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Online business owners are superheroes. Turn on your laptop, monitor your website and social media pages, deal with client work or online transactions, create lead-generating material, interact with online freelancers—so much to do and so little time. They don't even have time to think about why they need to hire an Online Business Manager (OBM).

Hey, this is Nicole Bandes. And I want to welcome you back for another awesome episode of Coach's CoPilot but I have to tell you I am still in recovery mode for Covid. I had a few days there where I was hitting 100-103°F temperatures. I am doing better now but my energy level and I still have the cough and the ickiness so I’m gonna try and edit out some of the most obnoxious coughs but I wanted to get some of this great content out to you.

This episode is actually a broadcast of one of our most popular blog posts. And I love, love, love this topic. It seems everybody else does too because they're hitting this blog post in droves. So, I wanted to share it with you all here on the podcast.

Are you tired of being a superhero for your business? Your passion is limitless and you spend every waking moment pouring your heart into making your business successful. Batman is your alter ego. Okay, ladies bear with me here because this works better if I use batman instead of the awesome female version like wonder woman. So yes, it is related to males but it just works so we're gonna go with it here.

So, you put on your cape daily and you conquer the challenges for your business like a boss but you transform into some semblance of Bruce Wayne minus the wealth and the fame, of course. And in the few moments when you're able to catch a breath so that you can live a little, you dream of the day when you can strike a balance. You dream of the day when that freedom you set out to achieve by becoming an entrepreneur is finally yours. If this is you then it may be time to hire an online business manager. And there's good news! An online business manager can be your own personal Alfred Pennyworth and help you achieve this seemingly impossible feat of finding that balance between your business and your life. So, what are the benefits when you hire an online business manager?

Five Main Benefits of Hiring an Online Business Manager

When you know what an online business manager does it's easy to understand how you can benefit. there are five main benefits of hiring an online business manager and those are

1. Saving money yes that is in fact true
2. Saving time
3. Getting some unique insights that you might have missed out on
4. Avoiding a human resource nightmare
5. Increased chances for your business success

Now, those sound fantastic to me. So, let's dive in a little bit.

Save money

How does an online business manager help you save money? How much money and time are you wasting right now trying to perfect areas of your business that you know very little about?

Hiring an online business manager to help you get things right from the get-go. the money that you invest in paying your online business manager pales in comparison with the money that you'll lose due to your inexperience. So, let's say you don't know anything about putting a funnel together, your online business manager may bring that level of expertise to help you put your funnel in place without you having to waste time and money taking classes or workshops or seminars and then trying to figure out all the tech to get it done yourself.

Save Time

They can save time and hire an online business manager. Time never seems to be on your side as a busy online entrepreneur and it's the one thing that we never get more of. An online business manager can help you find more time to pursue growth opportunities by being the middleman between you and the online freelancers you hire. Heck, you don't even need to be involved in the hiring process if it's if it isn't absolutely necessary. it can be time-consuming to onboard online freelancers and monitor their work especially when you're working with multiple freelancers across numerous teams. you will also have someone who you can trust to keep the business's best interest at heart. So, you can focus on your growth opportunities and leave the finer details to your online business manager. Oh, doesn't that sound amazing?!

Get Unique Insights

Okay, an online business manager's experience provides useful insights. Experience teaches wisdom. When you hire an online business manager, you get an individual whose experience provides a unique, current, and relevant perspective that can help your business thrive. You'll be amazed by the interesting ideas he or she presents. Your business will only get better.

Avoid a Human Resource Nightmare

The human resource requirements of a full-time employee are not necessary. Typically, you hire an online business manager on a contractual basis. Therefore, you won't be responsible for employment taxes, benefits, and other human resource concerns. This is quite different from hiring a full-time manager.

Increased Chances for Your Business Success

The main goal is to help your business thrive. An online business manager has the best interests of your business at heart. Consistent communication, transparency, and leadership are second nature for an effective online business manager. You'll get a highly valuable team member who will help you take your business to the next level.

And here's a little pro tip: Have potential employees take an online business personality quiz like Myers-Briggs to see if they're a good fit for the position you'd like to fill.

Who Is an Online Business Manager?

An online business manager helps virtual entrepreneurs govern and monitor the daily operations of a business. This person plays a critical role for small business in many ways.

