June 3, 2025 • 37 mins
What does it really look like to build an OBM business in the middle of a life-changing moment—with no safety net and everything on the line?
In this episode of The OBM Show, I’m joined by Muneeba Brooks, an Accredited OBM and founder of NeuroNest Consulting, who shares her story of rebuilding from the ground up after becoming a single parent overnight. With 20+ years of operations experience and a deep commitment to supporting overwhelmed and neurodivergent clients, Muneeba turned survival into strategy—and created a business that supports her life and her clients’ needs.
🎧 Inside the episode, we cover:
- How she went from part-time VA to strategic OBM—without realizing she was already doing the job
- The moment she decided to stop undercharging and start owning her value
- What it’s like building a business while solo parenting and grieving
- Her systems-focused niche and how she structures her workdays
- The mindset shifts that helped her stop playing small—and claim her seat at the table
“I was already doing executive-level work. I just wasn’t getting paid for it. That had to change.”
Whether you’re a VA who’s outgrown the task list or someone wondering if your lived experience can shape a business that works—Muneeba’s story will show you what’s possible when you trust your skills, speak your value, and start from exactly where you are.
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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.
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✨ Ready to take the next step?
Grab your free OBM Starter Kit → obmschool.com/starter
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Until next time—keep building the business behind the business.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:01):
you
Sarah Noked (00:01):
Welcome to the OBM Show, the podcast that pulls
back the curtain on what itreally takes to thrive as an
online business manager and helpbusinesses scale 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
(00:23):
2009, building systems, managingremote teams, and mentoring
OBMs who make businesses runlike clockwork.
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 sustainable success,plus the tech mishaps, growing
(00:47):
pains, and lessons learned alongthe way.
If you're ready to stopspinning your wheels, step into
your leadership role, and seewhat actually happens behind the
scenes of thriving businesses,you're in the right place.
Let's get started.
Let's get started.
Today's OBM Spotlight is alittle different, but in the
best way.
Muneeba Brooks didn't just stepinto the OBM role, she rebuilt
(01:10):
her life around it.
As a single mom, a seasonedoperations expert, and a
business owner with heart andgrit, Muneeba's story is raw and
real, and it's a real look atwhat happens when life throws
you curveballs and you decide torise anyways.
Muneeba, I'm so, so thrilledand excited and privileged.
(01:31):
to have you on the podcast, onthe YouTube channel.
I'm interviewing you for A Dayin the Life.
Welcome to the show.
Thank you, Sarah.
I'm so excited to be here.
So a little bit of a dramaticentry, but I think what I want
to really showcase here is that,you know, you've shared with me
throughout your journey thatyour world changed overnight.
(01:54):
So can you walk us through, youknow, what that moment was like
and really how it shaped yourdecision to go all Yeah.
So
Muneeba Brooks (02:04):
I think just leading up to that, giving a
little bit of background.
So my career has been sodiverse, so varied.
So I've worked in accountingand healthcare.
I did retail.
I did operations, HR, EA.
I was in marketing.
I was a VA.
I did a bit of everything.
And it was a really greatexperience.
(02:25):
And then I had my daughter andI made the conscious decision
with my partner at the time thatI was going to be a
stay-at-home mom.
So with that in mind, as shegot older, she started, you
know, she was four years oldgoing into school.
I started taking on some VAwork and I was like, I can do
this part time.
It's fine.
And then, of course, life comesat you fast.
It comes at you hard.
And overnight, I found myselfin a situation where I was a
(02:48):
single mom.
And there was just it was sucha shock to the system because, I
mean, you don't plan for thingslike this to happen when it
happens so suddenly.
And I was grieving.
My daughter's raving and thenreality hits and you're like oh
wait I've got to figure out howto pay the bills after all of
(03:09):
this because it's not likethere's a network of support
there isn't like oh I'm gonnaget all this child support I'm
getting all this alimony youknow that is not even an option
and I'm thinking about it andit's just wondering how am I
gonna make this work so as mybrain works is I actually and I
know this is crazy and it soundsa little bit unhinged but I did
(03:31):
a SWOT analysis on my situationand I was looking at it and I'm
like okay so this is what Ihave going this is what I need
to improve okay how am I goingto make all these pieces work
and to be honest even though Iwas working as a VA at the time
that wasn't my first inclinationto say I'm going to continue
being a VA the first thing in mybrain was I need to find a job
(03:53):
so then I started navigating thesystem so you go out and you're
like okay I need someone tocare for my daughter I need
daycare now you're looking atdaycare options and everyone has
a waiting list or they havelimited availability or we can
only do it Tuesdays andThursdays.
Are you okay with that?
And I'm thinking about the waythis system is set up and no, I
wasn't on a waiting list and Iwasn't even entertaining this
before, but I'm trying torebuild my life right now.
(04:16):
And I can't because whatemployer is going to be out
there and saying, oh yeah, Iknow you only have childcare
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
That's fine.
We'll go ahead and set yourschedule around your
availability.
Nobody's going to say that.
So I started thinking evenfurther and I was I was like,
okay, so I got to dig into thisVA work.
But then immediately off thebat, I knew that I was working
(04:37):
with an agency at the time.
And I knew that this would notbe enough to support myself and
my daughter.
Being a sole provider in acrazy inflationary economic
environment like Canada is, youcan't always survive on a single
income.
So it's like, okay, what do Ido from here?
So I went all in becausegetting employment outside the
(05:01):
house, it was just not going towork.
There was no feasible way thatI could see that I could make it
work, especially given that mydaughter is very routine based
and, you know, got to make surethat when there are any changes,
everything else stays the same.
So she can then navigateeverything.
the part that feels like it'sout of control.
So registered my business and Iwas online and I'm looking for
(05:24):
options.
I'm like, how do I positionmyself?
I've done so many things.
As a VA, you're kind ofexpected to be the jack of all
trades.
So I was like, okay, let's see.
Maybe I can turn this intosomething full-time.
And then that's when I cameacross your, it was actually the
accelerated program.
And I looked at it and I waslistening to what you were
(05:45):
saying and it dawned on me thatI was already
Sarah Noked (05:49):
doing that.
You're like, wait a second.
I'm already doing all of thesethings because of life prior to
being a VA, correct?
Exactly.
Muneeba Brooks (05:57):
Exactly.
So I thought, and I had neverheard, I never knew what an OBM
was.
I I thought that was just areally good VA.
But then with the reframe andthe repositioning, it was like,
you know what?
I am actually doing strategywork.
A client is coming up to me andtelling me their pain points
and saying, I need to fix thisbecause I'm spending hours in
(06:19):
spreadsheets.
Okay, so then I would always dothe analysis, take a look,
what's going on, what's notworking, build a system around
it, implement the tech.
Yeah, exactly.
And that was just, it's just mynatural inclination to do that.
So when I came across, youknow, OBM School, I was like,
wait, that's me.
Yeah, this is me.
I'm
Sarah Noked (06:37):
doing this now.
Yeah, I had that same feeling,by the way.
I was like, oh, yeah, I can Ican align myself with that.
I can feel confident aboutcalling myself that as well.
I want to go back to somethingreally amazing that you
mentioned about yourtransferable skills and sort of
looking, being able to look backat your journey as not just an
(06:57):
entrepreneur, but as, you know,working in a corporate job or.
life in general, was there afew transferable skills that you
can, because I always find thatwhen everyone listens to our
day in the lives, there's alwayssomething that clicks like, oh,
I have that transferable skillor, oh, I didn't realize how
valuable that was in the grandscheme of being an OBM.
Is there a transferable skillthat you can point out or maybe
(07:21):
even a few that you were like,oh, this was something that
really made it for me or reallyhelped me in my OBM journey?
I think
Muneeba Brooks (07:29):
having worked, oh my gosh, I I can pull on
almost every single role thatI've worked in.
I can pull skills from everysingle one of them.
Like being an executiveassistant, practically an ops
director.
I hear this all the time.
Sarah Noked (07:46):
People ask me, I've been an executive assistant.
I've managed budgets.
I've been the right hand to theCEO.
I'm like, continue.
Yeah.
Muneeba Brooks (07:54):
And I'm like, yeah, you're an OBM.
You just don't know it yet.
And I mean, even working with amarketing agency, same thing,
you know, so many transferableskills.
