Did you know there’s a super-simple way to leverage your gifts, talent and know-how into lucrative, highly leveraged income streams?

It’s your Signature System, and it’s your step-by-step formula for multiple streams of revenue success.

So, what exactly is a Signature System? It’s the work you’re already doing with clients, packaged into a highly marketable, step-by-step system they’ll want to buy.

If you’re thinking you can’t create a system because every client is different, think again. Every service can be transformed into a simple, repeatable system clients will happily say yes to – yes, even yours!

I figured this out early on in my business and this one signature system has help me create every other offering I’ve made and turned into over a million dollars to date.

Specifically, here are the top 10 reasons why having a Signature System is a must to add to your business model, transition out of 1-on-1 work fast or to even completely replace it.

1. Your clients LOVE systems.

They’re so overloaded, they can’t even stop to think. Your system tells them “I’ve done the work so you don’t have to.”

2. Your clients can practically predict their success.

When they see the results others have achieved, clients feel very reassured… and start to picture the results for themselves.

3. Your Signature System sets you apart.

It’s as unique as your signature, after all – nobody else has it!

4. Instant credibility.

Without a system, your services can appear all over the place. A system instantly elevates you to expert status.

5. Quicker, easier sales.

Your clients “get” what you offer much quicker and are ready to buy much sooner.

6. Your clients get better results…

…when they follow given steps in a given order, instead of blundering around trying to find their way.

7. Your clients get results faster…

… because they’re not wasting time on needless “stuff.”

8. Your clients come back again and again…

…because they’ve had such success with you the first time!

9. You’ll help more people…

…because your Signature System (or key elements of it) can be “bottled and sold” at different investment and commitment points.

10. And best of all, you’ll see just how easy it is to create 3, 4 or even more lucrative income streams that will deliver a steady and predictable flow of cash into your business. And you know what that means? Peace of mind. Priceless.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we focus a whole session on creating your signature system. This is one of the most popular sessions because every attendee walks out of OBBW with their own signature system in hand, most of them completely surprised at how simple it was!

If this was the only solid piece of content you got from OBBW, it would still be worth 100xs your small investment.

You can get your ticket right now for the lowest price available here.

I love to know how this resonates with you – are your thoughts with me below…

While I had many shifts, ideas, pauses for thought, and lightbulb moments while attending Andrea Lee’s Wealthy Thought Leader event, I wanted to share with you three of the a-ha’s I had during the event’s three days.

1. I already am a wealthy thought leader…

I just need to embrace it. And I can’t do that until…

2. I’m ready to take a stand…

And I am ready. It’s been forming for a while now, most particularly over the last few months. I started getting really clear on my principles and guideposts for my business as well as how and what I want to teach and share with my clients to enhance their business as well.

And that re-ignited that…

3. I really do love what I do.

How blessed am I that I get to work with such amazing clients, that I’m surrounded with a fabulous group of colleagues that continues to deepen and grow, that I get to be as creative as I want all the time, because this is my business, my life, and my choice.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we’re going to do a session on making a stand in and for your market so you can stand out in an overcrowded marketplace.
Get on the early reservation list here.

I love to know how this resonates – share your thoughts with me below…

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Here’s a question I get asked all the time:

“I don’t know you how do it, Alicia…with two little ones to care for and so few hours in the day to actually focus on your work. Somehow you manage to write your weekly ezine, hold a bunch of teleseminars each month, run your group and private coaching programs, AND be creating and promoting new offers and new products all the time. I’m so impressed and inspired by you, but more than that, I want to know how you do it all!?”

To be honest, sometimes I wonder myself! Something I often say to other, especially new, mothers is, “despite what everyone tells you to do, do whatever works for YOU.” In a way, that’s how I started running my business after I had my daughter. I just did whatever worked. I still do.

When she got a bit older, it was easier to manage both being a fulltime mother along with running a successful business. Then enter baby #2 and it was back to square one. It’s not easy but it is possible. And here’s what’s really interesting (mompreneurs, take note): I started making about $3k more each month since having my son – and I’m working LESS.

A client once pointed out to me that it seems the biggest growths in my business have been when I’ve been having babies – and she’s right!

Over time, I’ve figured out how to get the most important things done while still being able to focus the majority of my time on my family (after all, that’s one of the reasons why I went into business for myself in the first place).

Here are just a few of them:

1. Setting my work hours

My typical work day looks like this: I get organized the night before for the next day. This jump-starts my day and makes sure that when I do get those tiny pockets of time to get something done, I know exactly what to do. This makes me feel like I’m accomplishing stuff in-between drop-off and pick-up from school, making crafts, playing trains, making dinner, etc.

When I started my business, I didn’t get any real work done until naptime. I worked for about a total of an hour or so while the kids napped, five days a week. Then I put in some more time after they went to bed at night, whether I was leading a teleseminar or catching up on emails. My biggest block of focused time, usually reserved for writing and product creation, was on Saturdays, when I worked approximately 4 hours.

