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‘Increase Your Income By

Outsourcing,’ Says VO Mom -

Who Tripled Her Business!

Voice actor Moneen Daley Harte has been a popular major market voice for 23 years. Yet over the past three years she has tripled her voice-over business, and her success will be featured in the Voice 2008 conference keynote presentation by national voice talent/coach Susan Berkley. (The annual major industry conference comes to Los Angeles Aug. 8 to 11; Berkley’s address is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 8.) VoiceOverXtra asked Harte how she accomplished this jump in business ...

By Moneen Daley Harte

Voice Actor

MoVibe.com Voice-Overs

You’ve probably heard the adage “You gotta spend some to make some,” referring to spending money on a growing business.

It took me close to a decade to understand this basic concept. I was so proud of starting up my own business on trade - with no cash down - that I felt compelled to do my own printing, engineering, editing, marketing, demo production and accounting.

Now, how much time do you suppose I was spending on honing my craft and auditioning? Not a minute - and it showed.

COACHING HELP

Over the past three years, I’ve gotten over my control freak fears and asked some experts to assist. Here’s some of what happened.

I retained Susan Berkley as a voice coach who has helped me exponentially. Now I even record for her production company and am an instructor with her coaching company.

I started taking acting workshops in New York City with Tom Todoroff (a delightful force of nature).

Coaching from the pros has lifted me out of my comfort zone and has brought me higher quality and more satisfying projects.

MARKETING ADVICE

I hired a marketing consultant (only short term) to analyze where my time was wasted. I was shocked to discover my most time-consuming clients were the lowest paying!

So I turned my client base upside down and started asking for referrals. That move alone increased business by 30%.

STUDIO UPGRADE

I hired a top-notch audio engineer to upgrade and fine-tune my studio. I now have the low noise floor I’ve longed for, and the expert gallantly saved my bass from falling.

My butler’s closet now rocks a Neumann U87.

I also hired a bookkeeper to come in quarterly and sort out my financial messes to pass along to my accountant, who further cleans up my financial messes.

As for the domestic messes - which are plenty as I have a three- and six-year-old - I have maintained my merry attitude by passing the housework onto the Merry Maids.

OUTSOURCING WORKS

Are you outsourcing your most time-consuming tasks? Imagine what you could do with that extra time!

“You gotta spend some to make some."

Based outside Boston in the Auburn-Worcester market, Moneen Daley Harte notes career highlights including “on air fun” at Greater Media’s WMEX, WMJX and WKLB. She co-hosted Morning Magic with Emmy-award winner Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars), and received a standing ovation after narrating Twas the Night Before Christmas with the Boston Pops. She has also enjoyed many celebrity moments with Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar, Tony Randall, Meatloaf and Toby Keith. Voice-over clients include eBay, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Geographic, Comcast, Jaguar, and The Harvard Business School of Publishing. She invites your comments to this article …