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working mom

VO Business Year in Review

December 13, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Reflections on 2021

It’s somewhat hard to believe it’s now December. Somehow the last few months have blown by in a busy whirl. For me, as a working mom of twins who happen to be high school seniors, this fall was extremely busy. With the New Year fast approaching, I am starting to reflect on 2021: what I’m proud of and what I might have done differently. The year is not over yet, and I plan to use the rest of the month to end strong.

Thoughts on My Business

I like to think a lot about where my business came from. The clients who came directly to me, not through a pay to play or an agent, were up 44% from last year. Repeat clients makeup 2/3 of my business. Clients from my website were up 136% compared to 2020, so I was very pleased with that number.

I also grew my coaching and demo production business substantially this year, and it made up about 3.5% of my annual income thus far. I was pleased with that.

My pay to play numbers were down. While I did have some stellar bookings on CastVoices that I am pleased with as that site is just starting, my bookings on Voice123 with new clients were down more that 30% from 2020. While I continue to submit, I find this quite frustrating. One major goal is to surpass my 2020 numbers in 2022.

Reflections on Equipment and Gear

I made some sound equipment upgrades this year that I am very pleased with. Dave and I added the Presonus to direct clients when they come in for demo sessions. I got a fantastic new desk setup for outside of my studio space. I am really happy with this. I added the EVO4 preamp to my travel rig. I also finally got to use my new rig that I invested in before my trip. That has been fantastic for me. Most recently, I upgraded my laptop that I use daily when outside the booth. My original one was from 2015, and it simply died. I am so happy to have a new, fast, working device.

Marketing Thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts about my marketing efforts. This is the one area I put so much time and on-going effort, every, single day. I updated my headshots. I kind of felt that the photos should actually look how I look, and if I looked in the mirror and looked nothing like the gal in the photo it was probably time to change!  My website was then updated with the new photos. My website was not only updated superficially, but it got an update from the inside out, as it also now meets the requirements for Google Core Values. That update actually just happened, and I hope that clients now have an even easier time finding me. I continue to reach out to clients and industry friends with my monthly newsletter. After so many years, I am finally feeling more comfortable with mail chimp and have improved the format. I have also gotten a lot better with Canva this year and use their template consistently for my instagram posts. I have tried to be very much on top of my social media posts in 2021 and have grown a much larger following. I have also continued to blog at least once a week, and sometimes twice a week. I am proud that I have maintained my efforts with my blog.

I do feel that since August I have not been as on top of my direct emails. I feel that as I got busier with my twins, I became too relaxed and did not follow up as I typically do, especially in two main areas: with repeat clients and with my radio imaging outreach. When I sit and do it I regret that I dropped the ball a little.

Let’s end the year strong!

The year is not over! The next week and a half until Christmas can be a strong one! All marketing an be done with gusto. All auditions can be awesome. All booked work can be submitted with extra effort to make clients feel appreciated. Every single day matters, and each booking counts. As I reflect back on the year, I am so thankful for another year to pursue my dreams, and another year to work in the field I love. With the SOVAS this weekend, I am so excited to spend the last Sunday before the holidays surrounded by so many industry friends who are flying in from all over. Sometimes I say “there are no words” but for this weekend there are many words, and they are words of reflection and gratitude.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: als, bookings, CastVoices, coaching business, consistency, desk, gear, Google Core Values, headshots, Home Studio, mail chimp, new clients, newsletter, pay to plays, prosonus, reflections, Repeat Clients, small business, Twin Mom, VO, voice over, voice over business, voice over coaching, Voice123, voiceover, website, working mom, workspace

Why I Never had Imposter Syndrome as a Voice Actor

December 9, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

In the Past Year I Learned a New Phrase

Signs of Imposter SyndromeI’ve been a full time, professional voice over actor for quite a while now, but in the past year I started hearing for the first time a new term: imposter syndrome. I started hearing it on social media, on Clubhouse, and at conferences too. I found it surprising because in all my years in VO, I had never heard any other talents speak to this before. What I have learned is that this term refers to the feeling that one does not actually belong, or is not what they claim to be and is, instead, an imposter. Suddenly, in the past year, I am hearing about others feeling this way frequently. It is coming up often in conversation. Perhaps it is because many turned to voice over during covid. Perhaps it is because some start working or trying to work before they are actually prepared. For a multitude of reasons, suddenly I am hearing this all over the place. If you are interested in being a voice over actor, and you really want to succeed and do NOT want to feel like an imposter, perhaps consider my experience, as this has never been an issue for me.

