The other night, I met with some publishers about the release of my new book. Our conversation was involved and detailed, but what struck me most was a word the publisher kept using.
NIMBLE.
He claimed a small/freelance/start-up business can’t survive in today’s world without being nimble. In other words: agile; quick to understand, think, devise, and be clever. The publisher built a convincing argument for nimble-ness being the reason behind his success, and why his publishing business was my best choice for the new book.
That remains to be seen, but I appreciated his enthusiasm for the nimble concept. To me, that’s the hallmark of most freelance voice-actors. They adjust to challenges quickly, improvise, and move quickly to find the best way to plug into their clients’ systems. At least the successful ones do.
Being nimble includes not sitting still, not sitting on your laurels, and not being content with the status quo.
The Website
As a personal example, here are my latest moves: My new website is 99% done. It’s responsive, meaning it reveals pretty much the same, and all the demos play, no matter what device, what format, what platform, or what operating system you’re using. Being agile means accommodating the undeniable trend towards mobile browsing.
Video
The website also integrates by commercial demo site, and my blog. Check it out and let me know what you think. Go to https://courvo.com. The blog is https://courvo.com/blog or http://www.courvo.biz. True to my frequent rant here on this blog, the home page of my new site includes a video window prominently displayed “above the fold”. Being nimble means using video marketing to its full advantage.
Social Media
Continuing my insatiable need to understand Social Media, I’ve launched a new Google Plus community for Voice Actors to “optimize social media strategies for your voice-over business”: Social Media VO. My equally-social-media-smitten friend Derek Chappell is my co-conspirator in this endeavour. Send me your G+ profile URL, and I’ll make sure you get an invite. Send it to me at [email protected]. We plan to pack it with all the latest social media trends, infographics, stats, and marketing strategies. Being nimble/agile means being on Google+ AND staying in touch with Social Media changes, and there is NO shortage of resources.
…the List Goes On
Need more convincing that nimble is desirable in our business? Consider the following trending topics that deserve some fairly agile adjustments to your business plan:
ISDN’s demise / the rise of ipDtL and or Source Connect Now and or SoundStreakMobile recording technologies on SmartPhone/Tablet
Online Cloud/storage/back-up advances
Challenges and changing paradigms in P2P offerings
The metamorphosis of union and agency representation
The Global marketplace with concomitant rate differences
The never-ending parade of new DAWs, Microphones, Pre-amps, and plug-ins.
What am I missing? How are YOU being nimble in your business?
CourVO