During a perfect week, that gave me about 12 hours of time dedicated to business. However, there’s never a perfect week (one or the other doesn’t nap, I have some pressing non-business-related task that I can only take care of when they’re sleeping, one of them is sick, etc.), so my best guess is that this gives me about 8-10 productive hours to work on my business each week.

Now that the kids are both in school, my dedicated work time is a couple of hours in the morning until I pick my son up at noon, a little at naptime, and sometimes in the evening (again if I’m hosting a teleseminar) or on a Saturday, if I have a launch going on.

So, although my hours have shifted, the amount of hours is still relatively the same – about 15 hours a week.

So how do I decide what to focus on that will move my business forward the fastest in that limited amount of time each week? I use what I call a Priority Card…

2. Using a Priority Card

A Priority Card will help you organize all your tasks in a way that will SHOW you every day what you should focus on. There are a lot of details that will threaten to take your mind off your priorities (this is where a virtual assistant can be of immense value), but those details are not necessarily what will move you forward in your business. To do that, you need to consistently focus on completing the projects that will move your business ahead big-time.

You can create a system for helping you focus on your priorities in a number of ways, but I’m going to give you mine. Like I said, I only work about 15 hours a week on my business, so adjust your own plan accordingly.

At the beginning of each week, I choose 3 to 5 projects with looming deadlines (self-imposed as they may be) from my master task list (which really is so massive that I write it on a 8.5 x 14 legal pad). For example, at the moment, I am working on my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop.

On a colored index card, I write down those projects and prop the card in a standing clip holder, right in front of my computer screen. When I start to feel that sense of overwhelm, or when I find myself getting distracted by new ideas or other tasks (all of which seem important), I remind myself to look at my Priority Card and focus only on what’s written there.

Once I started using my Priority Card, my own business growth leaped forward ten times faster than when I was doing a little of this and a little of that, working on a dozen things, but taking much too long to actually complete just one project.

3. Ignoring the phone

I’m serious when I say that I ignore the phone. Some of my clients get heart palpitations when I tell them that I NEVER jump when the phone rings and suggest they do the same. I don’t even have the ringer turned on on the business line. Does this mean I miss some important calls? Probably. But my virtual assistant checks my messages in a timely manner, takes care of what she can, and forwards the rest to me. I then email or call people back at a more convenient time for me.

4. Quick consults

When a prospective client wanted to speak with me about ‘just a few questions’, I used to gladly schedule a time to talk. But instead of a few questions, I’d be on the phone for at least a half hour, basically giving a free coaching/consulting session, and being frustrated with myself for not valuing my time more.

And up until a few years ago, when a potential client or customer requested to talk with me further about working with me or about one of my products, they could schedule a time to talk for a much smaller fee than my usual hourly rate, and if they decided to go forward with working with me, they could apply the fee they paid towards the program or product they were interested in. This was fair and valued both our time and investment in the process.

Now, however, prospects can talk with my virtual assistant should they need more information about any of my programs or products. If someone is interested in working with me one-on-one, they need to apply for a private coaching spot and if I feel it’s a good fit, we set up an interview to discuss moving forward.

BONUS: Make and use lists

I’d be lost without my lists! I’d never remember to do anything if I didn’t write it down. I keep a bunch of reporter’s notebooks around the house and anytime I think of something I need to do, I write it down in whatever room I’m in – whether it’s business or personal. Then I periodically gather the lists and separate them into three main lists; personal, business, and other (which includes the “someday I’d like to…” stuff; things that aren’t a priority but that I want to remember to do at some point), and check things off in priority order from there.

If you start applying some of these steps now, I guarantee the number of productive hours you spend on your business will increase. And you’ll also feel less overwhelmed and lessed stressed about trying to get it all done!

I’d love to know which one of these resonates the most with you – share with me below…

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People ask me all the time how I’ve managed to create a 6-figure+ business while only working about 15 hours a week. First, I had to build a solid foundation and set up systems that would support the business as it grew, systems that were either automated or delegated or easily repeatable.

Once I had the foundation and the beginning systems in place, I was constantly looking for ways to leverage my time and talent, and I still do. I could write a book on the many ways we do this in my business (and maybe I will someday) but in this 4-part series, I’m going to share with you some of the most effective ones that you can apply to your business today.

1. Pick a price…

Pricing is one of the places that almost everyone gets stuck. Don’t stay stuck especially if it’s something new that you’re offering and you’re filling in the holes in your business model. Just pick a price and get your offer out there.

Getting stuff out there will move you forward, create more income, and leverage your time.

You can say, “This is early bird pricing. This is beta pricing. This is an introductory rate. Be one of our beta testers.” Know that you’re not wedded to that price forever and ever.
That is the beautiful thing about what we do. We can change our pricing all the time. It’s simple. You can just type a new number.

