would I need to change this now?
By creating two lists (‘need’ and ‘want’) I was able to separate the things that truly are needed now, and the things that I would love to have down the road.
FIRST, WHAT I ‘NEED’ An enormous amount of stress was released when looking at my lists.
The 'needs' were easy and relatively inexpensive. I 'needed' to make a few changes to my web site: I decided to make the bee smaller, add an FAQ's page, and put 'The Buzz' on the front page. It took my web designer all of about two hours to make those changes. Easy!
I also 'needed' to create some post cards for a mailing I wanted to do. I thought about hiring someone to do this for me, then realized I could easily create the cards myself for a very small fee. Done!
The post cards have been mailed, and I've already benefited greatly from the effort.
AND I ‘WANT’ THIS!
My 'want' list turned out to be a bit more lengthy than the 'needs'. What I realized, however, is that I have a lifetime to obtain these items. There is absolutely no rush!
There was one 'want' I decided to go ahead and indulge in, though. I purchased a MicPort Pro to take with me on vacation. Since I do a bit of traveling - often by plane, I was looking to get rid of my current audio interface in exchange for something much smaller and easy to carry.
It was a great decision, and will come in very handy over the months ahead.
WHERE $$ GOES
My point is this: if you find yourself overwhelmed by all of the expenses associated with voice over, I recommend you make a list. For instance, are voice lessons more important than that new mic? Are post cards better than purchasing more CD's? Should you attend a seminar or buy speakers? These decisions will be different for each of us.
It is important to realize that spending is a must, but where the money goes is a choice. Write it down. Think it over. You'll be glad you did!
Kara Edwards is a voice actor based in Charlotte, N.C., who at age 19 was one of the youngest full-time employees of ABC radio in Dallas, where she co-hosted “The Squeege and Kara Show” for Disney Radio. Her voices took her to the Cartoon Network and dozens more animated characters. Today her home studio voice acting includes radio and TV commercials, video games, and corporate and children’s projects. She also writes a very thoughtful blog: “The Voices in Her Head.” Email: kara@karaedwardsvo.com
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