How an Online Business Manager Can Benefit Your Business

Leader, marketer, accountant, salesperson… the daily roles of an entrepreneur are many.

I’ve been fortunate to help entrepreneurs with their roles in marketing, SEO, social media and other areas. I truly enjoy being part of their team, working towards their goals and celebrating their wins.

But I knew I had more to give and could help them grow their businesses even further. So it was only natural for me to expand my role by getting certified as an OBM.

What is an OBM?

An OBM is an Online Business Manager. While the title has been around for a decade, it’s still a fairly new position. It began online and is now used by all types of businesses, including small brick-and-mortar companies and home service businesses.

And despite the title, an Online Business Manager isn’t limited to online-only projects. An OBM can create systems and run projects that improve daily operations for any business.

Think of us as Operations Managers with strengths in tech.

Because, unfortunately, technology often becomes an intimidating barrier for many business owners, both online and off.

Is time and tech holding you back?

In a Business.com survey, small business owners said they didn’t adopt new tech for a few reasons (they could choose more than one answer):

• It’s too expensive (51%)
• It’s too complicated (26%)
• They have little to no tech support (31%)
• They didn’t have enough time (41%)

Do you feel the same way?

It may make sense to work under the “don’t fix it if isn’t broke” mentality. But that could lose you time and money in the long run. Because in today’s digital economy, online tools offer advantages that can affect the bottom line.

Per a Deloitte study, small businesses that are digitally advanced:

• Earned two times as much revenue per employee
• Experienced revenue growth over the previous year that was nearly four times as high

Consider that some of these tools can give you data to make better decisions.

As an OBM, part of my job is to help others choose the right tech tools to grow their businesses. And by tech tools, I don’t mean fancy AI programs, but existing software that can streamline accounting, customer service, sales or marketing.

Clients are often surprised to learn of free or inexpensive tools that suit their needs. And it’s not unusual to pair a paid tool with a free one to accomplish what was previously done by hand or with expensive programs.

Over time, I’ve tried various tools and tactics for different clients and have learned which are worth using and which aren’t. You benefit from that experience.

In fact, your business can benefit in a few ways.

How an OBM benefits your business

OBMs are more than assistants or one-time project managers. By working with an OBM over time, you can:

1. Regain your focus

How much time do you spend planning for growth vs. putting out daily fires? It likely isn’t much. As an entrepreneur, you should be in charge of building the team that will carry out your plan for success. An OBM can help you build that team or carry out the plan to reach your milestones more quickly.

2. Save time and money with more efficient processes

Tech shouldn’t hold you back. There are hundreds of online tools now that can save you time and provide data that will help you save money as well.

3. Grow your business with less stress

Having an OBM is like having an organizer for your business. We create and manage systems to help grow your business, so you spend less time in the weeds of daily management.

Need some examples? An OBM can…

• Create a process to onboard new clients automatically.
• Create a system to track the results of your marketing efforts.
• Build workflows for employees to use for communications, customer contact, lead generation or prospect outreach.
• Manage the building or updating of your website.
• Plan the launch or promotion of a new service.
• Build systems to cut down on redundant tasks and expenses.

As your right-hand collaborator, an OBM can do many things to turn your big picture into reality. Are you willing to consider it for your business?

Let me know below or send an email.