So
Sarah Noked (08:04):
was the marketing agency, your VA
Muneeba Brooks (08:07):
role?
Was that like the VA piece?
So that was actually a businessthat I had with my daughter's
father.
So we were working on thattogether and, you know, carrying
on that business after I becamea single parent, it just, it
wasn't something I wanted to dobecause, you know, when you're
building a business, you'rebuilding your own business.
your life, your emotions, yourlife force is tied up in it.
(08:27):
And it just didn't feel right.
You know, it just, there wasjust so much hurt and pain there
that I couldn't continue inthat line, you know, with a
marketing agency and marketing,you know, just selling that as a
service.
It's just something I, it was abit of a sore spot.
So that wasn't an option forme.
So I had to really strip it alldown and rebuild from a place
(08:49):
of strength.
And
Sarah Noked (08:49):
that was so hard.
That's so empowering.
And that's so, I think powerand inspirational for people to
know that you can rebuild, thatyou can start again.
And that when your why, and Iknow we were talking a little
bit about this at the beginningbefore we hit record, but that
when your why is strong enough,you can really make anything
(09:12):
happen.
Oh, absolutely.
Definitely,
Muneeba Brooks (09:15):
definitely.
And that's the really coolthing about being an OBM is you
make the rules.
So- You're not on anyone else'stimeline.
You're not on anyone else'spolicies.
You decide how much you want totake on.
You decide what your capacityis.
You decide how you're going tobuild your business around
things that you value andtreasure.
(09:36):
And the sky's the limit.
Once you realize that this isreally your thing and you can do
whatever you want
Sarah Noked (09:50):
with it.
So could you sort of go intowhat a typical day looks like
(10:13):
and really how the marketingfeeds it?
Because I love marketing.
I mean, I think we both do.
So I'd love for you to sort ofspeak to how you structure your
day and what maybe even whatyour services look like.
Muneeba Brooks (10:26):
I mean, as far as every single day, I use time
blocking religiously.
So because it's very importantto be able to be there for my
daughter.
So I'm an early riser anyway.
I'm up before the crack ofdawn.
So that's when I start my day.
So that morning time is justfocusing on what do I have going
on in the day?
Priority setting.
Is there some admin tasks Ineed to get done?
(10:46):
Something light, somethingeasy.
I get about a good 90 minutesin before I start my routine
with my daughter.
Then, you know, it's gettingher up, getting her lunch
prepared, getting her off toschool.
And then when she's off toschool, that's when my my day
really ramps up.
And that's when I've got mydeep focus work, my strategy, my
client meetings.
I know this is kind of touchingon pulling a thread from
(11:09):
another another direction, but alot of my clients are
neurodiverse and that wasn'tsomething I actually sought out.
I didn't say, okay, I'm goingto work with people who are
neurodiverse.
It kind of just came.
And I structure my day aroundthat as well, where sometimes my
clients need like a 15 minutedaily touch point at the same
(11:30):
time, every single day to keepthem accountable.
So I have those scheduled in aswell.
And I really enjoy it.
And We come home, we relax,decompress.
She, you know, needs time tojust like chill after her day at
school.
Yeah, exactly.
And then, you know, take heroff to extracurriculars,
whatever else she has going on.
(11:50):
Every now and then, if there'ssomething like playing on my
mind that I'm like, I have toget that down because it's like
an itch I need to scratch.
I'll put in a couple hours inthe evening when she's like, you
know, just relaxing.
But again, even that it's notlike I have to do it.
It's just the way my brainworks.
Sometimes, sometimes the switchclicks.
in and then it's like, oh,okay, I got to do this.
(12:11):
And I hop in and I go ahead andget it done.
But then you get your weekendsback.
You know, you get, uh, whenyou're There's days off from
school, you get those days back.
And you know, you can reallywork a
Sarah Noked (12:22):
flexible schedule.
So yeah, I love that.
So like the time blocking isdefinitely something that I
really, really subscribe to.
I don't know how I lived mylife before then.
I think also as someone whoreally likes I mean, I know
you're the same.
We love what we do.
And so sometimes like just likeyou were saying unhinged, I get
like unhinged with my, youknow, kind of like tapping into
(12:44):
the early hours of the morningand I'm still working.
So I love what you were sayingabout time blocking and time
blocking for specific clientsand then also having those
check-in points and also thosesystems that you've put in place
to sort of protect that rhythm.
And then from time to timecoming on in the evening, which
was also my time to jam, my timeto shine, put the kids to
(13:05):
sleep, back on for a few hours.
And it's just a really nice wayto kind of have control over
everything.
So I love that.
And it's so interesting to meabout the neurodivergent clients
because, I mean, I'm no doctoror I'm definitely not going to
speak as someone who reallyknows a lot about this, but it
feels to me just based on myconversations with other OBMs
(13:28):
that there's plenty ofentrepreneurs out there that are
very neurodivergent.
So it's interesting that it'sbecoming this sort of under a
niche that's kind of growing outof everything.
Would you say that they'retypically in a specific kind of
business or are they in alldifferent kinds of businesses?
And are you still sort offocused on marketing or is it
(13:50):
just, you know, marketingstrategy, operational strategy,
all the whole gamut of being anOBM?
So I think when it comes to myneurodiverse
Muneeba Brooks (13:58):
clients, they're not in one single industry.
It's really, I mean, I haveclients who are in the
therapeutic field.
I have clients who are actuallyoperational strategists
themselves.
I have clients who are anonprofit, you know, clients who
are in finance.
So it's all over the place.
But again, like withneurodiversity, it's so cool.
(14:18):
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
You know, the energy capacityis just not there for that day.
(14:39):
So, okay, now how do I stillmove the needle forward when my
brain is not switching on?
And, you know, I'm kind ofhelping them through that and
supporting them through that.
It's been amazing.
Sarah Noked (14:48):
It's really such an important thing.
It's like you're reallybecoming this, the container for
them to pour, you know, theirvisionary ideas and, you know,
that sometimes I think really doneed structuring.
So I think that's so amazingthat you've been able to provide
that service.
And actually,
Muneeba Brooks (15:08):
one of my neurodivergent clients, when I
first met this client, they weretalking about how personal it
feels when you bring someoneinto your business.
Yes.
Because it's...
Oh, my God.
Because one client can impactyour mental health really,
(15:55):
really well, or it can tear youdown completely.
So being able to protect yourspace and your mental creativity
by selecting the clients thatyou want to work with and your
clients selecting you, it's justan amazing
Sarah Noked (16:08):
thing.
It's so cool.
Yeah.
And would you say that your,you know, just personal
experience in life has reallyjust helped like guided your
intuition on how you supportyour neurodivergent or even
overwhelm clients?
Was it something that sort oflike intuitive with you that you
feel?
I think it was.
Muneeba Brooks (16:26):
I think it was because I mean, neurodiversity
has played a large part in mypersonal life, you know, so it's
something that I've had tonavigate through my life.
my own experience and you knowpeople that I love and somehow
you know I think we kind of findeach other in a way.
A lot of my clients have comethrough referrals, actually.
Sarah Noked (16:45):
Yeah, I love that.
What an amazing thing.
Yes.
So, so critical.
Good, solid, juicy, word ofmouth clients.
Muneeba Brooks (16:52):
Exactly.
And that's honestly, that's myentire caseload is referrals.
I might have one that I did anin-person event with and decided
to take them on as a client,but they're all referrals and
they're all kind of networkedwith each other.
So it's actually really coolbecause when they talk about it,
they're like, oh yeah, and suchand such.
doing this and I'm going towork with them on this project.
And you're like, I know becauseI'm involved in that project.
(17:15):
So it's really cool.
And the synergy that brings,you know, it's, it's amazing.
Sarah Noked (17:19):
I love that.
I think that's just soimportant to really highlight
what success looks like becauseyou're, you know, you're two
years out of the accreditationprogram, accredited OBM, and
you're, you know, justexperiencing this wonderful
thing that happens when you workwith the right clients and you
hold out and you intuitivelychoose the people that resonate
(17:39):
Exactly.
leap into higher value retainerpackages?
(18:13):
That transition was
Muneeba Brooks (18:15):
probably more messy than I would have wanted
it to be.
Be honest.
Yeah.
Well, there's a lot of daysmaking the leap.
Given what was going on in mylife at the time.
