Enrollment options

Course image Business Skills: Creating a Business
Basic Professional Development and Business Skills
Course Summary:

Note: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered. The book is available at GenealogyStore.com

  1. Mills, Elizabeth Shown, Professional Genealogy: A manual for researchers, writers, editors, lecturers and librarians (2001; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 2012).

Optional Print Course Material: Business Skills: Creating a Business

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Creating a genealogical or personal historian business requires many steps. First, there is self-analysis to determine who you are, what you want, how to achieve balance in work and personal life, and what kind of business you wish to start. Next, you will need to conduct business and marketing planning, market analysis, and establish an overall business structure. Finally, you must consider what you need for your business including supplies, income, and marketing opportunities. A productivity tool chest will help round out your plans and get you off on the right footing. In this course you will learn the skills you need to accomplish all these things and prepare yourself for starting a successful business. 

This course assumes that you have intermediate or advanced in either genealogy skills or personal historian skills (i.e. family history research, writing, photography, audio and video recording, and/or interviewing) and that you want to use those skills to create a business. 

Course Length: 7 weeks

Contact Hours: 18
Grading Scale: 70% Tests/30% Assignments
Course Length: 7 weeks
Course Content

MODULE 1
SO YOU WANT TO CREATE A BUSINESS
Introduction to Creating a Business
Becoming a Professional
Self-Analysis: Are you Ready to Start a Business
Why Do You Want This?
What Type Of Business Structure Do You Want?
Establishing Your Business
Building a Library

MODULE 2
WRITING YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
What is a business plan and why do you need one?
Steps of Writing a Business Plan
Marketing Plan
Financial Planning/Funding
Business Description & Vision
Mission Statement
Company Vision
Goals and Objectives
Description of Services
Organization and Management
Marketing and Sales Strategy
Financial Management

MODULE 3
CONTRACTS AND FEE STRUCTURE
Things to consider when creating a contract
Types of Contracts
Letters of Agreement
Research Contracts

MODULE 4
MARKETING
What should you market?
Marketing Avenues
Online
Offline
Trade Shows & Conferences
Collaboration
Writing a Marketing Plan
Marketing Strategies to Keep in Mind

MODULE 5
TIME MANAGEMENT
Identifying Time Wasters
Personal vs. Professional Time Management
Tips for Time Management

MODULE 6
TOOLS FOR PRODUCTIVITY
Being Productive in Daily Life
Old School Tools for Productivity
New School Tools for Productivity
Tools to Organize Client Information
Things to Consider

APPENDIX