How Much Money - Specifically - Can You Expect To Make?

You're about to get the real low down on the specifics of potential/expected earnings.

It's 4:13AM. I'm writing a blog post. If you want to have a life, don't start a voiceover side hustle business, weakling. Right now, I'm telling myself, "If you want to have a successful book, put as much energy into it as you have, weakling." Unless you're in the lucky sperm club, which I ain't. Unless you're in the top 10% of all the other brains out there, which I ain't. Then me and you? We gotta work our asses off for what we get.

The elephant in the room is numbers. You want numbers. I'm about to give them to you. Straight up.

What You Can Actually Expect to Make as a Voice Actor (Without the Fluff)

🎤 The Harsh Truth About the Money (And Why You Should Still Do It)

If you're thinking about jumping into voice-over, chances are you've seen some wild claims:

“I made $10,000 in my first month!”“Quit your job and voice in your pajamas full time!”

And while that can happen (especially if you're Morgan Freeman with a USB mic), for most of us — that’s not reality.

Let’s talk about what to actually expect… based on hard-earned, been-there, screamed-into-the-pillow data.

🗓️ First 3 Months – “WTF Did I Get Myself Into?”

Expected Monthly Earnings: $100 to $700

This is the slow crawl. You’re building profiles, watching tutorials, begging AI to help you write your Fiverr gig descriptions, and getting ghosted by Upwork clients.

You might book a job here or there — maybe a local business, podcast intro, or someone’s wacky YouTube channel. But this is more about laying bricks than cashing checks.

If I see something attainable, and I know I need to put more work in to get it - I put the fu**ing work in. My 1st 3 months, I got some orders. They were low ball orders, but I did them with gusto, because I had something to prove. I've said in the blogs and in the book a BILLION TIMES - over deliver, no matter who you are, where you are, how long you've done it - OVER DELIVER. Your motto in these 1st 3 months BETTER BE - "YES YES AND YES! PLEASE let me do more for you - for a cup of coffee." If that isn't you and you think you're above that, you're in the wrong place.

Your Wins in This Stage:

• Building a killer demo (or three)

• Getting your first reviews

• Figuring out how to use your DAW without rage-quitting

  
  

Pro Tip: Any money you do make here? Reinvest it into better gear or coaching. You’re not in profit land yet. One more time, you ain't in profit land yet.

🗓️ 1 to 6 Months – “Okay, I Don’t Suck… Right?”

Expected Monthly Earnings: $800 to $3,000

You're starting to get a groove. You’ve landed some repeat clients. Your Fiverr gig might be generating some traffic. You’ve done enough lowball jobs to finally raise your rates a tiny bit without shaking.

What Changes Now:

• You’re more confident on the mic

• You’ve learned how to say “no” to scope creep

• You have a system: recording, editing, invoicing, delivering — like a business

  
  

Biggest Struggle?

Keeping momentum. The work can be feast or famine. That $800 month? It might be followed by a $150 one. Welcome to freelancing.

IMPORTANT: The 1st 3 to 6 months is the make or break period. If you make it past 6 months without giving up - and you still have the passion, you'll make it. You have to dig deep though, because as I've said - there will be moments where you're down, sad, mad, questioning yourself . . . all that. You know how Navy Seals have Hell week? This is your Hell 6 Months. It's the TRUTH! One more time, if you make it this far, you will make it.

🗓️ First Year – “This Might Actually Be a Thing”

Expected Yearly Earnings: $5,000 to $15,000(or $400–$1,200 per month average)

This is where the shift happens. If you’ve stayed consistent — keyword: consistent — you’re starting to build a presence. You’ve upgraded your studio, nailed your genre (e-learning, radio imaging, corporate explainers), and you’re getting found more easily.

You Now Have:

• Clients who come back without you chasing them

• Better instincts for quoting projects

• A calendar that occasionally gets too full

  
  

But Also: You’ve defined your hustle. By now you know where to find money and where not to find money. This comes from experience, and your experience will be vastly different than mine. In essence, that's kind of the beauty of this business.

🗓️ First 2 Years – “I Run a Business Now”

Expected Yearly Earnings: $25,000 to $115,000+

(Yes, that range is wide — because your effort will be the X-factor)

You’ve moved from side hustle to actual business. Maybe you’re not quitting your day job just yet, but you’ve built something that’s paying bills, replacing income, or giving you real financial breathing room.

By now:

• You’re a Top Rated Seller on Fiverr (or damn close)

• You’ve raised your rates — and clients are still saying yes

• You’ve got templates, contracts, workflows, and boundaries

  
  

And the biggest win?

People refer you. Other voice actors know your name.You’re a pro.

💡 Final Thoughts

This can be a six-figure career. But it starts with that first $25 job you deliver at 1AM, with a sock over your mic, wondering if anyone's even listening.

I made $80,000 my first year. NO ONE IN RADIO that I told that to believed me. In the modern era, do you know how many people in radio make $80,000 per year? Probably about 20 right now. I kept telling them how to do it - and to this day I tell them how to do it. Of all the people I've told exactly what I've told you in this book and in these blogs, not one person has gotten beyond the breaking point I mentioned above. Every single one of them gave up - but these people mainly gave up because they thought since they had a radio background, they could over charge - and when they found out people weren't buying it, it hurt their egos and they bowed out like the little pussy cats they are.

This isn't a DABBLE business. If anyone tells you differently, they're full of shit.

They are.

YOU keep going and YOU keep working.