Seasonal Awareness
There ARE no “down” seasons in voice-acting. At least not in the broad marketplace.
Yes, various genres DO have busy and slow seasons. If your specialty is in one of those slow genres, you may be seeing a decline in revenue. But you know it’s coming, so you plan, yes?
A friend reminded me, “…when you’re down, it can only get better, right?…”. And another told me, “…hey, it’s a ‘building‘ month, so now’s the time to work on your marketing…”!
Right. I know all that. And it’s not helping.
Revenue Reality
Freelance business wisdom begins with the foundational rule that there will be peaks and valleys…ups and downs. Your job is to stay the course, hunker down, stick to your plan, and trust that your process and your system will pull you through.
OK…Got it.
Uh…that’s not helping either.
You might start to devalue your service, or blame yourself for the downturn Click To Tweet
This is when the doubts creep in, and THAT is when you can make a desperate mistake…or two. You might start to devalue your service, or blame yourself for the downturn. Some clients can even sense the uncertainty while interacting with you, and may take advantage.
I know voice-actors who vehemently caution against making comparisons between your work/success/talent, and that of your peers. I actually don’t agree with that. I think those comparisons (done fairly) are a great way to spur your own actions. Even if (as many claim), the humble brags you see online are false…even THOSE can light a fire under you.
So, how do you lift yourself up out of the gloom by your own bootstraps? This is where I reverse the flow of a well-respected theory. The theory says all actions are the result of thought or envisioning your own reality. But if your thoughts are down, then your actions are likely negative too.
This is when I take action…even some small, dutiful task. Putting the action before the thought. It can be hard to put one foot in front of the other when you’re in a funk. But trust me…the action will break through to a thought, and then you’re on your way.
Here’s a great article that deals with these issues. Author Ted Leonhardt…I salute you. I think you hit the nail on the head.
THREE ESSENTIAL RULES FOR DESPERATE FREELANCERS TO AVOID GETTING SCREWED.
CourVO