2. Always be hiring…

As your business grows you always want to hire. Pay attention to who shows up, who comes across your desk, who is in your inbox and who you meet at conferences and events who may be a good addition to your team.

You might think, “I’d love to have her do my social media. I’d love to have her be part of my administrative team. I’d really love to have this person do my website.”

Be aware of the people that you’re feeling that resonance with. Maybe there is a small project you can hook them with to get them onto your team early.

That way when you’re ready to hire someone, you have a ready file of possibilities to go to.

3. Make mine WordPress…

If you haven’t made the switch from a traditional HTML to WordPress, now’s the time.

The benefits of using WordPress are seemingly endless. Search engines love them, you don’t need to know HTML to create a site or make changes to an existing site, and there are tons of free and low-cost templates to choose from that will give you business a professional polish.

Because it’s so easy to use WordPress, this is going to save you (or your designer) tons of time, which is going to save you tons of money.

4. Take a stand and make it matter

To increase your exposure and your reach into your market, decide what it is that you are willing to take a stand for and make that matter to your market. If you’re ready to stop seeming like everyone else in your market who does what you do, then figure out what it is that you believe at core level and are willing to make a stand for and in for your market.

Then use that stand as the basis for your manifesto, weave it into your marketing copy, speak about it with passion, and watch as more of your ideal audience gathers to you.

5. Publish your content on Kindle

If you have an ebook or a print book, consider publish those on Amazon as Kindle versions. It’s a great way to get your content in front of all that traffic that already exists on Amazon that can lead to more leads and more sales for you. Just be sure to put an invitation in your book that leads people back to your website.

I’d love to know which one of these leveraging tips resonates the most with you – share with me below!

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People ask me all the time how I’ve managed to create a 6-figure+ business while only working about 15 hours a week. First, I had to build a solid foundation and set up systems that would support the business as it grew, systems that were either automated or delegated or easily repeatable.

Once I had the foundation and the beginning systems in place, I was constantly looking for ways to leverage my time and talent, and I still do. I could write a book on the many ways we do this in my business (and maybe I will someday) but in this 4-part series, I’m going to share with you some of the most effective ones that you can apply to your business today.

1. Use volunteers

Using volunteers, apprentices or interns in your business is a great way to work smarter. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish by using a volunteer, looking at it from the place what tasks can they perform that will free you up so you can focus on creating the things that create income. Also consider what regular tasks they can help you with in your business that will allow you to save money while they get the benefit of learning from you by being part on your team.

2. “Please clarify…”

As someone who has a tendency to over-explain, the ‘please clarify’ idea is one of my favorite ways to leverage my time.

This is how is works: When someone sends you a communication whether by e-mail or voicemail and you’re confused by it, don’t try to figure it out. Just send an e-mail back or a quick call asking for clarity or have your assistant call if you have one. You can say, “I didn’t understand what you meant in your message. Can you clarify?”

Don’t spend time trying to figure out or interpret what it means. That’s a waste of time. We can make up all kinds of things. Let the other person be responsible for being clearer.

3. Turn off the chatter

Turn off your e-mail and your social media chatter.

If you’re in your inbox or on social media all day, turn it off. I give you permission not to answer your email the second it comes in as well as not worrying about what you may ‘miss’ if you log out of social media.

I know this might be hard for you, but what I don’t want you to do is work from a place of reaction. You want to respond in a timely manner when it’s called for but you’re not reacting.

Here’s my mantra – both personally and professionally:

Just because someone e-mails you doesn’t mean that you have to answer it. Just because the phone rings doesn’t mean you have to answer it.

Record a message on your phone and set up an autoresponder that basically says, “We got your message. This is when we’ll get back to you.” You are managing expectations. You’re setting the tone. You’re asking people to respect your time. And you’re deciding how your time is spent in any given moment.

4. Choose simple

When in doubt try to create simple products and services. I know as entrepreneurs we have these great ideas. We are creative people. We have a lot of ideas and you’re always wondering, “What should I do next?”

The easiest way for you to create the next thing, whatever format it is, is to keep it simple.
You will get it to market faster. That’s a way to leverage your time. You’ll have more of teh simple things to offer and it’s a lot less work for you if you keep things simple.

And know that those simpler ones can be bundled together down the road if they follow along the same theme, giving you another product to offer.

5. Choose an audience for your message

I know you’re probably tired of hearing this one, but it’s a fundamental truth when building a successful and sustainable business, not matter what businesses you’re in.

You must have a target market to share your message with. Even if you’re not sure who you are most meant to serve or who your message is specifically for just yet, that’s ok. But do pick one even if it’s broad to start with. It makes your marketing so much easier. That will leverage your time.

And if you already have a target market, and you have a successful product for that target market, how might you slant it to offer to a second market with little additional effort on your part?

(Watch for Part 4 in this series next week…)

I’d love to know which one of these leveraging tips resonates the most with you – share with me below…

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