A Day in the Life of OBM Lenica Stephen: Project Manager Turned Accredited Pro

What does it really  take to leave behind a 15-year corporate career and step into the freedom of online business? In this episode of The OBM Show (also available on YouTube), I sit down with OBM School Mentor and founder of IBOSS Inc., Lenica Stephen, to unpack her bold leap from burnout to business ownership—and what a day in her life looks like now as a thriving Online Business Manager.

For years, Lenica followed the traditional path—climbing the corporate ladder, hitting the milestones, doing everything right. But like so many high-achievers, she hit a wall. Burnt out, unfulfilled, and tired of putting her dreams on hold, she decided it was time to stop waiting for “someday” and start building a business that actually aligned with her life and values.

In this powerful conversation, Lenica shares how she leveraged her background in project management, business process re-engineering, and team leadership to build a successful OBM business from the ground up—on her terms.

We walk through what her day looks like now, how she sets priorities, and the systems she’s built to support both her clients and her growing team.

You’ll learn:

• What finally pushed Lenica to leave corporate—and how she knew she was ready
• The exact steps she took to launch her OBM business
• How she found her first high-quality clients
• The mindset shifts that helped her own her value and raise her rates
• And how growing a team allowed her to work in her zone of genius every single day

If you’re sitting in a corporate job wondering, “Is there more than this?”—Lenica’s story is the proof you need. This episode is your permission slip to explore what’s possible and take the leap into a career that gives back more than it takes.

Thanks for tuning in to The OBM Show — your go-to podcast for Online Business Managers and entrepreneurs who want to scale strategically and sustainably.

If this episode resonated with you, be sure to follow the show and leave a review. It helps more aspiring and established Online Business Managers find this content and grow their businesses with confidence.

✨ Ready to take the next step?

Grab your free OBM Starter Kit → obmschool.com/starter
Explore more tools and trainings → obmschool.com/resources
Learn about becoming a CPD-certified Accredited Online Business Manager → obmaccreditation.com

📺 Prefer to watch?
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel and hit the bell icon to get notified when we drop a new video → youtube.com/@SarahNokedOBM

Until next time—keep building the business behind the business.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
In today's episode, we are pulling back the curtain
on what it really looks like tomake the transition from a
traditional corporate role tolife as a successful OBM.
I'm joined by the amazing LenicaStephen, founder of iBoss and
one of our incredible mentorshere at OBM School.
Lenica spent over 15 years incorporate before deciding to

(00:22):
pursue more flexibility, morefulfillment, and a business she
could really truly call her own.
Fast forward many years yearslater, and she's not only
building a thriving OBMbusiness, but she's growing a
team, scaling her agency, andcarving out a business that
truly aligns with her strengthsand lifestyle goals.

(00:42):
In this conversation, we'retalking about what a day in the
life of an OBM really lookslike, how Lenica found her first
clients, what made her leap intoentrepreneurship, and some of
those key systems that reallysupport her success.
If you are sitting or have beensitting in your nine to five,
one Welcome to the OBM Show, thepodcast that pulls back the

(01:17):
curtain on what it really takesto thrive as an online business
manager and help businessesscale without burning out.
I'm your host, Sarah Noked,agency owner, OBM mentor, and
founder of OBM School.
I've been working in the backend of online businesses since
2009, building systems, managingremote teams, and mentoring OBMs

(01:41):
who make businesses run likeclockwork.
Now, I've seen what works, whatdoesn't, and the messy middle
that no one talks about.
Here, we get real about thetools, strategies, and stories
that drive sustainability.
If you're ready to stop spinningyour wheels, step into your

(02:05):
leadership role, and see whatactually happens behind the
scenes of thriving businesses,you're in the right place.
Let's get started.
Hey, Lenica.
I am so excited to have you onour channel today talking about
all things OBM.
You are one of the mentors inour OBM school community, and it

(02:26):
has been such a pleasure to workwith you over these years.
We've actually met each other inperson before.
Can you imagine?
I was like, Lenica sat beside meat the bar.
Yeah, exactly.
I remember that trip like it wasyesterday.
So I really excited to have youhere.
And for those of of you whoaren't in our program and don't

(02:47):
know you as a mentor for ourcommunity, Feel free to
introduce yourself.

