From Owner to CEO: The OBM's Delegation Guide

How do you go from being an owner to a CEO in your business? One of the most important steps is to begin strategically delegating responsibilities. 

Let’s make it less scary by talking through what it would look like to have an Online Business Manager (OBM) partner with you to delegate effectively. Your OBM will act as a:

Strategic Delegation Advisor

By working closely with you, your OBM will understand your goals, your vision, and your strengths and weaknesses. They can identify which tasks and responsibilities are suitable for delegation. 

Task Assessment and Prioritization

Your OBM will evaluate your team to learn each member’s skills, roles, and strengths. They can then make sure each team member is matched with tasks that align with their abilities. This ensures that you maintain a team with greater productivity and job satisfaction.

Team Manager 

By monitoring the progress of delegated tasks, your OBM will make sure your team will hit benchmarks and deadlines. They can spot issues early and provide constructive feedback when necessary. This process maintains a high level of customer service standards.

Process Improvement Expert

Your OBM will analyze your existing processes and workflows to identify areas for improvement. They document and organize tasks to create a system of consistency and scalability. 

Tech Integrator

Your OBM will identify and integrate the best tech and tools for your team. This may include project management software, communication tools, or automation systems. Your business will benefit from these integrations with increased operational efficiency.

Sound amazing? Here’s how you and I would implement delegation effectively, step by step:

Identify and Offload the 1st Priority Task

You and I will pinpoint the most critical tasks and responsibilities that need to be offloaded from your to-do list. (Think time-consuming, or requiring specialized skills that you or your team currently lack.)

We’ll create a custom implementation plan for each task. This document will include assigning the right task to the right team member, setting clear expectations, and establishing project timelines. 

I will oversee the initial steps of delegation, ensuring that each team member receives proper training and resources to excel in their new role. 

Offload the 2nd Priority Task

Just as with the first task, we will take a personalized approach. We’ll consider the unique needs and challenges of the task as we create a plan to delegate.

Together, we’ll identify any adjustments needed based on the lessons learned from the first round of delegation. This process will ensure better efficiency.

I’ll provide ongoing support and address any issues so that the implementation progresses smoothly and meets your business goals.

Offload the 3rd Priority Task

Again, we will customize the task. We’ll have the benefit of the two previous tasks to refine the delegation process. 

I’ll provide guidance and feedback as before to both you and your team members. 

The aim is to make these transitions as seamless as possible with minimal disruption to your business operations. 

At the end of this delegation journey, we schedule a call to debrief. This is an opportunity for you to provide feedback on the delegation process.

We’ll review the outcomes, assess the impact on your workload and operations, and identify areas for further improvement.

With the help of your valuable feedback, I will create a plan for implementing additional opportunities for improvement that may have emerged during the delegation process.

After 90 days

It’s important to recognize that delegation is an evolving process that grows along with your business. My role as your OBM will extend beyond the initial 90 days.

I will continue to provide support through Slack for 30 days after implementation so that you and your team have a safety net as you settle into the new workflow. 

Ultimately, the goal of my OBM services is to optimize your business for the long-term, allowing you to focus on your vision, expand your business, and achieve a better work-life balance. 

Next, let’s dive into the benefits of having an OBM as your ongoing strategic partner.

Continuing Support and the OBM Advantage

Like I said, delegation isn’t a one-and-done endeavor; it’s a continuous journey of optimizing your business operations for long-term success.

Many clients choose to extend our collaboration so that I can support their ongoing needs. 

Extending Our Partnership

With an extended partnership, I will continue to manage your teams, projects, and operations. This allows you to maintain the momentum of business growth without getting bogged down by day-to-day management tasks.

Customized Solutions and Upgrades

As your business evolves, so do your needs. I will stay attuned to your business’s changing dynamics and offer customized solutions proactively plus recommendations for future upgrades.

Whether it’s integrating new technology, expanding your team, or optimizing existing processes, I’ll make sure your business is able to adapt to industry trends and opportunities.

Seamless Business Scaling

Scaling your business is a natural progression and I’ll be there to ensure a smooth and controlled expansion. With me optimizing your processes and team management, you’ll be able to take on more clients, explore new opportunities, and reach higher revenue milestones without added stress.

Strategic Planning and Future Growth

Once your day-to-day operations are effectively managed, you’ll have the bandwidth to focus on strategic planning and business development. Together, we’ll set long-term goals, develop growth strategies, and research innovative opportunities that will position your business for sustainable success.

Holistic OBM Services

My role as your OBM provides a holistic approach to business organization and management. Through process improvement, tech integration, team alignment, and strategic guidance, I offer a comprehensive suite of services to optimize every aspect of your business operations.

