Test Area

The web site will need a test area to allow me to ensure that transactions actually work, that e-mail auto-responders and other items work too.  Ideally – it should be on the same server area so that I can check the performance of the system and just do a small switch over when I want to make it live.

Additionally I want to be able to archive pages when they become obsolete without having to manually do this.  I am beginning to lean more towards having a content management system (CMS) something like JOOMLA to allow me to run and maintain the business and to ensure that I can actively manipulate the web site.

Specifying the business

The business needs to grow slowly and steadily but at the same time it must follow a plan to allow expansion and to accommodate growth.  The case for whether to have all the back office in place prior to the business actually trading live is a challenging one.  You need to plan out what you need to do in order to conduct the research for people.  There are various steps in the process – order, acknowledgement, checking that forms are correctly completed, merchant systems, auto responders, invoices (if not paid up front), regular reports on progress (without annoying customers through too much or too little) and so on.  On top of this the exception handling process needs to be defined.

Surely though, you would think, you can just get on and do this?  well I suppose you could but how do you give a consistent quality service and how do you ensure that you deliver results unless you have a repeatable quality process to follow.  Once you have set this down, you can then check list what you do and can then use that to assure yourself that you have undertaken all the steps in order to deliver to your customer. 

UK Based but with a global flavour

I foresee that the work I would be doing would be for the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand Markets predominantly but anywhere else that UK citizens would have emigrated to at the time of Empire or before or after.  The cost associated with coming over to the UK, finding the right record sources and to interpret the information properly (something I am afraid a lot of people don’t do) is the value I’d bring to this area.  Just knowing where places are in the UK is a start and you can spend hours looking but local knowledge is worth paying for. 

The web site needs to reflect the worldwide reach and yet I don’t want to have a string of domain names in each country so perhaps a dot com is the way to go to make it a global business?  Additionally, I want to ensure that I can communicate with my customers quickly too and so perhaps, I can add VOIP type phone assistance too?  Perhaps even invest in local numbers in those countries allowing a local call if they don’t have VOIP.

Growing or Big Bang

Another difficult one to consider.  In order to do this properly, there should be a proper merchant system in place, accurate CRM and auto-response e-mails.  Whilst you can do some of this with existing tools, integrating them so that a transaction and a customer’s details are all recorded and tracked to ensure that the system records them, that the work gets done and billed/acknowledged etc. are all things that have to happen.

Many sites I have seen have an e-mail address and a pay-pal logo.  It doesn’t inspire me and the problem with the profession is that it is looked at as a bit of a dusty professorial occupation where the content of the research is of the highest standards but the back-office and web sites are pulled together after too much tippling at the Chardonnay! Sorry guys, but some sites really just don’t work and who checks your links and spelling etc???

So I have to decide whether to try and build slowly but allowing for the sort of expansion and ability to automate the business or whether to start that way from scratch.  More thoughts as I think of them.

Further Thoughts

It is difficult to know quite what to do on the business/personal approach.  The two are intermingled in this industry as you are generally known for your research work and known by name and yet ideally you would like to have a catchy business name.  I think my surname is catchy enough although not everyone can spell it of course.  Perhaps something a little less long and easier to spell would be in order

Website

It is vital these days to get a web site that quickly communicates what you do and that will give a good customer experience.  Knowing how to get your message across quickly is an art – I’m not sure it is an art I have.  So I’ll need a good web site, easy to navigate, that tells my customers what they want to know quickly.  Of course, that is just the start of that, then there needs to be a formal way of doing business between us and proper forms and ways to communicate.  Because Family History is all about records and accuracy, there may be some extra forms to be filled in.  These too will need to be quick and easy to fill in. 

Self Employed or Limited Company

It’s a bit of a difficult choice to make.  Do I set up under my own name or set up a Limited Company?  Most of my research work is undertaken in my own name and all articles and presentations I have given have been authored and presented by me.  It would be useful then to use my own name in this respect.

The flip side says that people want to deal with a reputable business or may perhaps prefer the experience of dealing with a business set up for that purpose.  Of course even being self employed means you have to set up your business properly too.

There are other areas aroud liability and so that needs to be looked at as well.  That’s before you start looking at the regulations surrounding the handling and storage of data, local taxes, distance selling and a raft of others too no doubt.

I know no one thought it was going to be easy but there are a lot of things to consider.

Introduction

After 30 years of family history research I am going to offer my services as a professional researcher.  This blog is the beginning of that journey from amateur to professional.  I hope that it will build to provide an interesting journey about setting up and running the business to an area where I can provide some significant tips and tricks to assist researchers in commencing their family history.