VFJ Indexing & Word Services

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On the Anniversary of Getting Started: A Review

Vickie Jacobs

Establishing a Business

About one year ago, on October 12, I published my second blog post titled Getting Started; I was excited about finishing the process of becoming fully and officially established as VFJ Indexing & Word Services. In September, as a first step, I registered the fictitious name, then I had to file a local business tax receipt, with a few extra hoops to jump through during that process — hoops that will vary from one location to the next.

Running an Indexing Business

As a sole proprietor or LLC — that is, a small organization that doesn’t necessarily have funders or grants, it can be easy to enthusiastically make some irresponsible business decisions. Being only accountable to yourself (or your family) when it comes to certain things can seem liberating, but for me it helps when I maintain a structured routine and keep myself in check about time and money management.

Business Decisions & Purchases

Budgeting and other finance work is part of any business, and while being a one-person business operation does have its perks, it means I have a huge responsibility to myself to not act recklessly. I have found it very beneficial to act as if I have a board of governors looking over my shoulder for business decisions:

  • Need to make a big purchase — such as a new desk or conference attendance? Why? Will it have a lasting and beneficial impact on my work?

  • What are my goals?

  • Am I doing enough outreach? Is the outreach I am doing, effective?

  • What are my weaknesses and how can I improve on them?

  • Is something I am currently doing in need of review?

A periodical review of my efforts, even though it’s an informal review, helps to give insight into these questions and how I can better use my time/money, and keeps me on task.

Time & Project Management

Then, there is the time management and project planning aspect. While there isn’t always a project I’m working on for a client (i.e., paid indexing projects) there is always something that needs to be done.

Non-indexing projects: Not all indexers have or want to maintain blogs or newsletters, but I do, so it is something I have to make time for but don’t get directly paid for.

I see this writing as a form of outreach as well as a service; it is a way of showing clients or potential clients a little bit of what I do, and the care I take in doing it. I also hope this blog/newsletter helps to inform people about the creation and purpose of those handy little tools found in the backs of books that so many people use and rely on, both for serious research and general curiosity, but may not know much else about them other than the fact that they exist.

Home office maintenance is another thing, keeping my work area clean and relatively organized is important for sanity and productivity.

At the start of 2022, I also took on the role of manager of the History and Archaeology Special Interest Group — it, like writing, doesn’t pay me in dollars, but it has been rewarding to make connections with other indexers that have similar specialties.

Other (digital) housekeeping includes reviewing and answering emails, finding professional development opportunities, performing outreach and marketing, and other HR stuff like health insurance, etc. are up to date.

Indexing projects: The whole raison d’être for my business and what keeps food on the table. Usually, about two weeks are allowed for a book to be indexed, sometimes more, and other times there are rush jobs that require a final product in less time. Sometimes projects are booked with several months’ advance notice, other times, it’s a last-minute deal.

Keeping a calendar, an actual, physical calendar — plus my Google Calendar — has been a lifesaver. In it, I have record of all my projects, past and future, my days are laid out in front of me, and I can see everything I have going on, all in one place. It also provides me with space for note taking. It helps me to stay organized and on task. My Google Calendar is more for Zoom links to scheduled online events than anything, but I also use it to keep track of projects.

In General

Work-life balance as a freelancer can be weird and result in a very idiosyncratic schedule. It can mean trading daytime work hours for gym time or errand-running and working later into the evening or earlier in the morning.

Finishing projects on time with quality work is top priority, of course, but maintaining a healthy body and mind play a big role in that process.

Good scheduling and having (or developing) a solid professional and personal support network provides tremendous relief throughout everything that goes into running a freelance indexing business.

Resources I Used