Forty first week-Setting up a plan of action

Yes, I know that this should have been done earlier. Yet if you read my earlier blogs, I'm going in a new direction with my job search. This time I'm doing the research to find out if there is a niche for me to work in the historical field. I know for instance that there are companies out there that do historical research for both organizations and corporations. However there are none in my area. So my next steps are to find out why and if there really is a need that has yet to be explored. As some of you may recall, I had emphasized that the best thing you can do is to find what needs a company or organization has and then try to see if you can fill it.

Step one: Identify the need....Okay I noticed that there is a lack of historical research centers in my area. This means that many researchers are either outsourced or volunteering their time and effort. For many small businesses this identification appears unnecessary, but the truth of the matter is that having a known history makes your company stand out. Researchers don't just research, some also perform document management functions which is right up "my alley." It's not just companies that need what some call history detectives...government agencies also need them.

Step two: Talk to experts in field for input on what I need to do in order to fit in without running into a lot of cost. I have already reached out to two schools for input. One sounded promising. The other I'm still waiting back to hear from.

I do have two choices here once I get enough information. 1) set up a business plan detailing services-not ready to do this yet. 2) See if there are any courses I need to take before taking the plunge. I have been very seriously looking into doing what I can to coordinate efforts between historical societies in the area and maybe come up with a revenue stream that way.

Fortieth week-Trying to sort through mounds of information

This week has been really tough as I learned so many different things about local history. Some of it is very helpful, but other things are not as helpful. In fact I'm so confused now that I hardly know where to turn. The only analogy that I can make sense of is that there may or may not be a revenue stream here for me to tap. If there is, then that's great. I would be doing what I love to do, which is historical research and providing my community and the surrounding community with a link to their past.

Sorting through the mounds of information though is like swimming in a sea of sharks. You never really know what you're getting yourself into when you take those first steps. I am learning to reach out, just as I have been doing during this lengthy time of unemployment, to those people that can help me out with this. Much like a job search, which is in reality what I'm doing, you have to remain focused on the goals you want to accomplish. That's no easy task. Things pull you away. You get distracted. You get depressed and want to quit. You know you can't do that. There is a need that you are destined to fill. In the meantime, it is rough when there is no money coming in and you're not even sure you can even survive.

That is the question that has been rolling around in my mind for a while. Will I survive this? Right now I can't answer that question. All I do know for sure is that I need to take each day, work as diligently as I can with the resources I do have and pray for the soon coming day that I will be fully employed once again.

What I decided not to do is swallow in self pity. I can't do it to myself or to the people around me. Instead I have to keep reaching out to those avenues, some of which are unconventional, to find meaningful work.

Thirty ninth week-Learning to swim with the sharks

This week I learned a lot about the current state of historical preservation in a quest to see if there was anyway I could get a revenue stream from the work I've been doing for the past year and half with the book. I know that all the career advisers tell you that you need to do the research to find out if it's viable before jumping into the tank. I do believe that there is a definite need here to combine efforts to preserve local history. Going from point A to point B takes time and effort on the individual researcher. One of the skills you pick up is the ability to "swim with the sharks." This means in affect that you need to find out what the rules are for the industry that you are thinking of applying to get into and practice them.

This is not always an easy task. I've talked in earlier blogs about barriers. I didn't mention however the professional barrier that people put up as well. These are skill sets and prerequisites that you must meet in order to even be considered for the position. Some of these make sense.You wouldn't want a doctor who didn't know anything about your condition or had no skills to perform unnecessary surgery on you. Others don't make a whole lot of sense and discriminate those that would be perfectly qualified otherwise.

I am currently in the process of finding out what jobs are out there for historical research and preservation and what I need to do to qualify for them. I haven't given up on looking for administrative positions, but have branched out as the need to find suitable employment soon becomes more and more urgent.  

Thirty eighth week-Out on a limb

I have made some progress on my research into starting my own business. I definitely still feel like I'm out on a limb trying desperately to hold onto something. There are many people I realize that are experiencing this as well. I do feel a bit torn with my pursuits. I want to find a job that will utilize my historical research skills, my document management skills and my writing skills. Unfortunately with the passage of the new fiscal cliff bill, that doesn't seem possible. It's easy to give up and let the government pay you to remain unemployed. It's not so easy when the government says they're not going to do that anymore. You have to make some choices now. I've had to lecture myself at times this week to get on-line and do job research.

I know that my next steps will be to practice my new elevator speech, cold call at least five businesses and set up new electronic folders to keep track of everything so I can follow up. I have done this, but know I need to step up, buck up and call those numbers. Yes I do believe that networking is key and have got my message out. I discovered that my real calling is in historical research. There seems to be a definite need, but right now I'm not sure how to proceed with it.

Will I have any success? Right now what I really need to do is start implementing a business plan and generate interest in my services.

Thirty seventh week-Making the connections

This week I started making the connections I needed to start my business. I realized that I had been doing it all along in regards to gaining information for my recently published book. Now I know that I have to utilize that new skill to gain stable employment and/or start this business. I started writing a rough draft of what I will say once I start promoting the business. When you start from scratch like I'm doing now, there are a lot of variables you need to keep in mind. Some of these variables will "sink" you before you even get started, while others will creep up on you unaware.

Luckily for many of us unemployment benefits are not going away. This is a big factor to consider when you start. Are you going to have a buffer to see you through? If not, then you may want to consider other options in regards to revenue and resources. You can find most of these resources on the Internet. Two of them are what I'm starting to use now. I know that I need to focus on:

1) What services I will offer-writing and document management

2) What rates I will charge for each service and broken down into subcategories

3)How people will know about services and how they can contact you.

Some of this "leg work" you have already done. Using social media like Facebook and Linkedin to promote your services will help. Having a website will also help, but I'm learning that I need to be careful with expenses. So I ask myself the following questions:

1) What expenses will I run into as I start this business? You need to have at least an excel spreadsheet that is tracking the expenses such as Internet usage and mileage. Then there's the social media expenses to consider if you're serious about marketing your services.

2) How will I track these expenses-broken down into individual services or as a whole?

3) How do I want to promote the services? Broken down costs (if any) of sites utilized for promotion.

I do have a lot to think about in regards to this. Number one priority for me is to find out if there is a real need for my services here. If that need isn't present, then the business stalls or dies.