How to Know When You’re Ready for an OBM

Whether you're new to outsourcing or you've worked with professionals before like virtual assistants, graphic designers, copywriters, or web designers, you might be wondering what kind of help you need in order to take your business to the next level.

Most business owners get to a point where they wonder if they need a VA (or a few of them) or if they need to bring on an online business manager or project manager to handle some of the bigger managerial tasks in their business.

First of all, let’s look at what an OBM does and how are they're different from VAs.

An OBM, or online business manager, takes on the role of manager in your business. They help put your big plans into action by organizing and delegating tasks, and supervising business operations to make sure stuff's getting done. They monitor to make sure everything is being taken care of along with making sure it is organized so you don't have to.

They can also provide accountability, which can be a business game changer all on its own.

A VA, on the other hand, can perform a variety of tasks depending on their specialty, but they don't manage the business and typically don’t provide feedback and/or strategy. 

So what do YOU need? Here are a few ways to tell if you're ready for an OBM or online project manager:

You've already transitioned from “doing” to “managing” but you’re still not able to free up enough hours to grow.

The biggest role of an OBM is to handle the managing of projects and team members so you can step into the position of CEO in your own business. They help manage and oversee the day-to-day operations so you can focus on the next stage of your business, which could include creating new products and services, teaching, giving interviews, and other big picture stuff that only YOU can do.

You've outsourced before and you’re tired of juggling all of the different people.

If you've worked with designers or VAs before and feel like you need someone who really gets your business inside and out, it's possible that you're ready for an OBM. One of the added perks is that once your OBM really understands how your business works, they can start to work with those professionals on your behalf! They also have the ability to pull everyone together into a true support team.

You have a plan for business growth, but you need help getting organized.

One of the biggest reasons people hire OBMs is because they know what they want to create in their business, but they need help putting all those moving parts into action.

They know who they want to reach, and they know how to grow, but they just need to get organized without running themselves into the ground trying to handle it all on their own.

It's like an architect who has the blueprint for a building she wants to create, but there's no way she can build the whole thing on her own. She needs specialists and a variety of others to realize her vision. Your business is the same way!

You are ready to surrender some control.

I understand—your business is your baby. You want to supervise every move, be there for every milestone, but at the same time, you need a freaking break already.

You know your operations inside and out. You've realized that you don't have to do everything and you're ready to let someone else handle a lot of the details and control for you. You know that's what you need to grow, both as a business and as a human being.

I was discussing this with my team the other day, and somehow we came up with this little nugget: “You have to let go to grow, bro!” 😊

You have a good income, now what you want (and need!) is more time.

Hiring an OBM is definitely an investment, but one that provides a good return, both financially and mentally.

You've worked your ass off to grow your business into what it is today. You'd still like to grow, you're making a comfortable income now, and you want some balance in your life. You'd like to take more time off, take up a creative hobby, maybe focus on a new project, and just have a little white space in your life. You want to spend less time in team meetings and conversing back and forth with your 2 VAs, a graphic designer, and a copywriter.

As far as your business goals, you just want to come up with brilliant ideas and do other “fun” stuff and have it turn into money without having to worry about all the logistics that happen in between.

An OBM can be the stepping stone, handling all those “little” things so you can spend more time living and less time delegating.

Not every business owner is ready to work with an OBM, but maybe you are. You've put everything you've got into making your business as success, and now you're ready to go to the next level.

With the right help, you know you can do it, and I know it too. You've got this!

If you feel like you've reached this point and you need another managerial brain in your business, let's talk. I'd love to help you grow to the next level of life and business!