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Have you dreamed of starting your own business but need to know how to start it? Are you afraid of all the pitfalls that may come from getting started? Let’s discuss why it’s great to own a business and be a voiceover entrepreneur. 

Searching for Opportunities

If you were to tell me ten years ago that I would be a business owner and an entrepreneur, I would have never believed you. Being a small business owner was never my life plan, and the idea seemed overwhelming, confusing, and scary. I have always worked with reputable companies such as Sears, Guess, Allstate, Oracle, and the Canadian Government.

I tried to seek jobs at larger companies because they had paid training, paid time off, benefits, pensions, etc. Although working with a large company has its perks, life has an exciting way of shaking things up. I always appreciated working for a large company and loved the camaraderie with my co-workers, the paid vacation time, and the stability. I never considered running my own business, but now that I am on the flip side, I see some great benefits to working for myself.  

At one of my previous places of employment, a co-worker decided to quit her stable job and move to another company. My co-workers were shocked and awed that she would ever consider leaving, and there was quite a bit of chatter behind the scenes about her decision. Even I got caught up wondering why she would leave such a stable job. During that time, my friend at work said, “Leah, you know there is life outside these walls, right?” Many people who don’t work here lead very normal, happy, successful lives. This may not be the best place to work.” Those words fell on deaf ears back then but ring true now. 

Becoming a Serious Voiceover Entrepreneur 

When I started in voiceover, it was just a side hustle for me with no real intention of turning it into a full-time gig. To my surprise, after a lot of hard work, it has turned into a very stable career. As someone who loves financial stability, betting on myself was scary, and I mean terrifying. I was laid off from my job during the Covid 19 pandemic, and my best option was to make voiceover work. After trusting the process, all worked out very well, and I have come to have a whole new appreciation for being my own boss. 

In my previous work life, I would wake up early and didn’t get the recommended hours of sleep each night. I often found myself stressed with the week’s priorities, always watching the clock to ensure I arrived on time, took breaks and lunches, and never left early. My weekly 1:1’s were full of anxiety, not to mention all the office politics. The staff was friendly, and it was mostly a positive work environment. 

The Benefits of Being a Voiceover Entrepreneur

The benefits of being a voiceover entrepreneur have been incredible. Although nothing in life is perfect, being an entrepreneur is worth the challenges. My favorite things about working for myself include the following: 

Making my own schedule: This is my favorite thing about working for myself. You absolutely can NOT put a price on time, and making my schedule brings me joy daily. I don’t take this for granted. I can wake up when I want, work when I want, take days off when I want, and plan a vacation anytime. I don’t feel guilty when I want to sleep in. I listen to my body and perform better because I am rested and ready to do my best. 

Work from anywhere, anytime: The beauty of voiceover in the digital age is that most artists can work from home. How amazing is that? In the golden age of voiceover, you had to live near a large urban city and travel to the studio to audition and record work. We need a professional home studio and good WIFI, and we can work from anywhere. I recently heard a success story of a voice actor who retro-fitted her van and works from all over the continental US. How amazing is that? One of my dreams would be to spend winters in Aruba. I’d have a studio in my home in Canada and a studio there. I’ll have to manifest that one.  

Unlimited earning and learning potential: Working for myself has taught me much about business and other fantastic life skills. I only learned what was tailored to my role in other jobs, but now I am competent in the following:

• Accounting
• Collections
• Forecasting
• Marketing
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Lead generation
• Customer service
• Audio editing and recording
• Acting
• Improv
• On-camera auditions
• eLearning
• IVR
• Commercial acting
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Media production
• Social media marketing
• And much more!

It would not be easy to learn all those skills in one position. I’m only five years into my business, and I can’t wait to see what other skills I will add as my voiceover business grows. 

Answering only to myself: At my old jobs, I had to ask permission and get approval for days off, vacation time, or even taking a break. Now, I am the boss and accountable, and there is a lot of freedom in that. 

Creative freedom: I can be as creative as I wish in my voiceover roles. In my line of work, creativity is vital and encouraged. I try to be as diverse as possible with the jobs I audition for daily. There is always room to play, laugh, have fun, and give as much energy as possible.  

No glass ceiling: Working for myself, my opportunity to earn an income is up to me. It is directly related to how much time and effort I put into this. A significant amount of time in the audio booth is required to be successful at voiceover, so if I want to succeed, I have to work hard daily. 