SPEAKER_02 (02:51):
All right.
Hi, everyone.
My name is Lenica Stephen.
I am a certified online businessmanager, certified for about
three years, four years, fouryears.
I am an OVM mentor with SarahNocad's OVM school.
Excited to work with everyonethat's a part of the OVM school,
as well as those are in our foodcommunity.
And I came from the corporateworld.

(03:12):
So I have that mix of corporateplus working in the online
space.
So that's kind of me in anutshell.
I've been in business a formyself for like three years now.
So is that it really?
I feel like it's been so muchlonger than that.
A little over 2018 is when Ileft my job.
Oh, wow.
Beginning of 2018.
So yeah, very cool.
Cool.
2018.

(03:32):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (03:33):
Very nice.
Well, Lenica, it's really greatto have you here.
It's awesome to have you as amentor in our community.
And so I want to just, you know,obviously, a big part of this is
giving people some insight intowhat a day in the life looks
like in your OBM business.
And as we were just chattingbefore here, you know, I think
it's safe to say that all OBMsare not the same and we all come

(03:57):
with our unique corporateskillset and things that we
brought to the table.
I know that you have a slew ofcertifications.
Not only are you a certifiedOBM, but you also are a
certified PMP, right?
And other, a whole host of otherthings.
Yeah.
I feel like conflict resolutionis that, do I remember that
correctly?
Change management.

(04:17):
Yeah, change management, likesomething else.
Yeah.
So tell us a little bit abouthow your background really plays
into your unique skillset ratheras an online business manager,
because I know that, you know, alot of us have a more generalist
OBM perspective.
Some of us are more specialized.
What's your take on that?
Well,

SPEAKER_02 (04:37):
how I brought it in, I looked at, I guess, the
transferable skills, especiallywhen I was transitioning from
leading corporate to here andhow I use it now.
So if my project managementskills are Pretty much can go
into, I think with anybody thathas any kind of project
management skills or experiencecan go into projects, define
dates, resources by team ortools.

(04:58):
And so I literally just try todo a comparison of how did I do
it in corporate?
What are the similarities in theonline business world?
And so when I talk with clientsor prospects that have now
become clients, it's meunderstanding, here's what I
know.
And here's the part of the worldthat I know is new to me, but
here's how I can bridge them.
So when I talk to clients,especially in the beginning when

(05:19):
it wasn't, say, I couldn'tnecessarily manage a launch,
right?
And I put that in quotes becausereally and truly it is a project
because- It's just projectmanagement.
It's like a unique kind.
Exactly, right?
Just different tools, differentresources in the sense of for
those people or applications.
So I just basically leaned onlearning.
What did I learn from where Iwas?

(05:41):
to how I can apply what Ilearned to this new world.

SPEAKER_01 (05:45):
And

SPEAKER_02 (05:46):
so that confidence I think carried me through and I
learned as I went.
So my day to day now is managingprojects, managing people along
the lines of what I did in thepast, just now virtual and
learning new terms in some waysand new types of roles.
So yeah, that's been thetransition.

(06:06):
I mean, the mindset stuff is adifferent story, but I kind of
looked at my transferable skillsand what I can bring to the
table for the online world.
And some of it was differentthan people who have only worked
online and where I've worked inboth worlds.

SPEAKER_00 (06:20):
Awesome.
Can you share with us and sharewith our listeners today a
little bit about what your daylooks like?
So a day in the life of Lenicaas an OBM.

SPEAKER_02 (06:31):
So it actually sometimes depends on the day of
the week, right?
I do chunk, like I have certaindays.
So Mondays for me are, I calllike CEO team admin days.
So my Mondays typically looklike

SPEAKER_00 (06:45):
a hot old mess.
No, I'm joking.

SPEAKER_02 (06:48):
Sometimes it does, right?
Like I'll work to start the daywith like reviewing the plan
that I might've kind of finishedoff on Friday.
Like what do I want the weeknext week to look like?
I look again, Monday morning.
Yeah.
What does my week look like?
Projects, team meeting, clientmeetings, all that stuff.
Then I meet with team to kind ofgo over what we're working on
this week.

