Borrowing against or liquidating personal assets. Unrelated, outside, institutional investors. The more you can utilize your own funds the less expensive the capital generally is. Moreover, the vast majority of start-ups cannot generate sufficient returns to interest angels or venture capital firms. Secondary research utilizes materials generally available to the public, such as articles and books.
Primary research is typically original, proprietary, information developed for a specific client.
While considerable information on mediation is available its usefulness is limited because it is not specific to your situation. Specific information on your market and clients requires primary research. This information includes such things as the number of mediators in your service area, the types of services they offer, how much they charge, and their gross income. You would be amazed how much information you can obtain from your colleagues. Some of the information you should obtain from your clients includes demographics, how the client found you, their satisfaction with your services, and suggested new services or areas of improvement.