Abstract

The efficacy of methods of historical anthropology actively implemented in present-day historical studies and the social request to research on the history of entrepreneurship enable us to address the issue of merchants’ professional knowledge and skills. Although this topic has been examined for many years, the implementation of merchants’ knowledge in this estate’s business activity remains poorly studied. Great opportunities for investigating this problem are provided by personal sources, namely, by merchants’ private correspondence. Due to them, one can better understand the merchants’ business world, their everyday concerns and thoughts. Such sources, especially those related to the merchant milieu of pre-reform Russia, are extremely scarce. One of these rarities is the 18th–19th century epistolary corpus of the Buldakov family from Veliky Ustyug. Its analysis allows us to understand that the success of a merchant in trading activities depended primarily on his experience, education and a set of special personal qualities. The abilities to conduct a thorough analysis of market trends, to collect the necessary information, to transmit it in a timely manner, to systematize and draw adequate conclusions were most important. This demonstrated availability of analytical and critical thinking, a broad outlook (ranging from specific knowledge of the postal service to understanding the impact of the international situation on the entrepreneurial activity in different countries) and the ability to implement the experience. A significant element of the success of trading was the capability to find mutual understanding with people of different status and occupations. All this, along with the merchant’s organizing abilities, ensured the effective functioning of the “enterprise”. The multiple contacts also stimulated an increase of relevant information. When studying merchants’ professional knowledge, the method of its dissemination is an important issue. Although the idea to obtain a special commercial education was very popular among enlighteners, the merchants continued to acquire it at the “practical school” of commerce, where new skills and knowledge spread much faster.