(07:08):
Anything that's changed, youknow, I've switched gears on you
know what, let's work on thisfirst over this or something.
And then admin.
So it's either like, you know,proposals or calls.
I do have a couple of clientsthat I have one or two meetings
with on Mondays for their adminwork.
And

SPEAKER_00 (07:27):
meeting with their team as well?
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (07:29):
Yes.
Some of them

SPEAKER_00 (07:30):
I work with.
Your team meetings and then youhave team meetings with your
clients' teams.
Yes.
And how many clients do you haveon your roster right now?
Four.

SPEAKER_02 (07:38):
Four.
Yeah.
With...
Probably two more coming on.

SPEAKER_00 (07:42):
Right.
And as your team expands.
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (07:45):
Yes.
Yes.
As we're going

SPEAKER_00 (07:47):
into a little bit about that, too.

SPEAKER_02 (07:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
We're heading into agencyterritories, hopefully beginning
of the year at the latest.
So, yeah, that's it starts withmy I need to settle myself
first, quite frankly, fill mycup.
my plan so that I could help myclients.
I need to make sure I'm okay.
And not just for my business.
I'm like literally looking atwhat do I need to fill for my

(08:10):
clients so that when I do meetwith them, whether it's in the
afternoon or Tuesday morning,I'm way more prepared than, than
not like,

SPEAKER_00 (08:15):
you know what I mean?
So you know, what's coming up,you can give them the story
straight.
Cause they're expecting us tocome to the table with the plan.
Cause I mean, if we depended onthe client for the plan, we'd be
like, you know, Yeah, up thecreek with no paddle, as they

SPEAKER_02 (08:33):
say.
Yeah, so that it helps me to getmy Monday morning.
I don't have any client meetings

SPEAKER_00 (08:39):
first half of the day.
It's so funny because I'm thesame like Mondays and Tuesdays
are primarily the days where Ihave meetings because I just I
can't talk to people every dayof the week.
I don't want to.
Yeah, I know.
I want to be like in my pajamas.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So Monday's your planning day.
And then what happens onTuesday?
You have a few more meetingswith those occasional client.

SPEAKER_02 (09:00):
So Tuesday to Thursday, normally Tuesday to
Thursday, I'm open to havingmeetings.
And I only have it between like,say about 11 a.m.
ish to about 4 p.m.
ish.
So I do time block and I chunk.
So that's why I say it dependson the day of the week.
So that one, to your point, I'mmentally prepared because it
takes us, I find it takes adifferent energy for meetings
than it does for just doing deepwork.

(09:22):
Right?
Like, so, so I, if I have abunch of meetings, like one
right after the other, Iactually sometimes prefer that
so that when those are all done,I now can sit in my own space or
like camera, like whatever.
Yeah, exactly.
Naked.
No, I'm joking.
Do the work, right.
Versus having one meeting here.
Like, so I, that's why I chunkthose meetings.
So it's client meetings,prospect meetings, if I'm

(09:45):
meeting new prospects and thenin between there's team
meetings.
So Tuesday to Thursday is that,and my calendar is only open for
new calls on Tuesdays andThursdays.
Wednesdays is workday if I canwork,

SPEAKER_00 (09:56):
you know, it's a bit flexible.
Like just catching up on what'sa workday, like implementing.
Yes.
So Wednesday will be organizingprojects and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 (10:05):
Yes.
Yeah.
So Tuesday I do get work done,but I leave Tuesday and
Thursdays for meetings.
Some Wednesdays, it depends onwhat's going on that week.
If there's a launch orsomething, there's flexibility,
but Wednesday is my heads downday.
If I can help, I try not to havemeetings.
It's more just work.
I'm available Slack, whatever,but I'm just, working, but I

(10:25):
could jump on a call if I needto, right?
Tuesday to Thursday is that I'mmore available to have those
calls.
Um, and Fridays, Friday's a dayoff.
Not yet.
Yeah.
Not a full day off.
I do.
I, in my welcome package, I letmy clients know I log off early,
um, on Fridays.
Amen.
I love that.
They know, you know, Or

SPEAKER_00 (10:48):
Monday to Friday.
You have to train your clientsto know your schedule.
And I loved how you mentionedthe welcome pack because you
know, we're big on welcome packsover at OPM school.
Yes.
Making sure that you set veryclear expectations for clients
from the onset of when you canbe, you know, made available to
them.
And also the communicationchannels.

