33: Lynda Carlini on How an Online Business Manager Helps Your Business

Andrea Liebross | www.andrealiebross.com | Episode 33

Speaker1: [00:00:00] Hello, my time to level up listeners and welcome back. Today, we have my online business manager, Linda Carlini of Aqua Blue Virtual Services. Have you ever wondered what you should be delegating, who you should be delegating it to? What's the difference between a virtual assistant and an online business manager or an oh b m as they sometimes are referred to? While you are going to find out, you're also going to find out what you could take out of your business if you're a business owner and have someone else do so that you can focus in on what you want to do and the whole reason you started a business in the first place. All right. So buckle up and listen in to my conversation with Linda.

Speaker2: [00:01:00] You are listening to the Time to level up podcast, I'm your host business life coach, Andrea Libros. I helped women in business commit to their own growth personally and professionally. Each week I'll bring you strategies to help you think clearly, gain confidence, make your time productive, turn every obstacle into an opportunity, and finally overcome the overwhelmed so that you can make money and manage life. Let's create a plan so you have a profitable business, successful career, and best of all, live with unapologetic ambition. Are you ready to drop the drama and figure out the how in order to reach your goals? You're in the right place. It's time to level up.

[00:01:48] Let's do this.

Speaker1: [00:01:56] Hello, my friends, my time to level up listeners, I have a very, very, very special guest with me today. I have Linda Carlini, who is my online business manager, or OBM, and she is way more than a virtual assistant. I will get into that in a little bit. But we were talking yesterday. We have kind of a weekly meeting on Mondays to get my to get me in line. And she helps me. She helps manage me. And I say that she does. And we were talking about my podcast and guests and how I started to have guests that are clients and guests that are expert. And then all of a sudden I said, wait a second, you need to be the guest expert because you are an expert and what you do. So here we are the next day recording. We didn't waste any time. We are back at it the next morning, like literally twenty four hours later. So I am going to have her introduce herself. And then we were going to get into what it is like to do what she does, who she helps, why people meet her, why I need her, why you all need her. And she's going to tell you some things you never even thought about before. So without further ado, Linda, tell us all the parts of you, because there's lots of goodness.

Speaker3: [00:03:19] Yes. So. Oh, good morning, Indra. It's good to be able to be on here and chat with you this morning like we chat every week. But it's cool to be able to be here on the podcast with you. So I'm excited to talk to everybody. All right. So basically, I am a certified online business manager and I help over overwhelmed entrepreneurs. This time they're so Panurge, but get them out of the craziness of their day where they're here and there and they're not really sure what's going on and get things down to where it's more manageable and organized and streamlined. So they are they can be much more manageable and they can get back to loving their businesses because a lot of time their businesses have become something that they're just resenting because it's just taking away so much time and they're not able to really do what their zone of genius is anymore because of running a business is a lot more than just serving your clients. And that's where it really gets to be a little bit crazy whenever you've got a lot of things moving, parts that need to be managed. So that's my favorite part, is just getting things organized. I am a nine on the call for details and in fact finder. So like, I love finding all the details and making sure everything is in place and in order. So tell us all the

Speaker1: [00:04:41] Other parts and tell us about your other hats that you wear, because this is very interesting to

Speaker3: [00:04:46] My path. So basically, I guess you want me to kind of start with where how I got started. Write that. Tell us tell us

Speaker1: [00:04:55] What you also do when you're not doing this.

Speaker3: [00:04:57] When I'm not doing this. We were kind of joking about that yesterday or so. Yes. Besides running my online business, I also have a small cattle ranch. We have about thirty head of cattle. And so we're not working in the office. We're working out in a posture where we're managing it's beef cattle. So they're having sometimes we have to help with that. And then just the day to day things of taking care of our cows, we also have horses. So that's a task in itself as well. But we love it. It's not necessarily a job. It's just something we enjoy doing. We love working. Our kids help us with everything. We're teaching them life skills as well in the process. But, you know, they're not sitting inside playing video games or whatever. We're always outside doing something. But yeah. So the kettle's a big piece of our day to day because they need attention every day.

