I’m moving! Well, I moved last week. I’ve lived most of my life in New Jersey and now I’m a New Yorker! Of course the prospect of moving is stressful but all things considered this was a pretty easy move. Moving to a new home always has the potential to suck, especially for a voice talent who works from home. If you are moving or planning on moving in the near future, here are some tips to making your move go as smoothly as possible…
TIP OF THE WEEK
Over-budget for your move and give your self extra time to pack. There are always unexpected expenses and logistical challenges.
Create lists. Being prepared and thinking things out way in advance will make your life SO much easier! For example, my move had an extra layer of fun since about half of my possessions went into storage. I did the storage move about two weeks before the actual move and it really helped me prioritize my tasks. Google Sheets was a huge help in keeping me organized so I knew what stuff was going where as well as a permanent record of what’s in storage and in which box.
Let your clients know. Obviously you need to inform the cable company, phone company, energy company, post office, bank, insurance providers, healthcare providers, and the DMV that you’re moving, but also your clients. That can prove to be a bit tricky. I announced that I’m moving in my last two newsletters but not every client is subscribed to it, much less reads it regularly. I think the best way to handle it is one client at time as you correspond with them. I’d also check your outstanding invoices to see which clients haven’t cut you a check yet so you can make sure said check gets to you. Yes, mail forwarding is good for a year, but it’s best not to leave anything to chance, especially when it comes to your mail. Oh, and don’t forget to send them an updated W9 form!
Have a plan for your new office. Label your cables! It will make your life exponentially easier to reassemble not just your recording space but your desk as well as your TV/entertainment center.
Don’t buy any new gear until you move in. Whether you have a walk-in booth or are converting a closet/attic/basement/garage, you will most likely need new cables, XLR and otherwise. Take measurements before you move in (if you can) so you have an idea of what you may need but I wouldn’t recommend making any purchases until you move in and set everything up. You may need to run cables over a doorway, for example and it may take much more cable than you think.
NEWS AND NOTES
Tuesday, April 24th @7PM EST: My Abacus Entertainment ‘Time Management for your VO Business’ seminar is tonight! There are still a few in-person seats left. If you can’t be there in person you can stream it via Zoom. If you can’t make it you can purchase the video up to 30 days after the seminar. Hope to see you tonight! Click here to sign up.
Thursday, April 26th @8PM EST: my next Edge Studio “Marketing 201” webinar topic will be ‘Keeping Clients Coming Back’. We’ll talk about the most important (and simple) marketing technique of all! Click here to sign up.
November 9-11: MAVO is coming!
I will be one of the guest speakers and it’s going to be a blast. Be sure to get your tickets now while you still can. Learn more at MidatlanticVO.com!
HAPPY HAPPYS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
From my village to yours; this is Tom Dheere, The H is Silent, but I’m Not.
Tom Dheere is a 20+year veteran of the voice over industry who has narrated thousands of projects for clients in over a dozen countries. He is also a coach at Edge Studio, voiceover business consultant known as the Voice Over Strategist, and is currently producing the comic book “Agent 1.22”.