If I were able to go back to when I began as a personal historian, what’s the best advice I could give myself? Here’s what I’d say.
- Talk to some experienced personal historians. Ask them about the rewards and challenges of their work. You’ll get a wealth of good advice and information.
- Have some cash reserves. Plan to have six months to a year of money to live on. It’s going to be financially tight as you start up. You don’t need the anxiety of wondering where your next meal is going to come from.
- Join the Association of Personal Historians. This is a great group for receiving moral support as well as concrete business and creative help. Find out more here.
- Create a business plan. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Check out The One Page Business Plan.
- Have a marketing plan. There’s lots of help out there. You might want to take a look at The Quick and Easy Marketing Plan.
- Ask yourself how well you work alone. If you’ve come from a job where you worked with others, the adjustment to working alone can be a challenge. Check out 12 Key Tips for Working Successfully Alone.
- Remember you’re a professional. Don’t give away your services. Calculate what you need to earn a year less your business expenses. This will give you a clue as to the fees you need to charge. Don’t haggle with clients. It’s not professional. Check out How Much Should You Pay a Personal Historian? and Are You Charging Hamburger Prices for Gourmet Work?.
- Always have a written legal contract. Nothing can spell disaster faster than going into a project without a contract.
- Ensure your clients pay a portion of the project costs upfront. I always have clients make an initial payment on signing the contract. This is a non-refundable deposit and provides some compensation for my time should clients back out of the project before we start. In addition, the contract stipulates a payment at the beginning of each stage of the work.
- Have a financial/accounting system in place. You need to keep a detailed record of revenue and expenses for both calculating taxes and assessing your progress. There are several good accounting programs such as QuickBooks which I use or Simply Accounting.
- Perseverance. You won’t achieve success overnight. You need to plan for at least two years of slogging in order to establish your business.
- Discipline. You need to have a solid work routine and stick with it. Spending an afternoon watching daytime TV or puttering in the garden is OK now and then but don’t make it a habit.
- Don’t waste money on print advertising. You can’t compete with the big boys and girls. Personal history clients want to be able to trust the person who is going to be recording the details of their lives. It’s better to put yourself in front of potential clients through talks and workshops. In time referrals will count for a good chunk of your business.
- Have a life. Make sure that you build in down time. It’s easy with your own business to work 24/7. This is a recipe for burnout and failure. Check out Are You Part of “The Great Vacationless Class”?
What’s the best advice you could give to someone starting out as a personal historian?
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Outstanding list, Dan. Thanks for sharing.
@Dr. Bill Smith. Thanks, Bill.
To your list, Dan, I would add two items: Subscribe to Dan Curtis’s blog, and attend the Association of Personal Historians annual conference. In addition to workshops helpful to the aspiring personal historian, there are pre-conference seminars specially designed for those just starting out.
@Pattie Whitehouse. Thanks, Pattie. Two excellent suggestions. I particularly like “subscribe to Dan Curtis’s blog”.
Dan,
Great list of resources. Thanks for mentioning the one-page business plan. There are 5 different books, more to come, software that helps you create a plan in 90-minutes and classes too!
http://www.TheResourceQueen.com/businessplans.html
@Maria Marsala. Thanks for the update, Maria.
Fantastic list Dan. Totally agree with all of them. What I’d add is – practice, practice, practice your interviewing technique with family and friends before taking the plunge into a personal history business. You need to know that you have what it takes to put people at ease in order for them to freely talk about their life with you. Having theoretical knowledge/skills is very different than having practical experience – and this is one field where you really need the practical experience!
@Louise Bibby Hocking. Thanks for your comments, Louise. I agree wholeheartedly with the need to practice, practice, and practice some more.
You are my blueprint for establishing my business. I am working on it slowly right now. But one of the things I’m doing is looking for anniversaries of organizations, businesses, and people in our local publications, and sending them a brochure and a letter of intro. Ideas like this that have worked for you and others would be greatly appreciated.
@lucyslegacy. I’m somewhat humbled that you’re using me as a blueprint for your business. Thank you for your confidence in me. I will certainly look at more marketing ideas to pass along. Are you a member of the Association of Personal Historians? It’s a great source of support and information. If you haven’t joined, I’d strongly recommend doing so.
All the best with your personal history business.
Thank you for the advice- I am just getting started in the field and your blogs are fantastic! I have been told by my writing friends that blogging is a great way to build your network- do you find it has helped your business, or is it just a way to stay visible? Thanks again!
@Monica Muehsam. Thank you for your comments, Monica. I’m pleased that you’re finding my blog of some help. Blogging can make you more visible and extend your network. But and it’s a big but, you really have to work at it. You have to show up regularly and provide good content. My blog is aimed primarily at professional personal historians which is a somewhat small niche. It’s difficult to assess how much it’s directly helped my business. Much success in your personal history work!