- Nazoorah Nusrat
Who do you outsource to - an OBM, VA, or...?
You'll need to read this if you are a well established solopreneur or a newbie to the business world, it doesn't matter which for the purposes of this Blog.
I'm going to talk about the differences and often blurred lines that solopreneurs face when looking for help. When you've finally decided to outsource your precious love child of a business; to complete strangers to babysit and help raise it into a well-formed, luscious being!
Acronyms anonymous
I've simplified each of the roles using a few bullet-points (throwing in a surprise one at the end - the clue is in the header image), giving you a high level view of each service. Keep in mind; depending on the industry and country an OBM or VA operates in; their individual experience and service could vary.
OBM: On-line Business Manager
VA: Virtual Assistant
??? : The Hybrid
Professional On-line Business Manager
Has a business qualification/degree
Has industry experience within the field of 'projects'
Starts to dribble at the thought of putting a strategy in place for their client, to formalise and meet their business goals
Leads projects and sources methods of delivery
Proactive v's reactive
Provides planning tools for the client over a long term period - usually 6 months and beyond
They are all about; growth, bigger picture, and ideas for their client.
Why you need an OBM
It's a solid long-term investment as they bring; leadership, skill, experience, and reliability for excellent value!
Professional Virtual Assistant
Has previous experience in a certain field of work; usually professional administrative, secretarial, and minor technical help, works from a home office
Excellent time manager and multi-tasker
Revels in organising your inbox and see the to-do list reduce
Reactive
Can specialise in certain areas like event planning, or carries out email management, research, scheduling, calendar management, remote calls, social media engagement and content creation
Works on an hourly basis or monthly retainer
They are your go-to for reducing your daily business tasks; so you can focus on client engagement
Why you need a VA
You pay for what it says on the tin! You decide what needs doing and when, it takes the pressure off the execution of your daily tasks; without the worry of employing someone long term.
OBM v's VA summary
OBMs are planners; VAs are doers. While an OBM works with their clients to create custom-built strategies and then manages the project from start to finish, a VA is task-oriented and takes on assigned specific projects to help clients achieve defined outcomes. source
Business Support Manager - THE HYBRID!
This is what I am - a hybrid of the two, what more could you want!?
Professional business degree and industry background
Experience in delivering end to end projects
Proactive
Strategic planning and vision building to help you realise your business goals
Task management for the details; creative content, blogs, images, and research
Numbers and process lover - streamline your processes with CRM or old school spreadsheets
I design a way of working together that suits your lifestyle and delivers
Supportive on a holistic level! I'm in it for the connections and motivation, not just the end product
Why you need Rainbows Virtual
You get the best of both worlds! Expertise, experience, proactive hands-on strategic advice and implementation, flexibility of length of contract. Task management and bucket loads of creativity, fun, and overall business support.
I hope this summary helps you to decide what you need for your business and for how long. There is no right or wrong choice, the best advice I can impart is to follow your intuition, think outside of the box, AND contact me to explore how we can work together; just one conversation can make life clearer.
"TAKE THE CHAOS OUT - BRING THE CLARITY IN."
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