“Hello Michael,

Hope all is well. Just wanted to let you know about my new motivational and
inspirational album, ‘Better Than Before.’ It’s seven songs
geared toward the voiceover community. Music designed to keep you in a positive
frame of mind as you pursue your voiceover career. It’s a collection of
R&B, Pop and Gospel selections sung by me. You can purchase it at
www.rodneysaulsberry.com.

YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-okWBRH8K0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrRx54eRJDg

Your web site is very impressive Michael. Not only does it promote you greatly,
it’s a great source of information for the voiceover community. Happy
Holidays!

Thank You,

Rodney Saulsberry”

Thanks Rodney, I definitely appreciate it and look forward to getting my copy asap.

All of you should too, it will make a great gift to yourself or an aspiring voice talent that you know.

Also, Rodney’s book “You Can Bank on Your Voice” and “Step Up to the Mic” are amazing resources for voice talent of every caliber, you should get a copy or two if you don’t already have one. There are some amazing tips in these books, trust me, I have both.

All of the aforementioned are available via his website: www.rodneysaulsberry.com

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“Many of us (most of us?) had a dream to start a business and, at some point, realized the dilemma of balancing a full-time job with home life and a startup life. I don’t think there’s ever a true balance. A tolerable balance but not a comfortable balance.

Most freelance businesses don’t require a heavy equipment investment. Marketing and living expenses will eat most of a freelancer’s budget.

Unless you have a few months of clients lined up, or you’re independently wealthy, you’ll need a plan to support yourself until you can freelance full-time.

The following are eight freelance entry plans…

1. The Moonlighter

This is the plan that comes to mind most often when people think of starting a business. It involves doing client work in the evenings and on weekends to make way for a full-time job.

Good cell phone service is a must. I have a friend who actually brought his own laptop and wireless air card to work so he could answer client emails during lunch and other breaks. He actually became more productive in his regular job because he stayed at his desk most of the day.

If you have banked vacation or sick days, take a few days off each month to complete larger projects. Being deliberate but flexible with your time off will help you succeed much faster.

2. The Part Timer

This plan is different in that the freelancer takes a part-time job while working the business in the mornings or afternoons.

If you’re super efficient, you might be able to setup an arrangement with your employer to work part-time a few days each week. Once your boss sees that you can still get your work completed without glitches, you might be able to go part-time…full-time.

3. The Employee to Contractor Plan

If you love what you do, but you’d rather do it as a freelancer, you might be able to turn your full-time job into a contracting position—taking your employer as your first customer.

If you’re trying to make a case for saving your employer money, try dropping what I call the “non benefit, benefits”. For instance, my previous, and last, employer had a magnificent profit sharing/retirement plan.

The catch? I had to work a minimum of seven years to receive any actual monetary compensation. Was it a benefit? Yes. Was it something benefiting me at the moment? No. So, it was no love lost on my end. But my employer saw it as a huge money saver in the long run.

4. The Cash Plan

Attention all penny pinchers and budgeteers. If you have the discipline to save all your profits, and look for ways to save within your salary, you can amass a nice cushion to live off when you quit to go full-time.

Once you have the money saved, you can focus on getting a customer backlog a month or two deep. If your business takes off, you won’t feel pressured to stay at your job. Your bank account will give you the confidence to put in your notice.

5. The Spouse Plan

This is a popular option for two income couples, especially if one spouse can produce enough income to cover all monthly expenses.

One way to make this work is to pay off all consumer debt (credit cards) and car loans. When one debt is paid off, rollover the payment to the next debt. With each card, or car, paid off, you get an instant raise.

When the first spouse’s business starts going strong, the other spouse has the option to quit and start a business too.

6. The Temp Plan

Using local temporary employment agencies is another avenue to working while building your business.

This type of arrangement could be a catch-22 if the temp work becomes full-time for a long period. Most temporary agencies will give you enough flexibility to work on freelance stuff.

The other benefit is that you can quit anytime. Since you won’t be attached to any single employer, you’ll be ready to bail at a moment’s notice.

7. The Client Financing Plan

If you have a lot of contacts, you can approach companies to obtain retainer contracts. For a discount of up to 25 percent, you’ll offer your services in exchange for guaranteed income.

You’ll have to be willing to work under an agreement for a year. Once the year is up, you can choose to raise your rates or move on to other clients (you were marketing over the course of the year, right?).

8. The Outsourcing Plan

I was on the moonlighting plan and this plan. When I first started, cost was the biggest issue. Ok, it was the only issue.

I don’t recommend taking yourself out of the picture completely. Your reputation is the only thing you have. It’s much better to take on fewer clients and do good work than to take on too many clients and deliver junk.

Don’t be surprised if it takes a dozen tries to find the right people. I’m lucky to have found several ladies that do outstanding work and are affordable too.

I don’t know too much about programming, but I do know that you get what you pay for when it comes to writing. Keep searching for higher quality people as your budget allows.”

Thanks again to my friends at Freelance Sprout for their wonderful work! Check their site out, there really are some great tips on there.

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