In a message dated 8/13/2001 9:32:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time, carey@newnorth.net writes:
I have started a part-time home-based research business. Would you have any suggestions as to future projects I could pursue?
Thank you for any assistance-
Carey
This is a tough question to address absent a good understanding of your interests, talents, and motivation. I'm surely not trying to be cute here, but chances are that if you reflect on those topics for a while, you might get closer to a satisfactory answer on your own. If you've done that and find yourself in a rut, it might be very worthwhile--in terms of focus--for you to work up a formal business plan using a software package or trusted advisors/consultants, and to network with others who operate independent research/evaluation enterprises. The same folks who compete with you on some RFPs might, in other cases, have need of your services on projects they can't handle alone. Try to find a long-term mentor (as distinguished from the consultants mentioned above) who has been successful doing what you want to do--not necessarily an easy task, but often possible. Seniors in a field are often quite flattered to be approached and can be deep wells of useful information gained through their years of experience. Along those lines, your local university might provide a link to a group of retired business executives who serve as advisors. Your ISP provides several megs of space for you to develop a web site; you might take advantage of that to attract folks who have a need you can fulfill. The American Evaluation Association (eval.org) has a topical interest group for independent contractors. It also has a very active e-mail list called EVALTALK; the archives might be quite useful to you. Hope this helps as a start...I expect others here can fill in some gaps. Cheers, Bob Briggs Westport, MA