There comes a point in many careers where you start asking yourself a different question.
Not, “Can I do this work?”
But…
“Is this really all I want to be doing?”
Maybe you’ve spent years as a Virtual Assistant, Project Manager, Executive Assistant, Operations Coordinator, or in a corporate leadership role.
You’re good at what you do.
Clients trust you.
People rely on you.
But somewhere in the back of your mind, you can’t shake the feeling that you’re capable of contributing at a much higher level.
That is exactly what this week’s episode of The OBM Show explores.
In this conversation, I sat down with Ayesha Bhimji, a UK-based Accredited OBM, who spent 25 years in corporate before deciding she wanted something different. More flexibility, more ownership, and more purpose in her work.
What I love most about Ayesha’s story is that she didn’t have everything figured out before she made the leap.
She simply recognized that the skills she’d spent decades developing could be applied in an entirely new way.
Click here or on the preview below to watch now:
Prefer to listen? This episode is also available as a podcast on the OBM Show Podcast here.
Your Experience Is Probably More Valuable Than You Realize
One of the biggest obstacles in aspiring OBMs I see isn’t a lack of experience. It’s a lack of recognizing your experience.
Ayesha talks openly about wondering whether her background would translate into the online business world.
After all, she’d worked in investment banking, fundraising, sustainability, and corporate leadership.
On paper, those roles looked completely different.
But underneath them were the same core skills:
👉 Managing complex projects.
👉 Leading teams.
👉 Solving problems.
👉 Building systems.
👉 Communicating across departments.
👉 Keeping priorities moving.
Those are operational leadership skills… exactly what Online Business Managers handle.
And they’re exactly what growing online businesses need.
One of my favorite things Ayesha said was that every career step, even the ones that looked disconnected, ended up preparing her for becoming an Online Business Manager.
I couldn’t agree more.
You Don’t Need to Know Every Answer Before You Start
Another part of Ayesha’s story really stood out to me.
She didn’t discover the OBM role and immediately know it was her future.
Instead, she became curious.
She attended OBM Week, asked questions, researched, and listened to her instincts.
Then, little by little, the picture became clearer.
That’s how career transitions usually happen.
Not through one giant lightbulb moment.
But through a series of small decisions that keep pointing you in the right direction.
Too often, people wait until they feel completely confident before taking action.
In reality, confidence usually comes after you’ve started.
Growth Happens on the Other Side of Discomfort
One quote from Ayesha perfectly captures what building any kind of business really looks like:
“Everything I want is on the other side of something I don’t want to do.”
Whether that’s learning new technology…
Putting yourself out there online…
Having sales conversations…
Or stepping into a more strategic role… Growth almost always feels uncomfortable first.
The difference isn’t that successful business owners keep moving forward despite this discomfort.
As Ayesha shared in our conversation, she didn’t wait until she felt ready.
She learned piece by piece, trusting that she would figure it out along the way.
That’s a mindset every successful OBM develops, slowly, over time.
The Next Step
If you’ve been wondering whether your experience could translate into becoming an Online Business Manager, I hope Ayesha’s story reminds you that your background may be far more valuable than you realize.
If you’d like to explore what the role actually looks like, join us for OBM Week, our free live training where we break down what OBMs do, the skills businesses are looking for, and whether this career path is the right fit for you.
And if you’re ready to build on the experience you already have, learn more about OBM Accreditation, where you’ll develop the strategic frameworks, confidence, and practical experience to become a certified OBM and work with top-shelf clients.
Because sometimes the biggest career breakthrough takes place when you finally recognize the value of everything you already bring to the table.
For business owners reading this and thinking, this is exactly what my business is missing…
You do not need to keep holding everything together on your own.
You can explore our Directory of Accredited OBMs or be matched directly with the right partner through OBM School’s matchmaking process.
It’s time to SCALE strategically and sustainably and step back from the day-to-day so you can focus solely on the parts of the business that need your attention.
