Online Business Manager Archives | Online Business Manager

A Virtual Assistant vs an Online Business Manager

25 Feb, 2021

So you have decided that you need help in your business but what sort of help do you really need? Are you after basic administration assistance or do you need someone to assist running your whole business.

An Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant are very similar in nature. Although, there are a few differences and understanding these differences will help determine who will be able to most assist your business.

ONLINE BUSINESS MANAGER

The big picture

Understands the big picture and works with the business owner to outline & oversee the steps necessary to get there.

Responsibility

Responsible for ensuring the business runs smoothly, by creating operation manuals, training assistants, managing assignments, schedules and staff.

Achieving success

Success is achieved when the business is operating efficiently & the entire team is happy. To build long-term, trusting relationships with business owners who value the working relationship and compensate accordingly.

Overall goal

To build long-term, trusting relationships with business owners who value the working relationship and compensate accordingly.

Why hire?

OBMs are hired when business owners have grown beyond the startup phase. They simply cannot manage everything and still continue to grow; or perhaps, they’ve grown tired of managing the day-to-day operations.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

The big picture

Typically aren’t concerned about the big picture; instead they focus on doing the tasks.

Responsibility

Responsible for completing tasks assigned to them – i.e. formatting ebooks, conducting research, sending newsletters, working in shopping carts.

Achieving success

Success is achieved when the work is completed & delivered in a timely manner

Overall goal

To increase their work hours, thus income, for each client without having the added responsibility of managing others.

Why hire?

VAs are typically hired during the early stages of business. They help set up websites & shopping carts, create mailing lists, and so forth. Once the business is going, they continue to work on individual tasks.

So after looking at these differences, you might actually decide that you need to hire both an Online Business Manager as well as a Virtual Assistant to handle different tasks. This is also a great way to build a virtual team.

If you would like to understand more, download our Free Guide ‘What an Online Business Manager Can do for your Business‘

Building a Laptop Lifestyle

21 Jul, 2017

I can’t believe that I have been running my Virtual Assistant business for over eight years now. It has been a massive journey of empowerment and learning. I feel blessed that I have been able to work my business around my family, school drop offs and pickups, the endless sporting commitments, school holidays and of course to still be able to earn more than a full-time income with the flexibility of a laptop lifestyle.

I originally started my Virtual Assistant business as a bookkeeper. At the time, there were some legality changes in Australia for contract bookkeeping and of course further study would have been needed. I had just finished and had paid for the wrong course, spent $2,000 in advertising my new business which resulted in only one new client at 3 hours per month which certainly didn’t cover costs. So, I had a decision to make, do further study, do something else or go back to work.

These decisions are made when you least expect it. I went to a Mothers morning tea through my oldest son’s school (then 7 years old), I got talking to a Mum and explained about the bookkeeping situation and the dilemma of whether to do the study and extra hours or did I even like bookkeeping after all. She asked me about my Secretarial, Admin and PA background and asked me why I didn’t go into business offering those services and what I loved best. I asked, ‘Is there a market for that?’ and her response was ‘Yes definitely, I have been in business for 6 months and I am working full time, let me introduce you to a Liz Parker at 121 Temps.’

I went home, had a look at the 121 Temps website and signed up on the spot for the Premium Membership, it included everything that I needed to get my business started plus I could pay weekly which really helped with cashflow:

Website URL and website creation course
Marketing course
Monthly Webinars
Free Client Leads
Mentoring and Support
Plus a whole lot more.

And after just spending an excessive amount in advertising in the wrong place, I knew that this was the perfect investment to learn those things that would put my business in good stead for years to come.

From there it took me a little while to find my feet, I had three young boys, they were 7, not quite 3 and 18 months old (the younger two are only 16 months apart) so my life was hectic and filled with a school run and toddler taming along with trying to build a business. In those early days, I only had lunchtimes if the younger boys slept and after 7:30pm at night once they were all in bed. It was hard building a business on those limitations but definitely possible. Plus, I was dedicated and motivated, it was either build my business or go back to work and frankly I couldn’t afford to go back to work as the childcare fees were exorbitant especially times 3 children.

