Working fewer hours and making more money isn't a pipe dream. It's a program. It's a program followed by many of the most financially successful small business professionals.

These individuals are based worldwide. Their products and services vary. So do their expertise and experience levels. And they run their businesses in a wide variety of ways.

Though most aren't aware of it, they have one thing in common: They all follow the "program" of working less and earning more.

You can, too. You can maximize your income, and minimize the time you spend earning it, if you:

Set a goal. What does "earn more" mean to you? Determine what kind of income you need to earn to live the lifestyle you want, save for the future and establish an emergency fund to handle unexpected expenses.

E-value-ate yourself. Attach value to who you are and what you do. Produce and distribute a powerful bio: a promotional profile that spells out your specialness and positions you as a uniquely qualified, one-of-a-kind expert.

Work on what works. Determine your most lucrative products and services, and update and upgrade the way you sell them. Simplify, streamline and automate your operations to enhance your sales. Ditch unprofitable product lines and services.

Become an MVP. Adopt a time management system to assure that you focus exclusively on your most valuable and productive activities each day. Do what you do best and delegate the rest. Make a list of those important, but menial tasks that eat up your time, and hire someone to handle them.

Play doctor. Pinpoint the "pain" of your most important clients and prospects, and present your services as the remedy. Use social media to start and join conversations about the biggest challenges they face. Offer solutions in your blog posts and articles, and when you talk, tweet and text prospects and clients.

Maximize your relationships. Your current clients are your best ones. The long-term value of a client can be 100 times more than the value of a single transaction. Upsell, cross-sell and continually create new and better ways to serve. Assume the role of a billiards professional, always setting up your next shot.

Play lawyer. Charge for all of your time, all of the time.

Set parameters. Customer service is paramount, but setting rules for the relationship should be a priority, too. Say: "This is how I work with my clients." Include in your cover letters the services you promised — and the cost for additional services that you didn't.

Offer a premium package. Design an all-inclusive option for your biggest fans — clients so enthralled with the services you offer that they'll any price if you work with them, perhaps exclusively, on a much grander scale.

Think big and aim high. Leading business professionals shoot for the moon, knowing at the very least they'll end up in the stars.

Bottom line: You need not work longer to maximize your income and substantially grow your profits. You need only work smarter.