General Questions
An online business manager (OBM) is a remote-working professional, who specialises in high-level, strategic support for CEOs in growing businesses.
There are so many benefits! An OBM (and particularly a certified OBM) is not admin support; they work alongside you in a proactive and forward-thinking capacity, to help you move your business forwards. You pay solely for the work they do – no NI, no sick pay, no insurance or other overheads – so it’s a cost-effective option. In addition, an OBM typically requires minimal training – they are experts in what they do and can generally get going quickly. Finally, an OBM will free up your time, leading to increased productivity, better focus and an improved work-life balance.
If you are struggling with communications and/or team management issues, I coul well be the person you need. However, it's not just about what I do - you must feel confident in me, and we must feel comfortable with each other. During our consultation we will have a chat what you are looking for and if we feel we are a good fit. It’s important that we both think the partnership is workable, and it’s totally ok to walk away if we are a mismatch – it happens!
If you run a mid-high 6-figure business (or more), have at least a small team of employees or freelancers, and are feeling tired, in the weeds and unable to focus on growth, then you probably do.
Working Together
When we have agreed on the support you need (and this is typically agreed during the consultation), I will send you a contract and invoice. Once the contract is signed and the invoice paid, we will agree a date (or start date) and get going! The next steps will depend on the solution, but I like to book dates in for calls etc as soon as possible.
My client hours are Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm and Friday, 9am-2pm UK time. I work flexibly as it suits me, but this is my choice and does not mean I am available for calls or meetings, or to send updates/respond to emails. I cannot guarantee to be available at set times unless agreed in advance (which will always be the case for team meetings, package calls and workshops).
To an extent, this will depend on the solution, but in general I am happy to communicate through email, pre-arranged phone/video calls or any project management software that you use, and I encourage regular check-in meetings. To allow me to focus fully on my clients, I don’t take phone calls unless arranged, except in the case of a true emergency. In this case, short calls (up to 10 minutes) will not be charged, but anything longer will be.
This is a tricky one to quantify, but if you follow recommendations and/or action steps, I am confident you will see noticeable improvements fairly quickly.
Legal
Absolutely! I am registered with the ICO and comply with all GDPR regulations for the UK and Europe.
Yes, I have professional indemnity insurance through Policy Bee.
Other Services
Not directly. However, I have access to a broad network of highly-skilled and experienced VAs. I am happy to manage the relationship if you wish.
Not specifically, but I will be offering behavioural preference workshops soon. I am connected to some excellent cultural trainers and am happy to refer you to supplementary expert service providers.