Speaker1: [00:05:54] So Linda sometimes is like she's boxing me back and she's walking around out there in the pasture. I know she is. I know she is. But that's OK. She can do multiple things at the same time. And also living in central Florida is not necessarily I mean, there's so much cattle there, but I don't think that's what people think about Florida, at least from where I live, they're not thinking about cattle. So that's also an interesting fact because a lot of times you're at the beach, one day you're in a pasture another day, and then you're in front of your computer on the third day. Are all in one day, right?

Speaker3: [00:06:28] Yeah. Hey, it's very possible. And that's the great thing about Florida. A lot of people think of just beaches and Disney World, right? When I think of Florida and there are so many pasturelands ag, the cattle industry is huge for Florida actually compared to just our tourism industry. And so citrus and cattle are huge pieces of Florida. And so it's great to just drive the back roads of Florida and enjoy all of our. And to actual the real native Florida, how it used to be, so we're back.

Speaker1: [00:07:02] Although your kids are at Disney World right now.

Speaker3: [00:07:05] Yeah. Of the

Speaker1: [00:07:06] Cattle things.

Speaker3: [00:07:08] They are. Yeah. FFA stuff is. Yeah. So they'll be having cattle sessions and feeding sessions of like, you know, percentages of feed and things like that. Things you don't think of. But Yeah.

Speaker1: [00:07:23] So all right. So just tell us quickly, how did you become an online business manager.

Speaker3: [00:07:27] All right. Good question. So it's actually it kind of started where I, I was staying at home with my kids back when they were babies and I was helping my husband run his business. He is a construction business. And I was doing all the things in the office for him while he was out in the field. And so raising kids and running a business definitely took a lot because they had three kids under the age of five. So, yeah, it was it was a little bit hectic back in the day, but I just learned a lot about running a business and I enjoyed it and thinking about just the strategies and stuff and making systems in our business easier. So I could actually have time to spend with the kids during the day and still make sure that everything's run smoothly in the business. And so as they got older, I went ahead and started working at elementary school with them because I could be right there them I could work when they were at school and I could be home when they were home. And so I did that for ten years. I worked at the elementary school and after my youngest one went on to middle school, I just kind of felt lost.

Speaker3: [00:08:32] I mean, because I just there was no room to grow and I just wasn't challenged every day. And I just didn't feel like I was making an impact I wanted to make in. And so I revisited what I wanted to do now that my kids were older and didn't need me as much anymore. And I decided, well, I've served my husband and his business all these years, so why don't I help other business owners? And so that's when I decided to go with a virtual assistant because it was still give me that freedom and flexibility that I was already so used to. But I could work anywhere. Right. So and with any one. So I wasn't tied down to just local businesses. And so I started doing that and I just realized, like, I needed more. So I love, like strategizing with business owners and looking at the bigger picture, not just like doing the admin tasks for them, but just being a partner in their business and helping them be successful and and grow. And so I decide to get my OBM online business manager certification last year just so I could apply my skills and serve my clients better.

Speaker3: [00:09:41] And over the years, as I've been doing this, I've really realized that I love building out the systems for business owners. So I love helping them because most people you start your business because you love that that freedom that you feel like a business owner will have. And so but you have a passion for your business, right? Like you have. I mean, most people you started your business because you love what you're doing, too. And so I just I, I really recognize the fact that I love building up those systems so they can focus on the things they love doing in these. There's so many better ways of operating your business than a lot of people realize because a lot of businesses are more creative. They're in that space and not so much. All right. I'm thinking of the organizing and how things run and those kind of boring tasks. But we can we can make that better and make it more efficient so you can focus in that zone more. And so that's how I've learned where I am today. And so I love every single day of my work week. And it's been an amazing journey.

