The saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. And I would venture to say that most of us are failing to plan right now for success in our voice over business. 

Lack of planning is the most evident characteristic I have seen when it comes to my successes and failures. And after working with so many voice actors, I can safely say that we are all struggling in this department. 

So, what is a plan, really? Why should we have a plan for our business? And what should the plan be?

Let's take a look at each of these:

1. What is a plan, really? 

A plan is a series of steps, that when completed in order (the order can vary), will lead you to the destination/goal you are trying to reach. 

What's funny about this definition above is the simplicity of it, yet we all know how difficult it can be to plan. To start, you have a goal. That goal involves moving forward towards something tangible. 

Because goals involve moving towards something we have not come to yet, movement is key to the next part of the process. We have to move step by step in order to reach the goal in order for a plan to work. 

Again, in its simplest form, a plan is nothing more than a series of actions that when combined, carry you to your goal. 

2. Why Should We Have A Plan For Your Voice Over Business

I love to use the analogy of the road trip. Imagine you want to go visit your friend in Florida and you live in Washington State. 

Your friend just moved and you would like to see their new house, city, etc. 

So, pack up the car, jump in, and take off down the road. As you are driving, you come to your first sign. You look in anticipation for it to say,  "FLORIDA THIS WAY". 

However, to your dismay, it says, "I95 South / I95 North" and no mention of Florida or anywhere for that matter. 

Now you are sitting at the stop sign wondering which way to go. 

You suddenly realize you need directions, or a PLAN, to get to your friend's house because there are going to be hundreds of these decisions to make and how will you know which ones to choose if you don't have a map and a route? 

This is exactly why we need a plan for our voice over business. Without a map and a route, there is no way we even know if we are going in the right direction, let alone getting closer to our goal. 

3. What Should Your Plan Be?

I am going to put down some points that you should include in your plan:

a. A Goal - Your plan must have a destination

b. A Map - Your plan must have an overall Map, or, the available options in the marketplace that you can use to reach your goal.

c. A Route - Your plan must also have a route, or, the path you take through those options to reach your destination (Goal). 

Since all of our destinations are different, each plan will be different. But the key is to remember that your plan depends on how good your map is, which means how well you are aware of the options available to you, and a route, which is the steps you will take, using the options from the map, to reach your destination. 

With this information above, you will find yourself at different points in the journey. And that's okay. Find where you are, and start from there.

Planning is about being strategic in your thinking. It is about thinking ahead to your destination and focussing on the map and route available to you. 

If you would like to help with learning a proven route to voice over success, I would love to talk to you about it here.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey and thank you for reading A VO's Journey Blog. 

Sincerely,

Anthony