I’m back! Sorry, for the HUGE delay in blog posts, but Covid was kicking my butt so some things got dropped for a while. I make no promises on how often these will be coming though lol.

Anyway, if you’re following me on the Socials, you will see that I’ve been making some serious pivots in business. I’ve been working in my Zone of Genius more, so this led me to finally make the update and change myself into an Online Business Manager.

Yes, I no longer identify with the Virtual Assistant title! So what does that mean for AVAS (now The Lazy Millennial)? For starters, starting in 2021, Virtual Assistant tasks will solely be done by my team. With the exception of projects such as Email Marketing set-up, Consultations, and specific Blog articles, they will be done by them.

Sooo… What exactly will I be doing? Before I tell you, I want to get these descriptions out of the way. Virtual Assistant was already confusing for some, so I want to clear the air about what these jobs are.

One, Virtual Assistants are just that. They are your business assistants that work virtually. As I mentioned in the blog post, So You’re Ready to Outsource, they are considered 1099 contractors and are very different from other titles such as Social Media Managers, Website Designers, etc.

Virtual Assistants normally help with the day-to-day admin tasks in your business. However, if you get someone that does Social Media, course programs, or whatever else is out there, they may label themselves differently to reflect their expertise. And yes, they will cost more if you need someone with a particular skill.

Making sense?

Now, what I’m converting to is an Online Business Manager (or Digital Business Manager). Unlike VA’s, we will be working ON your business, not in. Think of it as a Store. You still have the owner, employees, and the store manager.

As the owner, you are still in control and responsible for the outcome of your business. Then here comes the Online Business Manager. They help with the day-to-day on (again notice this difference) of your business. This means they will be checking to see what needs to be done as a whole, making sure your employees/contractors are doing the work that needs to be done, helping to make sure your SOPs are in place, making sure your systems are running properly, and more.

To sum it up in plain terms Virtual Assistants do the work, Online Business Managers make sure you are running.

Before you even think about it, yes, they are a lot more costly because they are helping run the operational side of your business. To my VA crowd that is reading this, if you are doing these manager tasks at a VA rate, look into changing your title. 

Now that you know the difference, think about what you need for your own business. Do you need a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager?

While we no longer offer these services, we do help you prepare your processes before hiring a VA or OBM. Make sure to look into our Service packages here at The Lazy Millennial to see how we can help.

Remember a long, sustaining business requires a team of some sort!

Have questions or comments about the article? Drop them below! 

Last edited on September 13th, 2022