What Is the Difference Between a Virtual Assistant (VA) and an Online Business Manager (OBM)?
Introduction to the differences between a virtual assistant (VA) and online business manager (OBM):
Last week I was on a discovery call with someone looking for help with an online course she had created in Kajabi. She had ten courses, with some of the courses leading to a certification.
When I asked what she needed support with, getting help with Kajabi was her only concern, but I quickly realized that she also needed help with business strategy and project management. She also had big revenue goals for her business that she couldn’t seem to bust through. It sounded like she was ready to hire an OBM.
When I asked if she had ever considered hiring an OBM to help, she responded that she had thought about it and understood that she needed some type of help for her business, but couldn’t figure out the difference between a virtual assistant (VA) versus an online business manager (OBM) and which one would benefit her business more.
Understanding the differences between a Virtual Assistant (VA) and an Online Business Manager (OBM) is something a lot of small business owners struggle with. They’re usually not sure whether a VA or an OBM is what their business really needs. It’s not uncommon to see a job opportunity looking for a VA when the job describes the roles and responsibilities of an OBM.
This blog post will help explain the differences between a virtual assistant (VA) and an online business manager (OBM) and which one will provide the level of support you need in your business.
A virtual assistant (VA) is an independent contractor who is usually responsible for the following:
✔ Completing administrative tasks such as checking and replying to emails and updating the business owners calendar.
✔ Organizing parts of the business including the business owners email inbox and Google Drive.
✔ Providing customer service to clients.
✔ Data entry tasks.
✔ Scheduling posts for social media, email marketing, or blog posts, as well as podcast episodes.
✔ Conducting research to support the operations of the business.
You should hire a VA to support your business if:
✔ You’re ready to outsource some of the smaller tasks of the business.
✔ You’re willing to tell the VA exactly which tasks should be done and how often.
✔ You’re able to create marketing content but need someone to ensure that it’s properly scheduled.
✔ Your business is just getting off the ground and you have a small budget.
An online business manager (OBM) is an independent contractor who is usually responsible for the following:
✔ Helping the business owner determine strategies that will improve the business or that will help grow the business.
✔ Auditing, establishing, and maintaining the systems in your business to help keep the business organized and running smoothly.
✔ Hiring new team members and ensuring they are onboarded properly.
✔ Handling the day-to-day management of the team
✔ Planning out your projects, including launches or events, by assigning tasks and sticking to timelines.
You should hire an OBM to support your business if:
✔ Your business has a proven offer that you are looking to scale, either in audience reach or in revenue.
✔ The backend of your business is disorganized and you need help implementing systems and automations.
✔ You need someone to help you make decisions in the best interest of the business.
✔ You’re tired of answering questions from your team members.
✔ You want to spend more of your time coaching or creating products that would benefit your audience.
✔ You want to scale your business, but can’t seem to grow it past a certain amount on your own.
Conclusion:
The above roles and responsibilities of VAs and OBMs can look different depending on the type of business that they are supporting, the amount of time they have committed to the business, and whether the services that they offer small business owners are general or more specialized.
Hiring for your small business can be hard, especially when you’re not exactly sure who you should hire. When considering whether you need a VA or an OBM, think about the overall benefits and whether you need someone to complete tasks or help provide strategy.
You can find out more about online business managers by visiting the International Association of Online Business Managers. Click HERE to read a blog post where I previously shared my journey to becoming an OBM.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve struggled with differentiating between a VA and an OBM. I’d love to hear your thoughts around this topic!