Do you have what it takes to succeed in voice over?

Yes, you do.

Grit. The Right Stuff. Courage. Determination.

We may not all be the subject of a Tom Wolfe book, and we may not be astronauts, but to succeed in this business we also need “the right stuff.” Many individuals, myself included, have likely experienced the following scenario:

You wake up one day and decide you want to be a business owner. “Why am I working for someone else, when I could be working for myself? Setting my own hours, and doing the work I want to do sounds way better than my current job” you say to yourself. After you have this revelation, you start working on a business idea and executing it… only to fall flat a few weeks or months later and give up.

Why does this happen to us?

In my humble opinion, when we fail in business, it’s usually caused by one of three factors. Those three factors are simply: supply and demand, determination, and courage. To further illustrate why I think these factors are so important, I’d like to tell you a story.

My first business

The first business I ever tried to start was a computer building business. I decided I would set up shop in my home, and build new computers for customers looking for a custom-built PC for gaming, audio/video production, or other specialty use cases. I set up a website, put a few computer builds together and offered them on my site. I even bought some ads on search engines like Google, and posted about my business on social media. I got one sale, and then nothing happened for months, eventually leading to me shuttering the idea altogether and shelving those entrepreneurial dreams for years. So, why did I fail? At the time, after all, I really felt as if I was putting in a great deal of effort for little return on my investment.

In my opinion, the business failed because I did not consider those three factors.

First, I did not do any research into the demand for my products. I simply thought that the motto “if you build it, they will come” was going to work for me. But here’s the thing: I didn’t do nearly enough to ensure that there was demand for my product, especially considering that someone could just go online to look at a pc from Dell or HP and probably save a few bucks. The market for higher end PCs in my immediate area was lower than I anticipated. I would have known this if I did enough research.

Second, I lacked the determination to see the business through the hard times. After a small victory of getting my first order, the hard times that followed quickly weakened my resolve and convinced me to shut down the idea entirely.

Third, and finally, I lacked the courage needed to believe in myself. After not getting any more sales, I thought to myself “maybe I’m just not cut out for this.” Who knows what would have happened if I had stuck with it? Perhaps I would still be working on that business. We’ll never know, because I gave up.

So, after sharing that story with you, I want to circle back to the world of voice over and starting your freelancing business online.

Succeeding as a freelance voice over artist

If you’re planning to begin a career as a voice over artist, and you’re wondering if you will be successful, know that the chances of success begin and end with you. Let’s think about this career path and consider the three factors I mentioned above one more time.

Supply and Demand

Is your voice in demand? Truthfully, it is very likely to be in demand! Here’s why: companies these days want real people to advertise their products or services. Authenticity is extremely important in advertising, and customers can sniff out the BS a mile away. What does that mean for you? Well, in my opinion, it means you don’t have to be Don LaFontaine to make lots of money in the voice over industry. The demand is there for real people to share their normal voices with the world, and get paid for it. In fact, the supply of professional voice talent is actually quite low compared to the amount of work available on these platforms. Think about every time you hear a voice when you watch videos online, see commercials, or even when you’re getting off the train and the intercom starts talking. All of those things were likely recorded by voice artists who got paid for their time. It’s pretty wild, once you take a moment to pay attention to just how many distinct voices you hear in a day.

Determination

That being said, success in this field does not come overnight. I’ll give you an example from my own experiences. I began freelancing on Fiverr in October 2019, and during that month I made a grand total of $68. Not exactly paying my utility bills, but hey, I wasn’t complaining. Some freelancers might see that number and balk, saying that it’s not worth the time or energy to put work into a platform like Fiverr and work at low rates in the beginning of their freelancing journey. To those of you that feel that way, I’ll share this next fact. A little over a year later, on that very same platform, I earned over $5,900 in November 2020.

So, how did I get from those paltry earnings to a livable wage in freelance work? Let me tell you, it took a LOT of effort. Many lower paying jobs, long nights recording until 2 or 3AM, and missing work at my day job because I was SO tired from pulling all-nighters and I just needed to sleep. I was determined to make it work. I made the temporary sacrifices needed to succeed, and it paid off big time. If I hadn’t worked so hard, I don’t think I’d be where I am today… freelancing full time and working for myself instead of someone else.

Courage

This last bit is especially true in voice over. You might be afraid to start your freelancing work because you don’t like the sound of your voice, or you don’t think anyone will pay for you to record something. You might think that you’re not cut out for this type or work, or that your skills aren’t up to the level needed to be successful. They can all be valid fears to some degree, but they are useless in this scenario if you truly want to make a change in your life. Get them out of your head, and get to work!

Have some courage. Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you want to do this type of work, the only thing stopping you is you. Do the research on how to get started, get the supplies and training you need, and start offering your services. You might not make thousands of dollars your first month, but if you have the courage to get started and stick with it, you’d be surprised how quickly your business can grow.