Back in 2011, I officially set up shop in the online space as a Virtual Assistant, whilst still working my corporate job to make ends meet. It’s safe to say that since then, my VA to OBM journey has been a wild ride! And I NEVER expected to be where I am today.
Over the last decade, I’ve scaled my biz all the way up from solopreneur to multi 6 figure business owner. I’ve worked my way up from VA side hustle, to solo Online Business Manager to agency owner Online Business Manager.
Navigating the highs and lows of the online biz world is what’s got me to where I am today – doing what I truly LOVE. And that, my friends, is helping women (and men!) like you step into your power just like I did. I love helping you guys own the confidence mindset, break into the online space, and scale businesses which give you the freedom to design your life the way you want it. Hell yeah!
If you’ve been a part of my journey at all, you’ll likely have seen the way my business has shaped and grown over time. But whether you were with me along the way or not, I’d love to share with you guys the story of my VA to OBM journey.
Here’s my story and some insights into what I’ve learned along the way. I hope that this will inspire YOU to take a leap of faith and live a life of your choosing.
My VA to OBM Journey.
Busting out of corporate
I know I’m not the only one who’s felt underwhelmed, overworked, and totally exhausted by corporate life. Just thinking about that 45-minute commute to work every day to sit at my old office desk gives me chills!
Don’t get me wrong, travelling around the world for work and meeting new, interesting people every day was thrilling – at first. But I soon saw how the sheer exhaustion involved in this daily routine began to affect the other parts of my life.
I wanted to go and visit my family in Canada for a month at a time. I wanted to travel and have long vacays with my husband before we settled down to have a family. And that’s another thing – I was READY to start my own family. But a measly 3 months paid maternity leave is the standard here in Israel… So how the heck was I supposed to be fully there for my future babies and watch them grow?!
Alongside the stress of working a demanding job which I didn’t love, I was dealing with the overwhelm of moving to the opposite side of the planet. That’s when I reached my breaking point. I vividly remember sitting in my local coffee shop with my husband and BAWLING my eyes out in despair.
At that point, I realized I HAD to align the way I wanted to live my life, with the life I was actually living. For my sanity, for the family I wanted, and for our overall wellbeing. That’s when I started to make things change…
From VA Side Hustle to Online Business Manager
After trawling Google for a solution to my problems, I figured out I had a lot of transferable skills from corporate that would be an advantage as a Virtual Assistant.
At first, I was side-hustling as a VA alongside my corporate job. Half through fear of not being financially secure, and half through lack of confidence to fully commit. But I found myself tirelessly working 16-18 hours a day, using the front porch of the little shack I lived in as my VA office.
I offered my services to anyone and everyone who would take me on, whether they were the right client or not. Going above and beyond for my clients was the norm, out of not wanting to feel like an imposter. I was still desperate to break out of corporate, but I didn’t have a firm strategy in place to sustainably scale up in the way that I wanted to.
In 2012, I came across the role of an Online Business Manager (which was fairly new at the time). The biggest lightbulb moment? I was already operating as an OBM for my clients already! At that moment, I knew it was time to take the plunge. So I got Certified and started building my OBM biz.
Then something amazing and equally terrifying happened – I fell pregnant with my first baby! I was so excited to start a family, but got hit with the bittersweet reality of being a solopreneur. I remember thinking ‘there’s gotta be a way I can do this!‘…
Hitting my first five-figure month (and then some!)
With my little munchkin in tow, I was committed to making my dream a reality. I quit corporate, and invested myself totally into my OBM biz. That’s when I hit the ground running!
By 2014, I had my first five-figure month of $11,000! To me, that was SO MUCH MORE than just a great income. It was symbolic.
I’d had people lack confidence in me and tell me I was ‘just a mompreneur’. This was validation that I was actually making sh*t happen! I was finally living the life I’d been longing to, and I was thriving!
A year after that, I had my first $20,000 month, and I was on track to do just under 400K in revenue. That only happened because I was confident in my abilities, and truly dedicated myself to making that switch from VA to OBM.
Most importantly, I was no longer overworked and scrounging for clients. Having the confidence to work with only the right kind of clients at each stage of my journey was the secret sauce for success.
The best part about it? I could easily generate enough income to support my family without hustling for sales 24/7. It wasn’t long before I needed to bring a team on board to help run my business, which is when I started to scale my own OBM Agency. Eventually, that led to me finding what I call my ‘true calling’ – becoming an OBM trainer.
Fast forward to now
Now as an OBM Trainer, I help others like you live a life of their choosing in the same way I did for myself. Supporting other women on their OBM journey is what I live for and it gives me SO much joy!
I’m super thankful for all that I’ve learned along the way through my own VA to OBM journey. I tapped into confidence I never knew I had. I run a multi 6-figure business. I’ve built my own house in the countryside with the money I’ve earned. I get to take regular trips to Canada for weeks at a time to see my friends and family. I have three beautiful children who I get to be around for after school every day. And honestly, you can’t put a price on that freedom.
Now over to you: What’s one thing you learned along the way to becoming an OBM? Or if you’re a VA, what’s one thing you’d love to know about becoming an OBM? Drop me a message in the comments below!
