Six months ago or so, I started researching my family’s history. I thought it would be a good use of some of my free time, and would be a real blessing to my relatives , not to mention providing something for us to talk about. Somewhat unexpectedly, I found immense satisfaction in the research. It was like solving a mystery, and I did very well at it. On my grannie’s side, I was able to connect the dots, finding ancestor after ancestor all the way to the first kings of Spain –we’re direct descendents, who would have guessed? Shortly after I got all this done, I explained my research to some friends, and they asked if I could possibly start a little research for them. I did, and not just a little. I’ve traced their families back to the founding of Europe in places . In addition, my friends’ families began to get truly excited about the research, and it has served as a reconnection point for them just as it did for mine.
With the extreme success I’ve seen, and the enjoyment I get out of the process, I’ve decided to start a genealogy business. My friend David’s actually the one that pushed me to do it. His boost has got me to thinking that this may actually work, and I’m very excited. So how to kickoff? Thankfully, my other friend owns a company that offers custom search engine optimization services. They do a lot of work with ecommerce companies, with packes (explained here) tailor-made specifically to their needs. Once I get my site up and running, he plans to help me out. What he tells me is that right now I need to be getting my name out there, even before I start selling my services. So I’ll be beginning a blog and getting agressive on sites like Facebook and Twitter. I’m also going to, with my friends, help, work on viral video marketing (though nothing like the extensive services they often provide). Then we’ll see what happens. I’m excited about the possibility of having my own business to foster and build.