Have you ever looked back at the end of the day wondering where the hours went and what you actually achieved? It can be frustrating when a day gets clogged up with unproductive tasks and you don’t get to the money making stuff that you really should attend to.

The number one thing you need in order to grow your business fast and successfully (apart from Passion) is FOCUS!

Focus on Income Producing Activities. What does that really mean? As Solo-Entrepreneurs there are three things that we should be focused on 95% of the time:

Marketing: Marketing takes most of the time, especially when starting out and realistically also when you are already up and running. The good news for all those of you saying you don’t like to market: The lines between Marketing and Working with Clients get blurred when using Attraction Marketing Principles. That means Marketing is actually fun because you educate and build relationships while you do it.

Work with Clients: No brainer. Of course you want to spend time servicing your clients really well. As a Solopreneur YOU and your Expertise are the the commodity so of course this is an important part, and usually the most fun part of your days.

Innovation: It’s critical that you constantly learn new things and innovate within your field. Your clients expect it, it is the lifeblood of your business. And it keeps things exciting for you as well.

You should be spending 95% of your time in any of these three areas. If you are not, you are wasting time. Let me share with you my top tips for ridding yourself of time wasters so you can be as focused and productive as possible to reach your big 2010 goals.

Tip 1: Have set working hours where you ONLY spend time on income producing activities.

During your working hours you should not be focusing on anything else. That means no lower value activities (eg admin), no distracting activities (eg a private email, a youtube video someone sent you etc) and no personal chores like shopping etc. Set your working hours so you can realistically achieve this and stick to it no matter what. You will need to find time for the excluded activities somehwere else. This is critical for you to stay focused.

Tip 2: Batch activities

This is so important as different tasks require a different mindset.  Changing it all the time is a waste. So have a standard diary for the week . Batch all our client work on certain days, your marketing on certain days etc, you get the idea. If  you are not already doing it, you will notice that this saves you heaps of time. It also makes it really easy to plan the week and estimate how long bigger projects will take you to complete.

Tip 3: Outsource all non-income producing activities

As soon as you can afford it, outsource your non-income producing activties. Most people wait too long before they do this. Remember, the more you outsource the more you are able to focus on income producing activities and make money. I know the more I outsource, the more money I make. It is an investment that definitely pays off. If you choose the right team members who are professionals who know their craft and have a service mentality, you will be better off because you have outsourced. Don’t wait too long, do it as soon as possible!

Focus is important not only to get more done but also so you have more time off to spend doing what you love. That’s really important so you replenish your energy and your creativity.

What do you think of these tips? HOw are they working for you? What are your top tips to avoid time wasters?

I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment here on the blog!

If you are anything like me you probably have great ideas for programs you could run all the time. It’s really easy to get excited
about an idea and rush ahead too quickly to put it into action.

I used to do it and I see others doing it: You launch a program, you fill it you make some money from it and then what?

You have to start all over again with a new program and fill that and repeat the whole thing. Then some people want to attend but can’t make the dates so you decide to put the same program on again a few months later.

Big mistake.

Why? Because it’s not strategic. You end up chasing your tail, working way too hard and with too few participants in your programs.
Then you go and have to chase participants to make it worthwhile financially for you.

Not a lot of fun to do (I’ve been there done that).

So how can you avoid this dreaded cicle?

These days there are four criteria every one of my programs needs to fulfill before I even think about launching it. They save me from giving in to the temptation of wanting to make a ‘quick buck’ by putting on a repeat program or satisfying a need that seems to be appearing that moment in front of my eyes.

Here they are:

1. Is there pent-up demand for such a program?
In other words is there a large group of people searching for a solution to this, I am in regular contact with them and I can feel a kind of built up pressure that can be released through a specific program that satisfies this need?
A successful program launch is like a pressure -release valve that channels all tension into the ONE program. Your launch process builds up a pressure by tapping into an underlying need and when you open the doors, people are ready to jump in.
This way it’s much easier to fill a program and it happens fast. It does require discipline though and a longer planning horizon. You can’t do this as a spur of the moment thing.

2. Does this program seamlessly lead into at least 2 other streams of income for me?
Marketing a program is a fair bit of work and expense. Chances are if you don’t have at least 2 other ways of benefiting from it financially, its not worth your while. You may also be disappointing your participants who want more of you after having experienced such great progress through working with you. You don’t want them to feel abandoned. So it is really important for you to have other programs lined up that people can opt-in to in order to keep working with you. Again, a long planning horizon is needed for this so in your marketing you can prepare your clients that there is another step for them to take.

3. Does it fit my brand?
The whole idea of your brand is that you become known for being an expert at something and that you convey a certain personality that people connect with. Every program you launch should reinforce that message rather than muddling it up. All my branding is about attraction marketing, it wouldn’t suit my brand to suddenly promote an aggressive campaign to go out and get clients. That’s not my style. I’m also about building a business from the inside out, so I coudn’t go out there marketing a program that is focused on making as much money as you can fast. That’s just not me. I think you are getting the idea…

4. Does ist have a point of difference?
Don’t launch a program that is like 5 others out there, even if the 5 others are extremely successful. You want to be original and have an edge over the competition. That doesn’t mean you can’t cover similar topics, you definitely can, it just means you do it in a different way, different in a way that matters to people. And if it’s unique then that’s even better. In many ways my ‘Market your Brilliance Intensive’ is unique. While some of the concepts are not new, this is a workshop where they are completely integrated in a step by step formula specifically designed for coaches, consultants, trainers and therapists. It focuses on getting the strategic pieces right which are so often covered up by a focus on tactics and technology. While tactics and technology are also important, if you haven’t got your strategy right, it’s just piecemeal.

So there is a clear point of difference and there is demand for it. BTW check it out here at Market your Brilliance, we still have a few tickets available.

Would love to know your thoughts on this one, please leave me a comment.

Last week was a big week here at Client Prosperity. We launched the Market your Brilliance Workshop and we we have already sold more than 1/3rd of the tickets! You can secure yours here at www.clientprosperity.com/workshop.html
The feedback on last week’s teleseminar has been fantastic thank you for all of you who wrote to me saying how much you loved it! It really means a lot to me!
My husband Bruce and I spent most of the weekend at the sunny Central Coast relaxing and escaping smokey Sydney, it was lovely!

Enjoying a glorious Sunday

I have had many conversations lately with people who tell me what their passion is and then in the next sentence tell me what they do to pay the bills, thinking that this is how it has to be and that they can’t make good money from their passion. I’m here to tell you: You can absolutely make good money from your Passion! It simply depends on how you market it!
I feel so strongly about this that I want to devote an entire teleclass to this topic “How to turn your Passion into a profitable business with smart Marketing”. Read my Teleseminar section for more details.

Today’s article is giving you one key element of your Marketing Strategy that turns your Passion into a profitable Business: Your Signature System. It’s the lynch pin of your business as it is how you create the value you create step by step. People love step by step, and a business with a signature system attracts ideal clients a lot easier than one without a signature system. Read on for the full scoop of what a signature system is, why you should create one and how to do it.

P.S. Workshop Bookings for the ‘Market your Brilliance Intensive’ are now open at the early bird price, check it out here at http://www.clientprosperity.com/workshop.html and secure your ticket as they are going fast! An amazing group of people is coming together and I can’t wait to share with you the powerful tools and systems that will totally transform not only your business but your life!