Ah, the age-old question: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 

If you’re like me, the 5-year plan seems like an ever-shifting target. You’ve got a hazy idea of where you’d like to be – but things change along the way. Life happens. Pandemics pop up. You know…the unexpected. 

As with most things, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s important to strike a balance. A balance between planning and going with the flow. Between left and right brain. Between creativity and numbers crunching. And of course, between our hearts and our heads.

If you’re like me, you started your voice-over business with a handful of rather vague goals.

My original goals were:

• To have the freedom to keep my job while living (or traveling) anywhere
• To tell stories for a living
• To fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a cartoon character
• To make money using silly voices
• To have control over my schedule
• To be in a job I love
• To redefine what it means to “make it” as a creative professional and artist

These goals are great…but they’re vague. They’re not SMART goals. 

SMART Goals

What’s a SMART goal? Glad you asked. 

A SMART goal is one that is…

Specific. My goal of “to tell stories for a living” is pretty vague. To make it a SMART goal it must be specific. For example, I’d like to get paid to read audiobooks. 

Measurable. Your goal should also be measurable. I can say I’d like to, “be in a job I love”, which is vague. In order to measure my achievement of that, I’d need to define it by, “I want to make $1500 each month as a voice-over artist”. Much more concrete. 

Achievable. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Understand what you can achieve and what is a stretch. Challenge yourself while setting yourself up for success. Do you have another full-time job? Then you don’t have 30 hours a week to devote to voice-over. Set aside three hours each Saturday morning., and stick to it. 

Realistic. Be realistic. This is key not only to accomplishing goals but to staying motivated and staving off frustration along the way. Don’t ask yourself to make a  six figure voice-over salary in six months. That’s a recipe for frustration. Instead, tell yourself you’re going to book six audiobooks this year. Then set a course for how to achieve that by blocking off time to audition, tracking how many auditions you send in, and finding ways to get feedback on your performance. 

Time-Bound. Finally, a SMART goal is time-bound. Meaning there’s a deadline. Don’t leave it open-ended to happen “some day”. Going back to the original vague goal of “get paid to read stories” let’s make this time-bound. For example, “I’d like to get one paying audiobook gig by the end of 2022”. Boom: a deadline. 

So, let’s translate my vague goals from above into SMART ones: 

I’d like to…

• Make $1500 each month narrating audiobooks within 5 years. 

To do this I will…

• Spend 3 hours each Saturday morning sending in auditions for audiobooks. 

Now let’s look at how these goals can grow year by year: 

• By the end of 2022, I’ll have narrated four audiobooks. 
• In 2023, I’ll narrate 10 more audiobooks. 
• In five years, I’ll be narrating two audiobooks each month at a rate of $250 PFH.

Notice how now I’ve got a few clearly defined achievable goals that set me on a path toward the five year goal of making an actual, realistic living telling stories. 

And here comes the tough part…actually doing it. 

Making it Happen

Here’s what’s worked for me (and what, consequently, I recommend for others):

1. Write it down. It’s likely you’ve heard this advice before. That’s because it WORKS. Goals have a higher likelihood of coming true if they’re written down. You’re even more likely to achieve your goals if you pin them on a wall, refrigerator, or mirror where you’ll see them daily.
2. Tell a friend. Don’t just tell anyone on the street. Tell a trusted friend, perhaps a partner, what you intend to achieve. Someone who will check in with you in a few months to see how it’s going. Someone who will encourage you when the going gets tough.
3. Break it down. Starting with vague and lofty goals is great (like my examples above), but then break them down into SMART goals and break those SMART goals further down into yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly targets. 
4. Periodic evaluations. Every six months or so, schedule time on your calendar (bBlock off a couple of hours) to evaluate where you are on your goal achievement journey. Are there any you can tick off? Any unexpected developments? Any goals you want to change or reword? Strategies you need to readjust? You’re allowed to change your mind! The universe may throw something unexpected your way and now you’re redirecting your attention – that’s okay!
5. Make new goals. To keep forward motion in your business, set new goals as you cross old ones off. As you climb the mountain, you learn along the way. Set your sights on higher heights. Don’t get comfortable and rest on your laurels just because you can. Although FIRST, you deserve a celebration – congrats on achieving your original goals!

No matter where you are in your voiceover business-building journey, having a direction and a vision for what your business will become is not only helpful but necessary.

After all, it’s tough to go “confidently in the direction of” one’s dreams, as Thoreau encourages us to if you’re not sure which direction you want to travel.

Caroline Turner Cole is a voice-over artist, writer, and yogi. Follow along or say hey on Instagram and Twitter!