Wondering if you’re ready to become an Online Business Manager?
It’s a question I hear a lot. And the truth is, if you're newer to the online space or you’ve only done virtual assistant work, leaping into being an OBM can seem intimidating.
You haven’t tried managing projects. You don’t have confidence in your skills. You’re not sure where to even begin.
It’s completely understandable, too. No one wants to put all that effort in only to not get any clients, struggle at the workload, or be overwhelmed. But don’t let that stop you!
Becoming an OBM opens up so much to you in your business - your income goes up, your responsibilities expand, your work/life flexibility becomes more flexible, and the opportunities you have in your business increase.
If you’ve been feeling like you’re ready to become an Online Business Manager, you probably are getting close!
To help you decide, today I’m sharing 5 ways to know if you’re ready to become an OBM.
This way you can focus on becoming a confident and successful Online Business Manager - without wasting your time.
(And if you’re not ready yet, you’ll know what you need to do!)
Let’s dig in.
5 Ways You Know You're Ready to become an Online Business Manager
Only you can say for sure whether you’re ready to become an OBM. As I mentioned above, if it’s been heavily on your mind lately, you’re probably in a good place to start researching your options, at the very least. You may even find that you're more prepared for it than most people starting their OBM business.
To help you decide, here are a few tell-tale signs that show you're more than ready to transition your business to being an Online Business Manager.
Readiness Sign #1: You do OBM-type work for your current clients.
Have you had a client comment how you do higher-level work for them, like team management or system implementation, even though you’re a VA? Or maybe you’ve seen a list of common OBM services and you already do most of them for your VA clients?
This is what we call “an OBM in disguise.” You are doing the work, and your clients are reaping the benefits, but not at the rate you deserve for that work.
When I first started as a VA, I started learning systems for my own business so I could run it more efficiently. I then made recommendations to my clients for how they could run their businesses more efficiently, and as I was doing that work, I realized I was doing a higher level of business management work… without being paid to do so.
Once I made that realization, I started looking at what it took to become an Online Business Manager - because I knew that if I was doing the work, I definitely wanted to be paid for it.
Even if only a few of the tasks you do or responsibilities you have overlap with what an OBM does, I would still look at making the transition, especially if those are the tasks you enjoy the most. It’s so much easier to ease into being an OBM when you already have an idea of the type of work you would be doing.
Readiness Sign #2: You’re ready to take the next step in your business.
You may not feel it now, but your intuition about taking your business to the next level likely always steer you in the right direction.
So if you think you’re ready to become an OBM but struggle with impostor syndrome, it can be hard to admit that you are actually ready to make that transition.
Our brain wants to keep us safe - and that can mean keeping us in what we know works, what we know is not a risk. And for you right now, that might be staying a VA. So when you start thinking about changing your business to something in the “unknown”, your brain will start making up stories.
You’re not good enough.
You don’t know enough.
You can’t make it work.
I had these thoughts too when I was first thinking of becoming an OBM. And I almost let it hold me back. But I thought about what I wanted for my business. And staying where I was was not it.
So I had a choice - overcome those limiting beliefs, or don’t, and not get to the next level I wanted to.
Can you guess what I did? 😀
Here are a few ways to push past it:
- First, remember what it was like when you first started your VA business (or succeeded at something new). I’m sure you had fears then - but did you succeed?
- Next, imagine the worst-case scenario. Really. What is the worst thing that could happen? Could you overcome it?
- Finally, imagine your success. You did it. You booked out your OBM business. You’re making money you previously only dreamed of. You have the most ideal clients. Live into that feeling.
Now, how does it feel? Does it feel a bit more realistic and a bit less scary?
In the words of the amazing Glennon Doyle, “We can do hard things!"
Readiness Sign #3: You’re capped at time or money in your business.
In our business, there comes a point where we are going to be capped with either our time or the amount of money we can make.
And in order to move beyond that, we need to either start outsourcing so we can work more hours or we need to increase our earning potential.
If you are a general VA, there is a cap on how much you can charge. It is different for everybody, but as soon as you start getting to around $50-60/hour, you are going to price out of a normal virtual assistant budget.
That leaves the option to niche down as a virtual assistant (i.e. tech VA) or move into a different role. When you become an OBM, you can charge the higher rates while also being able to work less, so you remove that cap that you had on yourself.
Readiness Sign #4: You have experience in more advanced tech and work.
Now that we’ve covered some of the signs that will help you determine if you’re ready to become an OBM, it’s time to cover some skills you may have.
Before you become an OBM, there are some skills you’ll need to have. It makes little sense to jump into this management and leadership role without the right experience.
(But don’t worry, this experience is something that you can be cultivating while you are a VA, or as a new OBM!)
Here are some examples that will show that you will be a huge success:
#1. Project Management Experience
A big part of being an Online Business Manager is managing the projects going on in your clients’ businesses. This could be launches, rebrands, new offers, podcasts - the list literally goes on.
