OnlineBusinessManager.com

For Virtual Assistants, Freelancers, Project Managers, Online Marketing Specialists, and Admin Professionals

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Do I Need to hire a VA or an OBM?

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How do you know if you need to hire a virtual assistant (VA) or an online business manager (OBM?)

Today’s video will give you the scoop so you are clear on your next hire.

Ready for an OBM? Visit our Certified OBM® Directory at: www.hireanobm.com

Key Differences:

  • The OBM is focused on MANAGING – the VA is focused on DOING
    • When a business grows to a certain level (early 6-figures and up) they need someone to plug into running the day-to-day activities of the business.
  • The OBM is responsible for the entire TEAM – the VA is responsible for their individual work
    • An OBM will work with your entire team to ensure that things are being completed on time, correctly and in pursuit of business objectives
  • The OBM is focused on the BIG PICTURE – the VA is focused on a specific area (admin, tech, etc.)
    • As a growth partner for the business, the OBM is focused on all aspects of the backend, including project management, systems, team and metrics.

Put simply – once you reach early 6-figures and there is too much stuff going on for you to keep managing it all… it’s time to hire an OBM.

5 Signs That You May Need to Hire an Online Business Manager

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Wondering if you should hire an Online Business Manager? Here are 5 tell-tale signs that it may be time for you to add an OBM to your team.

1. Your business is growing while your own free-time is shrinking.

I’m betting you started your business to create more freedom in your life yes? Freedom of time, money and choice. Let me ask you – as your business grows are you actually working more or less time?

If you are on the ‘working more’ side of things you certainly aren’t alone… I can’t count how many times I’ve talked to business owners who have shared how they are actually working more hours in their own business than they ever did in their ‘old job’! Ugh. However it doesn’t have to be this way… as a business owner you have the freedom to be able to make changes in your business, including hiring the right help to get stuff off your plate.

This is exactly what an Online Business Manager does – their focus is to free up the business owner (YOU!) so that they can focus their time and energy on the things that only THEY can do in their business.

2. You are having to turn away opportunities because you are so busy!

This is a sad by-product of the first point. Are you so busy that you can’t take advantage of the opportunities that are coming your way? Do you ever find yourself saying “I would love to do X and know it would be a great new offer… but I simply don’t have the time for it right now.”

Not only can an Online Business Manager help free up your time to be able to explore these opportunities, they can also work on bringing some of these opportunities to life for you! An Online Business Manager helps turn your vision into reality, and can manage the process of creating new offers in your business from concept to launch.

3. You are still doing things the same things you were doing when you started your business.

Remember when you first started your business and had to wear many hats? You were the cook, hostess, waitress and busboy (so to speak, hehe.) Now that your business is growing, are you still doing the same things as you were in the beginning? Are you still updating your own website? Are you still sending out broadcasts? Are you still answering all your customer service emails?

As your business grows your role will (and should!) change. An Online Business Manager can lovingly ‘slap your wrist’ when it comes to you doing some of these things… helping you delegate the ‘old’ stuff that is taking up your time and getting in the way of you growing your business.

4. You have a great team, but find yourself frustrated by them always ‘bugging’ you.

This is a common complaint from business owners – they have a great team of VAs, techies and such. And yet they are constantly frustrated by how much their team needs from them. They feel like someone is always tapping them on the shoulder with a question or request.

The thing is, your team does need someone to manage them. They need someone who they can turn to with questions, to get what they need to complete their projects quickly and on time. And if there is not an Online Business Manager on the team who do they turn to? You – the business owner.

As a colleague of mine so eloquently shared:

“My VAs were doing a fine job – it was ME who was unhappy managing them.”

Most business owners really don’t enjoying being managers, and I’m guessing this may be the same for you. An Online Business Manager becomes the key point of contact for your team – all questions, requests and check-ins go to the OBM instead of you.

