Like many of you, the COVID quarantine has not disrupted my life all that much on the ground. I work from home. Also, at 67, I’m retired from my career as a broadcast TV news guy. I augment my curent VO income with a nest-egg I prudently put away for decades.
So when the government said it was going to send me money, I considered it a bonus. I do NOT take it for granted, and I understand there are millions of Americans who must make life-giving choices of how they will spend this money…freelance voice actors included.
So while it’s not a discretionary decision for many, you may be lucky enough to find you’re undecided about where that money will go.
BTW, if you’re wondering when that stimulus check will come in, here’s a handy link to use. Just enter your SS#, an address, and answer a few other basic questions, and you’ll get an answer when your check should be coming to you.
7 VO THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR STIMULUS CHECK
- Pay outstanding credit bills associated with your VO business. Revolving credit is negative energy you do not need right now…pay it down.
- Pay other freelancers you’ve hired. Web developer, CPA, graphics artist, demo producer, photographer…you name it. They get their due too!
- Coaching. Attending VO conferences in person in 2020 is a possibility, I suppose, but still uncertain. Why not get online coaching NOW, instead of a possible chance at some hopeful class in the fall.
- Invest in your audio chain. I almost hesitate to mention this, and I would caution against spending it ALL on a new microphone, but now might be the right time to invest in your technical sound. Maybe it’s just Mogami Gold mic cables.
- Punch up your marketing. This is a personal choice, of course. It could take the form of upgrading your LinkedIn account, investing in a new overall branding package, or hiring an XLS expert to crunch some prospect lists for you.
- Take care of your family. This directly affects your peace of mind in your voiceover work. They are your foundation, and when they’re not happy, you as a voice talent, are distracted.
- Don’t spend it…save it. This may be obvious, but if you really DON’T have a reason to spend it now, that opportunity of need always presents itself soon enough, right?
Look, we have unprecedented opportunities and challenges right now. We need to be agile, adjustable, and fairly quick in our assessments. That’s a lot of pressure, but not everything about COVID life-changes will be bad. There are unexpected good things happening too.
Spend wisely.
CourVO
and….