Why Every CEO Needs Support to Scale Sustainably

You’re not just the CEO – you’re also the admin, the project manager, the marketing team, and probably your own IT department, too. 

But here’s the hard truth… the most successful businesses aren’t built on doing it all yourself. They’re built on collaboration and delegation. No one expects you to have all the answers or all the time – it’s just not sustainable.

This is why having CEO support, like a Chief Operations Officer (COO) or Online Business Manager (OBM), is more than just helpful. It’s essential. With the right support, you can step into your role as CEO, focus on your zone of genius, and scale your business without sacrificing your sanity.

Why EVERY CEO Needs Support!

As the CEO, you’re responsible for the overall vision and direction of the business, making strategic decisions, driving revenue, leading the team, networking, and… well, the list never really ends, does it?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you should be able to handle it all. But let’s be real: if you keep trying to juggle everything yourself, you’re heading straight for burnout. And burnout isn’t just bad for your health – it’s bad for your business.

At OBM Associates®, we encourage CEOs to prioritise themselves while we handle the backend and daily operations. Because the truth is, you’re not meant to do this alone.

Hiring an OBM is a game-changer. As your CEO support, an OBM takes over the day-to-day management of your business so you can focus on what you do best. Think of it as outsourcing the how so you can stay focused on the why.

Tasks like client operations, project management, systems setup, and even team management are all in an OBM’s wheelhouse. With an OBM by your side, you’ll have the space to focus on revenue-generating activities and growing your business, while your OBM keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

Why the OBM NEEDS the CEO Too

While an OBM is an essential part of your CEO support system, they’re not a magic fix for everything. 

An OBM is not a replacement for you as the CEO, and they can’t make calls on pivoting the direction of the business without you. That is your CEO role overall. 

Online Business Managers need guidance and direction from the CEO to ensure they are taking aligned actions with the business’s overall goals and vision, set by you as the CEO.

This is why it is SO crucial for this dynamic duo to work closely as a team. The CEO can provide the OBM with strategic direction while the OBM can help execute the CEO’s vision. Think of your OBM as the how to your why.

Both roles can leverage each other’s strengths to help scale the business by working together. Your OBM will support you in staying in your wheelhouse by protecting your time and energy and acting as a filter between you and the team, but they’ll also need your support in staying in their role as OBM. 

The CEO Needs to Stay in their Zone of Genius

One of the essential roles of a CEO is staying in your zone of genius. This is where you excel and enjoy working the absolute most. Working in your wheelhouse makes you more productive, creative, and effective. It’s what they call a flow state. As a CEO, you need to be able to recognise your strengths and delegate tasks that fall outside of your zone of genius to others.  

An OBM can help you stay in your zone of genius by taking on tasks that don’t fall under your strengths and either completing them themselves or delegating them to your team. This will allow you to focus on what you do best and tasks that only you can do–like revenue-generating activities, client delivery, building relationships, networking, market research, and staying above your competition–to achieve better results for your business. 

The OBM ALSO Needs to Stay in Their Zone of Genius

Like the CEO, the OBM also has their own zone of genius that they operate best within. It’s essential to recognise their strengths so they can best serve you as the CEO and delegate tasks to other team members.

When hiring an OBM, you need to keep their zone of genius in mind to not overload them with tasks that would be better suited for the CEO. There is a fine balance within the collaborative relationship between the CEO and OBM, so both people’s wheelhouses must be considered!

One way to consider your OBM’s zone of genius is by hiring a strategic, lean team of specialised roles that will allow everyone to stay in their wheelhouse. This way, the OBM isn’t compensating for a team member or assistant tasks like inbox management or social media graphics. 

Remember: for every administrative or menial task that the OBM has to pick up, time is lost that could have been spent managing your projects and supporting you–the CEO. 

The Partnership Between the CEO and OBM

Business success will come naturally with a successful and collaborative partnership between the CEO and OBM. However, communication and transparency are critical to a good CEO-OBM relationship. The CEO needs to set the vision and direction for the business so that the OBM can help execute. The CEO and OBM should work closely to ensure that their actions align with the business’s overall goals and visions. 

When looking for your long-lost OBM, remember you don’t have to like all of the same things, but getting to know each other professionally AND personally can be a great way to ensure your professional relationship will thrive. So go out and grab drinks (in-person or virtually) with your new partner and get to know each other on a more personal level!

How to Get The Best CEO Support Out of Your OBM

To get the best out of your OBM, it’s essential to communicate clearly and provide them with the resources and solid direction they need to succeed. Not only that, but you also need to ensure you’re keeping in touch with them consistently. Nothing will hold an OBM back from reaching its full potential in helping your business grow, like delayed response times from the CEO, so try not to be a bottleneck!

You also need to give them the freedom to make decisions for your business, and you need to be able to trust them to get the job done. Positive reinforcement is also always great–celebrate their successes and give them feedback and praise when necessary! 

Lastly, don’t expect to offload your entire business onto your OBM! They’re here to help you scale–not keep the business running while you run away to Hawaii for ten months. Your business needs you just as much as you need your OBM!

How Your OBM Can Get The Best Out Of You

Your OBM can get the best out of you when you communicate clearly and set clear expectations. On the front end, your OBM should be getting to know your business inside and out. They should also be asking many questions to understand the fundamentals of the backend. Furthermore, they should provide you with any information you need to make strategic decisions and keep you informed on day-to-day operations within the business to make informed decisions. 

Your OBM should challenge you to think outside the box. Hiring an OBM with different views and perspectives may result in a bit of friction, which is healthy for the growth of the business. So find an OBM that isn’t afraid to speak up and offer you their opinion–even if it conflicts with yours! 

You know what they say about opposites attracting? Working with someone who is the complete opposite of you can have positive influences not only on the growth of the business but on your personal growth too. It will bring a fresh perspective to your business and help you see the gaps in the way you have been operating.

The CEO Needs to Drive The Business While the OBM Manages It

Finally, it’s essential to recognise that the CEO and OBM have different roles to play within the business! The CEO should focus on driving the business forward, while the OBM focuses on managing the business’s day-to-day operations. By working together, the CEO and OBM can succeed tremendously and reach the business’s full potential. 

Leading a successful and sustainable business takes collaboration, delegation, and a great team. The CEO can’t do it all alone, nor can the OBM. By working together as a dynamic duo and staying in your respective zones of genius, the CEO and OBM will achieve tremendous success than either would be able to achieve alone. 

Looking for CEO Support? Let’s Work Together

If you’re a CEO looking for the perfect OBM for your business, check out my powerhouse of high-quality OBMs at OBM Associates and 1:1 services from getting Digitally Organised, and System Builds, and Consultanting Services. I have something to support you at every step of your entrepreneurial journey. Get in touch for a coffee chat here!