5. You are stuck at $X revenue and can’t seem to get past that point!

When you find yourself stuck at a certain point in revenue there is usually one thing getting in the way – you! This is often referred to as the quarter million dollar speedbump – where you get stuck in early 6-figures – and a big part of the solution usually requires you removing yourself from the day-to-day of your business.

Start to ask yourself as you go about your day – do I need to be the person to do X? (with X being the many things you spend your time on each day.)

Chances are many things on your to-do list could be passed along to someone else on your team. And an Online Business Manager can help with that process by delegating and managing those tasks on your behalf.

Ready to hire an Online Business Manager? Check out our Certified OBM Directory to find a match for your needs.

4 questions to ask yourself when you are too busy

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“Help me Tina! I’m too busy and something needs to change…”

I get it. Being too busy isn’t sustainable and doesn’t serve you or your clients. The good news? It’s fixable, so grab your to-do list and ask yourself the following questions.

Question 1: Does this really need to be done? (If yes, now or later?)

We often have things on our to-do lists that either:

  • don’t need to be done at all – they are ideas, maybes or “wouldn’t it be nice ifs”. They are things we are thinking about, but that we haven’t actually made a firm decision on yet. Ideas are not to-dos – create a separate idea list and get those things off your to-do list!
  • don’t need to be done NOW  if you aren’t strategic about planning ahead, then as a default everything on your to-do list feels like it needs to be done NOW. Work through each item and ask yourself – when does this really need to be done? Could it be put off until next week? Maybe even next month? Take your list and put realistic due dates beside each item.

You should be left with a list of things that are actually do in the next week or so – and a list of things that aren’t due yet (or are ideas and are no longer on the list!)

Question 2: Do I need to be the one to do this?

If you are anything like I was for years, as a default you feel like you must do everything. You are good at what you do. You are used to being the one to get it all done, but now things are starting to fall behind and slip through the cracks.

Run through your list again and ask yourself – could someone else do this for me? Be aware of the following when you answer:

  • “Well yes, someone else could do this for me but it’s only me so I have to” If you don’t have anyone working with you right now this could be true, and you also have the power to change that. Growth dictates that you will need to hire help at some point – when you do it is up to you.
  • “But no one can do it as well as me – so I have to be the one to do it” This is a dangerous spot to get stuck in, because as long as you believe it to be true, it is… and it could be the thing sucks the life right out of you. Yes, you may be the best at doing something but that doesn’t mean you can’t train another person to be as good as you or find someone who does it already and bring them on board.

The goal here is simple – identify the things that others could do for you. It doesn’t mean you have to hire a bunch of people tomorrow, but at the very least you can look to give more to the people you have already and plan ahead for getting more support (which becomes a light at the end of the busy tunnel!)

This second question can be a doozy as it brings up all kinds of stuff for many of us – it can have our inner control freak kicking and screaming! I highly recommend getting the support of a coach or OBM to help you here if you go through your list and still have your name beside every task. An outside eye can often see what you can’t.

Question 3: How can I create more space?

At this point you should have a realistic list of what needs to be done in the next week or so. Now you want to ensure you have the space and time to get it done. Here are two of my favorite tips:

  • Plan ahead –book the time in your schedule to get stuff done. You might book in specific tasks, or you might book in time for types of tasks (ie: writing time, client time).
  • Set boundaries – distraction is the death of productivity. Be it team, clients, family or social media – every time you get distracted it takes you off track, and for many people it happens all day long! Close your door. Turn off your phone and email. Let people know when you aren’t available and when you are. And get really good at saying no (because they will test your boundaries!)

Question 4: Do I need to renegotiate any deadlines?

If you are truly in over your head and can’t get everything done, then you need to revise your deadlines with clients, team members or whoever may be waiting on you. I get that this sucks and you may hate having to do it, but it’s better for you to own up to something ahead of time vs. having people get upset with you because they are waiting/asking.