Start Your Journey as a Voiceover Entrepreneur

If you’re interested in learning more about working for yourself and being an entrepreneur, ask any of your friends or family about their experience. LinkedIn has some great courses to give you the encouragement you need to get started. 

So you’ve heard about this job or career called “voice over,” and you’re curious to learn more about it. You may know a little already because you know someone who does voiceover as a side hustle, and you’re interested in getting into it yourself. There are more voice actors than ever before. Because of the amount of work available today, producing quality content is essential. Perhaps it’s because we live in a very digital world, and working from home is appealing. More people than ever are getting into the world of VO. 

It Starts With Voiceover as a Side Hustle

As a diverse, millennial, and contemporary voice actor, I got started in VO because I heard it was a good side hustle. It was the summer of 2018, and I had already worked at my Canadian government job for nine years. I had good roles at my place of work, but ultimately most of the positions were administrative. It paid the bills, but it wasn’t the most exciting job. 

I pushed around papers and made a lot of spreadsheets, and after a while, most of what I was doing became mundane. I had begun to notice that many of my friends were picking up side hustles to make a little extra cash in their spare time. One friend had a side hustle as a model, another made beautiful cakes, another did eyelashes, and another micro-blading for eyebrows.  

Before the Side Hustle Job

I was sitting at work one day completely bored and took out a pen and made a long list of potential side hustles. One that was interesting was teaching English to international students. And that was the one I chose. So, for two months in the summer of 2018, I taught English to Japanese students online. It was great. I enjoyed teaching English, and the students I met were very friendly. I even got to teach English to some famous Japanese soccer players. Although I enjoyed what I did, the money could have been better. After two months, I realized I’d rather be outside in the summer than sit in front of my computer. 

So back to the drawing board! The following week I was at work again, sitting at my desk, downtrodden about my failed side hustle, and my phone beeped. A message had come in. My best friend Natasha Thompson said, “Hey, Girl, I heard of a cool side hustle. It’s voiceover, and you can do it from home. Here’s a website with more information; it’s voices.com.” And that was the text that changed my life – although I didn’t know it then. 

“Voice over. Hmm. that does sound interesting.” I thought. 

Research, Planning, and Preparation

I stumbled upon a commercial demo of a voice actress on YouTube 1-2 years prior as I was studying for college one day. Listening to her demo, I thought, “Wow, she is so talented. How could I ever do something like that?” But that was just a fleeting thought, and after a few minutes of imagining life as a voice actor, it seemed too overwhelming, and I went back to studying. 

After seeing Natasha’s text, I went to the website she mentioned, with hundreds of freelancers highlighting their voiceover skills, and I was instantly intrigued. That evening, I raced home to tell my husband, and he advised me not to rush into anything but to take my time and research, as a job like this requires a commitment of money and time. 

Turning Voiceover as a Side Hustle Into a Career

And he was right. Every year I was always getting into something new that would cost money and time. So between July and November of 2018, I took my time and learned everything I could about the voiceover industry. I researched how to get started, how much it would cost, what goals to set, and whether I should try this as a side hustle or a full-time gig. 

By the fall of 2018, I was still very interested in voiceover and did some planning. We decided to wait until Black Friday to purchase equipment. We went to the music store for a microphone, music stand, and a pre-amp. I also ordered studio foam and a moving blanket on Amazon for sound insulation. I had also contacted voices.com to purchase their annual Premium membership, which was on sale. 

We went home, set up the equipment (well, my husband did; I am not techy at all), and I tried my hand at my first audition. I had no idea what I was doing, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ve mentioned before that if I could make my career all over again, I would have gotten coaching before jumping in head first auditioning. Instead, I explored how far I could take this with zero experience. 

Eventually, it worked out for me, and I booked my first job one week later for a great company, and slowly but surely, things picked up. 

Are You Interested in Voiceover as a Side Hustle?

Voice Over can be a great side hustle, but some factors must be met to succeed. Voiceover today is highly competitive, with many experienced actors booking regular work. They are skilled, have a coach, and incredible state-of-the-art studios. They have professional demos, direct marketing in place with optimized websites, and long lists of clients who are very happy with their work. So, the opportunities are there, but you only get what you put in. 

When I started in VO, I was only on one pay and play platform; voices.com. I auditioned about 15-20 times a day and booked about 5-6 jobs a month for approximately $1000 USD. Those were my statistics. I had no professional demos or coaching, but I did fully complete a profile on voices.com so clients could find me quickly on their platforms. I would come home for lunch each day, do 5-6 auditions, and then do more after work. The additional income helped with the bills and funded the vacations we had lined up throughout the year. 