(11:09):
You mentioned Slack.
Yes.
One thing.
one line of communication, not800

SPEAKER_02 (11:16):
different ways.
Setting the rules from the jumphas been a game changer.
So in my welcome package, it hasthat.
It has my hours of availabilitywhen I'm off.
The notice I would give, like ifI have planned absence, right,
versus unplanned, what happensthere?
And then I also have in thatwhat the communication protocols
are.
What's the best way to reach me?

(11:36):
What's the average turnaroundtime?
The different ways to reach mefor different things.
So if it's projects, allprojects go here.
If it's regular meetings, itgoes here.
Like I've laid it down and theyget

SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
that.
And do they actually follow your

SPEAKER_02 (11:49):
rules?

UNKNOWN (11:51):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (11:52):
Sometimes most of the, now they're getting better.
I used to have some that didn't,but some are asking for
flexibility.
Like they may not use Slack.
They may use Discord orsomething else.
I'm pretty flexible that way.
As long as it's not all over.
As long as it's just one channelfor each.
Yeah, exactly.
And I was not like, so I'mpretty flexible on that.
And yeah, no, they've prettymuch respected that.
Like, especially I find thisyear, this round of clients that

(12:14):
I've been working with thesepast year has been pretty good.
And maybe I think they like thatthey know ahead of time versus
having to ask and guess.
And that's part of the help.
So I'm very clear on that.
I used to feel guilty about it,but not anymore.

SPEAKER_00 (12:26):
Yeah, not anymore.
So let's rewind back to beforewhen you were in corporate.
How did you discover the OBMrole?
Like, where were you at in yourlife?
Because, I mean, the switch toentrepreneur, was that always
something that was in yourfuture, would you say?

SPEAKER_02 (12:43):
Yes.
I felt slash semi-new that Iwanted to have my own business
ever since I was 18.
But that thought kind of gotabandoned, went down the other
path of school, career, job, allthat stuff.
Right.
And progressed in the corporateladder to some extent.

(13:04):
What started this particularjourney three years ago?
Burnout.
straight, like it started downthe path of burnt.
I was, I was a PM in corporate,been there for 13 years.
Oh,

SPEAKER_01 (13:16):
wow.

SPEAKER_02 (13:17):
And I came down the path of like, I just need a
break.
So I took a break.
I took a short term leave fromwork.
I was just tired, exhausted.
I'm like, there has to be abetter way to live life and do
what I love.
So in that break, I literallywas actually going to go look
for another job.
And the almost

SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
like, yeah,

SPEAKER_02 (13:35):
Right.
The dream kind of came up like,okay, well, why aren't you
looking at your own business?
My business was always asomeday.
Oh, really?
Really?
It was never like, I didn't havea specific day.
Oh, I'm going to, you know, quitand have my own business in a
few years.
I just said, yeah, someday Iwant to get my own business.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (13:50):
So here you are looking for a job and suddenly
you're like thinking toyourself, but wait a second.
I had this dream.
Yeah.
Having my own thing at somepoint.
Yeah.
So how did you, how did youlike, you know, how did you
really, yeah, get going?
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (14:04):
So I had the business name from before, sort
of, I had the acronym iBoss.
So I used to help some of myfriends who had businesses with
certain, like just VA stuff,

SPEAKER_01 (14:13):
even when

SPEAKER_02 (14:13):
I was working full-time, like just do little
things on the side because Ialways had that brain, but it
was never, I never even thoughtthen to necessarily do
full-time.
So I always had iBoss a name soI could build.
So literally it was like, okay,well, why aren't you building
out iBoss?
So then I went down the VA path.
initially while I was stillworking full-time of like, doing
resources and putting, you know,putting my feelers out there.

(14:34):
And then somebody in one of theVA groups I was in said the term
OBM and I'm like, OBM, what'sOBM?

SPEAKER_00 (14:40):
Yeah.
When I heard OBM, I was likemusic to my ears.
Cause I think, especially whenyou're coming with your kind of
background in project managementand you're, you know, I always
say to a lot of our students,like we have all of these
amazing transferable skills thatvaried so nicely with the OBM
role.
So yeah, that's, that's sointeresting that it was kind of

(15:00):
like you were already like walkin the walk before you were
talking to talk

SPEAKER_02 (15:04):
almost.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So then when I learned the term,it just kind of like went, okay,
that's a little bit more in linewith me.