Lots of Training

When I started working in voice over, really working, it was after no less than a year of working at getting into voiceover. In that Coping with Imposter Syndromeyear, I worked with 4 coaches and took advanced acting and improv at a local theater. I spent sic to eight hours A DAY studying and working on my craft. I worked on scripts. I practiced characters. I recorded. I edited. I submitted to my coaches. I listened back to my assignments. I did research and followed prominent voice actors to see what they were booking. I took multiple private lessons each week. I was in group classes with GVAA. I had practice partners. I met with those partners. I did homework for those partners too and I took each and every assignment so seriously, as if my life depended on it. So when I say I had lots of training, that is just when I started out. Since then I have continued to have lots of coaching. Have coaching is the foundation of all we do. I think by the time my website launched, I was so ready to work that it never occurred to me that I was not prepared to serve my clients.

Long Days

Defining Imposter SyndromeBoth as a student of voice over and now as a professional, I have always put in extremely long days. From morning to night, often going back into my booth after dinner, my days are long and rigorous. Sometimes new talents ask me when they will start booking. They tell me they have submitted 50 auditions. I try to keep a straight face. I typically submit more than 30 auditions in a day, even now, so 50 auditions is in no way impressive to me. I have often heard of the rule of 10. I believe that Gaby Nistico has even made a video about it. If you work 10 hours a day more than 10 months a year for 10 years that is when you start making six figures… Well, I believe there is something to this. I have always had the luxury of being in voice over “full-time.” Well, let’s flesh this out. What exactly does “full-time mean? To me, it means I maintain standard business hours and I am in my booth al day every day to serve my clients. The more you are available and the more you record and submit, the more legitimate your business is.

Sure of My Identity 

Types of ImpostersWhen my business launched, in audition to lots of coaching and sweat equity under my belt, my first website helped establish my identity. I never had doubts about my identity as a professional. I had been told by every coach I ever worked with that even at the start of my career, I should introduce myself as a professional. I did so with confidence. As I get clients under my belt and had testimonials, I felt more proud of what I was building, but it never came from a place of doubt. I was certain that I was building a great service business that would help my clients get what they need.

Wholly Committed

Another reason I think I never suffered from this imposter syndrome is that I was entirely committed from day 1. Basically, I bet the house on it. I built a high-end studio. I had an expensive microphone. I was working full time. It was never an option for it to not work. Success was my only possible outcome. It never occurred to me that I was not a voice actor. I set out to live this life and I did. Period. Sometimes we have choices in this world, but as a working mom, failure was not an outcome I was willing to explore. I only had one potential outcome for myself and my children, and that was for the business to take off.

Filed Under: About Me, Voiceover, working mom Tagged With: acting, Clubhouse, coaches, Coaching, commitment, decision, GVAA, hours, identity, imposter syndrome, improv, professional, social media, theater, training, trust, VO, voice over, voiceover, working mom

A Day in the Life of a Voice Actor…

December 6, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

My jam

You might be thinking, hey- I wonder what it’s like to be a voice over actor? As a full-time, professional voice actor, sometimes my days can feel a little bit like Groundhogs Day, meaning that there is a certain rhythm to my days that tends to play and repeat. To be honest, as a working mom, I’ve come to count on this routine and structure and don’t mine it at all. I find this order and structure is really helpful and as my business has grown over the years, and I have expanded into coaching and demo production, I have carefully worked all of that into my schedule. There are some basic elements that are to be expected in every voice actor’s day:

Auditions:

Laura Schreiber AuditioningI typically do these quite early, and I think my auditions serve as a great warm up for my actually paid work. Whether they are for pay to plays or for agents, I love running through the pace of auditions and feel that this helps me stay on my toes and understand the current industry trends for what is being sought after. Daily submissions are a must, and I typically submit early morning and late afternoon at a minimum. I like submitting, and relative to other talents I know, I regularly submit a lot. I think it depends on your specific goals, but auditioning is for sure a part of my daily routine.

Booked Work

Then I begin my booked work. Depending on what is do when, and how urgent some bookings are, I decide my order of events. Sometime the vocal age of the casting comes into play for me. For example, if I am required to sound young, I have a specific window when I sound really young during the day, so I make sure to record at that point. Conversely, if I need to sound like a mom, or a 40 something, I save those recordings for after lunch. Thus, I plan my day.

Website Updates

I am often doing website updates. From adding blogs like this one, to adding client logos, testimonials, new demos we have done for students, and samples of finished booked work, the like of website updates goes on and on. I try to do these regularly so they do not become insurmountable.

Marketing and Direct Outreach

Marketing is a constant it my daily routine. I think the only day of the month when I do not send any emails is the day my newsletter goes out. I have different groups of people I work on reaching out to, and I am always keeping in touch with current clients and reaching out to new ones. I also do all of my own social media work, so marketing is a daily constant.

Billing and Invoicing

I do this regularly. Every time I deliver finished audio to a client, I send their invoice along with it. I send regular reminders, and am very on top of my invoicing. After all, voice over is not a hobby!

Equipment

My gear is so important. It is the foundation of all of my work. Whether I am researching my next purchase or neatening my wires, I am doing something related to m studio gear every day. I also constantly watch YouTube videos about equipment and find tis very helpful.

Dog walking

Laura Schreiber Walking DogsA highlight of my day, throughout my day, are the breaks I take with my studio dogs Violet and Daisy. I love walking with the girls and taking these sporadic breaks every few hours is really good for me. It is so good to leave the studio and get actual fresh air. I occasionally run into neighbors and that is really nice too.

Workouts:pilates

In addition to walking, I do Pilates regularly and this is very much a part of my routine. I find that scheduling this time for my self is essential to my mental and physical wellness. I tend to do these reinvigorating workouts either early morning, before work, or mid-day on my lunch break.

Household Chores

As a wife and mother, my daily household chores are endless. From cooking and cleaning to laundry and homework help, the list goes on and on. This time of year, there are holiday chores too like gift wrapping and all of those cards!!

The Glimpse….

So a lot needs to happen to run a successful voiceover business. There are a lot of moving parts, and when something falls off of my radar, ultimately it means less work will come in. So, it’ on me to make sure that my work gets done, and all of my ducks are in a row.

Filed Under: Studio/booth, Voiceover, working mom Tagged With: auditions, billing, booth like, chores, equipment, Groundhogs day, healthy living, lady boss, pilates, routine, solopreneur, studio, voice actor, voice over, voiceover, walking the dogs, website, working mom, working out

As a Working Mom, What Does it Really Mean?

October 24, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Emma’s Enthusiasm

As a working mom, I have always tried my best to give my kids a lot of time while still putting my heart into my small business. As a full-time professional voice over actor and coach, even when I’m not “working,” I do talk about my Emma's into college!business and my business ideas a lot with my family, and have for many years. Well, I am now realizing what a huge impact that has had. This week we had amazing news. My daughter was accepted to her dream college: a six year doctoral program in Occupational Therapy at Elizabethtown College. Besides celebrating this glorius achievement, Emma has countless ideas about how she intends to use her degree. She keeps coming into the kitchen and saying, “Mom, I was thinking…” and then shares her latest vision for a potential future career path. This is not just exciting, this is the result of a being surrounded by women chatting about goals, brain storming, and planning for how small businesses grow.

The Precedent We Set

What We give our kids
My sister Julie Levin and I give my twins so much love. In addition, we are both small business owners so they see what goes into making a business work.

As mothers and working women, our children hear and see the examples we set. For years, my children have either been in the room or been in the room adjacent to my accountability group meetings. They understand the importance of setting goals as a small business owner, having a plan, and follow-through. They not only hear me talking, they have heard my industry friends (well, more like voice over family) for years. They have been exposed to what it takes to grow and maintain a small business. They understand that hard work and perseverance are essential, and that follow-through is everything. They have always been around my meetings, and I have always discussed ideas with them. My children watched me build my business from the ground up. The result is that they not only see what is possible, they actually understand how it is done.

Getting Your Kids Involved

Emma and Jack hard at workAs solopreneurs, we actually have the luxury of getting our kids involved and having them take an active role in our business. Many voice actors have their children actually doing voice over work. Last summer, my son Jack had a recurring gig as an eLearning narrator. This was extremely fulfilling to him. Not only did he learn about how to interact with clients and gain greater insight into the industry, but he learned about taking direction and leaving his emotions outside of the booth.

Another great way to get your kids involved is to hire them as assistants or interns when they are old enough. Last summer, both of my twins worked for me. I had my son doing research for direct marketing and sending cold emails. He learned so much about the process and follow through. I had my daughter doing all of my social media, with a focus on my instagram and instagram stories. She actually organically doubled my following. They did an outstanding job and were delightful. We used a google spreadsheet to coordinate our tasks and stay on the same page. They learned about team work, collaboration, and the ins and outs of my voiceover business.

What Values You Want to Instill

Precedent and Values
Everything that I have in me comes from my mother.