The Jump to Full-Time Voiceover Talent

Deciding to make voiceover a full-time gig is what changed my business. I was laid off from work during COVID, and I had no choice but to make it work. That was when I had to put the pedal to the metal and dig deep to proceed with all the tactics at my disposal. I hired a professional coach, acquired a commercial demo, built a website, and created a marketing plan. The same month I received my commercial demo, everything changed monumentally. I saw a significant difference in my income within four weeks. I couldn’t believe it. That demo changed everything. It told my potential customers that I am a “committed professional voice actor,” Finally, potential clients took me seriously. 

The Reality of a Side Hustle 

I went from part-time to full-time millennial voice actor in a year and a half. That is a relatively quick trajectory from what I understand from other voice actors, but I trusted the process and believed it would work. Many successful voice actors only do it part-time and still hold a day job as a lawyer, doctor, or government official. They may want to keep voiceover as a side hustle so they can play and be creative without the pressure of earning.

It’s your choice. I started it intentionally as a side hustle with no desire to take it full-time until I had no choice. Plus, I enjoyed what I was doing and found it addictive. There’s always another opportunity coming your way: a new audition or a new client. If you don’t get this job, no problem, be consistent with your efforts, and another opportunity will come to your inbox soon. It’s always a fantastic feeling when you book a job! 

How to Jump Start Your Voiceover Career 

If you want to be successful, I recommend researching and planning with maximum effort. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your time and money. Here are the items you’ll need to get set up!  

• Set up your studio to sound as professional as possible 
• Get professional coaching 
• Have a professional demo made with a reputable producer 
• Sign up on pay-to-play websites 
• Get a website (voiceactorwebsites are the best loaded with SEO)
• Participate in direct marketing 
• Audition, Audition, Audition for diverse jobs

This list can be daunting for most. Each month I have inquiries from friends or family on how to get started in voiceover. I tell them what to do and remind them to set small goals, and success will come. Your ability to be diverse will get you where you want to be. 

Voiceover can be an outstanding side hustle if you do it right. Just take your time to get set up, trust in the process, and you can do it!

Many factors go into choosing a voiceover talent for your next project. You can evaluate them based on their experience, skills, education, rates, location, studio, voice, and what they offer as part of their business package. As a diverse millennial voice actor, I may have a particular set of skills (channeling my inner Liam Neeson voice here) that may be beneficial for your next project. I have worked full-time for 20 years ( I feel old saying that) and in many different and exciting industries. Looking back at my work experience and voiceover in detail, it’s easy to see how they have led me to my current career. 

Business Experience by Working in Insurance

I worked for four years in the field of Insurance for a large well-known company. My two roles were Accounting Clerk and Risk Management Coordinator. I gained knowledge and experience by balancing books, handling checks, making daily deposits, and analyzing policies. Within risk management, I edited the rate books, worked with underwriters, and did some HTML edits on the rates on the company website. 

Confidence From the Fields of Sports and Nutrition

In the past, I have always had an affinity for health and fitness. From the age of 13, I used to work out with my dad lifting weights, and I then was one of the only girls in the weights classroom. I also took high school biology and fitness classes, gaining good marks. That passion for fitness propelled me to become a personal trainer by the time school was finished, but my guidance counselor steered me in another direction. He mentioned there was “no money” in personal training and that I should pursue a business career. I took his advice with a heavy heart, but a few years later, I was still left feeling sad and disappointed. 

My local gym at the time was having a 12-week weight loss contest. I entered the contest, and once the 12 weeks were complete, I lost 20 lbs and gained a significant amount of muscle. To my surprise, I won the contest, a 2-year free membership, and prizes. This result encouraged me to try a professional on-stage fitness competition. That was and still is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Waking up at 4:00 a.m., heading to the gym for morning fasted cardio, then back to the gym after work was daunting and exhausting. Nevertheless, the principles I learned from that show and the gym competition have stuck with me and given me a strong work ethic.

Sales and Trade Shows for Marketing Experience 

From the fitness experience, I was a Sales Rep working for a well-known nutrition company with over 150 stores and gyms to take care of in the Greater Toronto Area. That was an excellent job where I could connect with fitness enthusiasts around the community at stores, gyms, and trade shows.  I tried my hand at one more fitness competition a few years later. It was the official EAS Canada Body For Life 12-Week Challenge. This competition was the most prominent of its kind in Canada. I used the same principles I learned from my first competition a few years back. To my surprise, I won this competition as well! I won a red Audi TT convertible, cash, swag, and free products. From that experience, I was a spokesperson for the company sharing my story at competitions and trade shows.

