What is an Online Business Manager?

In a nutshell, an Online Business Manager (OBM) runs your business’s day-to-day operations. By stepping away from the day-to-day, it provides you with the time and mental capacity to focus on growing your business to achieve your goals.

An OBM is equivalent to a General Manager or Chief Operating Officer (COO) in the remote space – think Virtual COO. Some people also call us/themselves an Online Business Integrator. Hmm, perhaps I should have used that. ‘OBI One’ would have been a memorable business name!

An OBM’s professional background and experience will determine their specific suite of services. OBMs offer services such as financial management, marketing, building and managing demand generation engines, online course strategy development and launches. Depending on the OBM, they can also offer systems and technology implementation and configuration. These services are in addition to the core fundamentals of operations management and project management.

We’re the Robin to your Batman

From our experience, entrepreneurs start their businesses because they’re passionate about the problem they’re solving. They also love the solutions they’re delivering. You don’t start a business because you’re passionate about being a business owner.

You chose to start your business because you have a superpower in your field of expertise. Think of an OBM as your trusty sidekick who works very closely with you. We learn and understand what you want to achieve and then we use our superpowers to make that happen.

We’re the Yin to your Yang

Just as we each have our own superpowers, entrepreneurs need someone to complement them and bring their visions to life.

Your superpower is your vision, passion, expert knowledge and connections. An OBM’s superpower is to provide a grounding force. We focus on details, processes, and internal stability – plus, you won’t find anyone more naturally skilled in organisation than an OBM. The balance of these complementing superpowers ensures your business can innovate while maintaining operational integrity. Together, we create a balanced and effective dynamic duo.

Why Online Business Manager’s are becoming more popular

The concept of an OBM is relatively new in Australia, and there are a few reasons why we’re becoming more popular.

Acceleration of digitisation

The first reason OBMs are becoming more popular is that businesses are digitising on a mass scale, and consumers are adopting and accepting digitisation at a rate that we haven’t seen before. This is also increasing online competition as more and more businesses enter the online space and expand their consumer reach.

Digital transformation is now a necessity, not a choice for businesses. An increased number of businesses are adopting a digital-first strategy to reduce costs and inefficiencies. Businesses are also utilising AI to create better UX to meet consumer expectations. Businesses are also using digitisation to increase their agility, resilience, and data security. Small business owners are seeking an OBM’s skill set and experience more and more due to the digital space in which OBMs work.

Higher level of business support needed

The second reason OBMs are becoming more popular is that small business owners recognise they need a level of expertise and business support beyond that of a Virtual Assistant (VA).

While a VA also provides valuable remote support, their tasks are more reactive and administrative. VAs also need to be managed by either an OBM or the business owner. Examples of VA tasks include scheduling appointments, handling emails, social media management, and other administrative tasks that can be performed remotely.

An OBM on the otherhand operate at a more strategic level. We’re the right-hand person to the business owner, focusing on management and growth strategies. We oversee operations, the team, projects, marketing, and financial management.

Cost efficiency

Lastly, OBMs are becoming more popular because we’re cost-efficient, adaptable and scalable. OBMs typically work as independent contractors, which allows businesses to scale their management costs to meet their needs and budget. Many small businesses don’t need a full-time General Manager or OBM as they start the next phase of their business. You can contract OBMs for 10, 20, or 30 hours a week. This way, you get the expertise you need when you need it without hiring a full-time employee.

What does an Online Business Manager do?

An OBM provides you with the time and mental clarity to focus your energy on achieving your vision and goals by taking the following day-to-day tasks off your plate:

Operations management

Managing the day-to-day running of your business, ensuring smooth operations
Developing tailored systems and processes
Optimising current systems and processes
Developing standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Enhancing customer / client management and engagement

Team management

Strategic team leadership
Co-ordinate the team and allocate resources
Direct reporting and support for team members and contractors
Recruitment, onboarding, training
Task allocation
Managing prioritising and timelines

Marketing management

Manage social media
Manage marketing collateral
Manage website updates
Manage lead nurturing sequence
Manage sales funnels
Manage sales administration

Project management

Plan and execute projects
Stakeholder management
Oversee project budgets and resource allocation

What we can also do:

Strategic planning

Collaborate with you to develop a strategic plan aligned with your vision
Conduct SWOT analysis
Identify areas of opportunity
Turn the strategic plan into actionable steps

Financial management

The following is dependent on the individual OBMs skillset

Manage client invoicing
Manage cashflow
Manage accounts payable and receivable
Manage financial reporting
Be your go-to person for your bookkeeper and accountant

Who benefits most from engaging an Online Business Manager?

Small business owners who are eager to grow

OBMs specialise in collaborating with small business owners who are eager to grow their businesses. For owners to grow their business, they need the time and head space to do so, and an OBM provides that. We focus on the day-to-day and optimising your operations so you can focus on driving growth. Meanwhile, the backend of your business runs like a well-oiled machine.

Small business owners who run their operations remotely

Whilst we are online business managers, many of our clients have brick and mortar businesses. For example, one of our clients has a brownie and cake shop in Melbourne. Whilst they have a physical shop front, they run their back-end operations remotely (think marketing and finances), and that’s where we come in. Another example is a cafe owner who has multiple cafe’s, and they run the backend of their business from their home office utilising remote contractors.

Eager to grow your business?

If the words sweet, awesome, or shut up and take my money came to mind when you read this blog, you definitely need an OBM. Especially if:

You’re ready to step away from the day-to-day running of your business
You know you need to devote your energy to developing new products and revenue streams
You’re finding having a VA isn’t freeing up as much of your time as you’d like
You want to be focusing on building improved relationships with clients and business partners.

If you’re ready to get started, head to our Services page to see what having us as your sidekick looks like, or simply get in touch. We’d love to have a chat with you.