YOUR BUSINESS
This Year, What Worked For Your Voice Over
Business - And What Didn't? How To Analyze 

By Dervla Trainor
Voice Actor & Educator

As we move through the holiday season and everyone is wrapping up projects and catching their breath in different ways, I love using this time to look back on the year with a bit more intention: What actually happened in my business this year and how far did I really come?

It’s so easy to forget the wins, the progress, the breakthroughs, and the tiny shifts you make along the way… especially in a business where most of us wear all the hats, and our hundreds of small efforts can take time before we see momentum. And especially because this year was... for lack of a better word, weird... year for many, many VOs.

So I want to give you a simple year-end exercise to help you look back and asses your 2025 clearly - and take some time to acknowledge that you actually have made progress this year. 

If you set aside time either today, this evening, this week or this coming weekend to work your way through this, it can give you some surprising clarity, and help immensely as you start to think about how you want your 2026 to look like.

STEP 1: GATHER THE BASICS
(5 minutes)

Before you dive in, collect the essentials. Don’t overthink. You just need enough to jog your memory:

• Your job list or invoicing records
• Your calendar (sessions, auditions, networking events, coaching, etc.)
• Any notes or wins you captured through the year
• A cup of coffee or tea, obviously

STEP 2: 'WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?'
Review (10-15 minutes)

Answer these questions quickly and honestly (without worrying about perfect wording):

1. What went well?
Think across:

• Income
• Client relationships
• Types of work
• Marketing efforts
• Systems
• Lifestyle (energy, consistency, boundaries)

Prompts to guide you:

• What brought in the most income?
• What clients or jobs lit you up?
• What strategies actually worked?
• What did you do this year that made you proud?

2. What didn’t go well?
Look at the friction points:

• Where did you waste time or energy?
• What projects, clients, or habits drained you?
• What opportunities did you miss because of bandwidth/time?
• Where did you procrastinate and why?

3. What surprised you?
Good or bad.

• What came easier than expected?
• What was harder than expected?
• What unexpected opportunities popped up?

STEP 3: NUMBERS SNAPSHOT
(10 minutes)

Keep it simple. You’re not doing taxes here.

Answer:

• Approx. total revenue
• Revenue by category (commercial, corporate, animation, eLearning, etc.)
• Top 3-5 clients by income
• Most common job types you booked
• Where most of your inquiries came from (referrals, email outreach, agents, website, social, etc.)

The goal: See where your business actually came from, not where you thought it came from.

STEP 4: CREATIVE/EMOTIONAL REVIEW
(10 minutes)

This part matters just as much as the numbers.

Prompts:

• What did I love performing this year?
• What felt aligned with my “zone of genius”?
• Where did I feel most confident and creatively alive?
• What drained my energy or made me dread the booth/work?
• What part of my VO business made me feel expansive… and what made me feel small?

STEP 5: LESSONS & INSIGHTS
(5-10 minutes)

Write down 5-10 things you learned this year. Examples:

• “When I batch my marketing, I get more done.”
• “Corporate work pays my bills more consistently than commercials.”
• “I book best when I don’t rush auditions.”

These become the foundation for planning the new year.

STEP 6: THE DECISION FILTER
(5 minutes)

Using everything you just reviewed, make a list of 3-7 filters you’ll use to guide next year’s choices.

These are simple statements like:

• “If it drains my energy, it’s a no.”
• “If it aligns with my zone of genius, it’s a yes.”
• “If it’s not worth the rate, I don’t negotiate myself down.”
• “If it moves me toward more recurring clients, I prioritize it.”

This becomes your clarity tool for next year so you're not guessing or reacting.

Once you’ve looked back at your year, the next step is to map out what you want 2026 to look like - in a way that's more aligned with how you work and what actually matters to you.

So next week (see newsletter subscription), I’ll send you a guided planning exercise to help you set yourself up for a focused, energized, more aligned 2026.

For now, take a little time to walk through this exercise and remind you of how far you’ve come! 

Now go out there, do a lil' something to celebrate all you've accomplished this year (even the small wins!), and prime yourself to set 2026 up for doing great things.
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ABOUT DERVLA
Dervla Trainor is a seasoned voice actor with over 11 years of experience, lending her voice to major brands like Pepsi, PayPal, Nike, Mercedes Benz, Facebook, Samsung, and Microsoft. In 2018, she founded V.O. North, Canada's premier annual voiceover conference, and in 2023, she launched the VO Kickstart Program to empower aspiring voiceover artists. She also initiated the Voiceover Speaker Series in 2024, a free, 4-day virtual event featuring industry experts. With a background in TV and commercial production, along with experience as a music industry agent, Dervla offers a uniquely multifaceted perspective on achieving success in voice acting. She remains committed to giving back to the voiceover community and uplifting voices in the field.

Web: www.vokickstartprogram.com
Web: www.vokickstartprogram.com
Web: www.dervlatrainor.com
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