I frequently state in my blog that voice-over is a business, yet people write things to me that indicate that they either are ignoring or don’t know about the business aspects of being a voice-over talent. Just last week, someone sent me an e-mail stating that

I believe I have a talent and I would love the freedom and independence that your job provides.You could do lots of things if you wanted to be free and independent. However, most of those things require some actual work to make them happen. Becoming a voice-over talent is no different. It requires you to continuously work at improving your abilities and gaining publicity for your business.

Speaking of independence, yesterday (4 July) was our Independence Day here in the United States. Since the day is one of the major US holidays, many people decided to declare their independence from work all week. As a business owner, though, I always feel the need to do something each day to further my goals, even when those days fall on weekends, holidays and vacation.

I’m not saying I spend hours working on those off-days, but I usually do something, however small and insignificant it might be. Sometimes I may read a chapter in a marketing book. I might write down people to contact on the next business day. I often will do a quick audition or send an e-mail response to someone. I write entries for my blog. I may write or record a podcast script. (I’m perfecting ideas for 2 different types of shows and am deciding how to present them.)

Yesterday was no different. While it was a holiday, I took an action that wasn’t even on my mind at the beginning of the day. I wrote a 60-second pitch.

What is a 60-second pitch? Why did I write mine yesterday? The answer to both questions is at the Voices.com web site. As usual, Stephanie Ciccarelli has done a brilliant job of explaining the concept of the 60-second pitch — also known as your “elevator speech” — and why it’s needed by every voice talent.

Furthermore, starting tomorrow, Voices.com is sponsoring a contest for the best 60-second pitch among voice talent! The contest is open to all voice talent. After reading about the prizes, I am eager to win! I wrote my pitch yesterday and will record it today or tomorrow after refining it.

By the way, to further emphasize the point about voice-over being a business, I also encourage you to read Stephanie’s excellent and detailed blog entries relating to the business, especially about a business plan and business cards.

So you see, even in a slow week you can do something that will pay big dividends in your voice-over career later on. Even if you don’t win the contest, you will have a succinct speech ready to describe your voice-over business when you are next in a networking situation.