Speaker1: [00:10:50] I love it. So Linda has helped me. I originally went to Linda because I needed what I thought was kind of like an onboarding system, help in automating the process of having new clients. Come on. And I had heard about this thing called Dubh Sarto. There's one hundred softwares out there to use, but I heard about Devastator. A lot of coaches have used it, so I literally went on uptalk, which is kind of a clearinghouse. We'll call it a place where freelancers can go to find jobs. And you, if you're looking for someone, can post the job that you need someone to do. And anyway, that's how we matched up. So originally, Linda helped me create an onboarding system using the software startup. But since then and we've been working together, I think it was February of twenty twenty. So more than a year, a year and almost a half, we have done tons of stuff. And what I have found is that one of the best parts about having an online. Business manager is she asked me questions that I have not thought about at all myself because I don't even know what I don't know, first of all. And then, too, there are things that could improve the way my business flows, that my brain just doesn't even go to the go there. And she goes there for me, even though to the customer her, that comes second nature. So tell me, what do you find that entrepreneurs, an on board ecosystem of clients is one thing? What else do they really not think about that could help them improve their business?

Speaker3: [00:12:35] All righty, so, yeah, numbering system is one thing, but your own voting system could be a lot. I mean, you can really dove into the details of how you actually onboard your client so you can really give them that great experience from the beginning of your relationship together, because that's that first impression that you really want to allow your client with. And so I love kind of given some details of how they can improve their on their own voting system as well, as well as like follow up systems. That's one thing a lot of people don't get. It falls through the cracks, whether you're following up with leads or you're following up with a client you've been working with for six months and you want some feedback from them that you can share with the world. You know, a lot of people don't think of the systems being a part of a really big piece of working with clients and leads. And so that's one thing that I really like to point out, because I feel like people are dropping the ball whenever they like that. And so building out not just your onboarding system and Debswana is one thing, but how you actually are managing your lead. Your clients on a project management tool is another thing where a lot of people are like, I don't even know what a project management tool is.

Speaker3: [00:13:49] And so we kind of dove into how to how to use it most effectively, how to get it set up. So you're getting the best use out of it. And then I typically pick one that's less techie. There's so many project management tools out there, but if there's a big learning curve, you're not going to use it. So that's why I opted to go with one that's not as difficult to use, which is Trello in my case. I use that with all my clients that haven't already established a project management tool. So that's one thing that I love getting organized and then just tracking your metrics and looking at where you're spending your time and effort and if that's really bringing in more traffic as you're writing your blog post or sharing your podcasts and where the traffic is coming from, are they just clicking on direct links or are they coming from social media and just tracking those details so you can really get a bigger picture of your metrics and where you should be focusing your efforts. And so those are a few things. I just think things that I look at that maybe a business owner hasn't thought about or really thought that needs to be improved.

Speaker1: [00:15:00] So we and I use Trello a lot more exclusively as our project management tool. And what I've found is what it's helping to do also is, is when you do one thing once and then if we put it in Chelo, if we put the system we used in Trello, when we do it again, it becomes so much easier. So not only can it like manage the project, but it can also kind of I would like to say, sort of store the process and have all of the pieces readily available right in there. So that's something that I, I also know notice in my clients, usually they're not just doing something once, they're doing it multiple times, whether it's creating a workshop or even putting together a presentation. And some of my corporate clients, like they're always creating agendas or presentations and they can even use Trello for that. So creating that repeatable process, I guess, is a good way to put it.

Speaker3: [00:16:02] Yeah, you're not recreating the wheel every single time we do it. Right. The most efficient and effective way, the first time. And you can build on it, but you're not having to start from scratch. And so that's saving you. Time is keeping you consistent and it's also helping you put your best out there. Right. So because you're always improving it, so you're not just kind of throwing it out there on the fly and getting it done. It's something that you've really worked hard to build. So creating those things and setting up board up for a launch or setting up cards that you can copy with the checklist. So you're not recreating that checklist every single time it's got all the pieces in it. So you don't forget something. Gosh, it's so helpful. I use I use it in so many different ways that, yeah, it definitely helps.