And it's like when you're dealtwith that kind of shock,
imposter syndrome is more likelyto creep in because you're just
in that mind space.
You know, everything's fallingapart in my life.
You know, how can anything elsego well?
(18:37):
And it was funny.
I can't remember where I saw itif it was on LinkedIn or
something.
It was an experiment thatsomeone had done like way back
in the day.
The grainy video that theyended up posting is they had a
class full of students and they,unbeknownst to the students,
they split it in half.
They had three multiple choicequestions on a piece of paper.
And on one side, it was easyquestions.
(18:58):
It was like three words likebook and lamp and now circle the
B and circle the this.
And the last question wassomething a little bit more
difficult.
And then on the other side ofthe class, they gave Like what?
No, what?
(19:30):
How did you get that?
Same thing with the second one.
And then the third one, it wasthe same question on both
papers, but the one side of theclass that had the easy
questions, they all put theirhand up.
And the other side of the classthat didn't have the easy
questions, nobody put theirhands up because they were
already so defeated fromquestion one and question two
(19:52):
that...
There was no way in their mind.
They didn't have that mindset.
They were like, it's alreadytoo hard.
I can't do it.
And they're looking and they'refeeling defeated.
I'm a fixed mindset.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I can't do this.
And then when they revealed it,of course, you know, the class
was like, oh my gosh, really?
But that really spoke to me onlife experience is that when
(20:13):
you're going through somethingthat's for all intents and
purposes, pretty traumatic.
Sarah Noked (20:17):
Yes.
You don't feel like you havewhat it takes to move on.
So going back to the rates, itwas a hard journey because it's
like, okay, as a VA in anagency, I am making $18 an hour.
Is someone even going to pay memore than that?
Yes.
Because my clients right now,well, they're really happy with
what I do.
But if I charge more, I'mprobably not going to get.
(20:40):
And then it's thatself-defeating mindset that you
have to really get out of.
So it's a process of healingand going back.
And actually the content fromOBM school helped me so much
because I've gone back to itsix, seven, eight, nine, 10
times.
Because throughout the year,it's like you start to heal more
and then you learn more aboutyourself and then you feel more
(21:02):
confident and then somethinggoes right.
And then you go back again andthen you look at it and then
something goes right.
And then you start to build ontop of that.
And then eventually I feltconfident enough to be like, you
know what?
Let's do this.
Yeah.
I'm just going to do it.
Like rip the bandaid off.
Stop it.
Yeah.
Stop it.
Rip the bandaid off.
Just go and do it.
And I did.
So- Very bumpy terrain leadingup to it.
(21:25):
But then eventually I was ashis life as his life.
Right.
And I think that, you know, Ialways say it and I'm going to
say it here that it really islike a life journey being an
entrepreneur.
It's part of your experience oflife and it's so connected to
your day to day.
And what what feels mostempowering to you now?
Is it is it the work that youdo?
(21:46):
Is it the clients that youserve or is it really just the
way you show up each day?
Like what is the mostempowering thing?
Being in control.
Yeah.
I love that.
(22:27):
That's just incredible because,I mean, I know we're all a
little bit control freakish,right?
We want to have a handle onthings.
And it really, the beginning ofbuilding an OBM business feels
out of control.
Like I think it, you know,whether you are coming from
corporate or you're working inan agency or you're coming from
that VA transition, it alwaysfeels very out of control.
(22:48):
So I think it's it's so lovelyto sort of highlight that
feeling where you're like, oh, Ifinally feel like I've got a
little bit more control over mylife, my flexibility, the
freedom to spend time with yourdaughter to, you know, build
this amazing life that you'veyou've always dreamed of.
So I think that's just so, soincredible to have that control
(23:09):
and that wisdom.
Is there any else anything elsethat you think really sort of
lends to your success as an OBM?
Muneeba Brooks (23:16):
I think and I know I've said this before.
It's.
the people that I've metthroughout this entire journey.
So in OBM school, you have youraccountability pod and I met
the most wonderful women and I,we still talk almost every day,
you know, I love this.
Yes.
Yeah.
And, and the networking isreally what made it because, and
(23:37):
that's what got me through mymost difficult time of the year,
because I can't be like, oh mygosh, you know, this problem
just happened.
And then they'd be like, areyou crazy?
And they call you out on it soquick.
And you're like, OK, hold on.
Maybe there's something to it.
And that's the best part isbuild that network, you know,
because when you're in theonline space, sometimes you do
(23:57):
get a bit isolated.
And unless you're going out anddoing networking
Sarah Noked (24:00):
meetings, unless usually we're not, which we're
not.
Right.
I mean, generally speaking, ourpersonality is like we are back
end people.
Right.
Muneeba Brooks (24:07):
Exactly.
Exactly.
But it helps to
Sarah Noked (24:10):
get that outside perspective.
It's critical.
Yeah.
To be amongst other like-mindedentrepreneurs really is
uplifting and can get you, youknow, you can't see the label
from inside the bottle.
It's another thing I alwayslove to say, but that's why we
need accountability and we needlike-minded individuals around
us to lift us up and make usbetter.
(24:31):
I don't know.
To me, it felt socounterintuitive, I think,
because I'm a grumpy, I want tobe by myself kind of person.
But you know it's good for you,and you know the community is
there to help you, even thoughyou feel like, well, I'd rather
spend three hours figuring thisout on my own than asking the
people around me.
It's just so critical.
So I love that you'rehighlighting the accountability
(24:53):
pods, because...
I think that it's, so many OBMsin our community I talk to tell
me that they are still intouch.
This is two years later, right?
Many about two years later,you're still, you know,
connecting regularly with thesewonderful human beings that you
met inside of OBM school.
And that's really the magicalunderlying thing that I can't
(25:14):
harp enough on about, but it'shard to explain it.
It's like community, community.
Well, you know, communitysometimes feels overrated, but
not when it comes to doing hardthings like being an
entrepreneur.
Exactly.
And the cool thing
Muneeba Brooks (25:26):
is it's not just about, oh, we network and we
chat.
We work together, too.
Like I've taken on a projectwith another one of the OBMs.
I've gotten client work fromsome of the OBMs.
I've given client work to otherOBMs.
I've had an OBM say, you knowwhat?
This tech thing is just drivingme crazy.
Could you give it a secondlook?
Of course I can.
(25:46):
So.
it becomes that network that'snot just about, oh, let's talk
to each other and keep in touch.
We're actually working andwe're moving each other's
businesses forward and itbecomes a very collaborative
thing.
So that is absolutely priceless
Sarah Noked (26:02):
to me.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
And that just it makes me sohappy because I'm this is what
it's all about.
And it can be really isolating.
Like, let's be honest.
Do you ever I know that youhave a lot of word of mouth
referral, but has there beenother ways that you want to
share today that maybe havehelped you find clients?
My other than word of mouth, my
Muneeba Brooks (26:23):
next most successful thing, weirdly
enough, I'm in the online spacewas an in-person event.
Yeah.
Sarah Noked (26:30):
Yeah.
Isn't that strange?
Muneeba Brooks (26:32):
It's so weird.
It really is.
But when you get to go inperson, they get to see you and
listen to you talk.
And it's just a differentexperience.
And then when you talk abouthiring an OBM and what that
looks like, and sometimes,again, in this lovely economic
inflationary environment that wehave going on here, people are
looking to cut costs.
And if they can bring on afractional director of
(26:53):
operations to handle theirthing, yeah, they're going to do
that.
So- I think in person has beenthe most successful for me.
And of course I still go backand I touch on, you know, my
social media channels are allhumor.
It's all just for fun.
It's basically just for theSEO.
Sarah Noked (27:12):
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you for saying thatbecause like, let's speak more
to that because as not the mostsocial people in town, you know,
how do you really mitigate thestress and the kind of like, I
think just the, overthinkingthat comes with like my social
media needs to be solid andconsistent and, you know, wowing
(27:33):
people.
And then, you know, I hear allthe time, you know, well, no one
really likes my stuff.
No one really comments on mystuff.
But then I hear people say tome, well, no one likes and
comments on my stuff.
But then somebody kind of comesthrough and they've been sort
of like, you know, lurking on mysocial for a while.
