Interview with… Jennifer Hazlett, Certified Online Business Manager
Jen, how long have you been doing what you do and how did you get to be an Online Business Manager?
I established my online virtual support business, Alternate Admin, in the summer of 2006 as a Virtual Assistant. Prior to starting up my business, I spent 16 years in the corporate world as an Administrative and Executive Assistant. I loved the work and after my first daughter was born I looked for alternative ways to continue doing what I loved but doing so from home. I initially pursued the telecommuting option, however, back then companies weren’t as open to the concept. So I stayed put knowing that ‘some day’ I would launch my VA business. The opportunity came in the spring of 2006 and I officially launched my company in July of that year.
I began as a generalist and discovered a love of internet marketing so I began to transition to this specialty through various training courses. Through education and practical experience I developed my skillset. I continued learning new skills and software on a regular and ongoing basis to allow me to serve clients better and run my business more efficiently. I then began to specialize in partnering with business owners, mainly coaches, to promote and market their products and services online by providing high level technical support helping to plan, implement and manage internet marketing strategies that helped my clients grow their businesses.
In the summer of 2015, I received my OBM (Online Business Manager) Certification. It was a natural progression for me as I had been stepping into the OBM role with clients in the years leading up to enrolling in the training program. This means contributing at a new level in supporting the growth of the businesses I work with. I’m excited about the higher level of responsibility that comes with stepping into this role and focusing on the management of the business – making sure tasks and projects are being completed and delivered in a timely fashion; making sure the team is happy and motivated; making sure systems are running smoothly and efficiently and freeing up the business owner so that they can focus their time and energy on the things that only they can do in their business, make more money and at the end of the day, still have time for family and friends.
Ready? Let’s get going! Click here to schedule your 15-Minute Get To Know You phone call.
What types of services does Alternate Admin provide?
I provide three levels of ONLINE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT:
1. STARTER: “STRESS RELIEVER PACKAGE” is for those of you who have been in business for a while and are looking at building a team. You’re ready to start handing over some of the management of the business which you’ve been handling yourself up until now.
2. STANDARD: “TIME SAVER PACKAGE” is ideal for successful business owners who have a Virtual Assistant on their team and are ready to to start handing over the management of the day-to-day activities of the business. You need your marketing and promotions put on auto-pilot and someone to manage those systems for you.
3. Finally, for those who already have a team in place and need someone who can oversee all the pieces (projects, team members, operations, expenses), I have my PREMIUM: “BUSINESS BUILDER PACKAGE” thru which I can ensure that tasks and projects are being completed and delivered in a timely fashion, the team is happy and motivated and systems are running smoothly and efficiently so you can focus on creating and servicing your clients.
I also provide one-on-one help thru my CONSULTING packages:
“JUST GET ME STARTED STRATEGY SESSION” – we strategize together on the phone and you get a customized step-by-step action plan
“YOURS FOR THE DAY” – I’m available to you virtually via Skype calling, Skype instant messaging and email for an intensive VIP Planning Day
I don’t see any ‘hourly’ packages? Do you work by the hour?
I work a little differently than some virtual providers in that I don’t work by the hour. Because of my clients’ marketing schedules, I found that some months clients would go under hours – some months way over. I would either have to carry over hours to the next month when under hours (a tracking headache) or stop what I was doing mid-project because the client ran out of hours for the month. In that case, to continue the work, we would have to go past the budget resulting in a big overage bill for the client.
So going by my experience with the people I’ve worked with, I created packages that are based on the clients’ profile and which they are paying for my expertise rather than by the hour. I get the clients the results they want and expect without being focused on the clock. With Support Packages the clients and I love that we can just have a steady, month to month budget that we stick with. The client can budget without having to worry about what tasks are being done, how long it takes, where they are on their hours, etc.
It takes a good 90 days to really get to know the client and the business. To make sure that this is a good fit all around and the client is in the right package, we will evaluate where we’re at after the first 90 days and make any necessary changes and again if the volume of work changes down the road. Ultimately I work with my clients on a base pay plus incentive arrangement after 90 days.
What are the benefits of working with you?
No longer will you feel frustrated and overwhelmed at all the day-to-day management of projects and operations. No longer will you be bogged down by the details needed to keep your business running smoothly. No more late nights figuring out your metrics. No more spending hours overseeing the team. Can you feel the relief already? And, even if you spend only five hours a week on these tasks, by the end of the year you have used 260 hours that could have been better spent on building your business and making money. Considering that calculation, if your hourly billing rate is $75/hour, that could amount to over $19,000 in lost revenue. Working with an OBM could help you recover most of that as you can spend more time working with your customers and clients and when they feel like they’re being well taken care of, you’re going to make more money in your business. You will be able to focus on the creative projects that you love and have more time to devote to the things that you are the expert at in your business and at the end of the day, still have time for family and friends. These are just a few of the benefits you’ll gain by working with me.
