LOVIN' MY CLIENTS

Published April 3, 2012

I absolutely LOVE being in business for myself.

Not that it doesn’t have its challenges. It does. I’ve just spent three hours figuring out and paying my quarterly taxes. Why does that have to be so complicated? It’s like the government is trying to screw you up so they can fine you and cause you to fail! What good will that do them?

But I digress.

What I really want to talk about are my clients.

See, I sit in my little studio for anywhere from eight to twelve hours a day voicing commercials, narrations and phone messaging. While I have a gorgeous view out my window, my world is pretty much focused on a microphone and a computer screen.

Usually a couple of times a day I have an ISDN session with another studio somewhere in the world. I love those sessions, mainly because I get to connect with live people! The rest of my time is spent between the sound booth and the edit desk. Basically the only person I really interact with for the most of the day is…me.

So you, my client, become my office partner; the co-worker that I get to goof around with and share my life with.

It’s an odd dynamic, really. I love getting to know about you and your family. Hearing about your passion for bike riding or hiking is really fascinating. Or that you just got married after dating for seven years because you’re such a dolt that you couldn’t take the next step. Or that you’re really struggling with what to do with your elderly parent that is dealing with dementia. Me too.

I find my European clients to be quite intriguing. My English and Spanish come naturally because I grew up with it, but my European clients amaze me that they have intentionally learned English so well and have opened up a whole new world for themselves. Above all, it’s such an amazing experience to get to know them and discover how they view America and American culture and politics.

Have you noticed how many geographic cultures there are in the United States? I’m in the Midwest, an area that most people think is just cow pies and prairies. That’s OK. Keep thinking that and stay away. But I love connecting with people from all over the U.S. There are so many amazing lifestyles and perspectives. Don’t think so? Just spend a few moments with someone in New York and follow that up with a visit with someone in San Diego. Same thing between Seattle and Miami.

The bottom line is that my clients make my life so much more interesting! Thank you!
More importantly, getting to know my clients on a personal level just affirms that we’re all in this together. So many of my clients are also small businesses. I mean, I have the pleasure of doing business with some extremely large clients, but many of my clients are like me…small businesses, focused on providing the best service to their customers.

Does it get any better than that?