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Do
you struggle with the balance between needing to make enough
money to live while getting auditions and roles that pay?
You're not alone; it's a common challenge for actors.
Nothing's
more frustrating than missing real opportunities to drive
your acting career forward, while having to satisfy petty
needs, such as eating and making rent.
Wouldn't
it be great if you could name your own income, set your own
hours, and have the flexibility to be everywhere you need
to be to make things happen?
Why
not become your own bo.ss?
It
may seem pretty far-fetched at first glance, but take a second
glance and it may get nearer-fetched. You're already in business
for yourself, so it's just good practice for your marketing
skills, setting & achieving goals, and investing yourself
in something you really care about.
And
you have an edge, in that you're already in the business of
creativity, innovation, and thinking outside the box. Any
business guru will agree, these are some of the most important
qualities for any business owner.
If
you can see every failure as a success, there's nothing that
can stand in your way.
Here
are a few ideas:
Love
animals? Recreate yourself as a dog-walker or pet-sitter.
Prove that you'll take the best care of your clients' pets,
and you can make a tidy sum with upscale clients.
Another
actress friend financed her acting habit for a long time by
doing skin care and waxing for wealthy women. Because it gave
her the flexibility to audition and travel, she found paying
acting work much quicker than she would have in a corporate
or serving posiition. And she was able to leave it behind
once she make the leap to full-time consistent acting work.
Or
take Scott Baker, one of my clients in Atlanta. Scott trains
people to own and operate their own business using sweat equity
instead of bank loans. Using exclusive Swiss skin care and
healthcare products, his growing success is resulting from
helping others reach their dreams. Pretty sweet. Find him
on the web at http://goodlooks.myarbonne.com.
Become
a life coach. It's still a young profession, and there's nothing
better than helping people make their dreams a reality. The
initial training is affordable, and qualifies you to get right
to it. We work over the phone, so you can do it from anywhere.
Check
out Sheila Kelley's brainchild, fitness classes she calls
The S Factor:
"[it] came to life after I accidentally discovered my
sexual power and a fit body while researching and preparing
for a role in the film 'Dancing at the Blue Iguana.' My life
was changed forever. And now I want to share this extraordinary
journey with other women."
She
now has studios in LA and San Francisco, employs over 20 teachers,
and still gets to pursue a very successful acting career.
It's pretty clear this is a labor of love for her, and a very
lucrative one that continues steady growth.
Look,
you're already an entrepreneur anyway, so you might as well
do it all the time. Start a little bit at a time, pursue growth,
and you'll be surprised how quickly you find the freedom and
flexibility to do everything you want to do.
Attached
is a worksheet to help you come up with some ideas for your
own business that fit your values and personality. It's a
PDF file, so you may need to go to Adobe
to download the reader for fr*ee.
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Lessons
from ActorFest:
what every actor must adopt to be successful
This
is Dave Levine. I met Dave a couple of weeks ago at ActorFest
West in LA. Great headshot, yes?
A
Career Called Desire ~ in which actors:
Focus
on their deepest desires for a successful acting career
The
Confidence Factor ~ in which actors:
Experience
themselves at their most confident and empowered
The Empowered Lens ~ in which actors: