What is a Certified Online Business Manager?
With the workforce changing, many new positions are coming to the forefront as job titles for stay at home workers. One of them being a Certified Online Business Manager. A study from Forbes states that 50% of Americans will be freelancing by 2027.
The online space is booming; entrepreneurs’ businesses are growing at an all-new rate. They need a partner to manage the day to day operations, and they need a Certified Online Business Manager (COBM). A COBM is a right-hand person for the business owner, and they oversee day-to-day work projects, operations, and team management. A COBM is a liaison between the business owner and the team. A COBM also helps people who want to connect with a business owner for marketing or other opportunities. It is a partnership; the COBM and business owner work together, the COBM offers solutions and finds ways to take things off the business owner’s plate.
The goal of a Certified Online Business Manager is to make life easier for the CEO by creating and documenting systems. For example, if you are not a great organizer, you have your contacts and information all over the place, it is making it hard for you as a business owner to keep up with your business, your clients, and your team. A COBM would build a system on how and where to store all business information, systems on training your team, and a system for client onboarding. Having these systems in place will allow the business owner to focus on growing their business, building connections, and delivering their products and services.
Certified Online Business Managers can do several things for your business. The five key areas are:
- Project Management – setting up a new membership, a new website, a launch, etc.
- Operations Management – creating and documenting systems, taking tasks off the client’s plate, workflows, offer solutions, etc.
- Metrics Management – being able to see what is and what is not working in the business, offer recommendations.
- People Management – managing the day to day tasks, team meetings, etc.
- Marketing Management – building an editorial calendar, connecting with JV partnerships, affiliates, etc.
So what exactly sets a Certified Online Business Manager apart from the crowd? Well, COBM’s go through a three-month training course followed by a week long intense testing process with five projects that highlight the above key areas. COBM’s are required to take continuing education to stay updated in the industry. They are also part of an association with support groups, live monthly trainings, and an exclusive database with resources to do their job with excellence.
One of the great things about a COBM is that they are contractors, and everything can be done online. You don’t have the expense of an employee. In the world we live in today, having the flexibility of hiring a COBM is key to success in your business. A COBM can make your online presence skyrocket. A COBM can find potential clients for you all over the country and across the globe that you might not reach otherwise. Hiring a COBM means that you can find the right person for the job no matter where they live. The beauty of having a COBM is that they can be anywhere, and you can still work with them because of the premise of the job. So, if the right person lives in a different state or even in another country than your business, they can still be your COBM. You can work from anywhere, set your schedule, and you can be in control of your workflow and what you offer your clients.
Are you in a place in your business where you may need a Certified Online Business Manager? Let’s chat.
Sources:
Pofeldt, Elaine “Are We Ready For A Workforce That is 50% Freelance?” forbes.com, 17 October 2017, forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2017/10/17/are-we-ready-for-a-workforce-that-is-50-freelance/?sh=7cb306513f82
“What Is a Certified Online Business Manager?” OnlineBusinessManager.com, 4 July 2019, onlinebusinessmanager.com/what-is-a-certified-obm
Noked, Sarah. “What’s an OBM? All You Need to Know.” Sarah Noked | Online Business Manager | Online Business Management, 29 Nov. 2019, sarahnoked.com/whats-an-obm-all-you-need-to-know/