As I was living in Bahrain (a Kingdom in the Persian Gulf) I was approached by a British radio DJ who had heard my voice as a singer with a local rock band and onstage in many theatrical productions. He asked if I had ever considered doing voice-over work. I told him that I had been told I might do well in that industry but I had never followed up on it. I ended up recording two radio commercials (ads for two restaurants) and they were broadcast over the radio in Bahrain. I got very good feedback and I decided that voice-over work was the way I wanted to earn a living. I have since recorded some answering service work for a realty company in Florida.
I have performed in many on-stage productions in a variety of roles (old, young, blind, English, American) and enjoyed every minute of it. I always had good reviews in the newspaper and from friends and acquaintances. Whilst doing the plays, I also performed as the lead singer for a rock band for 3 years and singer with an Irish/Scottish band at the same time. All of which led to my doing voice-over work!
I have an AKG Perception 420 microphone which is excellent for home recording. I use a Roland Juno-G (a 128 voice expandable synthesizer) with an audio/midi voice/song recorder.
Back in the corporate world, I worked for executives and business owners directly. My voice was always professional and easy to understand. I was once told by a co-worker that my voice would suit audio books. I worked in a psychotherapy practice which required excellent phone and interpersonal skills as psychological/medical emergencies did occur. Handling patient and health care professional calls with tact, discretion, and appropriate behavior on my part was a big reason I was valued by the head psychotherapist/owner.