Working as a Genealogist

[Rosinish]

Could it be that people like myself know your pricing is far too cheap i.e. have reservations as to your ability/capability of doing their research?

The words 'too good to be true' come to mind which may well put people off & I apologise but that is my true opinion which you asked for.

I totally agree with you Annie.

Thanks Groom,

I felt while typing it, it may sound blunt but it was an honest opinion.

Katie.....

There's also a saying 'you only get what you pay for'.......

As an e.g.....

I may buy a Ham sandwich in a shop which costs £1.50
Ditto in another shop may be £2.25 or more...
Sandwich from shop at £1.50 has ham full of fat & wafer thin (cheap cut), maybe not too fresh
Ditto in another shop at £2.25 or more, has lovely ham, fat free & thicker sliced (better cut), fresh
Cheap cut/better cut being which part of the Pig.

My suggestion of your cheaper pricing may imply to people that your research isn't 'as' professional as another?

I really hope the advice here helps you & I wish you luck as it would be a fantastic profession & there are not many people who are lucky enough to be working or self employed in something they love as a hobby which would be the best of both worlds.

Annie

[panda40]

Have you looked on the websites of others who are offering a similar service to you? Often you can get a feel of what type of work they do and what they charge for this. I agree with the other people's comments that you need to find your market. I tried doing this a rew years back as a supplementary income and had a few customers from Australia who were unable to come ove to do research in this country so that is another area you might try promoting.
Even now you see people comment in posts when they are given the advice 'you need to buy a certificate to confirm the marriage/parents details' I can't afford £9.25 for a certificate. If these people won't or can't afford a certificate they are not going to pay for someone's services.
People want something for nothing and are not aware of the time proper research takes. A day at the archives looking through documents not available online for example. The other consideration is that often they do not understand when you cannot find any of the information due to records being lost or destroyed.
Good luck in your new venture
Panda

[Greensleeves]

I think you have been given some extremely sound advice on this thread Katie - the sort of invaluable advice which would cost a small fortune if you paid a business adviser.  I would therefore suggest that you take that advice, regardless of whether or not your current way of working suits you. 

To my mind, having had two businesses but in different areas, there are some things which are pretty universal.  One is that you need to charge a sensible amount for the work that you do.  If you are too cheap,  people think you don't know what you are doing, and don't value your research.  Also, the monthly payment seems too insubstantial and messy.  It implies that someone who appoints you will continue to pay you £50 per month, which might put people off as they would not know how long the job would take. 

I would suggest when you get enquiries for your services, you should sit down with the prospective client, find out what they want, and agree an initial fee which would cover your research up to a certain agreed point.  That way the client knows precisely what commitment he/she has made, and can then decide whether to re-employ you to do more research once the initial brief has been completed.  We all know that family tree research is not like shelling peas - it's impossible to say how long a particular job is going to take, so at least working this way takes the time constraints off you too.

Having said this, it seems to me that you should have put together a business plan before you started, which would allow for the first six months being spent building your business by contacting prospective clients, making yourself known, offering yourself to do talks etc.  You will also need a USP (Unique Selling Point) which would make prospective clients come to you rather than to someone else.  You are the only one who can tell what your USP is, but I don't think that charging £50 a month for an unspecified amount of work is working for you.

And finally, I started my first business when I was in my twenties, and spent the first six months sitting in an office watching the rain falling and my bank balance dropping ever lower.  Everything I tried as far as advertising failed to bring me in additional clients and I was on the verge of giving up.  Then I met someone who, having asked for my business card, turned up on my office the next day and offered me a permanent contract with his firm.  That firm then recommended me to others, and suddenly I had a successful business on my hands.  Of course not all start-up schemes have happy endings, but it really is often a matter of luck, being in the right place at the right time, and just plugging away, handing out those cards and getting your name known.

[weste]

Also it may be a good idea to check what archives charge for their services e.g photo passes when you need copies of documents.

[Rosinish]

Also it may be a good idea to check what archives charge for their services e.g photo passes when you need copies of documents.

I agree & there are a lot of other expenses to think about such as Parking Fees if there's no parking at a/the venue itself & depending on where, one could spend quite a time finding a space to begin with which may be a long walk from that venue!
Of course the alternative would be by bus/train which is another expense.

The costs of Telephone, Internet, subscriptions, electricity......the list could be quite long which includes making calls which could take a lot of time.

I really can't see how anyone could make any money from the prices quoted here?

Annie

[KatieJJones]

I thank everyone for their comments. There has been a fair few since I last was online. I have read everything everyone has said and I'm a bit lost for words with what to type back as I'm currently taking everything in that everyone has said. However, I can assure you I am taking everyone's opinions into mind.

[dawnsh]

It might be worth thinking a little outside of the box.

Have you asked local firms of solicitors with a probate department if they ever need help with intestacy cases? Do they approach the heir-hunting type companies and subcontract the work? There are rules of intestacy and you never need to research further than the deceased's grandparents. You might be able to use your skills in that way, but as an employee or 'consultant'.

I know this next one won't bring in an income but may get you noticed. Ask your local reference library if they ever need help at the library with people struggling to do their family trees.

Some reference libraries have in-house access to FindMyPast and Ancestry but don't have the human resources to actually help people who are struggling to come to terms with the computers. I 'help out' when I'm doing my own stuff at the library. You keep one ear out for conversations and then after hearing people struggle ask if they are ok or do they need hep, explaining you don't work for the library but know how the sites work.

Generally people who do their trees want to do it for themselves and may only need help with research outside of their comfort zone. Do you have access to some special or unique database and can offer your services doing work on those?

Otherwise maybe advertise your family tree services as a special milestone birthday or wedding anniversary gift for those who are time poor (and have no inclination) but cash rich.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Katie, right at the start of this you say that you feel that you are not good at anything else. Please don't be so defeatist. I'm sure that you have many skills if you think. You are young, so presumably have picked up various exam qualifications at assorted levels, had some experience of work, even if only as holiday jobs. Assess how all thins can help you.
You have ventured bravely, intending to survive as a professional,  into a field where many graze happily around as amateurs, and really enjoy doing so. As others have said, so much is easily available online, and it is so interesting to "do it yourself" that many feel they do not need a professional researcher.
So: you need to identify your U.S.P. - Unique Selling Proposition - what you can offer that is not the same as most of us can do. What you can add to the "easy fruit". You need to make sure that you can offer a service that is different. As someone with a Design background - and fully qualified - you have to win your customers, if you intend to live by it. You have little as yet in the way of qualifications, you need to build a reputation, and get contacts who will help - local history centres, etc, journalism..... I hope you manage to survive, but you have been given some excellent, and well-meant advice here.
Your pricing scheme does sound too low, and perhaps also unrealistic ("per month") - I don't think it'd cover expenses, realistically. You will have found this a discouraging thread, but I think most of us admire your bravery, and your attempt to live your dream. Good luck.

[rebeccaclaire86]

Lots of good advice already. I just wanted to suggest that if you find the business isn't viable, maybe look at training as an Archivist? I think that would be an enjoyable job for any genealogist!