When I think about why I work so hard as a voice actor, I want my children to understand so much. Beyond the income I generate that our family depends on, I want them to see that voice over is a unique industry because we are a group of people who come together to lift each other up. I also want me kids to see that if you work hard all day, every day, you can have great success. I want my twins to see that you can make your dreams happen. And if my voice over business has showed them anything, it’s that you never wait for someone else to bring you happiness and your happiness is not dependent on others. In order to succeed in voice over and in many other industries, you have to have thick skin and listen to your gut. You must be able to tune out all the negativity and you have to be very selective about who you accept guidance from. My prayer for my children is that they have been surrounded by strong women and all of this has been planted deep within them. As a working mom, I hope that their internal compass is so strong, nothing can sway them from their path.

My Emma has so many ideas already. I hope that as her years in her program go on, her ideas become more defined, and her dreams are well-within her grasp. I can’t wait to see What Emma does with her degree!

So, when I ask the question, as a working mom, what does it really mean? It means that if I can not only pay the bills, but follow my passions, AND teach my kids by doing to follow theirs, and in doing so instill a set of core values, I believe it is a worth while endeavor indeed.

Filed Under: Voiceover, working mom Tagged With: accountability group, coach, community, dreams, Elizabethtown College, Etown, happiness, high achievers, inspiration, inspired, life lessons, passions, precedent, role models, small business owner, values, voice over actor, voice over coach, voiceover community, women supporting women, working mom

Why do Headshots Matter in VO

September 14, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Recent Epic Mistake

Laura Schreiber With tongue outWhen I started my voice over business years ago I had headshots done for my website. While a long time ago people used to say that voice actors did not need to show their face, as the VO industry has continued to evolve and we, as talents, now have to bring in the bulk of our own work, it is on us to run our business like a business. If we want our clients to connect with us, having current pictures is a must. So, about a year back, I was presenting at an online eLearning conference and I was super excited. When they asked for my head shot, I became for cognizant of the fact that the photo no longer resembled me. I was thinner, my hair was shorter, I always wear glasses… the list went on. I decided to take new photos and update them. While my old headshots had been done by a professional, I took the new ones in my booth with an iphone. I loved them and was thrilled.

I loved the photos so much that when I did my website refresh and rebrand this January they were featured in the banner. Do you sense the train wreck coming. Well, middle-aged me does not have perfect vision. I failed to notice that in my main photo I am sticking my tongue out. I tend to be both silly and flirty, and apparently I stick my tongue out. Often. Worse, I could not see that my tongue is sticking out and this photo is everywhere.

Fast forward to this summer. I was accepted as a presenter for the OneVoice conference in Dallas. They asked for a headshot. I send them this photo. I was so elated when I was listed on the page of speakers. I clicked on my photo to make it bigger, and for the first time realized in horror that my tongue was out. Clearly the photo had to be replaced.

Brand Awareness

It’s amazing that even in the NY metropolitan area it is really hard to find a photographer to do corporate branding work. Further, it is amazing how much range there is in their rates. Beyond that, it amazes me how few were even willing to respond. There are so many things that i think about when interacting with clients: rates, making it about them, speed of response, and yet finding someone who got what I needed AND responded AND charged a sane rate seemed like the Red Sea parting. I was delighted when I actually got in touch with a photographer who had an entire corporate branding page and took the time to look at my website. She was kind and flexible and her work is beautiful. She was not easy to find and I’m so thankful that I did!

For me, I wanted these pictures to help instill brand awareness, so clients really know what it’s like to work with me. This meant:

  • letting my personality come through
  • choosing colors like pink and avoiding other colors
  • including my kids and my dogs
  • showing details of my home and office life

This is all a part of what I have built my brand on…

Chance for Clients to Get to Know You

For these headshots, I put together three looks: formal, fun, and business casual. As I work in different genres of voice over, and deal with people with differing job titles, different looks work for different people. A head shot that is ideal for radio imaging is very different than one that is ideal for corporate narration. But, I wanted my happy, upbeat, fun vibe to come through in all of these looks. I wanted my youthful, millennial personality to shine.

Face of Small Business

While I am a solopreneur, I do run my VO business like a business, and I had very specific thoughts about these photos and their usage. Having been in the voiceover industry for so many years, I knew just how I’d use these pictures and could already envision their placement as soon as I got the proofs.

Opportunity for Social media

Laura Schreiber Fun New Headshot

I also wanted to have much better images for instagram posts. This was really important to me. I was really excited to see what Erica came back with, because I immediately felt inspired and had tons of ideas. From posts about social media, to life as a working mom, to booth life, these headshots will be in the mix!

How often should you update them?

Basically, you should look like your pictures. Your hair should be relatively similar and no one should have to guess who it is. Likely every 5-7 years will make sense. It it’s more than that you have to question if you are doing yourself a dis-service. In this world where we zoom so often, people expect you to look like your photo. Using an old, out of date, or air brushed photo is almost worse than not having a picture because it undermines the foundation of your brand: you. So keep your headshots up-to-date, and have fun with them!

