GUEST POST: 5 Signs It’s Time to Hire an Online Business Manager (OBM) for Your Creative Business | with Liz Strong of Lux + Vita

5 Signs It’s Time to Hire an Online Business Manager (OBM) for Your Creative Business | with Liz Strong of Lux + Vita

I’m so excited to have the amazing Liz of Lux + Vita on the blog to talk about project management and online business management for creative business owners! Check out her post and make sure to follow her on Instagram, too!

You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and proud of the business you’re building. And you’re finally at the point where you’re ready to step into the CEO role of your business. However, you’re still stressed over the things that drain you. You want to focus on the big picture and the work that only you can do — like creating jaw-dropping mood boards, designing that perfect icon, and strategizing with your client.

But you hesitate because you’re not sure how an OBM will benefit you.

You’re also not sure who to hire next to help you step into the CEO role.

This is where an OBM comes into play.

First off, you're probably wondering, what exactly is an OBM? OBM stands for online business manager or operations business manager (depending on who you ask). They are your right-hand woman, your collaborator, sounding board, and strategist. 

OBM’s let you step back and focus on the creative, high level things that only you can do in your business. 

They take your vision and create a plan for how it will get done, and then hand the execution of it off to the team while making sure everyone stays on track and feels supported in the process.

What could you accomplish with 5 or even 10 hours back in your work week? What fun, big creative projects are sitting on your list, waiting for you to start?

Here are the 5 reasons clients hire me and how you’ll know you’re ready for an OBM.

1. You're ready to step into the CEO role of your business

You’re finally starting to feel ready to move from having your hands in all aspects of your business to creating the big vision for your business and doing only the work that can be done by you. No more emailing back and forth with leads to schedule consults or on-boarding clients. No more checking in on your team to see where they’re at with their projects or letting a client know where you’re at in their project and that their feedback is due tomorrow. You have an OBM for that. 

With an OBM on your team, you can let them handle overseeing your team, doing client check-ins, making sure systems are in place to onboard clients and schedule appointments with clients. An OBM is someone who can virtually manage the daily operations of your business. They’ll design the systems and processes that will help streamline and automate your business. 

They’re like a business partner, therapist and sounding board rolled into one. They can look objectively at your business and see the big picture and the details and steps that are required to make that big picture a reality. Hiring an OBM will allow you to focus on the big picture and the things in your business that only you can do. And finally, they’ll allow you to take time off—like unplugging and leaving your laptop home time off, without the worry of your business crashing and burning.

With the right OBM, you’ll be able to focus on the work that grows your business and creates a bigger impact, so you can focus on what only you can do in your business.

2. You're financially prepared for the investment and have a business that needs management

The biggest benefit of having an OBM is that they’ll be able to save you time and money in the long run. If you have the right OBM, they’ll devote their time to create plans and strategies for streamlining and automating your business so that you use fewer systems, spend less money, and can focus on what makes you money.

Creatives who are ready to have an OBM on their team are often making at least $10,000 per month and can afford to have team members and pay themselves consistently. It’s not required that you’re making $10k per month, however, most OBM rates range from $1500-$2500 per month so you want to make sure that you can invest in them while paying the bills (and yourself).

The other aspect of being financially prepared is having a business that needs to be managed. Unless you’re charging 5-figures per client and only taking one at a time, chances are you’re going to need someone to handle all of the moving pieces and clients. The majority of creatives are stuck on a daily basis juggling managing their team, new leads, planning out projects, working on marketing, and completing client work. There’s a lot of moving pieces and having an OBM will allow you to handle only the aspects that only you can do, and the things that you love to do. Everything else can be handed off to your OBM who will then hand of parts to other team members to execute.

3. You’re looking for more than a task-ticker

Having a VA is a great start to step into the CEO role in your business, but an OBM can take you further. A virtual assistant is generally someone who you hand a list of tasks to (one-time or recurring) and they complete them. They don’t typically oversee projects or even communicate with your clients directly. They have a set list of tasks and will follow how you want it done. An OBM on the other hand is the one who comes up with a plan for how to get a task or project done and then hands that list of tasks to a VA to complete. When you’re ready to have someone get into your business and know the ins and outs of every aspect of it, they’ll be able to not only see the big picture, but all of the little details that need to happen for the big picture to become a reality.

4. You’d like more accountability and support

As the head of your business, it’s rare to have someone you can count on, bounce ideas off, or have to hold you accountable. An OBM can become your right-hand and act as a partner in your business, so that you don’t have to do it alone. They’re someone who can hear all of your ideas and act as a solid sounding board. They’ll understand the ins and outs of everything about your business so they can continue to streamline and simplify your business, keep you on track with your goals and vision, as well as oversee all moving pieces so that you don’t have to. So that you can continue to cast vision, support your clients, and grow your business.

5. You’re disorganized or aren’t a systems minded-person

The majority of creative business owners are disorganized and struggle to maintain any systems that they’ve tried to put into place. They feel like they’re being pulled in multiple directions, always putting out fires, and trudging through a to-do list that never seems to end. 

They aren’t naturally systems-minded people. That’s okay. 

It’s why OBM’s exist.

OBM’s create the systems that will help put out those fires, shorten that to-do list. The best part? They’re then around to hold you and your team accountable to those systems. This type of support will not only help you feel less like a hot mess, but will also give you the freedom to create work that lights you up, gives your team more structure and security knowing what needs to be done, and brings more money into your account while spending less time in your office.

So if you’re ready to run your business, instead of letting your business run you, let’s chat.