I mean, if you look at mybusiness, so
Muneeba Brooks (27:50):
my cat is on there because my cat, every time
I have a Zoom call, will hop onthe desk and where is she today
he was sitting right in frontof me and then he just hopped
off so it was below the view ofthe camera when this call
started yep he was in front ofme when the call started but uh
and he does that he makes anappearance and sometimes it's at
(28:10):
the most inopportune moment onyour website is he on your
website good there is he is heis my office manager yeah well
kelly's on that but yeah i hearyou i hear you yeah so I kind of
really leaned into that becauseI had a complete mental block.
What do I do?
There are so many peoplesharing amazing things on
(28:32):
LinkedIn, you know, about howyou set up this system and how
this is so freeing.
And I don't usually like to putmy face out there.
You know, it's something thatbrings up a lot of anxiety.
And I'm like, nobody wants tolisten to what I have to say.
But you know what?
Let me lean into this becauseeverybody likes a cat.
And I did.
And that's exactly what it is.
So if you go on my likeInstagram and Facebook, it's the
(28:54):
cat doing cat things.
And he's like laying on my deskor he's looking at, you know, a
Gantt chart on my computerscreen.
So you just lean into that,have a bit of fun with it.
And then that actually attractsthat certain type of
personality that I'm looking forin a client.
And then they're like, Hey, Isaw your cat.
And you're like, Yeah.
(29:14):
Neo, that's my cat.
He's great.
And then, and that's kind ofthe end where you're not
directly marketing saying, oh,if your systems are messed up,
do this, this, this, or Isuggest this, this, this, or hot
tip, blah, blah, blah.
Sarah Noked (29:27):
Yeah.
Or pictures of me like at mydesk.
Muneeba Brooks (29:29):
Exactly.
Exactly.
And that's worked for me.
And I know it's different foreverybody based on how they want
to run their business and whatthey want to do, but.
Having my cat up there has beena bit of a lifesaver for me
where I'm not anxious about it.
And it's just so low pressure.
And of course, animals are anendless source of content.
So yeah, I mean, it's been fun.
Sarah Noked (29:49):
You're dropping gold right now, Mani, because I
think there's probably a lot ofpeople that are listening or
watching this interview andgoing, yes, yeah, I have a cat.
or a dog and you know I can youknow share about them and not
make and not even make it aboutyour kids right because like you
know not everybody wants buttheir kids out there and which
is completely understandable Iknow both you and I agree on
that but having like animals andand all that stuff is fun and
(30:13):
it really makes me think aboutwhen I started my business way
back when social media was sucha point of contention for me
because I'm just I'm not asocial person I don't really
look at myself as that creativeas well when it comes like you
know being socially kindcreative, I guess.
So I always looked at it aslike this alter ego that I would
be like, okay, it's likebusiness Sarah.
(30:34):
Business Sarah speaks a certainway and business Sarah holds
space a certain way.
But that's like wicked smart,Miniba.
Like to like make it about yourcat and like go all in, I think
is like one of the most likelighthearted, refreshing, fun
things.
Like it makes me like happythat you've been able to do that
because I think for a That'swhat they want to see as well,
(30:57):
right?
That's what resonates with themtoo.
So you've been able to likejust check all these boxes with
something that normally is very,very restricting and upsetting
and gross.
And I think also puts peopleoff.
Is that, I see the tail, thetail is flashing out.
He heard us talking about him.
(31:38):
spark in people that helps youconnect.
So do you think, I mean, wespoke a little bit about
transferable skills, but howdoes the marketing piece play
into what you do with clients?
Muneeba Brooks (31:53):
I think because I've kind of not necessarily
niched, but I I'm more of thesystems based.
So if I see that, Hey, youcould do some marketing and you
could use this, this, this,this, this, I'm not going to be
the one to execute it, but I'mgoing to bring on somebody that
will execute it.
And then we bring, we buildtheir team from there.
(32:13):
And that's part of the teambuilding that I ended up doing
with them.
And it works out well because Imean, there's so many talented
freelancers out there.
Like I've talked to so manyamazing freelancers and they are
so good at what they do.
And I mean, I'm all aboutsupporting people who want to do
the freelance life.
You know, it's beenlife-changing for me.
So absolutely.
(32:34):
I want to, I want to supportother freelancers that are out
there.
So yeah, that's usually how theconversation goes where you
could use this, this, this,this, this, and I know just the
person that can fill this, thisgap for you.
Yeah.
Sarah Noked (32:46):
And that's how it goes.
Is it typically like a VA typerole or it can be all different
kinds of things?
Muneeba Brooks (32:52):
So, I mean, the ones, the people that I've
interacted with are, it's kindof like they've made the
transition from VA Yeah,
Sarah Noked (32:59):
like marketing freelancer.
Yes.
Exactly.
And maybe like a profession ora specific niche in a certain
software.
Is that sort of the vibe?
Muneeba Brooks (33:07):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So and again, really lookingfor kind of what the client's
looking for, like with some ofmy therapy clients that have a
therapist practice, they're verysocial adjusted oriented.
So they want someone not justwho can do the thing, but whose
personality also aligns with howthey feel.
(33:27):
run their life and run theirpractice.
And talking to freelancers thatkind of have that, where again,
it's not just about the productthat you offer.
It's about how you connect withother people.
Because again, it's that verypersonal thing that happens when
you're connecting one person toanother, and then you're
building something specialtogether.
Sarah Noked (33:47):
It's just such good vibes.
It's such good, you know.
All of that, all that goodness,just making, paying it forward
and making the world spinaround, which I mean, which
again, it's like why I'm so feelso privileged to be able to
have these interviews and toshare stories like yours,
because it will inspiresomebody, a single mom who has
(34:07):
transferable skills to lookthemselves in the mirror and
say, you know what?
My why is so strong.
I can make this work formyself.
And, you know, by no means doyou need to join us in OBM
school, but I think when youdecide to go in on something
like this, you get the built-incommunity.
And I think some of thebuilt-in know-how of just people
(34:27):
like us who have gone throughit and really made it our own.
And it's just been soincredible to see your journey
and to be able to witness thesort of rebirthing of all the
things that have to be in orderfor us to just have this
flexible lifestyle.
Because when I first startedthis gig as well, I was like,
well, I want to give my kids astay-at-home mom.
(34:49):
you know, feeling, but likeI'm, you know, realistic enough
to know that that doesn't existin today's day and age.
So I think it's so, soimportant to show that like
we're making it work with theflexibility and with the
freedom.
And so if there was, if you hadone thing to say to somebody,
aside from the community thatwe've already shared about, you
know, considering stepping intothe OBM role, where like a piece
(35:11):
of advice, a little piece ofwisdom, what would that be?
It's
Muneeba Brooks (35:15):
almost hard to step away from the community
piece, but I think if anyone isquestioning it, reach out to
someone who's an OBM if you haveany questions.
Because every single OBM thatI've met, not just the ones
through OBM school, but otherOBMs, they have all been willing
to give you at least 15 minutesof their time to talk about any
(35:37):
questions that you have, totalk about something that they
specialize in.
The community itself is verywelcoming.
And I think OBMs In general,want to help.
We're just nice people.
We're hard of service people.
We want to help.
Exactly.
So, I mean, if you have anyquestions, reach out to someone,
anyone, whoever you feel like,oh, maybe I would talk to this
(35:58):
person.
Reach out to them.
I am absolutely sure they willgive you a few minutes of their
time.
A lot of times they give you alot more than that, but no
pressure, like just reach outand ask questions.
And because the community isthere, we're ready to help.
That's what we do as OBMs is wehelp other people.
And I think that's kind of,that's the kind of person this
(36:18):
really attracts is someone whowants to help and who wants to,
you know, make an impact inother people's lives on whatever
scale that is.
So yeah, reach out.
Sarah Noked (36:27):
Yeah, making an impact is just so, it's just so
important to us.
And I think it's just, It'swonderful.
Muneeba, it's been an absolutepleasure to have you on today.
I would love for you to sharewhere people can find you if
they are looking for an OBM.
Muneeba Brooks (36:43):
Sure, you can find me on LinkedIn.
I'm there.
You can also go to my websiteat neuronestconsulting.com.
You will see my cat on myFacebook and Instagram profile.
Sarah Noked (36:54):
Find Maniba and find her cat.
And we will absolutely leaveall of this information in the
show notes as well as ourYouTube description so that you
can definitely connect.
