I am so excited to be diving into today's episode because we are going to be talking about the number one question I always get asked and that is how do I make the transition from VA to OBM? And for someone who is in the online space, has started their business as a virtual assistant but knows that there is something more waiting for them, this is a huge question. Where do you start? What do you do with is a huge question. Where do you start? What do you do with your current clients? What services do you offer? What do you charge for it? All of these questions, and we are going to be diving into those today. So welcome to the OBM Educator, where aspiring OBMs are empowered with the knowledge behind the scenes and real life looks into becoming an online business manager. Let's dive in. Welcome to the OBM Educator. I'm your host, amanda McVicker, a veteran OBM who serves six and seven figure entrepreneurs as well as educates new OBMs with the skills and confidence they need to start and grow their own successful online business management business. Follow along as I share valuable insights, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks and proven strategies to help you build a better OBM business.
01:15
In the first episode of the OBM Educator, I shared a bit about my story of how I became an OBM. If you haven't listened to that, I encourage you to go back after this episode to catch up. But in that episode I shared how I made the transition from VA to OBM back in 2020 and created a very successful OBM business. I just celebrated my four-year anniversary as an OBM and it's just super exciting. But when I started mentoring OBMs a couple years ago, the first thing that I had, like my first semi-offer, was a free 20-minute coaching call, and I called it the VA to OBM transition call because I saw it in the online space and I knew it from my experience.
02:05
Information about how to go from a VA to an OBM was not really out there, maybe in a course or a certification. They kind of touched upon it, but no one really focused on it, and I noticed that there were so many skilled, capable and willing VAs who actually wanted to make the transition to OBM but just didn't know the path to get there. And I say skilled, capable and willing because I think that all three need to be present in order to make a great OBM. I've known some people who are skilled and capable but not willing to make the change. I've known people who were skilled and willing but lacked a lot of the soft skills that are needed. And of course I've seen plenty of people who were willing and capable but didn't have the skills. And that one is actually the easiest to jump off from because anyone can learn the skills. But that's a topic for another day and I promise that will be a whole episode or five in itself.
03:11
So with these calls I started filling the gap in the industry with that knowledge. And what I loved about it and it's why I still do these free coaching calls was that once you know the general path to OBM, it's very easy to start implementing. Many of the people that I coached on these calls are now full-fledged OBMs. It's not difficult, but it requires work and it just kind of requires a game plan. So if you're willing to do the work, listen up because by the end of this episode you're going to have that game plan to get you to be an OBM.
03:52
So with this I am jumping off from the point of I am ready to be an OBM. How do I get there Now if you are still unsure about whether you're ready to become an OBM or whether you want to become an OBM. Still keep listening, but know that you have a few more steps before this. And you're in luck because as you keep listening to the episodes of this podcast, all the different topics that I'm going to be talking about you are going to become clearer on whether this is the right fit for you. So I am ready to be an OBM. How do I get there? You're going to want to do an audit of your own business, and this is not some in-depth thing with checklists and analysis or anything like that. But I want you to first think what do I like to do in my clients' businesses, what do I not like doing? And if you don't have clients, use your own business as an example. But basically, you're trying to think of what are the tasks you enjoy doing and what are the tasks you do not enjoy doing. The reason for this is because there are definitely different ways to OBM, and one of the things with this podcast that I am very excited is that I am showcasing all the different types of OBMs you can be, and I mean even with my three clients that I've been an OBM for for years. At this point, I am three different types of OBMs. For them, like, how awesome is that? It goes to show that you really can be doing what it is that you want to be doing as an OBM.
05:26
If you find that when you're going through like what you like and don't like doing, that, what you like doing is filled with a lot of managing others, delegating tasks, checking timelines, things like that, you're probably going to be an OBM who focuses more on team management. So you want to find clients who have teams, who have VAs to do the implementation and really just need, like a project manager to keep everyone in check. Maybe, on the flip side, you find that systems are like your jam and you like creating and implementing and refining, auditing tech systems, all of that stuff. You can focus more on systems management. Maybe someone who has a smaller team but has a lot of tech behind the scenes you can be the one who is implementing and refining all of those things. So you take your list and you have the things you like and don't like doing.