Filed Under: About Me, Client Relationships, Marketing/Branding, Voiceover Tagged With: brand, brand awareness, branding, Business, happy, headshots, millenial, small business, social media, studio dogs, upbeat, VO, voice actor, voice over, voice over business, voiceover, working mom, youthful

Building Your Voice Over Office Space

September 13, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

Starting Out

Original Desk
This is my original small teal desk from Overstock.

Often when we start out in a new industry, as excited and enthusiastic as we are, we don’t know if our business will actually take off. When I built my voice over business, it made sense to me to invest money where it mattered, in sound proofing and in gear like microphones, in lieu of spending it on items like desks and fancy chairs. I knew, even at the start, that if I had a hope of growing, my audio quality had to be competitive and my investment had to go there.  My initial dest was cute and inexpensive, it was a teal small desk from overstock.com. This is the desk that sat outside my booth. It sufficed. It was never comfortable. It was small and quickly became cluttered. I also have always used a chair I already had in the house. As my business grew, I added a file cabinets. The chair I have always used is a lovely chair that we had. Again, the office space was not my priority.

Well, here I am, years later, an established professional female voice actor and coach, and I wanted to re-create my office space into a place I actually wanted to be. I identified the problems:

  • My desk was too small.
  • I did not have enough space and had clutter on my desk.
  • I did not like being at my desk.
  • My desk was not visually appealing.
  • I did not like the way the desk faced but could not change that because I have a monitor and gear in the booth the all is hooked up to the computer outside the booth on this desk.
  • I actually prefer working on a super comfy chair or sofa to working at a desk.
  • I like something soft under my feet.

With all of this in mind, I began researching my office space fix up.

Guiding Questions:

If you are just new to voiceover and putting your space together or if you are fixing up your space, here are some questions to consider:

  • Are you paperless or do you have paper?
  • Do you like a lot of Gear?
  • Do you like Texture/To be Cozy?
  • Are you a minimalist or do you like decorative embellishments?

Tips:

While it was smart that I was budget conscious, I should have invested a little more into my initial space.  Think about what you have and where you are going to put it, instead of buying a desk and trying to make it work.

For example, when I built my booth, I placed hooks in spaces where I needed them: on the wall for my cans and under the desk for spare wires. I built an extra ledge so that my preamp is not sitting on the desk. All of this not only customizes the space, but makes it so much more pleasant to spend long hours in.

Another tip is to actually measure. When I bought new furniture this time around, I measured the items I needed to put in a bookshelf to ensure ample space. I measured the wall where the desk is to make sure I have the biggest possible space.

Comfortable Work Space

New Velvet Chair
This is my new velvet chair and end table from Wayfair. I am sitting here right now as I work on this blog. It’s a great work space!

As professional voice over actors, it is typical that we work long days across multiple time zones, so our work space, both in and out of the booth, needs to be comfortable. I have friends who swear by their standing pads. I myself have layered carpets because I love both the look and the feel. Another tip is that the desk in my booth is at my exact standing height, built for me specifically. I love this. I will say that having had both a small and cramped desk and a large and luxurious desk, it is much better to have the large desk!! I am exceedingly more comfortable.

Booth/Workspace Must Haves

There are certain items I consider non-negotiable. Keep in mind that I do actually use paper:

  • great lighting/an awesome dest lamp
  • bulletin boards
  • an essential oil diffuser
  • file cabinets. I happen to love to save scripts. Especially now that I coach, you just never know when you will need them.
  • A charging station
  • an array of vocal sprays
  • cable ties
  • A blotter/pencil cup that is in line with your branding
  • an “in session” or “do not disturb” sign for when you’re recording
  • A music stand and light for scripts
  • family pictures so that you remember your why
  • lots of outlets
  • an exhaust fan
  • dog beds for my studio dogs
  • a scale for mail/postage

So, What Did I Choose?

New Dest
This is my new desk with file cabinets and book shelf from Pottery Barn.

In the end, I wanted a place I would be comfortable and organized. I wanted an office space that would both look nice and function well. I ultimately made tweaks to both my booth and my work space. In my booth, I got a new rug and dog bed. In my office space I got a new desk and files, a new book case, and a beautiful new velvet chair and end table. I am elated, is all wonderful. My advice to you is that regardless of your budget, make sure you LOVE everything you pick, because if you have to re-do it it costs more.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: choices, comfort, gear, home office, professional voice actor, small business, solopreneur, VO, voice over, voiceover, work space, working mom

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