Speaker1: [00:16:51] The other thing that we've been using a lot of is Google Drive and Google Drive really integrates well with Trello. And I even yesterday we figured out a new thing on Google Drive. So I think I geek out. We can do before I go then, just like I think you can, let's figure it out. So we figure stuff out all the time. And I know there's people out there that don't necessarily love Google Drive, but I would encourage you to continue to foster your love of Google Drive one step at a time, because, again. Right. That's that's a really good tool to keep things flowing into using that comment's part of. Sort of, for example, Google Docs will Google pieces, but you love Google Drive, too, right?

Speaker3: [00:17:40] Yeah, I do love Google Drive. And there's a few reasons why I really I recommend that for all my clients is because for one, like whenever you're collaborating with other people, it just makes it so much easier to work together. You're not having to update a document and then share it with them like they can see it in live time right there on Google Drive. And so you can easily share the documents. They're all stored in one place and everyone can have access to that same file. But it really helps whenever you are working with multiple people and you can easily just share this document with somebody that could help you if they're helping copywriting or something. Right. So you're not having to give a bunch of access to all these other things. You're just sharing that document and it's already shared with your team. And so it just cuts out a lot of the backend work of getting

Speaker1: [00:18:32] This, does it? Yes. And we all can work from home, too, and have dogs and other animals in the background. Just going to add that in there.

Speaker3: [00:18:44] Yeah, she's little but mighty.

Speaker1: [00:18:48] So I think if I had the name like the top three things that I think I'm going to I'm going to say my top three and then you see what you think. My top three reasons why every entrepreneur should have an online business manager. Actually, before I do that, tell us what is the difference between a VA and an online business manager?

Speaker3: [00:19:13] Oh, good question. All right. A VA, a virtual assistant is more of somebody that's kind of doing what you're telling them to do, right? So you're giving them tasks. They're getting things done. And it's not necessarily that they're thinking of new ways or new things that need to be done like they're not ahead of you. And OBM online business manager wants needs to be more ahead of you, like they're anticipating what needs to happen next or they're looking at goals for the future and planning your 90 day goals out with you. And they're looking at what pieces need to happen to help you reach those goals so they're more of a partner in your business. And so they're helping manage all the pieces that need to be in place for you to actually reach those goals. And so a lot of times, maybe Obama's not the one doing the work. They're delegating some things, but they're making sure everything is getting done by the right person at the right time. And so that's taking all of that weight off your shoulders as the business owner. So you're not the one having to make sure, oh, this person is doing that and that person is doing this and I've got this to do and that to do like they're just the OBM. It really partners with you as the business owner and and wants to be successful in your business as you do. And so they're invested in and making things happen just as if it was their own business.

Speaker1: [00:20:32] Yeah. And I think that's the key. So sometimes people say to me, well, what should I just hire a virtual assistant? So one of the things I have done, OK, so this is actually I don't even know if you knew this, but anyway, so before Linda, I did have a couple virtual assistants that I would say, like I went through, quote unquote. I just it wasn't working. And I think the reason it wasn't working is because they were consistently waiting for me to tell them super specifically what to do, which I could do OK, which I totally could do. But I sometimes didn't even know enough to know what to tell them to do. And they did not endorse, should they have, because it really wasn't what they were supposed to do, although I didn't know enough at that point. They weren't saying to me, hey, yeah, I can do one, two, three and four. But after that it's going to be six and seven. So I think we should do two and three differently so that when we get to six and seven, that's going to go smoothly. So with the online business manager, with Linda, like she's already up to six and seven and I don't even know six and seven existed. And that is why I find this so valuable. So what are my top three reasons. I would say, one, just having that extra brain in terms of systems and processes and thinking ahead, OK, so like the extra brain, I would say time.

Speaker1: [00:21:59] I mean, a lot of times she and I communicate well through Trello, but through Voxer sometimes too. And so when I'm in between clients, I can just voxer her and say, hey, we don't even need to talk about this until next week. But will you remember that we need to talk about this so I can have that sort of timesaving to me at the time saving mechanism because someone else is kind of thinking about things even maybe ahead of me. That's a good thing. And then the third piece that people may not even recognize. Is that you do feel like you once you develop a relationship with someone, you do feel like you kind of have a partner and that they know what's going on in your business. And it does give you a little bit of freedom and a sense of like I could walk away for a few days and anything in the background, it would keep running. Now, no one would be getting coached. OK, but that's OK because I plan my time like that. But everything else in the background keep running because Linda keeps it running. So I don't know. What do you think? What what would your top few reasons why someone would need this kind of help?

