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FamilyLearn Creates Unique Way to Save the Stories
Association of Personal Historians Newsletter, May 2006, Vol. 9, Issue No. 2; "Blueprints for Success: Business Opportunities for Personal Historians" column.
(Written by Libby Atwater, APH Print Communications Chair and former newsletter editor. She operates Choose Your Words, a personal history service in Ventura, California.) Printed by permission of the APH.
"The words 'family' and 'learn' are the two most important words in the world to me," says Neal Harmon, founder of FamilyLearn, LLC, a personal history business that strives to make saving family stories accessible to all. Neal places family first, but he believes that those who posses experience and acknowledge have an obligation to pass it on to others. "Those who paved the way give succeeding generations a better chance," he adds.
The young entrepreneur has always been interested in learning. At Brigham Young University (BYU) he earned his undergraduate degree in American studies, a liberal arts-based major. Neal remained at his alma mater for his master's degree in instructional psychology and technology, which taught him the basics of how people learn. During this period, he also began dating his wife Trisha. The couple had known each other since they were teens, but never dated. Upon meeting as young adults they became best friends, which led to marriage in October 2001. After completing his degree, Neal became the development director at Family Literacy Centers, Incorporated, in Provo.
FamilyLearn, LLC, grew out of an idea conceived by Neal and Trisha in 2002, when they were expecting their first child. Each had come from large familiesÑNeal is the third of nine children, and Trisha is the first of fourteenÑand they wanted an easy way to share their heritage with their baby that did not require reading volumes of material. Initially they scanned the Internet in search of technology that would serve their needs. When they could not find any, the couple decided to gather Harmon family stories and relatives' history and place them online. Their hope was that one day their child could insert key words and find valuable information about his heritage. As Neal and Trisha added to their Web site, they invited other family members to participate. Soon afterwards, relatives' families wanted similar Web sites, and a fledgling company was born.
Neal had limited business experience at the time, but he was fortunate to become acquainted with community business leaders who acted as mentors and advised him to turn FamilyLearn into a viable business. He was headed to Pennsylvania State University for a Ph.D. when he decided to wait a year and see if he could build a business that would help families learn about each other. Its mission would be to preserve and share family stories. He was joined by Jason Johnson, a friend with a strong finance background.
Now that he had a product, Neal began studying distribution methods and realized that the company needed to affiliate with those who shared its mission. Amy Oaks Long, a friend and an experienced personal historian who teaches family history at BYU, invited Neal and Trisha to be guest lecturers in her class. She also introduced them to the Association of Personal Historians Inc. (APH) and urged them to join the organization.
FamilyLearn joined and planned to attend the Baltimore conference in 2004. Prior to the conference, Neal and Jason decided that partnering with small business would be the best way to grow their company. They approached established personal history businesses and asked if they'd be interested in affiliating with FamilyLearn as the company developed its online technology.
Once Neal and Jason met other APH members at the Baltimore conference, they recognized how partnering would produce winning outcomes for all. They spoke to many personal historians who produced beautiful personal histories but found it difficult to offer an inexpensive product to the do-it-yourself market. After attending Jeanne Archer's workshop, "Profitability in Small Projects," Neal decided to develop a technology (which would be too expensive for people to do on their own) that would make personal history accessible to the average person. This structure could be sold to individuals through personal historians, who could also provide coaching, editing, and technical help. Neal's idea became the iMemoryBook (later changed to MemoryPress), which was born on March 1, 2005. Once FamilyLearn added a printed book to the package, the company filled a niche in the personal history market that had never been addressed.
FamilyLearn introduced its "new baby" to APH members at the Grand Rapids conference. To date FamilyLearn has 108 affiliates, and almost two-thirds are APH members. The company offers free training and marketing advice to all who join their team, and its support has been crucial to new affiliates.
Neal recognizes the difference between his products and the heirloom books produced by some personal historians. "They don't compare," Neal notes. "Our iMemoryBook (now MemoryPress) is technology-based. We don't interview or edit--we take the 'pain' out of publishing. In one's revenue stream the iMemoryBook (now MemoryPress) is an entry-level product, all of the stories we preserve are precious." He advises colleagues "Don't ignore the do-it-yourself market. There are many stories out there. You care, we share, and together we can serve a large group of people who want to preserve their stories. I believe that those personal historians who embrace this market will be more successful overall."
Right now FamilyLearn has entered a new stage. We've hired engineers in San Francisco, Germany and Sweden to improve our technology and our publishing capabilities," notes Neal. "We're spending tens of thousands of dollars to produce the best product for our customers." Since FamilyLearn is a privately held company, it is completely self-funded. "We've been funded by friends, family, and fools. Our people are the reason we've been successful. Many have been willing to work for equity in the firm, and they give their time freely."
Neal believes that the work we do as personal historians is crucial to future generations, and he recognizes that most personal historians love their professions. "We can all build a fulfilling business that generates some income. I am thankful to APH for the close friendships I've developed with other members and for them accepting FamilyLearn as a partner, I will always champion APH."