Benefits of Technology in Work Experience and Voiceover 

After selling sports and nutrition products on the road, I was interested in working back in an office environment as I found life on the road exhausting and took a job working for a technology company. I was hired as a Sales Assistant for busy reps who sold computer hardware, software, and professional services. This was a significant role because I got to be the right-hand woman learning about CRMs, Opportunities, Leads, SAAS, and more. I also learned how to run various sales reports, which were crucial to my team’s success. I was also in charge of all the hockey and basketball tickets for our company box at the Air Canada Centre, which is pretty cool!

Practicing Independence Through Government Employment 

In 2008 unfortunately, the recession hit, and I was laid off. I spent the next four months traveling Europe, and when I returned in Sept of 2009, I took a job at a local government office. For the next 12 years, I worked here and was able to hone the majority of my business skills. This fostered my entrepreneurial spirit and eventually helped me go out on my own.  I started in the Environmental Services Department. I learned much about how our water is used within the community, how it is treated to remove bacteria and viruses, and about the innovative water and wastewater treatment facility that handles these processes.

I then worked in the Community and Health Services Department in the Healthy Living Division. Our division worked on Substance Misuse and Prevention, Sexual Health issues, Senior Services, Elementary and High schools, Healthy Aging, Injury Prevention, Smoking Cessation, and others. I learned much about the efforts to help high-risk populations and witnessed firsthand the daily hard work our 100+ nurses did to better the community. I organized and hosted multiple health conferences with upwards of 500 people.

Community and Human Resources Experience

For about a year, I worked on the Immigration team running the largest immigration conference welcoming newcomers to Canada and getting them work in their desired field as quickly as possible once they’ve arrived. Over the next few years, I worked in the Records Department as a Records Technician, organizing and onboarding the annual summer students. This role taught me about adult education and staff training, and I became familiar with eLearning and the importance of privacy within health records.

Lastly, I worked in the transportation department for five months with various teams, such as HR and Transportation Security. Then the pandemic hit, and they canceled all my current projects and said they would call me when I could return to work.

A Voiceover Career is Launched

This was when I hit the ground running with voice-over, and within months I was on an entirely new career path. Six months later, my work called me back in, and I officially turned them down; the rest, as they say, is history! 🙂

Benefits of Secondary Education to Voiceover Work

Over the years, I have taken many business-related courses that have made a difference in my career, making me more confident and competent in my roles. These courses have included:

• Accounting
• Marketing
• Computers
• Public Relations 
• An honors certificate in Adult Education/Staff Training
• Effective Business Writing
• Suicide Prevention
• Sexual Harassment
• WHMIS
• Project Mapping

I got experience in eLearning and the exact factors adults need when learning new material. Learning these crucial principles has allowed me to understand the nuances required to succeed in eLearning. I have also sat through a plethora of eLearning courses, some good and some bad, so I know precisely the right voiceover tone to use to help keep employees engaged and compliant.

When I took all these courses, I had not yet considered voice-over a career, but I am sure happy I took them all because the education has helped me in my business. I feel more confident when given scripts regarding the various industries I have worked in. Often, I am familiar with the industry, vocabulary, and goal of the script and feel that I can familiarly relate the information and makes clients happy. By working in many industries, I’ve learned the many acronyms and each one’s everyday speech that the average person may not understand. Because I have a wide range of experience, I can repeat the titles, acronyms, or phrases quickly with confidence.

Biggest Project That Used Work Experience and VO

My most significant project to date has been a Nutrition-based eLearning project of about 50,000 words. The segments were quite technical and mentioned phrases such as oligosaccharides, pantothenic acid, ergogenic acids, carotenoids, and other challenging words.  I would have suffered tremendously with this project if I had never worked in the sports nutrition industry. It would have taken me twice the time to read, record and edit because I had to look up each word and understand the meaning. I was grateful I was familiar with the words and phrases, as it made the whole project much easier to complete.

Work History and Voiceover Equals Success

Each day I am still learning how to be a great voice actor and business person. It is no easy task, but I can say that I am grateful for those 18+ years that I have worked in various industries. Now I enjoy learning more about this incredible industry of voice over every day.