Online business owners are superheros. 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, so little time. They don't even have time to think about why they need to hire an online business manager!

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. (Ladies, bear with me, it works better if I use Batman instead of an awesome female superhero like Wonder Woman).

You put on your cape daily and conquer the challenges for your business like a boss. But you transform into some semblance of Bruce Wayne (minus the wealth and fame) 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. 

There’s good news! An online business manager can be your own personal Alfred Pennyworth and help you achieve this seemingly impossible feat.

What are the benefits when you hire 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:

• Saving money
• Saving time
• Getting unique insights
• Avoiding a human resource nightmare
• Increased chances for business success

An online business manager can help you save money.

How much money and time are you wasting trying to perfect areas of your business that you know very little about? Hire an online business manager to help you get things right from the get-go. The money you invest in paying your online business manager pales in comparison with the money you’ll lose due to your inexperience.

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 we never get more of. An online business manager can help you find more time to pursue growth opportunities by:

• Being the middle-man between you and the online freelancers you hire. Heck, you don’t even need to be involved in the hiring process 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 have someone who you can trust to keep the business’ best interests at heart. So, you can focus on growth opportunities and leave the finer details to your online business manager.

An online business manager’s experience provides useful insights. 

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

The human resource requirements of a full-time employee are unnecessary.

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.

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 will get a highly valuable team member who will help you take your business to the next level. 

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 a small business in many ways.

Managing teams

If you know that building a team is important to your business goals but managing people isn’t your strong suit, you absolutely NEED to hire an online business manager. Your OBM can help you work with your other team members. From graphic designers, website developers, copy writers and more. If you are building a sizable team, it helps to have someone manage all of the different members for you.

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. 

Hire an online business manager to help you manage the details so you can focus on the big picture.

Download our Insider's Guide to Outsourcing for More Tips & Tools on How to Delegate as a Solopreneur

Monitoring 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 are you at 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 OBM can serve as your accountability partner helping to keep you focused. It’s like having the best benefits of a boss without getting yelled at for not performing!

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 are ready to hit the ground running.

How do you know when you need an online business manager?

There are many things that you are asked to invest in as a business owner. How do you know if now is 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 those other opportunities. 

Ask yourself:

• Have I started to resent my business because of all the things I don’t love to do?
• Am I constantly feeling overwhelmed and need some help?
• Do I feel more like an employee that a business owner?
• Am I inexperienced in a particular business area that will help my business 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 if you can wait it out.

What is the difference between an online business manager and a virtual assistant?

Virtual Assistants are often hired to do the work of an online business manager 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 plates. The table below summarizes the main differences between an online business manager and a virtual assistant.

Is an online business manager expensive? Remember, though, 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 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 OBM’s will only work 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 OBM’s will work on an hourly rate. Those rates tend to be around $60 to $75 an hour. 

You can check out Virtual A Team’s Online Business Manager packages here.

What are the qualities of an effective online business manager?

An effective online business manager is:

• Experienced
• A leader (experience leading remote teams is helpful)
• An effective communicator
• Driven by results instead of emotions
• A good multi-tasker
• Able to pay keen attention to details
• Loyal
• Trustworthy
• Committed to helping your business succeed

How can you find an online business manager?

Virtual A Team has a team of effective online business managers who can help your business coaching or life coaching business succeed. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Putting It All Together

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 will get someone who you can trust to oversee elements of your business so that you can get the time you need to pursue growth opportunities and establish a healthy work-life balance. Hire an effective online business manager today by contacting Virtual A Team.