To summarize, having an OBM as your strategic partner offers ongoing support that extends well beyond the initial delegation phase. It empowers you to:

• Focus on your CEO role

• Achieve a better work-life balance

• Scale your business

• Plan for future growth

Our partnership will adapt to your evolving needs to ensure that your business will thrive in today’s ever-changing landscape. 

If you’re ready to experience the advantages of OBM services, reach out to me and we’ll talk about how I can support your business’s continued growth and success.

The Power of Delegation: Scaling Your Business with an Online Business Manager

You can’t do it alone. And when I say “it,” I mean your business. Whether it’s one task or many, you need to delegate in order to focus on the growth of your business.

To “delegate,” as a business owner, means to give tasks to someone you trust so that you can focus on money generating activities.

If you want to delegate the delegation, hire an Online Business Manager. An OBM will be your strategic partner who guides the delegation process, provides clear communication, and monitors progress.

Why go through this process at all? If you want to grow your wonderful business, your team will need you to be in the CEO role and you can’t be there if you’re still managing everything. 

You will need to be able to trust that your team can handle the tasks you delegate. 

If you have a busy team, you will need someone to help them prioritize and stay on track. An Online Business Manager (OBM) can manage your team and projects, keeping your operations flowing smoothly. 

An OBM can manage your team by:

• Checking in daily to make sure each team member will meet their deadlines or if not, to see what they need to complete their work

• Problem solving so that both you and your team can focus on your work without the interruption that comes from a tech issue, etc. 

• Heading off future issues by creating systems

• Training team members in the skills they need to become more efficient

• Managing projects and making sure your team hits their benchmarks and goals

• Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that a task can be repeated efficiently

The delegation dilemma

It can be difficult for a business owner to delegate. 

They might think, “In the time it takes for me to explain how to do this task, I could have done it already. I’ll train my team another day.” You’re right. It takes time to train someone to the point where they can thoroughly understand how to complete a task.

A business owner might wonder if they can trust a team member to complete a task regularly and without prompting. 

They might feel like the months of answering questions and assisting someone with a shaky knowledge of a task will be too stressful because they’ll be worrying constantly about the accuracy of the task.

All of these things are possibilities. However, spending several months training a member of your team to understand and complete a task with precision will be worth it in the end.

At that point, you will have added time to your schedule that you can use to do the things that only you can do, like write a book, reach out to prospects, create a course, and speak at a conference. These activities will help scale your business in a way that the task you just handed off never could.

I knew a business owner who opted not to delegate. What happened? Well, COVID happened. They got sick and their business shut down for a couple weeks. 

Another business owner hadn’t been on vacation in years. They were afraid of trusting someone with important tasks while they were away so they just stayed put. 

Imagine the pressure these folks were under. There wasn’t anyone they could turn to in an emergency and the health of their business rested on their shoulders. 

Wouldn’t you want to avoid this kind of stress at all cost?

Why delegation matters

Delegation is crucial for online service-based business owners with small teams.  it provides the ability to:

Increase Client Satisfaction

With an online business, everything moves faster, which means you must provide faster service in order to remain competitive. Sure, you’ve automated some tasks, but it’s that human touch that makes your clients feel special. By delegating, you will ensure that your clients receive the highest level of service, which will lead to increased rates of client satisfaction and retention.

Focus on Core Strengths

Your unique skill set brought your business to life and helped it flourish. By delegating tasks that are not within your core strengths, you will have the energy and time for activities that directly contribute to the growth of your business.

Scale

Delegating tasks to a team will allow you to take on more clients while providing the same level of service. You will also ensure that the team workload remains manageable. 

Plan Strategically

Delegation will free up time for strategic planning and business development. You’ll be able to set long-term goals, develop growth strategies, and explore new opportunities.

Enhance Work-Life Balance

Delegating to a team will help you reduce your workload so you can spend more time with your family, pursue a hobby, or simply rest.

The Online Business Manager’s Role in Delegation

You may be wondering, “How does an Online Business Manager fit into all of this?”

Strategic Delegation Advisor

Your OBM will help you figure out which tasks and responsibilities can be effectively delegated. 

Task Assessment and Prioritization

By assessing tasks with your OBM, you will be able to categorize them by priority, complexity, and strategic importance. This way, the most critical tasks will receive attention while non-critical tasks can be sorted for delegation.

Team Alignment

Your OBM will evaluate the alignment of the skills, strengths, and roles of your team members. They will ensure that each individual is assigned tasks that match their abilities, maximizing efficiency, productivity, and job satisfaction. 