Manages Your Team

If you know that building a team is important for your business goals but managing people is not your strong suit, you absolutely need to hire an online business manager. Your OBM can help you work with other team members—from graphic designers to website developers and copywriters and so many more. If you're building a sizable team, it helps to have someone manage all the different members for you. They can help with managing operations from accounting to customer service. There are a lot of things to manage in a growing online business. These are the weeds of your business. They need to be taken care of but it's not the best use of your time if you plan to continue to grow. Hiring an online business manager can help you manage the details so you stay focused on the big picture.

Monitors Your Goals and Keep You Accountable

Were you excited about not having a boss to report to when you chose to become an entrepreneur?

Is not having a boss leaving you without the accountability you need to succeed?

You have goals for your business but how good you are monitoring those goals?

Are you keeping up on the metrics you need to so that you can see the progress your business is making?

Are you easily distracted by other ideas and shiny objects?

Your online business manager can help you track your goals and make recommendations when those goals are getting off track. Your online business manager can serve as your accountability partner helping to keep you focused. It's like having the best benefits of the boss without getting yelled at for not performing.

Gives You a Break

Your online business manager can even give you a break. Have you ever wanted to go on a month-long vacation to Thailand or Bali but you knew that your business couldn't last a week without you? An online business manager can help you totally unplug from your business so that you come back with brilliant new ideas and you're ready to hit the ground running

When Do You Need an Online Business Manager?

There are many things that you're asked to invest in as a business owner. How do you know if it's the right time to invest in an online business manager? This one is a lot easier than you might think. Hiring an OBM can free you up to make even more money to invest in all those other opportunities. So, ask yourself:

Have I started to resent my business because of all the things that I don't love to do?

Am I constantly feeling overwhelmed and need some help?

Do I feel more like an employee than a business owner?

Am I inexperienced in a particular business area that will help my business to grow?

Am I missing out on growth opportunities because I'm focused on day-to-day operations?

Look closely at how you feel when you answer those questions. The answers will reveal to you whether it's time to hire an OBM or maybe you can continue to wait it out for a little while longer.

Online Business Manager vs Virtual Assistant

What’s the Difference Between an online business manager and a Virtual Assistant? Virtual assistants are often hired to do the work of online business managers but the roles are very different. Hiring the wrong type of person for the job can lead to frustration and disappointment. A virtual assistant’s role is specific to the tasks you assign. However, an online business manager is responsible for overseeing your business. Therefore, they have a lot more on their plate. For example, a virtual assistant is more of a team member. They tend to focus on the narrow details of their role in a project. They are not necessarily self-starters. They're not going to come to you and ask what needs to be done next. Versus an online business manager, they're the big picture people. They are team leaders and they focus on how each team member’s actions within a project affect the entire project.

Is an Online Business Manager Expensive?

Remember, these are just titles. You may get lucky and find a virtual assistant that can perform the work of an online business manager. An online business manager, though, brings a greater set of skills to the table than a virtual assistant. Therefore, their rates are typically higher than that of a virtual assistant. Some OBMs will work only on a fixed monthly rate (similar to a salary). They generally will only work with two or three clients at a time while giving much more time and attention to those clients. Other OBMs work at an hourly rate. Those rates tend to range between $60 and $75 an hour.

Qualities of an Effective Online Business Manager

What are some of the qualities of an effective business manager?

✔ Effective business managers are experienced. They're leaders. Their experience leading remote teams is very helpful.

✔ They are effective communicators

✔ They're driven by results instead of emotions

✔ They're good multitaskers

✔ They're able to pay keen attention to details

✔ They have a high level of loyalty to their clients

✔ They're extremely trustworthy, and

✔ They are committed to helping your business succeed

Where To Find an Online Business Manager

So, how can you find an online business manager? Well, Virtual A Team has effective online business managers that can help your coaching business to succeed and we'd be happy to have a consultation with you. Now, Batman couldn't save Gotham city without Alfred hanging out behind the scenes. And successful business owners don't do it on their own either. An online business manager is essential for any online business owner serious about business growth. You'll get someone who you can trust to oversee elements of your business so that you can get the time that you need to pursue growth opportunities and establish a healthy work life balance.

Hire an effective online business manager, today.

Hey thanks so much for joining us for this unique take on business managers—Batman and Alfred. And hopefully you got some great tips and have a better understanding of what online business managers do. Sometimes these are also called Virtual Business Managers. Here at Virtual A Team, we call them “Directors of Stuff You Don't Have Time to Do”. So, if you're ready to have your own “Alfred”, give us a call. You can reach out to us at virtualateam.com/contact-us.

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