SPEAKER_00 (15:12):
So what do you think the best part of being an OBM is
in that case?
Oh, freedom, freedom, time,freedom, time, freedom.
I mean, I

SPEAKER_02 (15:20):
still have to

SPEAKER_00 (15:21):
commit to certain things for my clients, but
right.
Right.
We were just actually just whenwe were just before, for those
of you listening, Lenica and Iwere discussing her impending
vacation coming up over theAmerican Thanksgiving and just
how great it is to not have toask anybody for time off.
Like for me, it was alwaysfreedom.
You know, when I moved over thesea, like, you know, over the

(15:43):
pond, as they say, just to theUS, I don't know.
But when I moved, part of thebig thing for me was being able
to fly to Canada at the drop ofa hat when I needed to, if my
family needed me.
So I mean, freedom is just sucha underrated thing, I think.

SPEAKER_02 (16:00):
Oh, yeah.
The time freedom was great.
And even the money freedom inthe sense that, I can charge my
like, there's no cap.
I can change the rates.
I can kind of like change thepackage offerings.
I can kind of play around withthat.
Like, you know, I I'm free to dothat on my own without asking
anybody for permission.
And, you know, I say, I'm notoffering this anymore.

(16:21):
I'm offering this or I'm addingthis

SPEAKER_00 (16:23):
and evolve.
Yeah.
I think to highlight here is,you know, the OBM role evolved.
So, you know, when you startedoff, as you mentioned, you were
doing some side gig for yourfriends and now you've really
evolved.
And I, and I had the opportunityto see you blossom as an OBM
from your journey into teamgrowth and moving into the
agency model and just, you know,really developing.

(16:45):
So would you consider yourself amore generalist OBM or are you
of a more specialized OBM atthis point in your career?
Me,

SPEAKER_02 (16:54):
I'm more specialized.
I believe I I've gotten to knowwhere my sweet spot is.
I started general.
I think it's good to have abroad overview first before I

SPEAKER_00 (17:05):
Yeah.
Yeah,

SPEAKER_02 (17:06):
absolutely.
So that, you know, becausethere's some things you don't
know.

SPEAKER_00 (17:09):
And there are

SPEAKER_02 (17:09):
things that you like and you don't know that you
like.
There's new areas out there thatyou won't know if you like or
not.

SPEAKER_01 (17:16):
Right.

SPEAKER_02 (17:16):
So I'm getting more into the specialized.
I realize I love strategy andplanning, strategic planning,
helping you get all that messout of your head and get it out
there.
and put it out there.
So that's been one thing I'vebeen focusing on with my
clients.
And that's part of why I'm goingto agency so that I can sit and

(17:36):
figure that out and my team canhandle the other pieces, the
implementation, the generalstuff, right?
I still do project management,but I like the strategy part a
little bit better.
I feel like that's where myneurons are firing.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (17:51):
Yeah.
Is it a specific kind ofstrategy, like marketing
strategy or, you know, is theresome sort of, or it's just
strategic planning?
Strategic

SPEAKER_02 (17:59):
planning.
So it's like, kind of likewhat's on your brain in
different areas.
So I look at the overall of likeyour financial health I look at
you know your team growth allthat stuff and then help you get
the strategy of where do youwant to go both in business and
personal and where are you nowand how do we get there because
I'll find a lot of businessesthey keep going they just keep

(18:20):
going and then they end upsomewhere that they weren't
really planning to end up

SPEAKER_00 (18:25):
like either burnt out or in a business that they
don't really like because theyhave like They haven't
intentionally planned out andthey haven't maybe set enough
smart goals for themselves.

SPEAKER_02 (18:36):
Right.
Right.
So it's like kind of likehelping them kind of go, well,
if you're offering somethingnew, does that in line with the
type of lifestyle you want tohave?

SPEAKER_00 (18:43):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (18:44):
Right.
Or the team that you want tobuild or not build.
Like some people don't wantteams.
So are you adding services orproducts to your business that
require you to have like a bigteam around you versus something
else?

