I Tried to Find My Why. I Found This Instead.

It's a very badly kept secret that I love motivational speakers and am moderately addicted to business insights. Well, last week I was listening to a Mel Robbins podcast. Her guest was Seth Godin, and part way through I hit pause and immediately signed up for his daily newsletter.

I love Simon Sinek and I’ve tried to find my Why. But putting a fine point on it is really tough. My answer: I do voice work because I’ve always had a fascination with audio. I like it and, honestly, I need to earn a living and voice over is what I want to do. 

Cue sad trombone. Not a very compelling “why”. I’ve gotta say it's been pretty frustrating to search and search and always come back to “I like it.” That's not a strong reason to book me. 

So when I heard Seth suggest you should ask yourself two questions: who is it for; what is it for, I saw a little flicker of light in a long, dark tunnel! It's similar to finding my why but it guides you to the specifics. 

For the “who” state the smallest viable audience for your product to meet your goals.

And for the “what” figure out what is the change you're here to make.

Ok, that just might be doable. And if it is, he reminded everyone that “if you solve people’s problems they will show up and ask you to do it again”. But you have to know who those people are to be successful.

And he gave a really good example. Say you're a hairstylist. Not just for people who need haircuts, but for women with curly hair who want a cut that looks more expensive than it was.

Saying “you could go to anyone for a haircut and I’m anyone” is not a compelling reason to pick you. But getting super specific about what you do and who it's for really helps you drill down.

That means you have to be brave enough to pass on work that doesn't meet your criteria. Better yet, refer them to someone that is absolutely perfect for their project. You can't buy that level of goodwill and it means saying yes to the right-fit work first, even if that means saying no more often.

So, where do I sit right now?

Well, on "find my why"...no. But who is it for? Creative Directors? Executive Producers? Or maybe I should name the category? Then there's the "what is it for". People who need reliable voice over? People who want to work with talent who can create a genuine connection?  I don't have the tidy one-liner answer yet. But I have been working on it.

In reviewing projects I’ve been cast for, shortlisted on, or liked, I was able to make two general categories that are more favorable to me than others: technology;  home and family. I’m torn because I enjoy and think I’m good at healthcare and financial, and I do book in those categories.  But 'who I enjoy' and 'who books me most' aren't the same list and Seth's whole point is that the second option might matter more.

I think my next step will be to talk to coaches and some trusted VO friends about where they think I fit. I think I’ll prepare demos for each category, and make sure I include a variety of spots, narrations, explainers and product promotions. Then I’ll ask them to judge where they feel I most naturally fit.  OOOH…maybe I’ll set up a landing page with a poll! That’ll make it easy on them and straightforward for me!

Do you have it figured out? Who is your VO for and what problem do you solve? Let me know in the comments!