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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 lot’s 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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