Does Online Business Manager describe your services?

An Online Business Manager can help your client break the log jam

How do you know if your client needs an Online Business Manager?

If they have too many freelancers reporting to them. If they can’t find time to talk to you and give you the work they asked you to do., or if your client is working very long hours in a regular basis despite all the hard work you do for them.

At this point, an Online Business Manager can step in and help to break that log jam.

Have you ever thought that Online Business Manager could be you?

If you can help create and implement strategies and plans, or manage a team who report to you, then you may be able to offer an Online Business Manager service.

It’s not about being an efficient Virtual Assistant, or about being a great tech VA (though those skills can help).

It is more about being the freelance equivalent of ‘middle management’ but without the commitment to each other that employment usually brings.

Would you bring in your own online business team or help clients recruit theirs?

Some online Business Managers have their own associate teams with skills ready to use. Others will assist the client in building their own freelance team but help with planning, implementation, and keeping everyone on track.

Some great VAs do that anyway without using the title Online Business Manager whilst others have trained specially to take on this role in an expanding niche.

Either way you are going to need great planning and coordination skills !

It’s important to properly contract with the team

It is just as important for you to contract properly with team members as it is for you to contract properly with your online business manager clients.

From correctly passing on copyright from creator to end client (via any AI-related issues you need to tackle) , to confidentiality, via tax liabilities and data privacy you will find the team works best when the contracts are properly aligned with the project you are all working on.

That may seem like an abstract concept, but if you want to monetize your podcast or even sell it as successful podcasters have been known to do, you are going to run into difficulties. Your back catalogue is not worth much if you don’t own it.

AI-ready OBM and team contracts are needed

Everyone is using AI assistance at some point in the production cycle. This can be a great aid to productivity. You may be using AI yourself, or your team may be.

Have you ever thought about who owns the copyright in AI created content? How much do you have to ‘edit’ it to make it your copyright? What if your team are using it and you don’t know?

We’ve been talking for a while about how you need to sort this out. But you really do need to get your contracts sorted out so that you know where AI is being used, what rights you have, and what rights are being transferred to you.