Monitoring and Feedback

Since your OBM is constantly monitoring the progress of delegated tasks, they can provide constructive feedback to team members and maintain a high-quality standard. They will track benchmarks and deadlines so that projects are completed on time.

Process Improvement

Your OBM will be proactive in analyzing processes so that delegated tasks are documented and well organized.

Tech Integration

Your OBM will find the best tools to support your team and make the delegation process easier. The implementation of a project management platform, communication platform, and automation tools will improve team efficiency and consistency.

Long-Term Benefits of OBM Services

At this point, you may be thinking, “This is a lot of information, Stef. Just give me the bottom line.”

An OBM will be your strategic partner who guides the delegation process, provides clear communication, and monitors progress. They will contribute to process improvement, tech integration, and empower your team. 

The bottom line: Your OBM will optimize your business and provide you with a better work-life balance.

If you’re interested in learning more about OBM services, email me. I’d love to learn about your business and answer your questions.  

How to Avoid Decision Fatigue

Earlier this summer, I had ankle surgery. After the pain was under control, I returned to my online work. Even though I wasn’t sleeping well and I spent my waking hours with my leg elevated or crutching around the house, my head was clear. 

Completing my work was a breeze! I wondered how this could be.

I added up all the responsibilities I no longer performed.

• I wasn’t cooking dinner, which meant I wasn’t planning dinner (what to buy, when to start prepping, how to make sure all the dishes are ready at the same time, etc.). 

• And laundry! Hahahahaha

• Since it’s my right ankle, I can’t drive so I haven’t been chauffeuring our non-driving child to appointments or social events.

• I’m not planning or coordinating events with other people and everyone is being super nice and patient if something does come up.

• Plus, it’s summer, so we don’t have all the school gatherings and I haven’t had to remind my kids about homework, tests, and projects.

It’s been AMAZING. I’ve been making a quarter of the decisions I usually make. I’ve been able to focus so much more easily.

My husband, on the other hand, has experienced extreme fatigue from long days of making all the decisions for work and home. So much so that he lost his glasses. Completely lost them. We looked everywhere and he checked at work. They’re gone and he’s had to order another pair. He clearly has decision fatigue.

Understandably, he’s rejoicing with each step I make towards recovery. While I’m glad to heal and begin walking, I’m thinking about how to maintain this headspace!

To make things more interesting, school starts next week and we’ll be picking up the pace in the Kalka house. It feels like someone has set a treadmill for a high speed and we’re about to step onto it without realizing. I don’t want to feel like I’m always running anymore. How did we get here?

With our busy-ness, we make an estimated 35,000 decisions a day. (Probably more if you’re a small business owner.)

Insanity! It’s not healthy to keep going like this!

Let’s focus on ways to make fewer decisions in your business. 

notice what’s happening without trying to change anything

In order to go somewhere new, you first have to understand your current state. Notice the number of decisions you make and when you make the most important decisions of your day. 

Try to do this without judgment. No telling yourself, “I should have done this weeks ago,” or “I bet so-and-so can make all these decisions without struggling.”

Give yourself the kindness and self-compassion you deserve.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

Once you know the time of day that requires you to make your most important decisions, you can find ways to conserve energy for that time. 

For example, if you need the most focus for decisions between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, use the time beforehand to build your energy with a mix of activities like simpler tasks, short breaks, exercise, and healthy food. 

Although you may be busy between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, there are simple ways you can continue to take care of yourself, like noticing your breathing. If you’re feeling stressed, it may become more shallow. Fully inhaling and exhaling will release tension and almost certainly lead to better decisions.

Once you’ve completed your high decision-making time, give yourself a reward with a walk, time to listen to your favorite playlist, or reading. Whatever you choose, let it take you away from your desk and screens.

Your brain needs this break as much as the rest of you! The moment you start thinking, “I just need to finish this before I take a break,” is when you most need a break. Let yourself have this time to unwind.

CUT BACK ON THE LEAST IMPORTANT DECISIONS

During the lighter times of the day, look for unnecessary decisions and see if you can get rid of them.

There are many ways to do this, such as making a menu for the week so you don’t have to figure out what to make for every weeknight. I don’t always do this, but life is so much easier when I do! I’m trying to recommit to this tip and I’ll let you know how it goes!

You can always turn to the minimalist movement for help. Having a uniform or a capsule wardrobe with interchangeable pieces will make getting ready in the morning much faster.

You could clutter your home with thousands of decluttering books!

