by Jo | Oct 21, 2021 | BLOG, Online Business Manager, Outsourcing, Productivity |
An online business manager (OBM) is there to provide support to people who need expert skills to help run their business. Unlike a virtual assistant, an OBM has a leadership and managerial role to fulfil, such as handling teams and complex projects. They also have freedom to make decisions that impact the business. A good OBM will use their skills to increase revenue and profits, drive growth, as well as taking some of the weight off the business owner. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the tasks an OBM might do:
Project management
An OBM leads projects and uses their initiative to ensure goals are met within planned timelines. After discussing priorities and outcomes with a business owner, an OBM develops strategies, plans and processes for their team to follow to achieve those desired goals. In this role, an OBM will be liaising with their team as well as outside sources such as contractors, organisations, and individuals that are involved in the project.
Team management
Organising a successful team includes hiring, firing and working with people to get the best from them. An OBM needs to have excellent communication skills, not just to be able to tell team members what to do, but also to listen and have empathy with them. This allows an OBM to solve team problems quickly and fairly. The success of a project relies upon a cohesive team that works well together and, when team members feel valued, they do a good job.
Marketing
This is an example of a business area that can be delegated to an OBM to run. An OBM may coordinate the activities of copywriters, social media managers, and SEO experts. They are also able to study the measurable data, such as website analytics and social engagement, in order to see what works well and how to improve. Not all clients will require every aspect of an OBM’s skill set, but being able to hand over a whole operation such as marketing allows business owners to use their time on other things.
Operations management
Being tech savvy and experienced in a number of processes means that an OBM is in the best position to suggest helpful changes that make operations run more smoothly. This could include improving bottlenecks, automating processes and devising and implementing new strategies and workflow systems that get things done more efficiently.
Actively seeks new opportunities for the business
An OBM can take a proactive approach in driving the overall success of a business by finding new opportunities. This could be new ways to generate revenue, expanding customer reach, improving brand image and engaging with potential clients or customers. This might also include networking to identify new partnership options and other opportunities that could be of benefit.
Hiring an OBM
For business owners, hiring an OBM can be the step that takes their business to the next level. It allows you to free up time if you are feeling overwhelmed with tasks, to explore new ventures, or perhaps you need a fresh set of eyes to help your business grow more quickly. Whatever the reason, an OBM is an asset that many business owners can’t do without!
One of the joys about being an OBM is that every client is different. That means no two OBM roles are the same. It keeps things fresh, interesting and with a large scope to grow and develop professionally.
As an OBM, I really enjoy getting to know business owners, helping to solve their problems and improve the way their businesses run. If you would like to have a chat about whether an OBM is right for you, or about what you could delegate, please get in touch!
by Jo | Mar 23, 2021 | BLOG, Business Tools, Productivity, Time Management, Tips |
Tools help us to organise and manage work effectively and efficiently, and as many small businesses and entrepreneurs use them, there are an increasing amount available. From CRM systems and project management, to email marketing and workflow automation, there are hundreds of tools to choose from. So, how do we know which is best for the job? Here’s a quick guide to ten of the best tools every small business should use.
Project Management
- Asana – a tool that allows multiple teams to work on multiple projects. Tasks can be viewed as lists or scheduled into a calendar, and messages or updates to do with tasks are clear to see. Asana can email your team each day to remind them of their daily goals. Its intuitive interface makes it one of the most popular management tools in use.
- ClickUp – an effective tool for teams to collaborate on multiple projects. There are some cool features that make it different from Asana, such as being able to turn comments in to tasks to assign to others, plus its Forever Free plan means you can use it for unlimited projects and unlimited users.
Email Marketing
- MailChimp – with MailChimp, you can manage your email subscribers, set up auto-responders, send lead magnets, and split-test campaigns to see what works well. You can also create templates to save you time writing emails, plus it provides excellent real-time tracking of how people respond to your emails, such as who opens them, what links are clicked, who unsubscribes and what email addresses bounce. This popular email marketing platform has a free plan to get started with.
- InfusionSoft – this tool is great if you want everything that MailChimp does, but combined with some awesome customer relationship management (CRM) features. Use InfusionSoft to help convert leads into sales, segment your subscribers to send specific emails to different groups, and use the built-in ecommerce platform to sell to them directly.