SPEAKER_01 (18:53):
So it's

SPEAKER_02 (18:53):
giving you that voice to the strategic planning
of the direction.
So I call it Nora, like astrategic roadmap through, um,
from A to Z kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 (19:03):
Yeah.
So your clients now, would yousay that you have a specific
niche with your clients?
And if so, maybe you could tellus some more about more about
the type of clients that you'reworking with.

SPEAKER_02 (19:14):
Good question.
I don't

SPEAKER_00 (19:16):
yet have a specific niche.

SPEAKER_02 (19:18):
Although

SPEAKER_00 (19:18):
that means- I think you need to have one.
I mean, you know me, I'm allabout- Oh yeah, for sure.
You know, I think niches- Ithink niches can be fun from a
marketing perspective on yourwebsite to be clear about your
messaging.
Absolutely.
But I think part of the freedompiece of being an OBM is the
freedom to work with clientsthat light you up because it's a
vision.

(19:39):
Like I told you, I worked with afisherman for years in Australia
who literally sold courses onfishing.
I mean, normally I, you know, ifI was niching, I definitely
wouldn't choose that niche likesport fisherman.
No, but it was, It was sointeresting.
It was so interesting.

SPEAKER_02 (19:56):
Yeah.
I don't have a niche in thatsense.
I think niche can go two ways.
It could be industry or typespecific, but it could be level
of business.
So I do look at level ofbusiness.
I think I like when you have atleast one defined offering,
right?
You're not still figuring outwhat you want to offer.
Proven

SPEAKER_00 (20:15):
business

SPEAKER_02 (20:15):
model.
Proven business model.
It's huge because especially Ithink coming in at that stage,
you're able to sink your teethin a little bit better.
Well, there's something tomanage,

SPEAKER_00 (20:25):
quite honestly.
I mean, if there's no provenbusiness model, there's nothing
really to manage.
Team or no team.
I know that a lot of the timesin an ideal situation, a client
would be making at a minimum 10to 15,000 in revenue with at
least one team member, like a VAvirtual assistant to manage.
But, you know, obviously...
things are not always clear andstraightforward, but there

(20:47):
always needs to be like theproven business model, the
client mindset for delegationand at least consistent revenue,
you know, or, you know, ahundred like low six figures,
let's say.

SPEAKER_02 (20:58):
Yes.
Minimum.
And I say that because then westart making plans.
They're more comfortable to moveforward than not.
Right.
Right.
So it doesn't hold me back fromdoing what I do.
And again, our relationshipeither, because if they're
hesitant to do certain thingsbecause of budget, where they're

SPEAKER_01 (21:16):
at,

SPEAKER_02 (21:17):
right.
It's a very tough relationshipto navigate at that stage.
So I look at the level ofbusiness, I guess, if I'm
niching, it's where you add inbusiness.

SPEAKER_00 (21:24):
Yeah.
I like that.
And generally speaking, you,you're looking for what in
particular, like low sixfigures, like higher six
figures.
Yeah.
That's cool.

UNKNOWN (21:36):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (21:37):
Yeah.
And so you have your fourclients on your roster right
now.
I know you're bringing on moreand you're expanding your team
like crazy.
Yeah.
Tell me a little bit about likewhat kinds of clients are on
your roster right now.
Okay, cool.
I

SPEAKER_02 (21:48):
have

SPEAKER_00 (21:49):
actually, it's

SPEAKER_02 (21:50):
interesting.
I do, if I'm thinkingindustry-wide, very different
spectrum.
So I have a coach who is arelationship for coach.
So that's like, different clientbase different everything and
then I have e-commerce thatdeals with hundreds of products
that rotate every week so I'malso dealing with fulfillment
issues there I have a clientthat's an accountant and he

(22:13):
actually is a coach so I'vegotten him out of the practice
phase now we've done so and nowhe's in the coaching side of
accounting so him and I are kindof semi-partnering to help coach
his current clients that theyneed systems and processes as
well as whatever he does incoaching um so that's an
interesting one where that's anice

SPEAKER_00 (22:34):
relationship

SPEAKER_02 (22:35):
mutually beneficial relationship yes yes very nice
and then i have a doctor as wellwhat kind of doctor psychiatry
that wants to get again kind ofthe same thing so and then i may
have a lawyer as well sotraditional service
professionals commerce andonline coach Nice.

