F.A.Q.s

Online Business Management allows small businesses, and soleprenuers a cost effective and flexible way to get the support needed to promote, manage and grow their businesses online.

A Virtual Genie is a play off the industry term “Virtual Assistant” which is an administrative support professional that partners with busy professionals to provide customized off site support solutions, usually from a home office. It simple means I am here to grant your “growth” support wishes.

In a nutshell, it’s great news for you! Online Business Management is a newly revealed trend used by multi-millionaire webpreneurs. An Online Business Manager’s job is to free up the the business owner to focus on the parts of their business they’re passionate about. By managing all the moving pieces, an OBM smooths and moves the business to multiple stream success!

Any business can outsource their administrative work flow in any manner that means the most to their core goals. Virtual support services are used by:

• Speakers, Freelancers, Artists, Authors

• Consultants and Entrepreneurs

• Home based businesses

• People with multiple income streams

• Financial Advisors & Accountants

• Medical billing & healthcare practices

• Non profits (i.e. church ministries, community organizations)

Hiring someone with in depth knowledge of the online realm offers the best “Value” for your dollars. But, the answer lies in a few factors. You will want to examine the level of supervision you are comfortable with and what your budget and support needs are.
OBM’s offer a great opportunity to grow your business, because we do more than just churn out duties layed out in a job description. We partner with you to find and incorporate systems and technologies that not only support your business but moves it forward. Most importantly, as your business grows, an OBM can manage your virtual team. This is much easier and more valuable to hire additional virtual professionals versus more employees.

If you hire a VA you won’t need to worry about skyrocketing costs like health care, employment taxes and costs associated with employee turnover. If your assigned VA is not working out for you, we’ll just replace them with another. No extra costs.

Generally speaking, yes. However, there is one prerequisite;you should not be a micro manager. If you don’t feel you wouldn’t be comfortably able to let go and delegate or think you may have a problem not being able to physically see your team, you should probably stick with hiring an on site employee. Working virtually is not the right fit for everyone.

We put the power in your hands with scalable payment options that fits your needs and budget.

Although the “VA’s” hourly rate is more than the employee’s rate, you save the cost of benefits and overhead that would have been applied to the new employee’s wage. And, because a VA is usually more experienced, more efficient and better connected than an employee, you’ll need to devote less time to a project to gain exceptional results, only 480 hours a year versus 2,080 for a new employee. To put it in perspective check out our cost comparison.

In addition to the myriad of support included in your retainer, we also throw in:

• Monthly Reporting

• Optional Intranet/Extranet Access

• Standard Operating Procedure Manual

• Ongoing Activity/Time Analysis

• Dedicated Project Manager

Unfortunately, they do not. The reason is, as a retainer client, your hours are planned to the last second. If there is extra time left on your retainer, we will fill it by completing other elements of your support plan. Thus, there will never be any unused hours because there will always be stuff for us to do. Additionally, if there is any indication that you will exceed your retainer, you will be notified for authorization to continue.

It is true. You can find virtual assistance services for less with another firm. You can also hire us and still pay less than you would hiring a full time in house assistant. However, we are not just offering you lower prices. We add value by providing you with support that goes beyond the basics.

Unless you find a multi-specialty VA firm with the right mix of support for your business, you will most likely be hiring one practice VA company which can be great if its the right match. But, your cost can easily add up when you have to add more VAs at $20 plus a pop and who all have other clients. A VA staffing agency can place a VA with you and train them, but how much energy will be expended on logistics and communication of your Virtual Team?

Our services combine basic administrative support, social media marketing and online business management solutions strategically designed to give you a full suite of results oriented support. We hire, train and handle all the logistic of your support so your can feel comfortable and stress free working in a virtual setting. We are passionate about giving you back your time and wasted expense dollars and even more passionate about helping you enjoy what you do and make more money doing it!

We use FreshBooks Time Tracking Software to log hours spent working on your project. If you choose the hourly payment option, you will be invoiced on the 15th of each month, for the prior month’s rendered services. Payment is due 15 days from receipt. You may pay by corporate check or via paypal. If you choose the retainer option, you will need to pay for services at the beginning of each month prior to services being rendered.

Nope! Your project manager will assign different aspects of your projects across several team members as necessary, splitting your hours between them. The only time you pay more is if you exceed your retainer or increase your retainer hours.

Yes. We are not trying to hold you prisoner. You may change your retainer at any time. As a matter of fact, if we see that you need more or less hours, we will recommend raising or lowering your retainer to the one that more adequately fits your needs and budget. No worries.

We know it’s a lot to take in, but we are here to guide you every step of the way.

We love working with small business owners and soloprenuers who are deeply passionate about what they do, no mater what it is. To us it does not matter if you make and sell gift baskets or run and interior design company. If you are a “no” is not an option, out the box thinking dreamer who’s determined to make em’ come true or just tired of boring business, you are our type of client! We like clients who are comfortable with being uncomfortable and who aren’t afraid to take positive risks. Dream big, work smart and go virtual! That’s our motto!

No worries! Try us out on a project basis. Whether its a data entry project or a website you need completed, we can accommodate you. We definitely don’t do everything, but we can find the people and resources to get it done.

Working “virtually” it’s all about trust and that takes time to build. You may not be ready now. However, by completing your Free Consultation, you can get started faster when you are! We’ll keep your information on file and monitor your needs. So, when you are ready you’ll have a plan in place, all set and ready to go.

We work with you in a partnership to become an integral part of your business, fully invested in your success. We really get to know your vision for your business and craft support that is both relevant and scalable.Our services are designed to meet the challenges and changes your business will go through over time. So you can make change work for you, not against you. You can also use our services intermittently, such as for busy seasons.

All associates’ computers are equipped with the latest virus and security software. If you choose to use our Intranet/Extranet for the completion of your projects, you have the option of adding on SSL encryption for an extra layer of security. In addition we sign a confidentiality agreement with all clients holding us legally accountable for the security of your information.

Additional security requirements are developed on a case by case basis. Your security needs will be worked into your support plan as needed.

We’re taking some of the old and creating something new! The only training that may be required, is simply getting your direction on the areas of support delegated by you. Your Virtual Genie is a highly skilled professional and excellent at adapting to your specific needs. There will be an informal period of training as you and your VA work out the details of your working relationship. This period can vary as new support services are implemented. However, we don’t look at it as training, we see it as all part of the support process.

The specific details of the execution of your support will vary depending on your needs. Generally speaking, your team will be working from their home office and all communications and tasks will be carried out via web communications, telephone, fax, etc. Postal mail will also be used as needed.