As my business grew, so did the childcare by one day a week for the two youngest children up to 3 days per week until they went to school. Eight years on I now have a 15 year old, 10 year old and 9 year old and I can say that they’ve never been in after school care or school holiday care, we regularly have their friends over during school holidays plus the boys all enjoy sporting activities most afternoons each week. I also love that I can still be there for them and earn a full-time income on essentially a very flexible schedule.

In those early days, I set basic goals, I remember my first goal being to earn $400 dollars in a month and setting tasks around what I had to do to achieve that. My mantra was ‘make this work or go back to work’ and ‘it is all up to me’. I had to get my services together and write them as benefits to attract a potential client and I found this to be one of the hardest things to do. Marketing really wasn’t my strong suit and I put my energy into learning as much as I could about it. My little hack was that once I worked out my target market which was quite tough in the early days, it was much easier to explain my services because I knew what appealed to that industry.

Eight years on, I still love what I do. I love the business and the clients I work with are amazing and inspiring. I love that if I get bored, I can change my services or do some further study to offer different services. My clients love this too and it means that they’re staying ahead of new trends as well. They love that I am innovative and nothing is too hard to do or achieve.

I have been working with my longest running client for seven years and I believe that the longevity is due to going above and beyond for my clients, along with adding value to their business. At the end of the day, I’m in this for the long haul!

Susan Wilkin

How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant

9 Jun, 2017

Having the right Virtual assistant is the first step to a good partnership. I say partnership because as you work together to grow your business, it will start to feel like you have a partner, someone who wants to see your business succeed as much as you do. As a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager, I prefer to create that business partnership with my clients.

With so many virtual assistants to choose from, finding the right one is not always easy. Many times, business owners wait until they are desperate before they start looking for help. They end up hiring the first virtual assistant they find, normally based on the cheapest price but can also be on location and skills. While selecting an assistant this way can work, it can also lead to the business owner hopping from one assistant to the next and getting frustrated with the process and finding that a virtual assistant is not the right fit for them.

There’s a better method to finding the right Virtual assistant and it requires a bit of research and thought. Here are some things to consider before searching for a virtual assistant.

What skills are required of the Virtual Assistant

Before you begin your search, have an idea of what kind of assistant you need. Make a list of the tasks you want to outsource to the virtual assistant. What skills or knowledge should the VA have to complete those tasks? Do the tasks require special software or equipment?

In most cases, you will want the Virtual Assistant to have everything he or she needs to complete the work and if they are a viable business, they should have the basics set up already unless you have a specific software that you use. In this case, it might be more beneficial to train your current virtual assistant on how to do these tasks.

Depending on the tasks, it can also be helpful if the Virtual Assistant has experience in the industry that you work in or already offers the services that you require to other businesses.

Characteristics

What characteristics would you like to see in your assistant? Which are most important to you? Here are a few to get you started:

Forward Thinker. They see the whole picture & offer ideas to help you reach your goals.
Self-Motivated. They are go-getters. They don’t wait until the last minute to start a project.
Takes Initiative. If they see something needs to be done, they do it.
Resourceful. If they don’t know an answer, they know how to find it
Organised. Disorganisation leads to frustration and potential mistakes
Good Communicator. Good communication reduces confusion and errors
Professional. They conduct themselves in a professional, self-confident way
Dependable. They complete work as requested without having to be monitored
Trustworthy. If they cannot be trusted, the contract should be cancelled

You may not find someone who possesses every characteristic on your list or you may just want to make sure the important ones are covered and then you can work with the rest.

Susan Wilkin
Online Business Manager

View our range of packages here

The benefits of choosing a package over an hourly rate

28 Jun, 2016

When comparing packages for Virtual Industry Professionals or Online Business Managers (OBM), it can be a little like comparing apples to oranges as each business offers different core values, strengths, performance and of course services and what is included in that service list.