And Muneeba, Aniba, next timeI'm in Toronto, we will
definitely have a get togetherand I'm looking to do another
OBM live like we did a couple ofyears ago and just hang out
and, you know, get out of ourpajamas or maybe do it in our
(37:16):
pajamas.
Muneeba Brooks (37:18):
Yeah, that would be great, actually.
Sarah Noked (37:20):
Maybe we'll do a pajama party.
Muneeba Brooks (37:22):
Oh, my gosh.
Sarah Noked (37:25):
It's just such a pleasure catching up with you
and nothing but the best.
And I'll speak to you soon.
Thank you.
Muneeba.
you
Sarah Noked (00:01):
Welcome to the OBM Show, the podcast that pulls
back the curtain on what itreally takes to thrive as an
online business manager and helpbusinesses scale 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
(00:23):
2009, building systems, managingremote teams, and mentoring
OBMs who make businesses runlike clockwork.
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 sustainable success,plus the tech mishaps, growing
(00:47):
pains, and lessons learned alongthe way.
If you're ready to stopspinning your wheels, step into
your leadership role, and seewhat actually happens behind the
scenes of thriving businesses,you're in the right place.
Let's get started.
Let's get started.
Today's OBM Spotlight is alittle different, but in the
best way.
Muneeba Brooks didn't just stepinto the OBM role, she rebuilt
(01:10):
her life around it.
As a single mom, a seasonedoperations expert, and a
business owner with heart andgrit, Muneeba's story is raw and
real, and it's a real look atwhat happens when life throws
you curveballs and you decide torise anyways.
Muneeba, I'm so, so thrilledand excited and privileged.
(01:31):
to have you on the podcast, onthe YouTube channel.
I'm interviewing you for A Dayin the Life.
Welcome to the show.
Thank you, Sarah.
I'm so excited to be here.
So a little bit of a dramaticentry, but I think what I want
to really showcase here is that,you know, you've shared with me
throughout your journey thatyour world changed overnight.
(01:54):
So can you walk us through, youknow, what that moment was like
and really how it shaped yourdecision to go all Yeah.
So
Muneeba Brooks (02:04):
I think just leading up to that, giving a
little bit of background.
So my career has been sodiverse, so varied.
So I've worked in accountingand healthcare.
I did retail.
I did operations, HR, EA.
I was in marketing.
I was a VA.
I did a bit of everything.
And it was a really greatexperience.
(02:25):
And then I had my daughter andI made the conscious decision
with my partner at the time thatI was going to be a
stay-at-home mom.
So with that in mind, as shegot older, she started, you
know, she was four years oldgoing into school.
I started taking on some VAwork and I was like, I can do
this part time.
It's fine.
And then, of course, life comesat you fast.
It comes at you hard.
And overnight, I found myselfin a situation where I was a
(02:48):
single mom.
And there was just it was sucha shock to the system because, I
mean, you don't plan for thingslike this to happen when it
happens so suddenly.
And I was grieving.
My daughter's raving and thenreality hits and you're like oh
wait I've got to figure out howto pay the bills after all of
(03:09):
this because it's not likethere's a network of support
there isn't like oh I'm gonnaget all this child support I'm
getting all this alimony youknow that is not even an option
and I'm thinking about it andit's just wondering how am I
gonna make this work so as mybrain works is I actually and I
know this is crazy and it soundsa little bit unhinged but I did
(03:31):
a SWOT analysis on my situationand I was looking at it and I'm
like okay so this is what Ihave going this is what I need
to improve okay how am I goingto make all these pieces work
and to be honest even though Iwas working as a VA at the time
that wasn't my first inclinationto say I'm going to continue
being a VA the first thing in mybrain was I need to find a job
(03:53):
so then I started navigating thesystem so you go out and you're
like okay I need someone tocare for my daughter I need
daycare now you're looking atdaycare options and everyone has
a waiting list or they havelimited availability or we can
only do it Tuesdays andThursdays.
Are you okay with that?
And I'm thinking about the waythis system is set up and no, I
wasn't on a waiting list and Iwasn't even entertaining this
before, but I'm trying torebuild my life right now.
(04:16):
And I can't because whatemployer is going to be out
there and saying, oh yeah, Iknow you only have childcare
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
That's fine.
We'll go ahead and set yourschedule around your
availability.
Nobody's going to say that.
So I started thinking evenfurther and I was I was like,
okay, so I got to dig into thisVA work.
But then immediately off thebat, I knew that I was working
(04:37):
with an agency at the time.
And I knew that this would notbe enough to support myself and
my daughter.
Being a sole provider in acrazy inflationary economic
environment like Canada is, youcan't always survive on a single
income.
So it's like, okay, what do Ido from here?
So I went all in becausegetting employment outside the
(05:01):
house, it was just not going towork.
There was no feasible way thatI could see that I could make it
work, especially given that mydaughter is very routine based
and, you know, got to make surethat when there are any changes,
everything else stays the same.
So she can then navigateeverything.
the part that feels like it'sout of control.
So registered my business and Iwas online and I'm looking for
(05:24):
options.
I'm like, how do I positionmyself?
I've done so many things.
As a VA, you're kind ofexpected to be the jack of all
trades.
So I was like, okay, let's see.
Maybe I can turn this intosomething full-time.
And then that's when I cameacross your, it was actually the
accelerated program.
And I looked at it and I waslistening to what you were
(05:45):
saying and it dawned on me thatI was already
Sarah Noked (05:49):
doing that.
You're like, wait a second.
I'm already doing all of thesethings because of life prior to
being a VA, correct?
Exactly.
Muneeba Brooks (05:57):
Exactly.
So I thought, and I had neverheard, I never knew what an OBM
was.
I I thought that was just areally good VA.
But then with the reframe andthe repositioning, it was like,
you know what?
I am actually doing strategywork.
A client is coming up to me andtelling me their pain points
and saying, I need to fix thisbecause I'm spending hours in
(06:19):
spreadsheets.
Okay, so then I would always dothe analysis, take a look,
what's going on, what's notworking, build a system around
it, implement the tech.
Yeah, exactly.
And that was just, it's just mynatural inclination to do that.
So when I came across, youknow, OBM School, I was like,
wait, that's me.
Yeah, this is me.
I'm
Sarah Noked (06:37):
doing this now.
Yeah, I had that same feeling,by the way.
I was like, oh, yeah, I can Ican align myself with that.
I can feel confident aboutcalling myself that as well.
I want to go back to somethingreally amazing that you
mentioned about yourtransferable skills and sort of
looking, being able to look backat your journey as not just an
(06:57):
entrepreneur, but as, you know,working in a corporate job or.
life in general, was there afew transferable skills that you
can, because I always find thatwhen everyone listens to our
day in the lives, there's alwayssomething that clicks like, oh,
I have that transferable skillor, oh, I didn't realize how
valuable that was in the grandscheme of being an OBM.
Is there a transferable skillthat you can point out or maybe
(07:21):
even a few that you were like,oh, this was something that
really made it for me or reallyhelped me in my OBM journey?
I think
Muneeba Brooks (07:29):
having worked, oh my gosh, I I can pull on
almost every single role thatI've worked in.
I can pull skills from everysingle one of them.
Like being an executiveassistant, practically an ops
director.
I hear this all the time.
Sarah Noked (07:46):
People ask me, I've been an executive assistant.
I've managed budgets.
I've been the right hand to theCEO.
I'm like, continue.
Yeah.
Muneeba Brooks (07:54):
And I'm like, yeah, you're an OBM.
You just don't know it yet.
And I mean, even working with amarketing agency, same thing,
you know, so many transferableskills.
So
Sarah Noked (08:04):
was the marketing agency, your VA
Muneeba Brooks (08:07):
role?
Was that like the VA piece?
So that was actually a businessthat I had with my daughter's
father.
So we were working on thattogether and, you know, carrying
on that business after I becamea single parent, it just, it
wasn't something I wanted to dobecause, you know, when you're
building a business, you'rebuilding your own business.
your life, your emotions, yourlife force is tied up in it.
(08:27):
And it just didn't feel right.
You know, it just, there wasjust so much hurt and pain there
that I couldn't continue inthat line, you know, with a
marketing agency and marketing,you know, just selling that as a
service.
It's just something I, it was abit of a sore spot.