SPEAKER_00 (22:56):
Very cool.
That's very interesting.
I know we've talked about thisbefore.
I know most of your clients comethrough referral because you've
been, you know, I mean, youhaven't been, you've been in OBM
for the last three years.
So you do have a lot ofreferrals coming in, which is
fantastic.
What are some other things youdo to leverage getting clients?
You know, is there any, anysuggestions you can offer up to

(23:19):
our listeners who are at thebeginning of their journey?
I found relationship

SPEAKER_02 (23:23):
building was huge for me.
And don't be hesitant to investin like masterminds, those types
of groups.
Sometimes you get what you payfor.
So some of the free ones aregreat.
I've, you know, I've gotten madeconnections there, but I've had
some of my clients come throughmasterminds that I've been a
part of.
I've joined for help in mybusiness, but because we all

(23:45):
have different expertise andI'm, you know, helping like if
we're doing like a hot seat or around table and I jump in with
something, they've now come tome kind of going, can we talk
more about this?
XYZ systems that you set up for

SPEAKER_00 (23:57):
all your

SPEAKER_02 (23:57):
clients

SPEAKER_00 (23:59):
and manage projects and hire a team.
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (24:02):
Yes.
I just got out of arelationship, a project with a
client that

SPEAKER_00 (24:06):
masterminds are great, are a great place.
Conferences also.
I love retreats.
Like I'm just waiting for thoseEuropean ones to open up again.
You know, like

SPEAKER_02 (24:17):
I'm open for a retreat right now, man.
I

SPEAKER_01 (24:19):
know a

SPEAKER_02 (24:20):
mix of business and pleasure.
Yeah.
And speaking, I've also donesome speaking engagements too.
So

SPEAKER_01 (24:24):
don't

SPEAKER_02 (24:25):
Don't be shy to do some speaking as well and
podcasts.
Yes.

SPEAKER_00 (24:28):
Yes.
That's very

SPEAKER_02 (24:29):
true.
Yeah.
So those are the areas.

SPEAKER_00 (24:32):
Yeah.
So it's been really greatspeaking with you about all of
these things.
Now the million dollar question,what advice would you give to an
aspiring OBM who's consideringmaking this transition?
Jump.

SPEAKER_01 (24:46):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (24:47):
Just, just, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (24:48):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (24:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
What advice?
Don't compare yourself toanybody else that's in that
journey because everybody goesat, I wouldn't say everybody
goes at a different speed, butour successes may come and go at
different rates, right?
So where someone just comes outthe gate and gets client,
client, client, as soon as theyjump their business, you may

(25:09):
take a couple extra months, butthen eventually like you soar.
So I try to say, don't go downcomparison alley, right?

UNKNOWN (25:16):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (25:17):
you look and you, you know, you see how you can
tweak.
That's a huge for me because Iwent down there a couple of
times.

SPEAKER_00 (25:23):
Oh yeah, we've all been down that road.
That road is, that road is nota, it's a self-loathing road
that nobody can go down.
It's an easy road to get caughtup in when we want to be hard on
ourselves, which I think ispretty characteristic about our
community to be a little bittough on ourselves and to be,
dare I say, overachievingperfectionists?

SPEAKER_02 (25:45):
Yeah, well, the thing with like OBM operations
type roles, it's not necessarilyalways seen as sexy.
You know, you go sales andmarketing, like, you know what I
mean?
Like people like that.
But when you're there, a lot ofthese roles are behind the
scenes, right?
They're the silent foundation.
And so there comes the, how do Italk about like systems and

(26:06):
processes?
It seems so boring.
Trust me.
the right business when stuff'sfalling all over them, they'll
want that and they'll understandthe role.
So every, doesn't matter whereyou come from, whether it's
corporate, coaching, likeeverybody has a skill.
And I'm even, I'm being verysarcastic.
I think we have a bunch ofskills that we can all transfer

(26:28):
to this online world, right?
Like I came from corporate.
If you came from being a doctor,if you came from being- Yeah,
there's all kinds of people.
You bring so much to the table.
Yeah.
So don't be shy and think thatyou need to know all the tools
because I don't even know allthe tools.
No, me neither.
Me neither.

