So… what exactly does that mean? “Taking care of business?” Does it mean returning all the phone calls you received by the end of the day? Or stopping off at your local office supplier and stocking up on paper because you’re out of it? Does it mean (especially if you are voice over actor) that because you feel a dry “tickle” in the back of your throat that you better quickly make sure you have the right remedies on hand? Yes, yes and if you know what is good for you, YES!

It means all these… and more. “Taking care of business” means that since you are the one “driving this pickup truck,” you better be the one making sure it gets a tune-up every 7,500 miles or so. It means that because your agent only makes 10% and you make 90% of the job, that you better be 100% in good communication with him/her to make sure that your personal “needs and wants” as a client are totally understood. More importantly, it also means that you must be a professional, in and out of the workplace.

To be more specific:

Taking Care of Your Home Office
I don’t know about you, but my office is my haven. It is my sanctuary of organization and it is in the quietest part of my house. In fact, it sits high above any other space on my property, in the attic above the Master Bedroom. I call it my “tree house.” I love that no matter what time of day it is, I can always retreat to my sanctuary. And I do. (I have been known to tip-toe upstairs to my office and work steadily from 2:00 am till 7:00 in the morning — only to “switch hats” and become “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer” for getting my kids breakfast!) When I really don’t want to be disturbed, I pull the plug on the phone — then it is really quiet! I find that my best work is done right after I put my kids to bed, after I give one last kiss to 15-year-old Lucy. (She is a dancer and works her body out so much that she is asleep before her blonde braids hit the pillow.) Then I slip into 13-year-old Jack’s room and give him one last squeeze before he is down for the count. (Sheep, that is.) Once the lights are out and the dogs are properly settled in, I head upstairs to my refuge and begin the task of, “Taking care of business.”

I go through and handle a thick packet of memos and other items given to me from my personal assistant.

I do any auditions that came in that day (usually they want the submission by the next day).

• I confirm or pass on any invitations.

• I get special requests for autographs and do the signing.

• I give my “personal autograph” to any checks for the business.

• I handle requests from staff members. (I currently have five staff.)

• Phone calls are returned.

• I continue with ongoing projects, including writing articles for AWN, answering questions for magazine interviews, any online interviews, etc.

• And finally, I will open up and respond to emails (Averaging about 30/day — my ass’t receives about 200/day)

I average no less than ten hours a week, doing personal administration. And this is not including putting together special “Bart Baskets” for charity events that I donate, signings hundreds of autographs from fans all around the world and making phone calls as Bart, Nelson, Ralph, Chuckie, Rufus the Naked Mole Rat, etc. to terminally ill children. Believe me, it wasn’t always this way. I feel I have a successful work ethic that enables me to efficiently handle “the business” at hand in order to free myself up so I can do things that are more creative.