7 Telltale Signs Your Business is Ready for an OBM (Like, Yesterday!)

The most influential CEOs don’t work alone! An OBM, or an Online Business Manager, can help you automate tasks, implement systems, increase your revenue, and so much more!

Are you ready to hire a tech-savvy strategic partner for your business? Here are our top 7 telltale signs that your business is ready for an OBM (like, yesterday!).

You’re a one-woman CEO

While many of us start as one-woman CEOs to build up revenue with a solid client base, it doesn’t have to be this way forever! In fact, for most business owners, it shouldn’t. Let me let you in on a secret: The most influential CEOs in the world aren’t also the CFO, CMO, COO, social media manager, operations coordinator, and human resources manager. These powerful CEOs know that their time and energy are valuable, nonrenewable resources that are best spent within their zone of genius.

I’m not saying that you need to turn into Jeff Bezos or immediately hire a team of 100! I am saying that stepping into a proper CEO role in your business requires you to admit that you don’t have the capacity to “do it all.” If you don’t have any systems, processes, or SOPs created within your business and you’re looking to get support, my advice would be to invest in an OBM before even hiring a VA.

You need to feel in control

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re not exactly the “go with the flow” type! Many business owners must lean into the “Type A” side of themselves to keep it running. But, having everything under your control may hinder your ability to feel in control. The truth is we all have a finite capacity to manage daily tasks. We all have a finite capacity to maintain a path toward the goals we want to achieve.

Ever leave the house for the airport and have that sinking feeling you’re forgetting something? Right now, you may be living in that feeling while you’re managing your business solo. An OBM can give you back control if you’re willing to give up a little bit in return! What would your days look like if your business could run smoothly on autopilot? What would your thoughts be if you no longer had to worry about all the small daily tasks in your business?

You’ll have time to do what you want and what you should do as CEO! You can focus on revenue-generating activities at the front end of your business, such as networking, building relationships, or content creation. You’ll transform into the CEO, build a business and the life you dream of.

Your personal life is affected by your business

Business owners who operate as the one-woman show often integrate themselves with their CEO selves a bit too much, making it difficult to feel the separation between business and life. Is it the running joke with your friends that you can’t attend an event because you are always working? Are you missing out on family activities because you need to squeeze in as much work as possible in your spare moments? Do you have trouble switching on and off between business time and enjoying your personal time?

If this is you, and you’re wondering if this is how it’s “supposed” to be, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be this way!

As an OBM, I’ve seen it all! Overworked, overwhelmed, and over-committed business owners drowning in their businesses, missing out on family activities, zero social life, and a business that runs their life. Once they get the support of the right OBM in their business, it changes their life entirely.
You left your corporate job to escape a life of constant restrictions, right? So, if you’re chained to your desk, unable to travel like you said you would, or take part in school activities with your children, what has actually changed?

If you want to work when it feels aligned with the flow of your body, and have the work-life balance you’ve always dreamed of, then you are ready for an OBM that can support you in managing your business, supporting your team, and sharing the workload while you are offline and enjoying your life.

You’ve had bad experiences in the past

There are some sceptics out there reading this post. Maybe you’ve been burned before by a service provider who didn’t deliver what they promised. Maybe you’ve been burned by a couple of clients who stopped paying once the service was rendered. Maybe you’ve tried building a team or hiring VAs, social media managers, or designers without systems or managerial experience. Maybe you’ve even worked with an OBM, but it wasn’t what you expected.

If you’re feeling defeated or sceptical, then believe it or not, you may be the person who needs an OBM the most!

OBMs can implement safeguards against missed or failed payments, bringing revenue back into your business! OBMs can also focus on team development and take care of the onboarding and hiring process to vet service providers or employees.

You’re managing your business rather than leading it

What’s the first thing you learn in Management 101? There is a BIG difference between managing and leading.

When we’re managing, we are:
● Micromanaging day-to-day tasks
● Delegating tasks to team members
● Implementing goals set forth by leaders
● Acting according to set rules & policies

When we’re leading and empowering a team, we are:
● Strategising for the future
● Allocating resources appropriately to accomplish goals
● Setting goals according to a vision
● Finding ways to create our own rules

So, did you start your business to manage or to lead?

There are a lot of business owners out there that come into the space with a big vision that has yet to be realised. Why? Because they didn’t place that self-trust in leading and stayed in management mode. Allowing a strategic partner into your business allows you to lead. You are recruiting assistance in realising a vision that you believe will improve the world around you. And let me tell you: that takes leadership!

Investing in the right OBM allows you to step into your leadership role and leave business management to your right hand, the OBM.

You’re working IN your business instead of ON your business

Did you know the best leaders in the world create non-negotiable white space to develop their business, a think week to research, develop and lead?

That’s right. A week of complete isolation and focus on one thing: their vision.

You may be thinking: I can’t even walk away for five minutes without something going sideways. There’s no way I could take a WEEK to do something like this!

We’ve all heard the saying: I left my 9-5 to work 24/7 instead.

While owning a business is a big responsibility that forces you to take more accountability for your output, the definition of success does not come in how many hours you work.

And don’t forget: Your business is YOUR dream, not another person. You get to spend your days working towards that vision.

Ever heard of the 4-hour workweek? Seen photos on Instagram of extravagant vacations and wondered, “How do they do it?”

The most successful CEOs make it possible. They delegate, automate, and outsource the tasks that don’t allow them to lead the life they want.

You’re ready to outsource the management of your business

So, by this point, you may be checking off the points that I’ve set forth in this list. But there’s just one thing: Can I afford full-time business management?

While that’s ultimately up to you to decide, I’ll tell you a secret: You’re capping your income and missing out on life by waiting to outsource.

How many revenue-generating ideas could you come up with if you had just one day to strategise?
How many more hours could you spend on high-ticket clients if you could automate onboarding, team management, and other administrate tasks in your business?

See where I’m going with this? Your return on investment will come back to you in the form of growth like you’ve never imagined before, both in revenue and impact.

An investment in an Online Business Manager is ultimately an investment in YOURSELF. You’re giving yourself your time back to stay in your zone of genius, to step into leadership rather than management, which will provide you with the opportunity for a huge level up in your business!

Do you need an OBM or want to learn more about how to hire the best in the industry? Connect with the OBM Associates® by booking a discovery call and by joining our email list!