Speaker3: [00:23:13] Yeah, I love hearing. I love hearing your thought process on that. So it makes me feel good. I feel like I'm accomplishing my goals right now because that is like that. Is it like having that second brain and and being able to give I love like the strategy part of it. So I think strategy is a big piece of it. And so giving feedback that you just don't know. Right. And because either you haven't done it before or you just haven't done it a different way. And so having that second brain with a different outlook definitely is helpful. And so I think that's one piece. And the second piece definitely would be time. And because you're you're not the only one, everything doesn't fall on you. And so you don't feel like you have to be doing everything. If you're if you're not in your business doing things, then it's not running right into that, saving you a ton of time and helping you focus on serving more clients. Because, I mean, let's face it, if you were having to do all these back and things, you definitely couldn't take on more clients because you would be working nonstop and then you would be missing out on time with your family. And so that's I mean, that's definitely not it. And so freedom would be the last piece. And that's pretty much what you're saying, like having having the freedom to do what you you're wanting to do, whether it is serve clients or it is going to lunch with your daughter, whichever one being able to do that and not having to worry about if this is running right or if this is getting posted or shared or, you know, just those things having that time freedom for open space in your mind and get everything out of your mind and just on Trello or on Voxer. And it's not cluttering your brain. That's that's like taking all that overwhelm off of you. And so those are. Yeah, that's definitely like that last piece is that the freedom from being just overwhelmed and exhausted sometimes.

Speaker1: [00:25:16] It's true. So though I have a lot of times one of the things that I do in my business as a as a way to coach or another kind of coaching service is I help business owners who probably have a team. They have to three up to maybe twenty people on their team, I call it. Let's create an entrepreneurial operating system. Right. So that is pretty big picture that we're creating ten year goals and we're creating quarterly goals. They can't necessarily even have that kind of operating system happen unless they have the kind of support that Linda would provide. And maybe if it's an online business, she's the right person. If it's a brick and mortar, which some of them are, they have an admin, but not in an office manager. It's like an admin and an office manager. It's kind of it's not just admin admins, just tasks. It is managing and thinking ahead. So I think that a lot of times what happens with my clients is that their business is grown. They're seeing like, OK, I can do this there. There is revenue coming in. It is profitable. But in order to get to that next level, something needs to change. And this is kind of where I think this element comes in. And it's not just about social media people and we are scheduling those posts ahead of time. I am not on Facebook every time, just that the little secret. But it's but and Linda does get a lot of what she does. Like that's why the easiest thing in a way, but there's so much more that's going on. So it's all about social media. OK, so what would be your one biggest piece of advice to an entrepreneur?

Speaker3: [00:27:01] Oh, my biggest piece of advice. It's just. Oh, goodness. I would just say that you need to create your business because you have a passion for it. Right. And so really reflect on that and make sure that you're loving your business. And if you're not, there's better ways of doing things than what you're doing. And so looking at how things are operating and getting systems in place are really going to help you keep that love for your business and be able to serve your clients. Best be. You are able to stay in your zone. So, yeah, I would just say, because you

Speaker1: [00:27:41] Are in place, right? Because you create your business, because you wanted to do the business, you wanted to offer the service or sell the product, not because you wanted to spend time. Creating an onboarding system or posting things or any of that,

Speaker3: [00:27:58] Right, creating

Speaker1: [00:27:58] Payment plans and all that stuff. Now you want to be doing so if you want to stay in your business in the way doing what you want to do. This is an excellent tool to have in your honor. I was in your pocket, but it's almost it's way more than that. This is an excellent way to create a partner to help you do the stuff in your business that you don't necessarily love doing, right?