Who are your ideal clients?
I work with people who love their business and are really good at what they do but don’t want to do the daily / weekly / monthly tasks that aren’t directly producing revenue. My ideal client is an established small business owner, someone who has been in business at least 2-3 years, has a revenue-producing business model and simply cannot grow their business anymore being the only one in charge. They need help with the day-to-day management activities so that they can focus on growth.
Looking at the list below, you can see that I’ve worked with many different types of clients:
Artist, Bed and Breakfast, Business Coaches, Certified Hypnotist, Certified Resonance Repatterning® Practitioner, Executive & Career Coach, Executive Chef, Hang Gliding Instructor, Interior Designer, Landscape Designer, Life Coaches, Performance Coach, Personal Trainer, Published Authors, Residential Services, Skin Therapist, Speakers, Training Consulting, Yoga Instructors
How is Alternate Admin different from other OBM companies?
Though there are many aspects that all OBM’s share, my intention is to provide you with ongoing support, not just with one specific function or task, but to become a partner in your success. I love my clients and have good long term working relationships with them and a great rapport. I invest time to understand the business, develop and document processes and implement systems to handle various tasks. There is an initial learning curve as we become familiar with working together and by the 2nd to 3rd month, our working relationship becomes more established and tangible results begin to show as more time and energy will be spent contributing to the growth of the business.
As an Online Business Manager specializing in project management, I work with clients to promote and market their products and services online. What that means for you is that I’m very focused on anything and everything that has to do with marketing implementation like managing ezine delivery, the products in your shopping cart, handling program launches, WordPress blogs and websites… What you get is a very focused expert in this area and that is why my clients are able to spend more time working with their clients, making more money and growing their business.
Ready? Let’s get going! Click here to schedule your 15-Minute Get To Know You phone call.
What types of online businesses or business owners are NOT ideal clients?
My packages are not for new businesses just starting out, who have no money coming in, or don’t have a proven revenue model. The last thing I want to be is a huge source of stress or a big expense that can’t be justified.
I won’t work with a micro manager who has trouble trusting and delegating. It limits what can be achieved.
Unresponsive clients are not ideal. Without solid communication I cannot support a client effectively. If they do not follow my lead with communication or provide me with the essential backup and support materials I request and on time for me to do the actual implementation, they’re not well suited for my services.
You are not an ideal client if you don’t have a clear vision of where you want to go. I can help manage the business, set up systems to make things run smoother, but I can’t take responsibility for running your business full time.
If any of the above apply to you, we’ll probably just not work well together. I’ll be happy to refer you to someone who might be a better fit.
I have no idea of what types of things I can delegate. Help!
This is a question I hear a lot! Sometimes it helps if I provide a list of items that you can delegate. I am offering you access to a detailed checklist entitled “100+ Ways That An Online Business Manager Can Help Boost Business”. Simply sign up for this free report. For areas of expertise you don’t see on the checklist, I have access to a great resource of skilled professionals!
What is the process to hire you? What is the next step?
I like to make the process as simple as possible because I know online business owners are very busy. The first step is to read through this section fully in order to get a feel for what I do and if I am the best choice for what you need right now. Next, we schedule a 15-minute Get To Know You call which will let us both see if we are a fit for each other. During this call we’ll go over about 5 questions that will help identify what is working in your business, what is not, and how I can help you. By the end of this call, we should both have enough information to determine whether working with me would be beneficial for your business. If you choose to work with me, and feel that my solutions are of benefit to you, we determine our start date, sign a retainer agreement outlining our working relationship and move forward upon receipt of the initial retainer fee to begin the work.
Can I contact some of your former clients to see what it’s like to work with you?
Yes, I encourage you to! You’ll find client testimonials here. See which ones resonate with you, either because the person is in your profession, industry, or perhaps you even know them. Feel free to email or call them and ask what it is like working with me.
OK, I’m ready to partner, but I have a couple of additional questions. Can I contact you?
Great! Yes, if you have a couple of questions, just email me via my Contact Me form and I’d be happy to answer. I can’t wait to see you partner with an Online Business Manager to see your business grow and provide you with relief and am honoured to be the one to help you.
Ready? Let’s get going! Click here to schedule your 15-Minute Get To Know You phone call.