SPEAKER_00 (26:45):
I tell people all the time.
I'm like, tech changes.
Like, oh, it just changed againas we're having this
conversation, Lanika.
Somebody

SPEAKER_02 (26:51):
is in their basement creating a new application for
something right now.
Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 (26:55):
That's going to revolutionize the world.
And it's

SPEAKER_02 (26:57):
not

SPEAKER_00 (26:57):
just Facebook changing

SPEAKER_02 (26:58):
their name.
Exactly.
So don't get hung up on, I don'tever worked in online.
Don't get hung up on thosethings.
Look at you and your pastexperience.
Even as a parent, you know, likeI, like I saw your, your article
about the school trip mom.
Right.
So even there's skills that weall have.
So take that to start and juststart in that area and then

(27:22):
just, you know, expand yourskills and stuff like even going
to things like school and beingaround other people.
like us and we're like sponges.
We'll learn from each other.
We

SPEAKER_00 (27:32):
are sponges.
And we are also big on research.
And I know, cause I was speakingwith someone earlier today who
is interested in OBM school and,you know, obviously doing all of
her research.
I'm like, that's just so curiousof our community.
Of course, that's what you'redoing.
And she said to me, you know, Iam, I don't have any other
options.
I have to succeed at being anonline business manager.
And she was telling me about howshe's already landed a client.

(27:54):
She's charging at a rate thatshe's really happy with.
She has a really great, uh, It'sactually also in Toronto.
But it was amazing because thewhole time she's talking to me,
I'm thinking to myself, youknow, it's not, I don't mean to
be cliche, but it's a marathon,you know, you have to enjoy it
and not, it's not just aboutcrossing the finish line.
It's about really embracing thefeelings and the constant need.

(28:19):
I mean, we, I think as acommunity at large are
constantly seeking out andlearning new knowledge and
seeking out opportunities tolearn new knowledge.
It's like a part of our How tobe better.

(29:01):
you know yeah okay to be proudnothing no one's going to take
that away from you

SPEAKER_02 (29:06):
exactly at every level that you go to you're a
student you start as a studentright

SPEAKER_00 (29:11):
like thinking boring if we knew everything you know
and experienced everythingalready like it's about
experiencing you know theclients the good and the bad you
know the businesses the good andthe bad yeah

SPEAKER_02 (29:24):
you'll get to a point where you even celebrate
sometimes the tears that youhave later like in the midst of
the tears you won't but likeyou're kind of like wow okay
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (29:33):
Personal growth journey.
Right.
Right.

SPEAKER_02 (29:35):
Yeah.
So don't be, um, afraid to be astudent at

SPEAKER_00 (29:39):
every level.

SPEAKER_02 (29:40):
Yeah.
At every level I'm talking sixfigure earners to seven.
They were a student to someextent to get to seven.
When they, when they got toseven, they probably had their
issues too.
Seven to eight figure earners,you know, became a student when
they first got into the eightfigure realm.
So going from corporate or like,you know, you're being a stay at
home mom to this world, you're astudent now soak it in and don't

(30:04):
judge yourself by being astudent.
Every level you're knew when youfirst begin.
Your first kid, how you werewith your first child is
different from child numberthree.
You're a student then to now.
It's

SPEAKER_00 (30:17):
like you're going to be different with your first
client than you are with yourthird or your fourth client.
Hopefully, you'll continue toevolve, learn from your own
mistakes.
Again, I think community is sucha big part of this.
That's really what the OBMschool is founded on is
community and collaboration.
I'm so grateful that you are inthere with us as a mentor in our

(30:38):
community and really sharingyour wisdom and your own journey
with our students from buildingon her project management
experience to growing an agencythat supports her lifestyle and
her genius lenica shows uswhat's possible when you trust
your skills and take actiontowards a more aligned business
model if this conversation lit afire in you i want to invite you

(31:02):
to explore some free resourceswe've put together to help you
take this the next step.
You'll find our OBM starter kit,our top tools for OBMs, and so
much more waiting for you atobmschool.com forward slash
resources.
We've also linked everythingmentioned today, including how
to connect with Lenica in theshow notes.

(31:23):
Thanks so much for listening,and I'll catch you in the next
episode of the OBM show.