So that wasn't an option forme.
So I had to really strip it alldown and rebuild from a place
(08:49):
of strength.
And
Sarah Noked (08:49):
that was so hard.
That's so empowering.
And that's so, I think powerand inspirational for people to
know that you can rebuild, thatyou can start again.
And that when your why, and Iknow we were talking a little
bit about this at the beginningbefore we hit record, but that
when your why is strong enough,you can really make anything
(09:12):
happen.
Oh, absolutely.
Definitely,
Muneeba Brooks (09:15):
definitely.
And that's the really coolthing about being an OBM is you
make the rules.
So- You're not on anyone else'stimeline.
You're not on anyone else'spolicies.
You decide how much you want totake on.
You decide what your capacityis.
You decide how you're going tobuild your business around
things that you value andtreasure.
(09:36):
And the sky's the limit.
Once you realize that this isreally your thing and you can do
whatever you want
Sarah Noked (09:50):
with it.
So could you sort of go intowhat a typical day looks like
(10:13):
and really how the marketingfeeds it?
Because I love marketing.
I mean, I think we both do.
So I'd love for you to sort ofspeak to how you structure your
day and what maybe even whatyour services look like.
Muneeba Brooks (10:26):
I mean, as far as every single day, I use time
blocking religiously.
So because it's very importantto be able to be there for my
daughter.
So I'm an early riser anyway.
I'm up before the crack ofdawn.
So that's when I start my day.
So that morning time is justfocusing on what do I have going
on in the day?
Priority setting.
Is there some admin tasks Ineed to get done?
(10:46):
Something light, somethingeasy.
I get about a good 90 minutesin before I start my routine
with my daughter.
Then, you know, it's gettingher up, getting her lunch
prepared, getting her off toschool.
And then when she's off toschool, that's when my my day
really ramps up.
And that's when I've got mydeep focus work, my strategy, my
client meetings.
I know this is kind of touchingon pulling a thread from
(11:09):
another another direction, but alot of my clients are
neurodiverse and that wasn'tsomething I actually sought out.
I didn't say, okay, I'm goingto work with people who are
neurodiverse.
It kind of just came.
And I structure my day aroundthat as well, where sometimes my
clients need like a 15 minutedaily touch point at the same
(11:30):
time, every single day to keepthem accountable.
So I have those scheduled in aswell.
And I really enjoy it.
And We come home, we relax,decompress.
She, you know, needs time tojust like chill after her day at
school.
Yeah, exactly.
And then, you know, take heroff to extracurriculars,
whatever else she has going on.
(11:50):
Every now and then, if there'ssomething like playing on my
mind that I'm like, I have toget that down because it's like
an itch I need to scratch.
I'll put in a couple hours inthe evening when she's like, you
know, just relaxing.
But again, even that it's notlike I have to do it.
It's just the way my brainworks.
Sometimes, sometimes the switchclicks.
in and then it's like, oh,okay, I got to do this.
(12:11):
And I hop in and I go ahead andget it done.
But then you get your weekendsback.
You know, you get, uh, whenyou're There's days off from
school, you get those days back.
And you know, you can reallywork a
Sarah Noked (12:22):
flexible schedule.
So yeah, I love that.
So like the time blocking isdefinitely something that I
really, really subscribe to.
I don't know how I lived mylife before then.
I think also as someone whoreally likes I mean, I know
you're the same.
We love what we do.
And so sometimes like just likeyou were saying unhinged, I get
like unhinged with my, youknow, kind of like tapping into
(12:44):
the early hours of the morningand I'm still working.
So I love what you were sayingabout time blocking and time
blocking for specific clientsand then also having those
check-in points and also thosesystems that you've put in place
to sort of protect that rhythm.
And then from time to timecoming on in the evening, which
was also my time to jam, my timeto shine, put the kids to
(13:05):
sleep, back on for a few hours.
And it's just a really nice wayto kind of have control over
everything.
So I love that.
And it's so interesting to meabout the neurodivergent clients
because, I mean, I'm no doctoror I'm definitely not going to
speak as someone who reallyknows a lot about this, but it
feels to me just based on myconversations with other OBMs
(13:28):
that there's plenty ofentrepreneurs out there that are
very neurodivergent.
So it's interesting that it'sbecoming this sort of under a
niche that's kind of growing outof everything.
Would you say that they'retypically in a specific kind of
business or are they in alldifferent kinds of businesses?
And are you still sort offocused on marketing or is it
(13:50):
just, you know, marketingstrategy, operational strategy,
all the whole gamut of being anOBM?
So I think when it comes to myneurodiverse
Muneeba Brooks (13:58):
clients, they're not in one single industry.
It's really, I mean, I haveclients who are in the
therapeutic field.
I have clients who are actuallyoperational strategists
themselves.
I have clients who are anonprofit, you know, clients who
are in finance.
So it's all over the place.
But again, like withneurodiversity, it's so cool.
(14:18):
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
You know, the energy capacityis just not there for that day.
(14:39):
So, okay, now how do I stillmove the needle forward when my
brain is not switching on?
And, you know, I'm kind ofhelping them through that and
supporting them through that.
It's been amazing.
Sarah Noked (14:48):
It's really such an important thing.
It's like you're reallybecoming this, the container for
them to pour, you know, theirvisionary ideas and, you know,
that sometimes I think really doneed structuring.
So I think that's so amazingthat you've been able to provide
that service.
And actually,
Muneeba Brooks (15:08):
one of my neurodivergent clients, when I
first met this client, they weretalking about how personal it
feels when you bring someoneinto your business.
Yes.
Because it's...
Oh, my God.
Because one client can impactyour mental health really,
(15:55):
really well, or it can tear youdown completely.
So being able to protect yourspace and your mental creativity
by selecting the clients thatyou want to work with and your
clients selecting you, it's justan amazing
Sarah Noked (16:08):
thing.
It's so cool.
Yeah.
And would you say that your,you know, just personal
experience in life has reallyjust helped like guided your
intuition on how you supportyour neurodivergent or even
overwhelm clients?
Was it something that sort oflike intuitive with you that you
feel?
I think it was.
Muneeba Brooks (16:26):
I think it was because I mean, neurodiversity
has played a large part in mypersonal life, you know, so it's
something that I've had tonavigate through my life.
my own experience and you knowpeople that I love and somehow
you know I think we kind of findeach other in a way.
A lot of my clients have comethrough referrals, actually.
Sarah Noked (16:45):
Yeah, I love that.
What an amazing thing.
Yes.
So, so critical.
Good, solid, juicy, word ofmouth clients.
Muneeba Brooks (16:52):
Exactly.
And that's honestly, that's myentire caseload is referrals.
I might have one that I did anin-person event with and decided
to take them on as a client,but they're all referrals and
they're all kind of networkedwith each other.
So it's actually really coolbecause when they talk about it,
they're like, oh yeah, and suchand such.
doing this and I'm going towork with them on this project.
And you're like, I know becauseI'm involved in that project.
(17:15):
So it's really cool.
And the synergy that brings,you know, it's, it's amazing.
Sarah Noked (17:19):
I love that.
I think that's just soimportant to really highlight
what success looks like becauseyou're, you know, you're two
years out of the accreditationprogram, accredited OBM, and
you're, you know, justexperiencing this wonderful
thing that happens when you workwith the right clients and you
hold out and you intuitivelychoose the people that resonate
(17:39):
Exactly.
leap into higher value retainerpackages?
(18:13):
That transition was
Muneeba Brooks (18:15):
probably more messy than I would have wanted
it to be.
Be honest.
Yeah.
Well, there's a lot of daysmaking the leap.
Given what was going on in mylife at the time.
And it's like when you're dealtwith that kind of shock,
imposter syndrome is more likelyto creep in because you're just
in that mind space.
You know, everything's fallingapart in my life.
You know, how can anything elsego well?
(18:37):
And it was funny.
I can't remember where I saw itif it was on LinkedIn or
something.
It was an experiment thatsomeone had done like way back
in the day.
The grainy video that theyended up posting is they had a
class full of students and they,unbeknownst to the students,
they split it in half.
They had three multiple choicequestions on a piece of paper.
And on one side, it was easyquestions.
(18:58):
It was like three words likebook and lamp and now circle the
B and circle the this.
