What is an online business manager or an OBM, and how do you know when it's the right time to bring one on to manage your business?

Dive into the areas of focus

Project management

Do you have a lot of half-built bridges? As a flourishing business owner pulled into all sorts of directions, it is no wonder that you have courses, products, and ideas started but not completed.

And it’s not because you lack ambition. It’s because you lack time.

And that’s where an OBM steps in to take over the project management.

Is that something you’d like for our business, someone to plan out the project, create the roadmap, and ensure that the team members do the tasks?

It all boils down to this, make sure tasks are it's getting done.

Operations management

What is operations management?

Have you ever heard the phrase running around like a headless chicken?

Okay, gross, I know but hear me out on this. Without having workflows and standard operating procedures in your business, your team runs around not knowing what to do next.

One piece of operations management is creating workflows to making sure that the business flows easily.

Metrics Management

I can almost hear you thinking, what the heck is metrics management. Know thy numbers that are happening in your business; this is metrics management.  When you know the business numbers, such as revenue, profit margin, expenses, conversation rates, all of these tell you a story of the health of your business.

You guessed it; if you're not keeping track of your actual numbers in your business, it is a perfect time now to start tracking those.

And the best part is, we already have a tracking spreadsheet that you can download today.

It's a Google Sheet, with everything in there that you need to track your numbers.

Team Management

And this is where people run into trouble; not everyone loves to manage a team.

Most business owners do not consider when they start an online business; a successful business comes with hiring, delegating, and managing a team.

An Online Business Manager will take over the team management, freeing you up to focus on business growth.

If you want to listen to me ramble, here is the video.

An OBM is different from a Virtual Assistant
 

Let me elaborate on the key differences between a virtual assistant and an OBM. 

An OBM is not the person that's actually doing the tasks; an online business manager will manage the tasks and make sure that the right things are getting done at the right time by the right people. 

Here’s the bottom line an online business manager manages all the tasks. They are not the doer of the tasks. 

Another difference between an OBM and a VA, an OBM is proactive, putting a plan in place to reach business goals. We conduct quarterly strategy planning with the business owner. 

An OBM is paid at a higher rate and focused on a few clients, verse juggling many clients. 

Online Business Managers are in the weeds with your business, making sure that everything is moving forward and on time. 

We’re focused on hitting goals and looking for ways to increase revenue. 

One of these ways is by protecting the business owner’s time so that they can focus on the things that only they can do. 

But here’s the thing an OBM needs to have a forward-thinking growth and marketing mindset. 

Are you ready for an OBM?
 

Now, this is important, you may be thinking this is exactly what I need in my business. 

It may be, but hold on a second. I’ve gone down the path before with businesses that thought they were ready and they were not. 

Well, you need to have a proven business model that generates monthly revenue and you have a team to manage. You’re clear on your vision and goals of your business. 

What does it mean to be a certified online business manager?
 

What most people don’t realize is that some online business managers are certified and others are not certified. 

In order to be certified, they must attend a six-month certification training and then pass a week-long test, from project creation, metric analysis, team member issues, troubleshooting, creating a workflow, and standard operating procedures. All of this is submitted to be peer-reviewed for either a pass or try again next time.

✁ Just a Snippet

Here is just a snippet of the important points, you know for the skimmer in you. 🤪

• An OBM, I'm the right hand to the business owner.
• They are a sounding board, someone to brainstorm with, share ideas with, and be proactive in the business.
• Online Business Managers focus on four key areas of the online business: Project, Operations,
  Metrics, Team Management
• Project Management – making sure that all the projects are set up and created in the business with doers attached to them.
• Operations Management – creating all the workflows, SOP, keeping the business flowing easily and simply
• Metrics Management – know thy numbers because they will tell the story
• Team Management – managing and growing the team
• What is the difference between a Virtual Assistant and an OBM. The focus of the OBM is managing and not doing.
• Getting the right things done at the right time by the right people
• OBM manages all the tasks. They are not the doer of the tasks.
• An OBM is proactive, not reactive. We plan what is going to happen.
• OBMs are paid at a higher rate, focused only on a few clients
• All online businesses need doers, this should always come first.
• OBM has a marketing mindset
• OBM has a growth mindset
• OBM is focused on looking forward
• OBM brings on the right team members, to be able to actually look forward we can not be the doer.
• When is an online business owner ready for an OBM?
• You have a proven business model and you have a business to manage
• You're clear on your vision and goals of your business
• OBM comes in the middle of strategy and implementation
• You're tired of being the only strategic thinking
• They need someone to drive the bus they need planning, project management, team management.
• They want things to be streamline and simple