Читать книгу Start & Run a Personal History Business - Jennifer Campbell - Страница 12

Many of the older generation first get prodded into doing their personal histories by their adult children. Boomers today want to know their parents’ and grandparents’ stories, and not only because they’re also their own stories. Boomers are the privileged generation, and they know it. They’re honoring their elders for their sacrifices in giving their children comfortable lives, university educations, lessons galore, and trips abroad. The younger generation wants to appreciate and understand what it’s like to fight a war, immigrate to a new country, or help to build a railroad. They want to get a sense of what desperation and hunger feel like — things many have never experienced.

Boomers want everything for their kids, too. Now that people are recording every waking minute of their children’s lives (including ultrasound images!), a huge piece of the puzzle would be missing if they didn’t also give them their roots and family history. Boomers are the Sandwich Generation, that is, they are between their parents, who are elderly and dying, and their children, who are quickly growing up. If those from the older generation aren’t documenting their lives for the family history book, it’s up to them. They are the storykeepers, the link between generations, feeling a yearning to preserve and pass down their parents’ experiences.

The problem is, most people are just way, way too busy. They lack the time and the knowledge to get it done.

Solution? Hire a professional.

Baby boomers are not shy about asking and paying for help when they need it. They are the generation that hires personal trainers, personal chefs, and personal shoppers. Why not a personal historian to make sure those family stories aren’t lost forever?

Boomers are the largest, wealthiest demographic in history. Many have made a lot of money in the dot-com and real estate markets, and are inheriting vast pockets of wealth. They’re used to paying a premium for top-quality items, especially unique items. David Foot, an economist at the University of Toronto and the author of Boom, Bust & Echo, predicts this huge demographic wave will be looking for products and services that are person-to-person rather than electronic or online. They will buy products that project history and quality of life. And they will see value in products that boost memory and brain power. A “biographer for hire” who can help them document and preserve their life stories will cater to all those demands.