The official definition of an Online Business Manager (OBM) is:

A virtually based support professional who manages online based businesses, including the day-to-day management of projects, operations, team members and metrics.

However I like to look at the role from a bit of a different angle - what is the purpose of an Online Business Manager beyond ‘what they do’?

The role of the OBM boils down to one simple thing:

To free up the business owner so that they can focus their time and energy on the things that only THEY can do in their business.

Most business owners look to hire an Online Business Manager (OBM) when they simply cannot grow their business anymore being the only one in charge. In order for them to take their business to the next level they need to pull themselves out of the day-to-day management activities and focus on growth.

This includes areas such as product development, strategic alliances and big picture business planning, all of which are essential to the growth of a business. Everything else becomes the responsibility of the OBM.

Received this update from a fellow coach/business owner the other day… we had recently done a few coaching sessions on creating products for their business.

You asked about products. Well, to be honest, we aren’t working on any, mainly because we felt like we were forcing ourselves into a box that we didn’t want to pursue. We took a long, hard look at our progress (and lack of it in several areas) and our challenges over the past year and we realized that we really are a consulting organization, rather than a product / training organization. …You were extremely helpful in getting us to see we were simply on the wrong path.

Once we let go of the mold we were trying to force ourselves into, more opportunities showed up for us. We’re excited and really engaged with the new opportunities and they are a helluva lot more profitable than the original plan we had in place. So far, we’ve got two organizations who are keeping us busy for the entire first half of 2008 ‚Äì we never had that type of commitment from clients… And we have other opportunities coming in that we didn’t expect.

I just loved this email… as it really reminded me of the importance of Just Saying No…

Especially at this time of year, when it seems we are all feeling the pressure to set our goals and ‘new years resolutions’. This reminds me of one of my favorite chapters from our book Money, Meaning and Beyond (co-written by moi and my biz partner Andrea Lee).

What is your fastest path to money?

I invite you to stop and really consider this question… put another way:

If you had to make money TODAY, what could you do *right now* that would bring money to your door asap?

In the example above, these guys felt like they should be creating products… and started down the road of doing so. But in reality, the opportunities knocking on their door were consulting based and not product based. So they ditched the product idea and responded to the opportunities coming naturally… and now these opportunties are turning into profit for them.

So I ask you - What is your fastest path to money?

What are you striving (struggling?) towards that you may need to let go of?

Business is meant to be a challenge, not a struggle… and sometimes the struggle can be an indication of trying to force yourself in a direction that you or your business isn’t ready for. It may be time to just say no.

And as an Online Business Manager, where is your client’s business struggling? Where is their business thriving? What can you do to perhaps shift a bit of focus/energy to the areas that are flowing right now (and let go of some projects/etc that are really stuck).

As an OBM we do our client’s a disservice if we don’t consider their business from this angle as well. Our client’s look to us to be able to ‘think on behalf of their business’, and this is a prime example of that. It could be that they aren’t seeing the struggle in the same way that you are (and likewise may not be seeing the opportunities that naturally arise). Being involved in the day-to-day activities of the business gives us (as OBMs) a different perspective that the business owner may be seeing, so don’t be shy in sharing your insights!