Defining this is pretty simple.  When you work ON your business, you are working on your organization’s business plan, marketing plan, accounting books, paying contractors, freelancers or pretty much anything that does not create direct income’interaction from your customers, clients.    Working ON your business will generate income in the future from your actions, of course.  This is what I call FIPA- Future Income Producing Activity.

When you work IN your business, you are working for your client.  You are providing them a service/product  in which they will pay you in return for such.  This is what I call IPA- Income Producing Activity.

The balance of this can really get wacky for many business owners who are wearing both hats of FIPA and IPA.  You can’t do one without the other.

I’m in the FIPA phase of starting my business. However, my mortgage and bills really don’t appreciate FIPA very much. They much prefer IPA.  And well, frankly so do I.  It’s hard to walk by DSW and see a gorgeous pair of heels for the summer and have to pass it up because my FIPA far outweighs my IPA work at the moment!

However, FIPA will provide amazing rewards for me in a few months – converted to IPA.

Since I already have a handful of clients who are using my services,  I spend my mornings and early afternoons completing their projects in a timely fashion.  The afternoons are spent working ON my business– if I don’t focus ON my business, I won’t get this business launch by September. That is my goal of course!

And I want MORE business now.  Wow.  So instead of waiting to have all my “ducks” in a row to launch the entire vision I have in my little Virgo brain, I’ll be phasing my company launches over the next few months.  So you will see various iterations of my services being offered, advertised, and promoted to you and others.

For now, I am working on an international mortgage company’s digital media (aka website for starters), print media, and of course, integration of data for future marketing (permission, viral, and referral).

I happen to also be working a ladies’ golf league website– a simple design to provide information and start the permission and viral marketing aspects of growing the league over the summer. This project will help the coordinator who really has used emails to get the word out– the emails have amazing content, and are hilarious to read, but there is no image or a way to easily invite others to join this amazing group of women.

Another project is in the works to add a DONATE NOW feature to a non-profit website in the local area.  They currently are not able to collect donations to further their goals, except by snail mail.  Not surprisingly, they have not received many donations over the years– small chunks of donations. The ease of adding this robust feature will definitely catapult them into the 21st century of marketing and from there, it will only grow and grow with some tactical and specific marketing techniques to support this wonderful online feature.

Oh, and well, I do need to work ON my business… you know what I’ll be doing at 3pm today… . Got any ideas for a company name?  Still waiting for that inspiration to HIT me over the head.