And the last question wassomething a little bit more
difficult.
And then on the other side ofthe class, they gave Like what?
No, what?
(19:30):
How did you get that?
Same thing with the second one.
And then the third one, it wasthe same question on both
papers, but the one side of theclass that had the easy
questions, they all put theirhand up.
And the other side of the classthat didn't have the easy
questions, nobody put theirhands up because they were
already so defeated fromquestion one and question two
(19:52):
that...
There was no way in their mind.
They didn't have that mindset.
They were like, it's alreadytoo hard.
I can't do it.
And they're looking and they'refeeling defeated.
I'm a fixed mindset.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I can't do this.
And then when they revealed it,of course, you know, the class
was like, oh my gosh, really?
But that really spoke to me onlife experience is that when
(20:13):
you're going through somethingthat's for all intents and
purposes, pretty traumatic.
Sarah Noked (20:17):
Yes.
You don't feel like you havewhat it takes to move on.
So going back to the rates, itwas a hard journey because it's
like, okay, as a VA in anagency, I am making $18 an hour.
Is someone even going to pay memore than that?
Yes.
Because my clients right now,well, they're really happy with
what I do.
But if I charge more, I'mprobably not going to get.
(20:40):
And then it's thatself-defeating mindset that you
have to really get out of.
So it's a process of healingand going back.
And actually the content fromOBM school helped me so much
because I've gone back to itsix, seven, eight, nine, 10
times.
Because throughout the year,it's like you start to heal more
and then you learn more aboutyourself and then you feel more
(21:02):
confident and then somethinggoes right.
And then you go back again andthen you look at it and then
something goes right.
And then you start to build ontop of that.
And then eventually I feltconfident enough to be like, you
know what?
Let's do this.
Yeah.
I'm just going to do it.
Like rip the bandaid off.
Stop it.
Yeah.
Stop it.
Rip the bandaid off.
Just go and do it.
And I did.
So- Very bumpy terrain leadingup to it.
(21:25):
But then eventually I was ashis life as his life.
Right.
And I think that, you know, Ialways say it and I'm going to
say it here that it really islike a life journey being an
entrepreneur.
It's part of your experience oflife and it's so connected to
your day to day.
And what what feels mostempowering to you now?
Is it is it the work that youdo?
(21:46):
Is it the clients that youserve or is it really just the
way you show up each day?
Like what is the mostempowering thing?
Being in control.
Yeah.
I love that.
(22:27):
That's just incredible because,I mean, I know we're all a
little bit control freakish,right?
We want to have a handle onthings.
And it really, the beginning ofbuilding an OBM business feels
out of control.
Like I think it, you know,whether you are coming from
corporate or you're working inan agency or you're coming from
that VA transition, it alwaysfeels very out of control.
(22:48):
So I think it's it's so lovelyto sort of highlight that
feeling where you're like, oh, Ifinally feel like I've got a
little bit more control over mylife, my flexibility, the
freedom to spend time with yourdaughter to, you know, build
this amazing life that you'veyou've always dreamed of.
So I think that's just so, soincredible to have that control
(23:09):
and that wisdom.
Is there any else anything elsethat you think really sort of
lends to your success as an OBM?
Muneeba Brooks (23:16):
I think and I know I've said this before.
It's.
the people that I've metthroughout this entire journey.
So in OBM school, you have youraccountability pod and I met
the most wonderful women and I,we still talk almost every day,
you know, I love this.
Yes.
Yeah.
And, and the networking isreally what made it because, and
(23:37):
that's what got me through mymost difficult time of the year,
because I can't be like, oh mygosh, you know, this problem
just happened.
And then they'd be like, areyou crazy?
And they call you out on it soquick.
And you're like, OK, hold on.
Maybe there's something to it.
And that's the best part isbuild that network, you know,
because when you're in theonline space, sometimes you do
(23:57):
get a bit isolated.
And unless you're going out anddoing networking
Sarah Noked (24:00):
meetings, unless usually we're not, which we're
not.
Right.
I mean, generally speaking, ourpersonality is like we are back
end people.
Right.
Muneeba Brooks (24:07):
Exactly.
Exactly.
But it helps to
Sarah Noked (24:10):
get that outside perspective.
It's critical.
Yeah.
To be amongst other like-mindedentrepreneurs really is
uplifting and can get you, youknow, you can't see the label
from inside the bottle.
It's another thing I alwayslove to say, but that's why we
need accountability and we needlike-minded individuals around
us to lift us up and make usbetter.
(24:31):
I don't know.
To me, it felt socounterintuitive, I think,
because I'm a grumpy, I want tobe by myself kind of person.
But you know it's good for you,and you know the community is
there to help you, even thoughyou feel like, well, I'd rather
spend three hours figuring thisout on my own than asking the
people around me.
It's just so critical.
So I love that you'rehighlighting the accountability
(24:53):
pods, because...
I think that it's, so many OBMsin our community I talk to tell
me that they are still intouch.
This is two years later, right?
Many about two years later,you're still, you know,
connecting regularly with thesewonderful human beings that you
met inside of OBM school.
And that's really the magicalunderlying thing that I can't
(25:14):
harp enough on about, but it'shard to explain it.
It's like community, community.
Well, you know, communitysometimes feels overrated, but
not when it comes to doing hardthings like being an
entrepreneur.
Exactly.
And the cool thing
Muneeba Brooks (25:26):
is it's not just about, oh, we network and we
chat.
We work together, too.
Like I've taken on a projectwith another one of the OBMs.
I've gotten client work fromsome of the OBMs.
I've given client work to otherOBMs.
I've had an OBM say, you knowwhat?
This tech thing is just drivingme crazy.
Could you give it a secondlook?
Of course I can.
(25:46):
So.
it becomes that network that'snot just about, oh, let's talk
to each other and keep in touch.
We're actually working andwe're moving each other's
businesses forward and itbecomes a very collaborative
thing.
So that is absolutely priceless
Sarah Noked (26:02):
to me.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
And that just it makes me sohappy because I'm this is what
it's all about.
And it can be really isolating.
Like, let's be honest.
Do you ever I know that youhave a lot of word of mouth
referral, but has there beenother ways that you want to
share today that maybe havehelped you find clients?
My other than word of mouth, my
Muneeba Brooks (26:23):
next most successful thing, weirdly
enough, I'm in the online spacewas an in-person event.
Yeah.
Sarah Noked (26:30):
Yeah.
Isn't that strange?
Muneeba Brooks (26:32):
It's so weird.
It really is.
But when you get to go inperson, they get to see you and
listen to you talk.
And it's just a differentexperience.
And then when you talk abouthiring an OBM and what that
looks like, and sometimes,again, in this lovely economic
inflationary environment that wehave going on here, people are
looking to cut costs.
And if they can bring on afractional director of
(26:53):
operations to handle theirthing, yeah, they're going to do
that.
So- I think in person has beenthe most successful for me.
And of course I still go backand I touch on, you know, my
social media channels are allhumor.
It's all just for fun.
It's basically just for theSEO.
Sarah Noked (27:12):
Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you for saying thatbecause like, let's speak more
to that because as not the mostsocial people in town, you know,
how do you really mitigate thestress and the kind of like, I
think just the, overthinkingthat comes with like my social
media needs to be solid andconsistent and, you know, wowing
(27:33):
people.
And then, you know, I hear allthe time, you know, well, no one
really likes my stuff.
No one really comments on mystuff.
But then I hear people say tome, well, no one likes and
comments on my stuff.
But then somebody kind of comesthrough and they've been sort
of like, you know, lurking on mysocial for a while.
I mean, if you look at mybusiness, so
Muneeba Brooks (27:50):
my cat is on there because my cat, every time
I have a Zoom call, will hop onthe desk and where is she today
he was sitting right in frontof me and then he just hopped
off so it was below the view ofthe camera when this call
started yep he was in front ofme when the call started but uh
and he does that he makes anappearance and sometimes it's at
(28:10):
the most inopportune moment onyour website is he on your
website good there is he is heis my office manager yeah well
kelly's on that but yeah i hearyou i hear you yeah so I kind of
really leaned into that becauseI had a complete mental block.
What do I do?
There are so many peoplesharing amazing things on
(28:32):
LinkedIn, you know, about howyou set up this system and how
this is so freeing.
And I don't usually like to putmy face out there.
