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From: Melissa Barker <>
Subject: Re: [APG] Transitioning to Genealogy full time
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:06:23 -0500
References: <2dd401740809141400o353c6b14uaf62cba1e5d2c4fa@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <2dd401740809141400o353c6b14uaf62cba1e5d2c4fa@mail.gmail.com>


Dear Kenyatta,

I am sure you will get a lot of responses to this question with a lot of great advice. This scenario has really been a hard one for a lot of professional genealogists. Since owning your own business is a huge step, especially if you haven't ever owned your own business in the past, a lot of people have a hard time making the commitment and facing the ups and downs that come with it.

I was fortunate in that before I started my own genealogy business I was in business with my husband and so the transition was pretty easy for me as far as the business part goes. I am still growing my business and clientel and I am happy to report that it is growing by leaps and bounds.

Something that has been a great business move for me in my genealogy business is to establish a relationship with the local librarians and archivists in the areas that I work. I have found that most, if not all, librarians and archivists are very willing to give patrons my contact information when the patron is looking for a professional researcher in the area. I receive a lot of work from this avenue.

In my case, the main thing that has helped to grow my business is getting my name out there in the genealogy community any way that I can. I have only been officially in business for 3 years now and I am very pleased with my progress so far. There will be ups and downs like any other business, but if you want it to work you have to stick with it. Sincerely,Melissa BarkerGenealogist for Tennessee and KentuckyWebsite: www.freewebs.com/genealogyservices/

> Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:00:56 -0700> From: > To: > Subject: [APG] Transitioning to Genealogy full time> > Greetings,> > As a professional genealogist with a full time job, I am trying to make the> transition to focus on my genealogy endeavors full time. While at the PMC,> I participated in a roundtable discussion on this very topic. As a result> of that discussion, I have decided to develop a genealogy career plan. I> already have several websites and will be launching more in the next few> months with the help of a few partners. However, websites alone won't> replace my traditional income stream. It would be great if those who have> successfully made the transition could share their experience or offer any> advice. Thanks in advance for your assistance.> > Regards,> -- > Kenyatta D. Berry> http://www.slavegenealogy.com>; http://www.discovergenealogy.com>; > > > > > .> > -------------------------------> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
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