To simply say to someone “Hey, I got in over my head here and that’s on me. I won’t be able to get X to you until next Monday and wanted to let you know.” Yes, you might need to make concessions for being late if this affects their timelines.

Even if they are frustrated, people will respect you for stepping up and being real with what is going on – and quite often they are OK with adjusted timelines if they know ahead of time.

The beauty of these 4 questions is that you can use them over and again. Every time you find yourself too busy work through this process, and ideally overtime you won’t need to anymore.

Let me know how it goes k?

Tina

7 signs that you are a strong leader

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If you’ve ever wondered how strong your leadership is – look to your team.

They are a reflection of how effective we are as leaders, and can also show us where we need to step it up!

Here are 7 things to look for in your team to see where/how strong your leadership is:

  1. They hold themselves accountable and get stuff done with minimal ‘chasing’.
  2. They are clear on their role and ‘stay in their lane’.
  3. They care about your clients, about the business and about each other.
  4. They are always looking for ways to improve how things are being done and freely share their ideas.
  5. They are willing to go the extra mile without being asked.
  6. They stay for a long time (years) and only leave when their career path takes them in another direction.
  7. They tell you how much they enjoy working with you. 🙂

I’m curious how true this is for your team? How many were you able to say yes to?

Anything that is a no (or a maybe) is simply shining a light on a potential area to work on. An aspect of leadership that is calling us to take it to the next level.

If we want to have the best team we need to be willing to become the best leader we can be. <– And that is an ongoing growth edge for all of us!

Tina

It takes time

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Let’s be clear… it takes time.

Despite what you see online when someone is sharing how they ‘made 3 gazillion dollars in 30 days’.

Despite what you expect of yourself when you look in the mirror and wonder why things aren’t moving as fast as you thought they would (and then wonder what is wrong with you or what you are missing…. ugh)

Despite what that coach/trainer/consultant may have promised would happen when you followed just ‘7 steps to making moola in your sleep’

Despite what you might think – or hope – success takes time. Probably more time than you wish it would.

A flower doesn’t spring up the day after you’ve planted it. It needs water, sunshine and nutrients. It needs TIME to become the glorious plant it’s meant to be.

Success takes time.

It takes time to lay out a solid strategy (and then more time to try it, tweak it, and improve it).

It takes time to find and hire the right team, and then time to lead them to do their best work.

It takes time to do great work for your clients. Create new programs. Deliver amazing service.

Success isn’t a race, even though it can feel that way.

Success is a daily commitment.

The commitment to keep going. To show up. Every. Single. Day.

And I promise you – so long as you do that the success you seek will come to life, even if it takes longer than you thought it would. ?

Tina

If you want to create an agency – do this first

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The agency model is one of my favorites for a few reasons:

1) It’s a great way to grow – By hiring other people to ‘do the work’ you naturally expand your capacity to serve more clients (and make more money).

2) It’s a great way to leverage your expertise – The agency model allows you to focus on what you do best, so that you get known as an expert in your field.

3) It’s a great way to free up your time – When you build a solid team around you it frees you up to do more of what you love (and less of what you don’t)

Yes, the agency model is great BUT there is an important pre-requisite before you go this path.

Create success FIRST as a 1-1 service provider

I see too many people wanting to skip this step. They are just getting started in their business and they want to jump straight into creating an agency.

I get it – the agency model is great! But when you jump too quickly into it you miss a few things that working 1-1 brings you:

  • Clarity – working 1-1 allows you to become clear on exactly what you do – and don’t! – want to do for your clients
  • Confidence – when you serve your clients directly you get to see first hand the results that you help create, and can really own your value in the marketplace
  • Clients – when you can fill your business with 1-1 clients, you have proven your ability to make the sale (likewise, if you can’t fill your business 1-1 then you are likely to struggle more as you work to fill your agency)

Do great work as a 1-1 service provider, fill your business with amazing clients and then you will have a strong foundation of success to build an agency on.

Tina