06:23
From here you are going to make your offers and services. I'm going to have future episodes that get into the nitty gritty of packaging and pricing, but the simplest thing to do is start with a retainer, and so typically this is going to be something that's like 10 to 20 hours a month. I recommend keeping it simple by just having your list of services like systems management, team management, project management, admin, the things that you want to be doing, and whatever fits inside those hours is the retainer. And then, for pricing, you'll probably want to start around $60, $75 an hour, and that is really the simplest way to start without getting confused by what it is that you're offering. So get super clear on that and then you will be ready for the next step, which is going through your clients.
07:18
This is going to be if you are a booked out VA, or even if you're not necessarily booked out but you have VA clients. What you're going to want to do with that is you're going to want to make a list of your clients. First, you will rank your clients based on who actually would need or can have an OBM, using what you know about their clients, their business, their products and offers, their team, etc. If you're already working as an OBM for a client without being like, paid or acknowledged for it which we call an OBM in disguise they will definitely go high up on that list, in addition to like looking at their business. I also want you to take into account their finances if you are privy to that information. So if you have a client bringing in you know, say $5,000 a month, chances are they are not going to have the financial bandwidth to fairly compensate you as an OBM.
08:19
I would say that a safe bet is someone making at least $10,000 a month in their business consistently. You don't want them to have to be worrying about dips in income and how they're going to pay you. That is very important. There's obviously outliers to all situations found that you want someone who is making probably about $10,000 or more consistently in their business for them to be at the level where they can fairly compensate you as an OBM. So you have that list.
08:55
You are going to see who it is that you actually want to keep working with. So if you have a roster full of clients that you love working with and would love it if everyone can make that transition with you, that is amazing. But I also know that that is rare. Usually we all have a client or two in the early part of our business that we would not mind leaving behind at their current level. So it's okay if you have a client like that at their current level. So it's okay if you have a client like that.
09:23
So say you have five clients, three of them would make a really good fit for OBM and two of them just really don't have a business that would require it. Looking at the first three, who on that list are you like? Yes, yes, absolutely yes, I want to keep working with them. That is going to be the first person you work on shifting and then go down the line. If there is someone who is a great fit for OBM, like on paper it looks like, yes, they definitely need an OBM, but you don't really see a long-term relationship. It doesn't mean you have to kick them out of the running, but you're going to want to see how the rest works out before making a decision.
10:09
You can transition someone to OBM on kind of a short-term relationship. Like, obviously we're looking for long-term partnerships, but sometimes it's helpful to get someone to the level that you come in as an OBM and you get their systems in place, their SOPs in place and everything like that, and even if you don't see it working out long-term, you can help get them to that level and then help them hire someone who can go long-term with them. So those three go in a ranked list and you start transitioning them. Obviously, that is easier said than done, but I do think a lot of people make it harder and more stressful for themselves than it really is. If you are at that level that you are ready to become an OBM, chances are you're already a pretty invaluable part of your client's business and you probably are already showing those skills that will make you a great OBM.
11:12
So the tricky part is probably going to be that you need to educate your clients on what an OBM is and why they need one. So if they are familiar with the online space, they might have an idea already, but if they're not, they don't know the difference between an OBM and a VA and they don't know why their business needs that level of support. Also, as a side note, this is a great reason why we try not to act as an OBM if we're not being paid as one or treated as one, because if your client is used to that level of service already like if you're an OBM in disguise they're gonna question why all of a sudden they have to pay more for it. If you're transitioning to OBM when, technically, you've been an OBM for them all this time. So if you are listening to this and you're like, oh my goodness, I am an OBM in disguise, start making the plan Like it's not too late, but let's get you to OBM. So the actual part of transitioning your clients can look different for everyone. But these are kind of the general guidelines that I have found work really well when going from VA to OBM with clients. Well, when going from VA to OBM with clients.
12:23
So first is to get super clear on your packaging, your pricing, your timelines, all of those things. Are you going to be the one still doing your VA tasks and you're just going to be adding in new things, or does your client need to hire someone to take over those previous responsibilities? In this case, I recommend becoming kind of like a hybrid, while still calling yourself an OBM, which is very important. You can still take on admin tasks, but you are an OBM. You're not an OBM slash VA. You can be a hybrid while still calling yourself an OBM.
