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From the Boxing Ring to the VO Booth:
Training for Professional Success

By Tish Hicks, March 16, 2025

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If someone approached you and said, “I want to be a professional boxer,” what would you say?

How would you envision their next few years unfolding? When would you expect them to start making a living from boxing? What daily habits would they need to establish to build a foundation strong enough to reach a championship bout in Las Vegas?

And most importantly, what would convince you that they could actually achieve this dream?

Now, let’s turn the lens on ourselves. What expectations do we have when we say, “I want to be a professional voiceover artist?”

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The Commitment to Training

When we think of a boxer, we recognize the intense training required. A professional fighter must hone their physical, mental, and spiritual endurance long before stepping into the ring. They understand the stakes. Without rigorous preparation, they risk getting knocked out. We would be surprised if they could become competition-ready in less than a year or two.

While voice actors are not in physical danger when they enter the booth, what if we took our preparation just as seriously?

What if we dedicated time to mastering the basics until they became second nature, evolving into advanced, nuanced skills we could deliver instinctively?

What if we knew we were demo-ready because we could pick up any script in our genre and nail it within one or two takes, with or without direction?

What if we had the stamina to perform for hours, the adaptability to adjust on the fly, and the confidence to own our unique vocal style?

Like a boxer, we would be confident, competent, and hungry for success.

And that is when the real work begins.

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The Shift from Training to Business

Often, the hardest part of the journey is crossing the threshold from “I don’t know” to “working pro.” We pour our energy into training, but now it is time to build our business.

Our daily training practice must evolve into a structured business practice. Just as a medical or law professional develops their practice, a voice actor must cultivate a professional workflow that ensures consistent progress.

At this stage, it is tempting to abandon the discipline of training. We may feel ready to dive in or, conversely, terrified to put ourselves to the test.

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Building a Winning Team

A professional boxer never goes it alone. They build a team to support their career. Coaches, trainers, promoters, and managers all play a role in their success.

Similarly, voice actors need a solid support system. Who will be in your corner?

• Will you seek representation from an agent? Regional? Major Market? International?
• Will you build relationships within the voiceover community? Accountability partners, professional networks, or mentors?
• Will you join high-caliber working pro workouts where you get consistent feedback and exposure to industry decision-makers?
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Creating Opportunities

Just as a boxer must stay in peak condition, a voice actor must consistently work to secure auditions and bookings. If opportunities do not come knocking, how will you create them for yourself?

• Online casting platforms?
• Roster placements?
• Outreach to production companies?
• Direct marketing to potential clients?

Building a sustainable voiceover career requires more than just talent. It requires business acumen. Just like a law practice needs cases, a medical practice needs patients, and an architecture firm needs projects, a voiceover practice needs clients.

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Becoming the CEO of Your Business

At a certain point, we must shift our mindset from student to CEO. As a business owner, you are not only the talent. You are also the Director of Operations, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Administration.

These roles require new skill sets and the willingness to lead your own career. No one will care about your success more than you do. But when you build the right team around you, everyone benefits from collective momentum.

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The Payoff

The good news? If we train the right way on the way up, we will be ready to handle the challenges that come with professional success. A disciplined, focused mindset, combined with an established daily practice and an engaged professional network, equips us to sustain a thriving career.

When the preparation is solid, the transition to professional work is seamless. We move forward with confidence, consistency, and the joy of doing what we love.

So the only question left is:

Are you ready?♦♦♦

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