Speaker3: [00:28:26] Exactly. And I say like what she did up to this point isn't going to work to get you to that. Correct. All right. So you have to change things up a little bit if you if you want to grow.

Speaker1: [00:28:36] And so you've even experienced that in your business.

Speaker3: [00:28:39] And it's exciting to find and scared same time. But it's all good things, so

Speaker1: [00:28:44] It's all good. All right. So if someone wanted to find you, I mean, they can always ask me, but how can they find you

Speaker3: [00:28:50] Already so they can find me online? I have a website. It's also a blue virtual services dot com. But I am on Instagram at Oxblood Virtual Services or Facebook is the same virtual services. So any of those places I hang out around there and feel free to send me a message. Let me know what your schedule is.

Speaker1: [00:29:16] Schedule call Linda and see if she can help you or she can help you figure out how to find help one or the other.

Speaker3: [00:29:22] Yeah, exactly. And I and I did start a group program for coaches and producers to help them. Not necessarily if they're ready to hire me to build all these systems, but I guide them through getting these systems built out. And so that's another option. If you're not ready for like one on one, work with me. I've started the Systems for Freedom Accelerator where people can work with me for three months and get their systems build out. And it's they're learning from me and being able to really get things done without being a little confused or unsure of what needs to be done. Right. I give you a roadmap of what needs to happen.

Speaker1: [00:30:01] So, yeah. So if you are someone who was really tied to the thought, in my words, the thought that you need to know how it all goes together, I am not tied to that. But by the way, I want you to know all the processes and pieces. But if you are tied to the thought that you want to be the one to do it, Linda can help you to do that program that she's created now. So but I would I'm going to coach you right now. You people listening. Do you really need to know every step of the way what's getting you why do you need to know that? So that's just a side note. That is my coach you for this podcast. All right. It has been awesome doing this. This is a this is a Tuesday morning at nine a.m. call versus our Monday morning at nine a.m. This is a little more money than it is.

Speaker3: [00:30:52] It's exciting to talk about all these things and see how we've grown together.

Speaker1: [00:30:56] Yeah, it is. OK, everybody. So go assess. What systems and processes do you have in place in your business now? Are they working for you? Do you think possibly they could be better even if you don't know how they can be better, do you think they could be better and if so, how are you going to make them better? What do you need to do in order to get them working for you to their utmost ability and one might be able to help you that. So what do you think about as you were listening, where you thinking about things that maybe you could take off your plate? Were you thinking about how having someone else in your business thinking about it just as much as you do could be a huge benefit? If you are, I urge you to reach out to Linda or me or anyone you know, to help you find the right person for you and your business, and I don't think your business can be too small or too big to have that partner when I work with my clients. I often tell them you have just hired an employee whether or not they own their own business or not. I see myself as a team member and helping them be the best version of themselves. So who could help you be the best version of yourself or what combo of people do you need? And who is your coach if you don't have a coach? I would be honored to be that person.

Speaker1: [00:32:40] Lately, I've been doing a lot of deep dives with my clients, and by that I mean we set aside a half day and we take a deep dove into their business or their career and really map out how we could make the next six or 12 months the best ever. Oftentimes, an online business manager or an assistant is part of that equation. So if you don't have a coach, I would love to be that person. Let's chat. You can head over to my Web site at Andréa Libras Dotcom and took a call. And we can chat about what type of coaching is best for you. Maybe this deep dove is the best way to start. Perhaps it's one on one coaching or group coaching or even what I call my runway to freedom, which is for business owners who have teams and need to find more time in their business and have the confidence that they can step away and things will still run. So head over to Andrea Libras, Starcom book a call and we'll figure out what's best for you. All right, my friends, have a great day until next time. Always remember, it can be your time to level up.

Speaker2: [00:34:05] Thanks for tuning in to today's show, if you're ready to commit to personal and professional growth, move forward, make money and manage life. Head to Andrea Libros Dotcom that's a and D.R.C. a l i e b r o. S s dot com to find out about the ways we can work together until next time go level.