13:00
Some other questions to kind of think about would be when will this transition take place? How much time do you want to allot for the transition? What does months one, two and three look like in this new role. The second thing that you're going to do is decide how you're going to tell them. Personally, I am a big fan of an email that lays everything out, with the option to get on a call to discuss more, but you might be the type of person who wants to do a call to begin with, you know, to discuss it. So you want to pick the option that lets you keep control of the conversation without getting flustered. And then the last thing to remember throughout all of this is remember that, just as this is your choice to transition your business to OBM, it is also their choice to not want to. You need to decide what that might look like. Do you let them go? Do you continue as a VA? Determine what feels right for you and then stick to your boundaries. So, for example, don't continue as a VA but then still do a bunch of OBM tasks. Take it slow, don't rush through each client. This process could take a few months or longer, depending on how many clients you have, and that is totally okay.
14:20
I kind of recommend, if you're doing the whole transition process fully, transition a client before starting on the next one, so that you can give them the full onboarding experience and know that things are going well there before you start on the next one. So now we're going to continue in the example of going back to the two clients who weren't really a good fit for OBM, and stick with me, this is going to be a hard thing to do, but you need to come to terms with the fact that they are not coming with you to the next level. And again, this can be really hard for some people to hear, and I've heard it before. I've personally experienced it before. There are some people that we wish we could stay with forever. But if we want to grow, if we want our business to go to the next level, if we want to truly be an OBM, we have to let some things go. Just take a moment, come to terms with that, because that can be one of the biggest blocks when you're looking at transitioning your clients that you know someone is not going to need an OBM, but maybe they were your first client, maybe they've been your longest client, but chances are they also probably are like your lowest paying client. If they're your first client, they're not going to help you move your business forward. If that does not apply to anyone on your list and you have no qualms about letting them go. They will go at the top of the list. But basically you want to rank who you would let go of first, second, etc.
16:02
This is the piece where everyone like kind of gets tripped up about is how can I get OBM clients If I'm booked out with VA clients? I'm already so busy I can't think of adding anything else to my plate, and so what I'm going to teach is my sidestep method, imagine almost like a zigzag. So chances are, if you have VA clients, you are relying on that money for something and you can't just cut it out, but you also don't have the time to bring on an OBM client with all of your VA clients. So what you're going to do is actually get an OBM client and let go of a VA client simultaneously, and the way you can do this is you get an OBM client. Yay, congratulations.
16:46
You say great, let's do this. Our start date will be 30 days from today. Let's do a 50% deposit and in this 30 days you will fill out my very in-depth questionnaire so I can learn about your business. We will have our strategy session where we can discuss any gaps that I'm seeing and I will put together the 90-day plan and you can review it so that at exactly 30 days from today I am ready to hit the ground running. So you're almost onboarding them in that 30 day period without actually having to take on a bulk of work. And then on the flip side, yay, you got an OBM client.
17:32
You let that first client go and this is where you kind of like you have to have this ready so that you're not taking any extra time and you are ready to do it. So you let go of your first client on the list, with 30 days notice which is pretty standard in contracts, but you should check yours just to make sure and this gives you time to help them find a new VA off board train. All of that good stuff, and you feel good about ending the relationship. There's no significant overlap and you have potentially just doubled your rate for probably the same amount of hours, depending on the retainer. You could probably get rid of two VAs for one OBM retainer, or you can do one-on-one and then you keep doing that until you only have OBM clients and again, this process could take a couple months or longer, depending on how quickly you get OBMs. This is where I would definitely start a referral program which will definitely be a topic for another day so you can get those referrals coming in.
18:36
So that is the overview of how to transition from VA to OBM Audit what you like and don't like doing, make a list of who's coming with you and who isn't, and start the transition. Remember that this is a process that isn't going to happen overnight. It will take time and it might not always go how you want it to. But also remember that this is your business and you can run it however you want. I hope you enjoyed this episode and learned a lot. Make sure to subscribe to get the weekly episodes and connect with me on Instagram at amandamcvicker underscore OBM. I'll chat with you guys soon. Thanks for joining me for this episode of the OBM Educator. I hope what you heard today is helpful for you on your OBM journey. If you loved today's episode, I would so appreciate you sharing it and leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. Want to be a guest on the OBM Educator? Fill out the form in the show notes and I'll be in touch. Join us next time on the OBM Educator. Thank you.
Ā