Meet Voice Actor Shalisha Samuel
“It’s not that serious! Similar to pay-as-you-go phone services, learn as you go. No need to overthink it or make it look super perfect.”
Shalisha Samuel
Okay, let’s get started on the interview!
Tell us who you are in 50 words or less.
I’m a dynamic woman with big dreams! Did I say that out loud? Yes, I did. I know the power of ‘I’ and ‘I am,’ and each day I speak the life I want to live into reality.
My major purpose in life relates to recognizing the capacity of man - the power of our thoughts to shift the world we experience with our senses. I enjoy being wowed at the beautiful life I create. A major goal is sharing all of the nuggets on life I learn with others interested in having a juicy, fulfilled, and exciting life.
I’m also an attorney, an actor, a daughter, an auntie, and a wife. Ok, that was more than 50 words.
How and why did you start your business?
I unknowingly started offering voice acting services in 2010 when I did a voice-over for a TV commercial I appeared in. Looking back at the commercial, I can hear a soft voice that, deep down, wants to speak up in the way she imagines in her head.
Advertising agencies and studios kept asking for me to return and boom, I had a business! Voice acting was also always a dream. I grew up playing around with my voice, doing different accents, and recording the welcome message on my friends' families' answering machines.
What services do you offer in your business?
I lend my fruit punch accent to radio and TV commercials.
What makes your business or services unique?
My accent piques people’s interest because it’s sometimes hard to figure out where I’m from. Since the age of seven, I’ve lived in many countries and like a tapas, I picked up accents wherever I lived. So, listeners pay attention because ‘something about that voice is different’ - or even familiar. I’m also fun and easy to work with!
Me as an Ice Queen.
Having a functional website is an important aspect of running a business. How was the process for you to get your website up and running? For example: Did you create it on your own or did you hire a web designer? Which platform is your website hosted on?
I created my own website on WordPress using templates. However, years later I hired a web developer because I wanted some advanced features and had no interest in figuring them out myself.
What resources are you finding helpful in your business right now?
I have taken a small break from business as usual, but prior to my break, I liked Ninja Invoice for helping me send invoices to clients.
What is the one thing you wished you had known before starting your entrepreneurial journey?
It’s not that serious! Similar to pay-as-you-go phone services, learn as you go.
NO NEED TO OVERTHINK IT OR MAKE IT LOOK SUPER PERFECT.
If you’re nervous then good, you can still do something and be a bit nervous. That hesitation is there when having a $2 million dollar year.
Tell us about a time when life threw you a serious curveball in your business and what you did to overcome that curveball?
I wish I had a great story to share but I haven’t faced many business-related curveballs. Perhaps AI is eating a bit into every artist’s work now and even that I’m still trying to navigate.
For now, I know I bring my authentic self to my clients and offer them the best.
How have you grown personally from becoming an entrepreneur?
I’VE BECOME LESS LIKELY TO DELAY TAKING ACTION IN MY PERSONAL LIFE.
What one misconception about the entrepreneurial journey would you like to clarify for us today?
Misconceptions about entrepreneurship are usually with the employed in traditional jobs because we entrepreneurs know! (lol). Outsiders may think that you instantly make money and while that happens for some, it’s not the norm.
You do have more control over your time, but you might find that a lot of it still involves client work.
While you can create boundaries, full freedom with high revenue in the beginning is, once again, uncommon. But that doesn’t mean it's impossible - it’s absolutely possible!
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own business?
Depending on where you live, there’s no need to register your business. Consider doing a pilot run first. If you think there is a need to register a name quietly, go ahead, but don’t get caught up in the corporate outfitting too soon.
Many first-timers, including myself, focus on things like registering the name, branding, website, trademark and a bank account.
BEFORE BUSINESS FORMALITIES, THERE WAS SIMPLY THE ACT OF OFFERING A SERVICE.
If you can, offer your service as an individual first, while keeping receipts for accounting purposes, before transitioning into formal structures.
I once had an incorporation with shareholders, corporate bylaws, a beautiful logo, a stunning website (I cashed out my then life insurance policy to do this! ugh), a bank account, a checkbook, and a company stamp- yet $0 in revenue. Yes, zero dollars from incorporation to the fizzling out of the business. I didn’t need any of those things at the time. Of course, this depends on the nature of your business but I’ll encourage first-timers to offer the service as an individual for some time and then incorporate.
The corporate veil is a lie, you can still be sued as an individual so why not start the journey as an individual?
What are some fun facts you would like to share about yourself?
I love and I mean absolutely love parodies and memes. I’m the meme Queen and I’m planning to host a party with friends where we show memes and parodies. Ok, there’s no party planned but I’m calling it!
What is one thing you’re grateful for right now?
I’m grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life who love and support me and who I can support in return!
What are you looking forward to in the next month?
I’m extending my 2-week challenge of gaining full possession of my mind, focussing on eating well and working out (lifting heavy weights). I’m excited to see how my body will look and how I’ll feel in the next month.
