Historical Research Center Profit from your passion for history.

What's in a name? Well, for John Brett, everything. Havingalways had an interest in history, Brett's curiosity wasimmediately sparked when he discovered the Historical ResearchCenter (HRC). Upon learning that the company specializes inresearching the origin of family names, he decided to make a livingby bringing the past into the present.

The HRC employs skilled artists and learned historians-many ofthem educated in the craft of onomastics (the study of names andtheir origins) and heraldic art (family crests, coats of arms,etc.)-to comb through an extensive list of rare books, manuscriptsand records and pour the information into a database. Once acustomer provides his or her family name, business owners retrievethe relevant information from the database and print it out on arichly decorated parchment scroll. This versatile operation cantake the physical form of a booth, cart or shop, or it can be runfrom home as an Internet or mail-order business. Brett, his wifeand two daughters all work together running this busy venture.

		Make The Call The Historical Research CenterInternational Inc., (800) 940-7991

When asked to name the main reason he got involved with the HRC,Brett recites in an endearing Irish accent, "Location,location, location." You may dismiss this mantra as anordinary business tenet, but think again-Brett operates in threehigh-profile tourist locales: the Forum Shops in Caesar'sPalace in Las Vegas; inside a castle at "the happiest place onearth" in Anaheim, California; and in the Seaport Villageoutdoor mall in San Diego. Perfect timing and help from the HRCsecured the Las Vegas and Anaheim locations, but it was Brett'sperformance at these sites that led Seaport Village to approachhim.

This business opportunity is relatively inexpensive ($5K-$8K) tostart and has very little competition. "It's not likebuying shoes, which isn't necessarily a fun experience when youhave to go into several stores and compare," notes Brett ofhis product. "Our customers are genuinely fascinated by theirname and their coat of arms. The product sells itself, butyou've got to do your part, too. For me, I'm justpassionate about it."