I remember December and January as being slow months for a freelance business.
Predictably slow.
And yet, it was only a matter of time before I would see the worried posts from colleagues in a panic:
“Did all my clients drop off the face of the earth?”
“What am I doing wrong?
“Why am I making no money in the most expensive months of the year?”
Valid questions, no doubt, but only coming from those with little or no experience, or business acumen.
You may be born with the most velvety voice on the planet, but if you don’t know anything about running a for-profit, one-person voice over enterprise, you are doomed to fail.
This is not some revolutionary insight I came up with on a rainy Tuesday. I’ve been preaching this principle in blog post after blog post, and I’m not the only one.
The most successful freelancers who manage to run a sustainable, profitable online or offline store, aren’t necessarily the most talented. But they do know how to read the fluctuations of the market and plan accordingly.
They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. They’re not attempting to do it all by themselves. They study success and learn from the best, AND hire those who are extremely good at doing the things they can’t or don’t want to do.
“Focus on what you’re good at, and outsource the rest,” is my mantra.
Let’s make it more personal. The reason I have done well for myself as a voice over, has more to do with the strength of my support system and my content marketing skills, than with my so-called talent.
In my honest estimation I still believe I’m only a six on a scale of one to ten in terms of talent. But I surrounded myself with people that made me look like a nine! I was willing to acknowledge my own ignorance when it came to running a business, and ask (and pay for) help.
I was never a numbers guy, so I asked my wife who has done accountancy work for companies such as Six Flags, to keep my books, which she has done brilliantly.
I asked the folks at Voice Actor Websites to design my virtual space, and to make it a magnet for clients, which they have done brilliantly.
And I made sure to price for profit, knowing that the fee I was earning in August, would pay for the slow months of December and January.
I also used those slow months to do whatever I could, to up my game in the new year. To me, this meant that I gave myself permission to unwind and recharge my batteries. I mean, life isn’t all about work, is it? We are allowed to enjoy the fruits of our labor, right? Otherwise, what are we doing it for?
Having a slow month or two doesn’t mean they have to be unproductive, but you should also embrace them as a gift you earned through hard work and sacrifice.
However, the predictable slowdown should never come as a surprise. Every month, you have to put some money away as a cash cushion to survive the drought until it starts raining again. And this money should always be built into your rate.
If you’re afraid that potential clients may walk away because of what you charge, let them!
You can’t sustain a lasting career on clients who don’t value what you bring to the table. And if they don’t see your value, take a very good look at the way you are selling yourself. Ask experts (not your family or friends) to critique your marketing. Let them identify your weak spots and suggest ways to strengthen them.
Fix the roof before it starts to rain!
December and January are the perfect months to take assertive, positive action.
Make these months a time of growth and relaxation, instead of fear and stagnation.
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