How to Find (and hire!) the Perfect Online Business Manager for You
Hiring an Online Business Manager is EXCITING. It means that you’ve reached the great stage in your business where you have already achieved a great level of success by yourself, and you’re now ready to take things up a notch.
An Online Business Manager is someone who manages the day-to-day operations and project launches of your business and makes sure that the right work gets done, at the right time, by the right people. So, needless to say, you are putting A TON of trust in this person and that’s why it’s important to know what to look for in a good OBM to save you lots of time, money, stress, and tears (because who likes wasting any of those things?).
When does hiring an Online Business Manager make sense?
You have a clear vision and know where you want to go, you just need someone to help fill in the gaps to help you get there.
It’s not the OBM’s job to find the vision of your business. It’s their job to make sure that all of the work that gets done is in alignment with that vision. They can’t help you reach the finish line if they don’t know where that is.
How do you get clear on your vision? Get in touch with a business coach or mastermind and do some deep “why” thinking. As almost every mindset coach will say, “know your why”. Once you’re there, the Online Business Manager can then plan the steps to turn that vision into reality.
You’re making at least 6 figures (OBMs have a higher price tag than VA’s).
Online Business Managers require a higher of a price tag than virtual assistants, so you need to make sure that you are at a safe place to pay their fee for more than a few months. You don’t want to get started, have a great plan and strategy, and then not be able to afford to follow through on it.
Alternatively, if you’re just starting out and/or not ready to hire an Online Business Manager for your business, I recommend purchasing a strategy call with one to help you reach that level quicker. They can save you a lot of time and headaches when you’re at the starting stages of your business and help you figure out those nitty gritty details that will help you achieve your vision (i.e. what to invest in, which team members to hire first, what tech to buy, and what systems you should set up). It’s a way better investment than Googling “how tos” for hours and spending money on tech that may not work for you.
You have a team or contractors and need help managing them.
You are the visionary of your business and should be spending your time on the tasks that ONLY you can do. You should not be spending your time following up with team members and contractors and managing the day to day details. This will cause you to be the bottleneck in your business.
Where do I find my ideal OBM?
Now that you know you’re ready to hire an Online Business Manager, you now have to find them. These are my recommended “watering holes” to find them at.
Facebook Groups.
Are you in any business mastermind Facebook Groups? Ask there. I’m sure that there will be quite a few recommendations. Alternatively, The Confident OBM is also the perfect spot to e-stalk them.
Reach out to your list.
Email your list and share a blog post that you’re looking for an OBM. This is a GREAT idea, because if the potential OBM is on your list you already know that they’re in alignment with your business and excited about your work. Be careful though, make sure that they’re in the Online Business Management business and not treating it as a stepping stone, i.e. you don’t want to hire a fan that wants to get close to you and eventually start a business like yours, you want one that is an OBM because it’s their mission.
What should I look for on their website?
Are they in alignment with your business?
Most OBMs (the good ones anyways) will have a clear message on their website of who their ideal client is. Some OBMs love life coaching clients, some prefer artists, while others (like this gal!) prefer entrepreneurs in the business of building others up.
They’re walking the walk. They have social sharing options on their website, they have a blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn account…
They run an online business as well and should be actively marketing it. After all, how can you trust someone to help manage the day to day of your business and make sure things get done, if they aren’t putting any effort into their own?
They have social proof and/or stats on their website of what they’ve accomplished and testimonials.
They’re certified.
Look, you can for sure be a fantastic OBM without being certified, however, the certification says that they are serious about their business and continuing to invest in new education.
What to pay attention to before, during, and after the Consultation Call?
Before:
How easy was it to book a call with them?
Was the sequence seamless?
Did you get an email immediately after booking with the call link?
Did you receive a reminder email?
A good OBM should have their systems and automations ROCKING. Everything should run seamlessly.
During:
How are their communication skills? Do they listen to you?
How is their energy?
Are they asking a lot of questions?
Do they seem excited to be talking to you?
Were they clear on what would happen following the call?
You’re going to be meeting with this person a lot. This is the perfect test run. If their energy is off and they don’t sound confident (always factor in a bit of nerves and awkwardness into the first meeting though), they’re probably not the right fit for you. If you feel like they’re just going through the motions, they’re not the right fit for you. You want an Online Business Manager that is committed to you and your business. If they’re not even excited about meeting with you on the Consultation Call, how can you expect them to be excited about your day to day operations?
After:
How did you feel after getting off the call?
They get back to you within the timeframe that they listed on the call.
They provide you with a CLEAR and professional proposal.
This may be a bit “woo-woo”, but I’m a bit “woo-woo”, so bear with me. After your call take a few deep breaths and really reflect on how you feel. Do you feel excited after talking with them? Listen to your intuition here. Hiring someone to be this close to your business should be exciting and you should feel a bit of that “Oh, I can’t WAIT to get to the next level!” feeling.
On top of feelings, they should get back to you with a proposal when they said they would.
If you’ve made it this far and think that we’d be a great match, please connect with me. I’d love to get to know you.