The best steps for yourself as a client is to work out what you require from the OBM by writing an extensive list. Once you have your extensive list, then you can see if these services match up to the services that the OBM can complete. There may also be an opportunity to bring on a second Virtual Industry Professional or OBM if the list is quite diverse or extensive.

Have a think about what core values that you would also like in your OBM to ensure that they align with your business. You can speak to the OBM in regards to the core values to ensure that they are a good fit to your team and work well with you, your business and your current team.

Once you have your extensive list of services that you require, it is important to go back over the list and circle the items that you are comfortable in outsourcing during the first month. This is normally quite a lot shorter than your extensive list. Remember that you will be building a relationship with the OBM and you want to be able to maximise the use of the package available. If you have the list ready to go when you start, it will ease the setup and establishment with the OBM and ensure a more streamlined approach which will ultimately lead to a great working relationship.

Do you have any procedures set up? If you have a procedure manual set up, this can ease the first initial month. Don’t forget that if you don’t, you can arrange for the OBM to set it up and update the procedure manual for your business.

When looking at a package, there are many benefits. Have a think about your extensive list and also your first month task list. What you are inclined to pay for the service and then get some quotes and speak to the OBM. If the budget doesn’t quite meet the service package, have a chat to the OBM or look at moving some tasks to a later month. By choosing a package, you know what you will be paying each month, there are no hidden costs or expenses unless otherwise negotiated. This means that you can maintain a consistent cash flow in your business. You can even set up a direct debit to go from your account to the OBMs account each month or as agreed.

By choosing a package there are no blow outs in time or hours. What you think may take to complete a task could in fact take longer or there could be issues or extra items that are required. By purchasing an all inclusive package, there are no blowouts in time and therefore no nasty surprises when the invoice comes in.

In review, a package is normally better priced and has many more features than an hourly rate. The OBM is normally established in their business and can price a package quite effectively. There are no hidden charges or costs, no nasty blow outs or extra time. The packages will quite often meet your budget as well and you will know what you are paying each month. By knowing what you are paying each month makes good business sense and enables you to maintain a regular cash flow.

Take a look at our packages and give us a call today!

Document Formatting Best Practice

21 Jun, 2016

There is not a one size fits all when it comes to document formatting. Each document comes with different challenges for formatting as well as different specifications. Different types will require specific or relevant styles of document formatting. A news article will demand a different format compared to webpage content. Likewise, marketing articles or SEO content would be different. Official documents, reports or textual presentations, can have countless types of document formatting needs. Tables and textboxes, images and their descriptions, bullet points, numbers and everything from the index to the reference or bibliography, the formatting requirements will vary.

Here are some of the best practices that you can develop for document formatting.

One of the essential requisites of document formatting is to ensure that you set up the styles including headings and use the consistent formats from the beginning. This will streamline your document. The headings and sub headings will also enable an easy set up in the table of contents. In larger documents, the content should be indexed with a Table of Contents.

Pick a font and be consistent with it. You can use bold, underline or Italics. You can colour certain texts or highlight them but ensure a consistent font and sizings throughout the document. Constantly changing fonts will not only make the document look inconsistent but it would also disturb the flow.

Stick to the style you have picked. That begins with the layout. Don’t change the layout on every page and certainly not on the same page. This will keep the presentation of the texts, tables and images consistent. If you have to change the layout or the format due to some unavoidable need, such as opting for a centre text or different alignment than the typical one, then do so in the most subtle manner so the changes don’t appear to be out of place or not consistent with your branding.

If you are using bullet points and numbering, set up the numbering and bullet points from the start. Use the styles at the top or ensure consistency with the bullet points and numbers. By setting these up at the start will make for a much more streamlined document and will make it much easier to add in further down in a larger document.

Use Headers and Footers to ensure consistency throughout the document and will make each page the same. Include a logo, copyright, page numbers, website and other relevant information that is needed. If you are using a title page you can change the Header and Footer so that it does not show on the first page.

For more hints and tricks on formatting word documents, take a look at the Microsoft Word Tutorials here.

« Older Entries