by Tina Forsyth on March 13, 2009
It is by far the question I am asked most often, and for good reason.
Although similar in nature, there are some very key differences between the role of Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant.
If you are a VA or aspiring OBM it’s really important for you to understand these differences, so that you can a) decide which role is the best fit for you and then b) be able to clearly articulate the difference to your clients.
If you are a business owner it is really important for you to get clear on a) what your business actually needs and then b) look at whether you need to hire a VA or OBM to fill that need.
There is alot of ‘grey area’ right now when it comes to understanding the difference in these roles, and so i’ve put together a comparision chart to help illustrate each role and how they work together. (And to also clarify when a business owner is ready to hire either a VA or OBM).
>> Click here to download the Comparison Chart
Feel free to share this report with your clients and colleagues, you have my blessing to do so as long as you don’t make changes to the PDF.
by Tina Forsyth on December 27, 2008
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.
