Daily Inspiration: Meet Tracy Lindley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Lindley.

Hi Tracy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I had an internship at the local cable company during my junior year of college to try and figure out what I wanted to do once I earned my Communication degree. I quickly figured out that ad sales were NOT what I wanted to do, but while I was there, one of the producers said that I had a nice voice and asked me to read a 30-second commercial for a cable broadcast. I found out that I had a natural sense of timing and inflection and my words were clearly understood. And I also loved it! Fast forward 10 years and 3 kids later and I told the producer I couldn’t keep coming to his studio to record as my family demands were too much. Then he said those magic words that would propel my career forward: “Did you know people do this from home?”

That’s all it took for me to immediately begin researching the industry I now knew was called “Voiceover!”
I watched YouTube videos, listened to podcasts, read articles, and got professional training and vocal coaching before recording my first two demos and creating a website for my new business.

It took me about five years to build my income up to what I had made before I left the corporate world, then I reached my goal of getting to that elusive 6-figure income in 2018… and it just keeps building! I attribute the majority of my success to networking on LinkedIn as well as in person at industry conferences and online discussion groups. I even created a course to teach other freelancers and voice actors my methods which can be found at TheLinkedInEdge.com

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This industry is extremely competitive! It takes a lot of confidence and a positive mindset to offset the challenge of competing with those in LA or NYC who may have a lot more acting experience and training than I do. But one thing I understand is how to talk to people, so that’s what I think about when I record: How would I want this message to be conveyed to me?

I have a big personality and a natural love of interacting with other humans, so even though marketing was sometimes boring in the beginning when I was trying to get my business off the ground, I just kept in mind that behind every email address or LinkedIn profile I sent a message to, there is a real person!

Time management has been a factor since the beginning because I currently have four children ages 7-13 (who also do voice acting!) and found out I was pregnant with our youngest the same year I started my business. I know firsthand how hard it is to juggle being a parent and trying to follow your career dreams!

I have always built my business in what I call “the cracks of life” and taught my kids to behave in a way that respects the boundaries needed to create and maintain a home-based business. I’m so pleased that all four have chosen to do voice acting as well, with the youngest getting her first job at only 3 years old! And though they may go a different way as they get older, they are learning valuable business and money management skills as well as professional communication through the opportunity to be a working professional voice actor before they’re even old enough to go work at a traditional job.

It was hard at the beginning not to be discouraged when I wasn’t booking jobs through agents or online casting websites, so to combat that I began seeking out direct client relationships through direct marketing via email and LinkedIn communication. That turned into great success and I began speaking at industry conferences in my third year of business and have been asked to speak at several more in-person and online events within the voiceover industry ever since.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in providing voiceover for radio/tv/web commercials, e-learning/training for corporations and non-profits, and all kinds of videos for web use like explainer, brand, product, or corporate narration videos. I was the premier voice for Amazon Pharmacy when it first launched, and I am the current brand voice for Dollar Bank and Realtor.com

I guess my clients might say they hire me because my voice sounds familiar, authentic, relatable, and human. I also have the ability to sound clear and articulate without overenunciating words. I learned to read when I was 4 years old and that strong literacy and copy-editing skills have come in really handy during live-directed sessions when I need to read ahead and/or make copy changes on the fly!

I think some of the things that set me apart as a voice-over talent are my strong communication skills, my desire to go over and above what is asked of me, my sense of professionalism, and my non-diva attitude.

Something else that’s a big part of my story is how I started using a free LinkedIn profile to reach out directly to prospective clients not long after I entered the voiceover industry.

I was told by a friend that every professional should be part of this platform, but as I experimented more with it over the course of the first two years of business, I realized it was a great place to connect with video producers and others who needed voiceover services! As I began to use LinkedIn more and more, these relationships became the main reason for my rapid business growth. Other voice talent started asking me about how I use LinkedIn to meet new clients, and I eventually turned my knowledge into an on-demand online course called “The LinkedIn Edge”.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
One of my first “accidental” mentors was Jodi Krangle, an amazing voice talent based in the Toronto area. We met in a LinkedIn group and began emailing and she was SO patient and answered all my many questions with grace and kindness. We are still friends today and in a monthly accountability group together. I highly respect and appreciate Jodi.

Some of my favorite voice-over coaches are Mary Lynn Wissner, Thom Pinto, and David Rosenthal–they are amazing! They are personable, have my best in mind, and are encouraging but not afraid to give me tough love when evaluating and helping me strengthen my vocal performance and style.

My husband Matthew deserves a TON of credit for always encouraging me in those early years and believing in me and what I could accomplish. He is my most consistent cheerleader though he very much likes to stay behind the scenes, and has never gotten jealous when I became the higher earner in the family.

He’s always understanding when I have to work late to meet a client deadline, helps with transporting the kids when I have a session that runs over, and is happy to jump in with domestic mundane chores around the house (ie: dinner, homework, etc.) without complaint. We’ve been married for 18 years now and there’s no way I could have built this business without his help!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.tracylindley.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracylindleyvo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracylindleyvoiceovers
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracylindleyvo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TracyLindley
• LinkedIn Edge: https://www.thelinkedinedge.com/

Image Credits
Juhl Media