Clearing cloud clutter is a fantastic way to cut down on decisions. I make sure to do this with files and email, too. Regularly updating my clients’ standard operating procedures on a quarterly basis means they will continue to make decisions accurately and quickly. 

If you’re hesitant to delete files, save them to a flash drive or to a cloud storage service like Dropbox.

Spend 15 minutes straightening your desk at the end of the day

When you put things away at the end of the work day, you give your future self a gift. The next time you sit down at your desk, you will think, “Wow, what a nice desk. I feel so relaxed and ready for the day! Thank me!”

Find someone to help you make decisions

If you’re a small business owner who’s feeling overwhelmed, it may be time to get yourself a Virtual Assistant. They can help with tasks: you say, “here’s a task and this is how you do it,” they say, “got it!”

If you already have a Virtual Assistant and a couple other team members, it might be time for an Online Business Manager. You say, “I have a lot of plates spinning and I’m managing every part of my business and I’m missing opportunities,” they say, “I’ll create SOPs, manage your team and your projects so you can have the bandwidth to grow your business.”

If this is something you’d like to learn more about, contact me. I’d love to chat with you.

Take your time with this process. It will be an adjustment, however, I think you’ll feel a whole lot better. I know I do! I hope you’ll join me on my journey to shed decisions. There are so many beautiful things to see and do when you have less to decide.

How to Create a Volunteer Recruitment Email

Recruiting volunteers can be an intimidating task, but I’m here to help you streamline this process. Keep reading to learn how…

For 5 years, I had a job where I managed up to 54 volunteers at a time. I learned the best strategies for volunteer engagement and community building so I would get the support I needed. Now I’m part of an organization that regularly needs assistance: Scouts. The other members of our committee were surprised when I recently filled all the volunteer slots for an event in under 48 hours. Here’s how I did it:

Figure out what you need first

A month or two in advance of the event, gather all the information necessary to clearly communicate your needs to the group. For example, If you need volunteers for a fundraising event, make sure you have all Five Ws: Who, What, Where, When, Why, + How. Not having all the information is a surefire way to get 0 responses because no one wants to be the only one there or find themselves wandering through an empty parking lot at 11:00pm to put trash in the dumpster. Being clear about what you need will make it easier for people to say “yes” to your request and more likely that they’ll assist you in the future.

Here’s an example of a volunteer recruitment email:

Good evening, scouting families.

Next Tuesday is our Court of Honor, which will take place at the park pavilion at 7:00pm. We will serve ice cream from the local dairy afterwards!

We need some volunteers!

• Several people to assist with set-up at 6:30pm (arranging tables and food, unloading troop supplies)

• Several volunteers to assist with clean-up until 9:00pm (packing up troop supplies, cleaning tables, moving tables back where we found them, disposal of trash)

• 2 volunteers to scoop ice cream

• 2 packages of cookies (family packs)

• 2 packages of cupcakes (12-packs)

• 2 packages of Italian ice (12-packs in an ice chest)

• 3 families to bring water bottles (24-packs in an ice chest)

  Please contact me as soon as you’re able to let me know that you’re able to contribute. We need your help to make it a great night.

Thanks and have a nice weekend,

Stephanie Kalka, Troop Secretary/Recruiting Coordinator

Send a clear email to the right people

In this email, I answered any question someone might have that would stand in the way of them volunteering. Everything is clearly laid out for the recipient’s reference. And at the end of the email, I am already assuming they’re going to volunteer their time and I’m thanking them because it’s SO important to thank your volunteers—even before they’ve volunteered.

Before you send the email to everyone one your list, check the list in and remove people who have already mentioned that they won’t be available for the event. This way, you won’t receive emails that say, “I already told you I won’t be around that weekend,” etc. Annoy them this time and they might avoid you next time.

After you send your email, you will hear from those friends and colleagues who understand the work that goes into planning for this sort of event. These people are my favorites. Even if they respond to say they aren’t available, at least they let you know.

Send a second email

Give the initial email 48 to 72 hours to work its magic. You will have a handful of people to fill up volunteer slots. Before sending the email again, remove the people on the list who have signed up. If you send an email to someone who’s already volunteered, they will be might be confused. Then they’ll probably send you an email asking if you put them on the schedule, which will create unnecessary back-and-forth. Clean up your list and update the email to say something like, “We heard from a few people and are grateful to them for stepping up. We still need XX people for these time slots on these days.” Once your email has been proofread, send it out.

Send “special invitation” emails

You will hear from several people, usually with an apology, “Sorry I didn’t let you know sooner, but yes, I can volunteer at this time on this day.” Some will decline, and that’s all right. Now you will be left with the people who haven’t responded at all. I think of these people as the “special invitation” group. Sometimes they’re overwhelmed, sometimes they just want to hide in the herd and let the overachievers do the heavy lifting. Whatever their reason, you will need to reach out to each of them personally.