As the OBM, you are the point person making sure that all of the moving pieces are completed. You might be completing the pieces and/or you might be overseeing team members and your client in their completion of pieces.
Having project management experience (even if it’s not substantial) will let you step into the OBM role more confidently, because you know you can handle what is needed.
#2. Advanced Platform Experience
Dubsado. ClickUp. ActiveCampaign.
And not just the standard features. The workflows. The automations. The reporting.
You’ve been on these platforms and you’ve worked your way through more of the advanced capabilities.
You can of course learn on the job as an OBM, but if you have experience in these more advanced platforms and in their more advanced capabilities, then you know that you can learn pretty much anything.
Especially if you’ve taught yourself.
Having this experience shows that you’re resourceful, you’re curious, and you want to always be knowing more.
All great things for an OBM.
If you don’t know what platforms you should be looking at, I have a list of 8 categories you should have experience in, with the platforms that fall into each category. You can find it in my VA to OBM Transition Guide, which you can download here.
#3. Team Management Experience
This might go against what some others teach, but not every OBM needs to be able to manage a team. There are entrepreneurs and business owners out there who need an OBM for the skill level and management experience, but don’t actually have a team that needs to be managed (I have been an OBM for a few such entrepreneurs, so they are definitely out there).
But if you’re wanting to work with a business that has a team, especially if you’re not wanting to do that much implementation work, having team management experience is a must.
The cool thing about this is that most of us have team management experience without even realizing it. Have you ever been a team lead or manager at a job? Have you ever led a group of volunteers? Have you ever led a group of friends through activities? All of these require team management.
Being an effective team leader comes down to communication and making sure everyone is on the same page. Yes, there will be hard conversations that have to happen, and it’s not going to always be easy, even if you are the world’s best communicator, but communication is at the core of team management. So if you want to be an effective team leader, work on your communication too.
Readiness Sign #5: You’re ready to put in the work to make it happen.
Now, I can hear you saying, “but that doesn’t actually tell me that I’m ready!”
And that’s absolutely true. Having said that, making the transition to being an OBM is going to take work. You’re going to have to market yourself, change your offers, constantly be learning new things - there’s a lot that goes into it.
It’s worth it, but it isn’t always easy.
When I first thought about becoming an OBM, I had about 6 months where I did not take any action. I dreamed and wished I could be an OBM, but I wasn’t ready to put in the work to make it actually happen. I wanted everything that came with it, but I didn’t know what to do to make it happen.
It wasn’t until I really sat down and thought about how I could make a successful OBM business, that I started getting forward movement.
That’s when I realized that I needed to plan for what the transition was going to look like.
Here are the things to think about before starting your OBM business:
- What services will you offer?
- How will you charge?
- How much will you charge?
- What won’t you do?
- Who do you want to work with?
- Where do you want to market yourself?
- How many clients can you take on?
Having a plan like this, even if it’s only in your head at this point, will help you start your OBM business with a firm foundation.
Standing in between you and becoming an OBM: The Doubt Edition
Usually, the biggest thing standing in the way of your wildest dreams isn’t something external. It’s actually yourself. Your fears. Your lack of self-confidence. Your impostor syndrome.
Some common concerns I hear from my clients are:
- What if I can’t find any clients?
- What if no one will pay me my new rate?
- What if I end up not liking the work?
Does any of that sound familiar?
The best way to clear those concerns up is to take some time and really think about why you want to become an OBM. Get super clear on your “why.” Why do you want to take this next step in your business? Why do you want to make more money, have more time freedom, have more responsibilities, etc.
When you get super clear on that, you’re able to tackle the self-doubt that is stopping you from moving forward. Or it can also help you realize that maybe it’s not the right path for you.
But either way, you’ll get clarity.
That’s a wrap!
I hope this post has helped clarify some of the ways you can know that you’re ready to become an Online Business Manager.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, remember that this is not a sprint, but a marathon. Maybe start with moving one client over. Or doing smaller projects at a higher rate. Dip your toe in. I remember when I first started, I was worried about going all in because of all those reasons above. But I took the leap of faith. And now, I’m about to enter my fifth year of being an OBM, I’ve worked with dozens of amazing female entrepreneurs, and I have been able to provide for my family in ways I never would have imagined.
And now I get to help others like you make this decision for themselves as well. #livingthedream
Are you ready to start exploring the world of Online Business Manager?
I am hosting a free masterclass on Monday, January 29th called The OBM Advantage. In it, I’m going to be pulling back the curtain on what an OBM actually is and why you should be making the pivot in your business.
This masterclass is for the VA or new OBM who feels like starting and growing a successful OBM business is unrealistic, out of reach, and not for them - when in reality, with the right support and foundations, is not far away.
Register now so you don’t miss this free masterclass!
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