Social Media
- Hootsuite – a useful tool that manages all your social media platforms in one place. You can pre-write and schedule your tweets and posts in advance, respond to new comments, see your feeds and new followers all within Hootsuite. This saves you hours of time going between social media platforms and makes it easy to engage with followers.
Files and Documents
- Google Drive – Google Drive makes it easy and convenient to share and store files. This cloud-storage platform means that anyone can view a file provided they have internet access and an invite. For business owners, you can allow team access so people can work in collaboration on documents and spreadsheets, and they are synced in real-time. That means that anytime someone views a file, it is always up-to-date. In addition to file sharing, it is also easy to connect with your team through chats and video using Google Meet.
Scheduling
- Calendly – an absolute time-saver when it comes to arranging meetings and calls, Calendly allows you to communicate your availability through a link, and customers or clients can book a call when it is convenient for them. This simple scheduling program syncs with your calendar, so you always know who is booked in and when. It also integrates with Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The free version is ideal for one user, and the price is low for other plans with more features.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- HubSpot –a marketing and sales platform that is full of features to help attract customers, sell to them, and turn them into repeat buyers. It has the tools ready to create a fantastic customer experience as they journey through the sales process and learn more about your brand. It includes features such as email marketing, advert software, website tools and a service hub where you can collaborate with your team. HubSpot is an all-in-one solution to scaling up a business.
- Zoho – this CRM platform is similar to HubSpot, however it is more streamlined in terms of features. For example, it does not have the team collaboration ability that HubSpot does, but not all business owners want an all-in-one solution. Although the CRM part of HubSpot is free, Zoho offers cheaper pricing plans overall.
Workflows
- Zapier – this platform allows for easy sharing of information between apps, helping to automate workflows. Connect two or more apps to create a ‘zap’, which then triggers more actions that you set, automating those repetitive tasks and saving you time. With over 3000 apps to choose from, there is not much that Zapier can’t connect!
Using the right tools for business is a must, as working efficiently saves you time and money. When you are not chasing to keep up, you can put your energy into developing and scaling your business further. If you are looking for advice on setting up systems to help you work smarter, or would like help to implement the right tools for your business, feel free to get in touch!
by Jo | Oct 16, 2020 | BLOG, Online Business Manager |
An Online Business Manager (OBM) provides professional, managerial level support for businesses. While there are similarities between an OBM and a Virtual Assistant (VA), there is a marked difference. A VA provides general office support, whereas an OBM oversees and manages a wide range of operational processes, freeing up your time so you can use your expertise where it is needed most.
Here are the top 5 reasons how hiring an online business manager benefits your business:
1. Handles Daily Tasks
Those daily tasks that seem to get in the way, yet are an essential part of keeping your business running smoothly, can all be handled by an online business manager. Project management, administration, communicating with staff and customers, organising documents and data… an OBM can create efficient workflows and improve time management.
2. Increase Growth
When you are not bogged down in the nitty gritty of core operations, it allows you to focus your time on developing your business further. You will have more time and resources to scale up and expand your customer base, and be able to act on new opportunities that come up.
Not only that, an OBM is likely to have the experience and skills to help you create new business strategies, and a wide business network where you can make new connections.
3. Fresh Set of Eyes
Sometimes, we are so close to our business that we ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’. When you first began your business, you may have had ways of doing things that worked well at the time. However, as your business grows or changes, those processes become less efficient. It can be hard to make changes when you’ve always done things a certain way, or don’t have time to implement a new way of working. An OBM is a fresh set of eyes on your business, and may be able to suggest new ways of streamlining processes that you never thought of before.
4. Improve Work/Life Balance
Running a business is often challenging, especially for entrepreneurs who have to manage many aspects. When you spread yourself too thinly, both your business and your personal life begin to show the strain. There may also be times when you need to take a day or two off, such as through illness or commitments. It’s impossible to be in two or three places at once and still expect to be working effectively, so hiring an OBM can help provide that much needed manpower to make sure all areas of your business are running smoothly.
5. Freedom to be Creative
As a business owner, founder, or CEO, you are the visionary that steers the ship. When the day-to-day pressure is lessened, you can use your creativity to think of new ways to develop your business, how to best serve your customers or clients, and create future plans that fully align with your business values.
Ready to find out more?
Whatever the size of your business, if you are finding that time spent on core processes is slowing down growth, then hiring an OBM could be the answer you’re looking for. Feel free to get in touch to see how we could work together to support the growth of your business.
