Written by: Stephanie Ciccarelli, Co-founder and chief brand officer at Voices.com
Twitter: @voices @stephciccarelli
Got a job? What are you working for? Over the years, I’ve realized that in order for a job to satisfy personal and professional goals, the work being done needs to be meaningful. All work has meaning, and as it turns out, can have the ability to change the world.
When my husband David and I set out to create what is now Voices.com, we were motivated by creating wealth for others as well as ourselves by doing something we loved. Our tools were industry knowledge, writing and design skills and having a knack for connecting people to achieve a common goal. Appreciating that self-taught HTML and coding skills have their limits, we began working with a freelance web developer to build the infrastructure for what is now an award-winning web service that over 250,000 people around the world rely upon to get voice-over work done, whether they are talented voice artists, or the clients looking to connect with them.
As our team grew, the square footage around us also expanded, indeed so much so that we were knocking down modular walls one by one at the Convergence Centre on what felt like a regular basis. These were some of our earliest days; the days before missions with the Canadian government to technology accelerators in Silicon Valley and New York, and if you can believe it, the days of our 1-person IT department. As you can imagine, we’ve come a long way from then, due greatly to our desire to house a fully-fledged staff of web developers.
Our goal is the same now as it was then: to lead and transform a 100-year-old industry. We’ve been part of a massive paradigm shift from analog to digital; from Steamboat Willie to Elsa and Anna, and able to count giants like Guglielmo Marconi, Jack L. Warner and Walt Disney as ancestors of our industry’s technological and creative heritage.
Coming to work everyday means knowing that we are not only taking an art form to the next level but breaking down traditional barriers that once made it harder for people to connect, communicate and collaborate to achieve their goals. Making a positive impact is something our team does everyday regardless of time zone, geography, currency or language.
What we do could literally be done from anywhere in the world. That said, London is home but it’s also one of the best places we could have possibly been situated. The city is equipped to meet all our practical needs and then some, a sentiment shared not only by my co-founder and I, but by scores of others who feel the drive to create, innovate, and excel artistically, socially, and corporately.
The sheer increase in startups and social enterprise speaks to the opportunity and support that London offers those who are willing to pursue the beauty of their dreams. There are so many dreams and no shortage of dreamers whose dreams can help make yours a reality.
As we say at Voices.com, we’re a #OneTeamOneDream kind of company. As we continue to grow in all departments, I hope that our dream collides with yours.
