My beginning was in a dream. Seriously, I actually had a dream years ago, woke up, and wrote what I dreamed – which was of me doing the work I was great at but remotely from home in my own business.
But I didn’t know where to start. So I went back to school to finish my degree. In one of my business classes, I had an assignment to create a business plan. So I thought, why not just put your dream in a business plan. Couldn’t hurt, right? It did so well, my professor wanted to enter my business plan in a national business competition. I did not know at the time that what I had a dream of would become its own industry: Virtual Assistant (VA)! I was working on small projects here & there but I had a full-time job as well so I didn’t want to rock the boat and go all in.
Fast-forward a few years, and for the last time in my corporate career, I was caught in another layoff. While I continued working on small projects, I applied to many job openings. Oh, I got the call backs for even 2nd and 3rd interviews but could never quite land the jobs. Divine intervention? I am sure it was! I had to take the plunge and put my many skills into my dream.
Of course, I started off wrong! But my mistakes can be your gain. I started my business offering a few different services. Too many different services as a matter of fact. I gained clarity after taking so many courses, revamping my offerings, and re-launching. Through it all, business grew fast and over the years, it became clear to me that I needed to leverage my knowledge and experience because my clients were often looking for something more that what the VA industry knew as a Virtual Assistant. They were looking for or needed an Online Business Manager (OBM). I wished I had invested in a business coach much sooner. As I said before, my mistakes can be your gain.
You may be wondering what’s the difference between a VA and an OBM. You SHOULD be wondering what’s the difference because I’ve seen so many business owners often say they need an “assistant”. They then proceed to come up with a wishlist of OUT OF SCOPE duties of a VA they were looking for.
What is the difference between an OBM and a VA?
OBMs are managers. They strategize and then assign tasks to the team for implementation. VAs are implementers who carry out the tasks, usually with detailed instructions.
OBMs are responsible for the daily operations of the entire business or project. VAs are responsible for only their work or tasks.
OBMs lead teams which often include a VA. VAs are team members.
OBMs work with the business owner to discuss strategy and priorities. VAs get things done without control over workflow or priorities.
OBMs focus on Management. Inherently, they must shift from doing all the things to managing. VAs focus on doing…or Implementing.
Entrepreneurs and business owners usually hire VAs when they’re ready to grow and need help with various tasks and projects. VAs are wonderful and invaluable! Most times, when growing a business, this is where business owners should begin.
Often when the business owner becomes overwhelmed and can’t or doesn’t want to be the one who is managing the day-to-day operations, they want someone who can step in and take over this responsibility. This is when an OBM would be ideal! The OBM would essentially become the right-hand man – or woman in my case.
Strategic Consulting
So you might be saying to yourself, “I’m looking for a higher level of support but I’m not quite ready for an OBM”. You’re very hands-on, or not comfortable with turning over the managing of your “baby” to someone else, or you may not be financially ready for an OBM yet. Maybe you’re looking for clarity and support to get your business to the next level, but you don’t know where to start. Are you full of ideas, but feel paralyzed when it comes to taking action? Or you know you want to SCALE, but the idea of hiring a team is overwhelming. You feel…STUCK.
These are the EXACT struggles many of my clients have faced before they began working with me. This is my Zone of Genius. I help entrepreneurs gain clarity and provide solutions for your Business Systems, Operations, and Team.
I have spent the last few years working with some of the most amazing business owners in the world to help them create systems and implement strategies that foster growth.
If you’re ready to dig deep and do the work, together we will sort through the ideas in your head, the challenges you are facing, and break them down into actionable steps to get you where you want and NEED to be in your business.
Ready to discuss the possibilities? Click HERE to book a FREE discovery call.