Create a personalized email for each of these people. Something like this:

Hi L,

How was your son’s soccer tournament? The last time I saw Fred, I couldn’t believe how tall he’s gotten!

I know you’re busy, but is there any way you two could assist with the Court of Honor set-up? We could really use the help of an experienced family that night, since the other volunteers are new this year. You have such a nice way of making people feel welcome and I think the Smith family would increase their participation if they spent some time getting to know you guys. Would you please think about participating? Will you let me know tonight?

Thanks for considering,

Stephanie

Like I did in this sample email, find a way to relate to the person. What did they mention when you saw them last? Do they have pets? Have they recently moved or gotten a new car? Find something personal to ask them about. If you begin with, “We really need you to volunteer…” they’ll tune you out. Talk about them and ask them questions about their file and they’ll be more likely to listen.

Try to make one request. Ask them for this one thing and be very clear about it. Tell them why you think they are the person best equipped for this one job. Pay them a compliment. I know it sounds like I’m buttering them up—and I am—but the compliment is sincere. I really mean what I say and I’m hoping that the positive traits I noticed in L will encourage her to participate in the fundraiser because her specific skills are needed. You may be thinking, “I don’t have time for this. These folks should just volunteer because we all know everyone has to participate for the event to be successful.”

This is true, but not everyone will do the right thing just because it’s expected of them. Some people will not help unless you take the time to make it look more attractive to them in a Tom-Sawyer-painting-the-fence kind of way.

Is this exasperating? You bet! Can I take the time to gently recruit volunteers if it means I will cultivate better relationships and make the event a success? YES, I CAN!

Remind your volunteers

Once you have all the volunteers you need, be sure to send out reminder emails and provide them with your contact information in case of emergency. Send a reminder out several days before and the night before so they remember that you’re counting on them. Thank them for being part of the team.

Thank your volunteers

Thank your volunteers in person at the event and then thank them by email after the event. Point out something specific they did at the event if you can think of something. Take the time to do this and your team will be much more likely to help you in the future. You will be known as an excellent leader who cares about the individual people within their community.

I wish you luck with your email requests. If you would like to have a consultation with me about this or any other business process topic, please reach out!

How to Write Standard Operating Procedures

I know what you’re thinking: “In the time it will take for me to document every step of this business process, I could just do it myself.”

You could. And things might work well that way for a long time. But something could happen that’s beyond your control that will keep you from performing tasks as you usually do (like COVID, or an injury, or a family member who needs your support). There may come a time when you will be forced to step away from your business. Your business could grow to the point where you don’t have the time to personally train every new hire.

If you track your processes now and create standard operating procedures, it’s like creating a blueprint for your business. No matter what happens, someone can complete those tasks. You could even go on vacation knowing that everything will keep chugging along as if you were still there. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Here’s what you have to do to get there

Start with the most urgent tasks first. The ones that would cause a calamity if they weren’t completed. Make a list and then pick one.

Document the purpose of the procedure. Explain in a few sentences why this task is important. Lay it out so someone who is new to your business can understand.

Document the schedule for the task. Is this task completed daily? A certain time of the day? Is the task dependent on receiving other information first? Remember, you’re writing this procedure for someone who is unfamiliar with it so be clear.

List the responsible parties. You, obviously, but anyone else? If you have dependencies, or are a dependency for someone else, identify them, including contact information.

Document the procedure step by step. It helps to document while performing the task. Are there ongoing sub-tasks that fulfill the main task? Will approval be needed for different steps? Who will approve those steps if you’re not there? Think through everything as if you’re doing it for the first time. Drawing the workflow (on paper, or an online tool like Miro) will help you clarify the order of operations and communicate it to others.

Test your SOP. Follow your steps and see if you can complete the task in the steps you’ve laid out. Better yet, have someone else follow the steps. Adjust your SOP to meet the needs of the person who will follow it. For example, acronyms might make sens to you but might confuse someone else. Write every word out so that someone else can understand.

Review and edit periodically. Check up on your SOP every six to twelve months to see if any of the steps need updating. Technology and processes change, so scheduling a time to make revisions is key.

Keep documenting!

Once you’ve completed one SOP, move on to the next most urgent process, and then the next. Put your SOP files into a folder and make sure all the members of your team have access to the folder. Once you have a SOP folder, let me know if you feel a bit more relaxed knowing that you have a process in place for those times when you need to step away. Time to plan a vacation!