You know, it's something thatbrings up a lot of anxiety.
And I'm like, nobody wants tolisten to what I have to say.
But you know what?
Let me lean into this becauseeverybody likes a cat.
And I did.
And that's exactly what it is.
So if you go on my likeInstagram and Facebook, it's the
(28:54):
cat doing cat things.
And he's like laying on my deskor he's looking at, you know, a
Gantt chart on my computerscreen.
So you just lean into that,have a bit of fun with it.
And then that actually attractsthat certain type of
personality that I'm looking forin a client.
And then they're like, Hey, Isaw your cat.
And you're like, Yeah.
(29:14):
Neo, that's my cat.
He's great.
And then, and that's kind ofthe end where you're not
directly marketing saying, oh,if your systems are messed up,
do this, this, this, or Isuggest this, this, this, or hot
tip, blah, blah, blah.
Sarah Noked (29:27):
Yeah.
Or pictures of me like at mydesk.
Muneeba Brooks (29:29):
Exactly.
Exactly.
And that's worked for me.
And I know it's different foreverybody based on how they want
to run their business and whatthey want to do, but.
Having my cat up there has beena bit of a lifesaver for me
where I'm not anxious about it.
And it's just so low pressure.
And of course, animals are anendless source of content.
So yeah, I mean, it's been fun.
Sarah Noked (29:49):
You're dropping gold right now, Mani, because I
think there's probably a lot ofpeople that are listening or
watching this interview andgoing, yes, yeah, I have a cat.
or a dog and you know I can youknow share about them and not
make and not even make it aboutyour kids right because like you
know not everybody wants buttheir kids out there and which
is completely understandable Iknow both you and I agree on
that but having like animals andand all that stuff is fun and
(30:13):
it really makes me think aboutwhen I started my business way
back when social media was sucha point of contention for me
because I'm just I'm not asocial person I don't really
look at myself as that creativeas well when it comes like you
know being socially kindcreative, I guess.
So I always looked at it aslike this alter ego that I would
be like, okay, it's likebusiness Sarah.
(30:34):
Business Sarah speaks a certainway and business Sarah holds
space a certain way.
But that's like wicked smart,Miniba.
Like to like make it about yourcat and like go all in, I think
is like one of the most likelighthearted, refreshing, fun
things.
Like it makes me like happythat you've been able to do that
because I think for a That'swhat they want to see as well,
(30:57):
right?
That's what resonates with themtoo.
So you've been able to likejust check all these boxes with
something that normally is very,very restricting and upsetting
and gross.
And I think also puts peopleoff.
Is that, I see the tail, thetail is flashing out.
He heard us talking about him.
(31:38):
spark in people that helps youconnect.
So do you think, I mean, wespoke a little bit about
transferable skills, but howdoes the marketing piece play
into what you do with clients?
Muneeba Brooks (31:53):
I think because I've kind of not necessarily
niched, but I I'm more of thesystems based.
So if I see that, Hey, youcould do some marketing and you
could use this, this, this,this, this, I'm not going to be
the one to execute it, but I'mgoing to bring on somebody that
will execute it.
And then we bring, we buildtheir team from there.
(32:13):
And that's part of the teambuilding that I ended up doing
with them.
And it works out well because Imean, there's so many talented
freelancers out there.
Like I've talked to so manyamazing freelancers and they are
so good at what they do.
And I mean, I'm all aboutsupporting people who want to do
the freelance life.
You know, it's beenlife-changing for me.
So absolutely.
(32:34):
I want to, I want to supportother freelancers that are out
there.
So yeah, that's usually how theconversation goes where you
could use this, this, this,this, this, and I know just the
person that can fill this, thisgap for you.
Yeah.
Sarah Noked (32:46):
And that's how it goes.
Is it typically like a VA typerole or it can be all different
kinds of things?
Muneeba Brooks (32:52):
So, I mean, the ones, the people that I've
interacted with are, it's kindof like they've made the
transition from VA Yeah,
Sarah Noked (32:59):
like marketing freelancer.
Yes.
Exactly.
And maybe like a profession ora specific niche in a certain
software.
Is that sort of the vibe?
Muneeba Brooks (33:07):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So and again, really lookingfor kind of what the client's
looking for, like with some ofmy therapy clients that have a
therapist practice, they're verysocial adjusted oriented.
So they want someone not justwho can do the thing, but whose
personality also aligns with howthey feel.
(33:27):
run their life and run theirpractice.
And talking to freelancers thatkind of have that, where again,
it's not just about the productthat you offer.
It's about how you connect withother people.
Because again, it's that verypersonal thing that happens when
you're connecting one person toanother, and then you're
building something specialtogether.
Sarah Noked (33:47):
It's just such good vibes.
It's such good, you know.
All of that, all that goodness,just making, paying it forward
and making the world spinaround, which I mean, which
again, it's like why I'm so feelso privileged to be able to
have these interviews and toshare stories like yours,
because it will inspiresomebody, a single mom who has
(34:07):
transferable skills to lookthemselves in the mirror and
say, you know what?
My why is so strong.
I can make this work formyself.
And, you know, by no means doyou need to join us in OBM
school, but I think when youdecide to go in on something
like this, you get the built-incommunity.
And I think some of thebuilt-in know-how of just people
(34:27):
like us who have gone throughit and really made it our own.
And it's just been soincredible to see your journey
and to be able to witness thesort of rebirthing of all the
things that have to be in orderfor us to just have this
flexible lifestyle.
Because when I first startedthis gig as well, I was like,
well, I want to give my kids astay-at-home mom.
(34:49):
you know, feeling, but likeI'm, you know, realistic enough
to know that that doesn't existin today's day and age.
So I think it's so, soimportant to show that like
we're making it work with theflexibility and with the
freedom.
And so if there was, if you hadone thing to say to somebody,
aside from the community thatwe've already shared about, you
know, considering stepping intothe OBM role, where like a piece
(35:11):
of advice, a little piece ofwisdom, what would that be?
It's
Muneeba Brooks (35:15):
almost hard to step away from the community
piece, but I think if anyone isquestioning it, reach out to
someone who's an OBM if you haveany questions.
Because every single OBM thatI've met, not just the ones
through OBM school, but otherOBMs, they have all been willing
to give you at least 15 minutesof their time to talk about any
(35:37):
questions that you have, totalk about something that they
specialize in.
The community itself is verywelcoming.
And I think OBMs In general,want to help.
We're just nice people.
We're hard of service people.
We want to help.
Exactly.
So, I mean, if you have anyquestions, reach out to someone,
anyone, whoever you feel like,oh, maybe I would talk to this
(35:58):
person.
Reach out to them.
I am absolutely sure they willgive you a few minutes of their
time.
A lot of times they give you alot more than that, but no
pressure, like just reach outand ask questions.
And because the community isthere, we're ready to help.
That's what we do as OBMs is wehelp other people.
And I think that's kind of,that's the kind of person this
(36:18):
really attracts is someone whowants to help and who wants to,
you know, make an impact inother people's lives on whatever
scale that is.
So yeah, reach out.
Sarah Noked (36:27):
Yeah, making an impact is just so, it's just so
important to us.
And I think it's just, It'swonderful.
Muneeba, it's been an absolutepleasure to have you on today.
I would love for you to sharewhere people can find you if
they are looking for an OBM.
Muneeba Brooks (36:43):
Sure, you can find me on LinkedIn.
I'm there.
You can also go to my websiteat neuronestconsulting.com.
You will see my cat on myFacebook and Instagram profile.
Sarah Noked (36:54):
Find Maniba and find her cat.
And we will absolutely leaveall of this information in the
show notes as well as ourYouTube description so that you
can definitely connect.
And Muneeba, Aniba, next timeI'm in Toronto, we will
definitely have a get togetherand I'm looking to do another
OBM live like we did a couple ofyears ago and just hang out
and, you know, get out of ourpajamas or maybe do it in our
(37:16):
pajamas.
Muneeba Brooks (37:18):
Yeah, that would be great, actually.
Sarah Noked (37:20):
Maybe we'll do a pajama party.
Muneeba Brooks (37:22):
Oh, my gosh.
Sarah Noked (37:25):
It's just such a pleasure catching up with you
and nothing but the best.
And I'll speak to you soon.
Thank you.
Muneeba.
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