How I'm Preparing My OBM Business for Summer (Without Burning It All Down)

What does it really take to run a virtual business through the summer—without overcommitting, underdelivering, or burning out completely?

In this episode of The OBM Show, I’m walking you through how I’m preparing my business for summer in a way that honors both my goals and my life. Because summer isn’t business as usual. Timelines shift. Clients go quiet. Life ramps up. And unless you plan for it, you’ll either hustle like it’s Q1 or disappear and scramble to recover come fall.

Over the years, I’ve learned (the hard way) what happens when I don’t prep for the seasonal shift. So this year, I’m doing things differently—and sharing the exact strategies, systems, and mindset shifts I’m using to create a summer that feels intentional, restful, and sustainable.

Inside the episode, we cover:

• What I audit in my business before summer hits—and why it matters
• The exact conversation I have with clients to set clear expectations and boundaries
• How I shift from retainer-heavy work into lighter-lift revenue streams
• Why I schedule restoration and unplugged time like I do meetings
• The automations I put in place to keep lead gen and nurture flowing

“Summer doesn’t have to be a slump or sprint for business owners–there IS a happy medium, believe it or not! “

Whether you're managing a full client roster, looking to protect your energy, or just want to enter September feeling refreshed instead of frazzled, this episode will help you map out your own summer rhythm with intention and clarity.

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

Episode Transcript

Sarah Noked (00:00):
You know that magical season where everything
outside speeds up, your kids arehome, vacations are getting
planned, long summer eveningsare really begging you to take
some time off, and yet somehowyour business still expects you
to show up like it's any otherquarter in the year.
Now if you're like most of usOBMs or freelancers, summer

(00:23):
means two things.
Clients slow down, And if yourlife is like mine, it speeds up.
Now, I've had summers in thepast where I was overbooked,
under-rested, and totally out ofsync with what I wanted my
summer to feel like.
I either hustled too hardthrough the whole damn summer
like it was Q1, January, or Ilet everything just kind of

(00:47):
slide and spent September in amild panic, trying to catch up
and regretting all of my pastdecisions.
Now, this year, I'm doingthings differently.
Welcome to the OBM Show, thepodcast that pulls back the
curtain on what it really takesto thrive as an online business
manager and help businessesscale without burning out.

(01:11):
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 who make businesses runlike clockwork.
Now, I've seen what works, whatdoesn't, and the messy middle

(01:34):
that no one talks about.
Here, we get real about thetools, strategies, and stories
that drive sustainable success,plus the tech mishaps, growing
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

(01:55):
scenes of thriving businesses,you're in the right place.
Let's get started.
Let's get started.
Now, summer is definitely notbusiness as usual.
If you've been at this for sometime, you know that clients go
on vacation, launches inevitablyget pushed.
Yes, that's right.
Team members check the F outand suddenly timelines shift or

(02:17):
stall.
And as OBMs, we're often theones quietly keeping the wheels
turning and then picking up thepieces of this inevitable
trickle effect that happens whenplans change.
Now, here's the thing.
If you don't plan for summerwith intention, you will end up
in one of two places, eitherover committing and burning out

(02:39):
or just letting it all go andthen scrambling come September.
And neither of those are thevibes that I am going for this
year.
So here's where I start.
I start by auditing thebusiness for gaps.
And when I'm speaking aboutthese steps, I'm talking about
my own business, but I'm alsotalking about client business.

(02:59):
So I want to just sort of putthat caveat out here.
Now, I always start in thefirst sort of iteration of
figuring out how I want to makethis work is by auditing the
business for gaps.
Now, usually you're auditingyour client's business for gaps
at first, because obviously thatis sort of the most taxing.
And as many of us know, asonline business managers, we're

(03:23):
usually not prioritizing ourbusiness.
But especially in thesummertime, I want that to
change.
And I also want you to get veryproactive about where your
clients are at, which meansaudit the business for gaps.
Okay, similar to how we sort ofdo this, when we start working
with clients, it's time to sortof Put those wheels back in

(03:45):
motion and ask, what breaks whenI'm not, quote unquote, on
24-7?
Where are the bottlenecks rightnow?
What answers or questions am Igetting and answers that I'm
giving that are on repeat?
So this is what it really lookslike.
Client dashboards, are theyupdated?

(04:06):
Standard operating procedures,do they actually reflect how we
do things now?
Inbox protocols, who answerswhat and how quickly?
So if I can proactivelystreamline a few of these things
now, I can step back moreconfidently later.
So it's sort of like, you know,if you guys are familiar with
the book Atomic Habits, this issort of like taking those small

(04:31):
little details in the businessand sort of wrapping them up
with a bow.
Yes, they're the low-hangingfruit, but ultimately these
small actions you're going totake are going to add up.
Now, the next step that I doafter I've sort of grabbed all
the low hanging fruit in thebusiness that I can and sort of

(04:51):
put a little nice bow on it, Istart to really set summer
boundaries with my clients.
And this is so equally asimportant.
And if you know me, if you'vebeen to our OBM weeks, if you've
been to any of our trainingsinside of OBM school, you know
that I am so big on settingexpectations.
And I always say it.

(05:12):
you know, despite ouraccreditation really focusing on
the hard skills of what itmeans to be an online business
manager and the soft skills ofalso what it's like to be an
online business manager.
Now, if you have been in OBMweek or in any of our programs
inside of OBM school, you knowthat I am very big on

(05:33):
boundaries.
And one of the things that Ioften harp about, I would say,
is that your soft skills areequally, if not more important
than the hard skills of being anonline business manager.
So whereas, you know, you mighthave some experience in project
management, maybe you'resomewhat comfortable managing
team or managing ops, youprobably are feeling a little

(05:56):
nauseous when you have to have adifficult conversation with
your client.
Okay, especially if it's notyour jam.
And I believe me, I totally getit.
But Your summer, your children,whatever your why is, put it
front and center and make adecision that because of your

(06:17):
why, it's really critical thatyou set summer boundaries with
clients.
This part is so important and Irecommend you start these
conversations as soon as youcan.
And here's how I usually phraseit.
Here's how I'll be supportingyou this summer.
It's not about announcing anabsence.

(06:41):
Did you notice that?
It's about leading therelationship, hence my absolute
emphasis on the soft skills.
And after I tell them, here'show I'll be supporting you this
summer, I follow up by layingout my response time, my
scheduled holidays, and whatcounts as an emergency and what

(07:03):
doesn't.
And here's a little bonus tipbecause you know I'm all about
that.
I offer summer upsells.
Think strategic planningsessions or one-off VIP days.
These let clients feelsupported and respect your new
rhythm.
Now I'll be honest, this sortof comes from my landscaping

(07:27):
days.
So for those of you who don'tknow, I actually had a
landscaping business with mythen boyfriend, now husband,
back in, oh my God, 2008.
And so...
Naturally, we had fall cleanupsand spring cleanups and all of

(07:48):
these different sorts ofseasonal offers.
And so I feel like it's verymuch harks back to those days
where we were offering, youknow, like sort of like a summer
type package where, you know,summer slowing down, usually for
our clients also.
So it's time to think morestrategic.
Summer is a great time to plan.

(08:08):
It's a great time to get thewheels in motion Because quite
honestly, I find that in Januaryor like if you're planning for
Q1, you're planning the wholeyear, sort of feels like you're
starting in the middle of allthe action.
Am I right?
So summertime is a really greattime to plan.
It's a great time to like planout maybe an attack on a

(08:32):
specific launch that you'regoing to do after the
summertime.
It can be so many beautifulthings, but the thing that it
is, is it lets the client feelsupported and it respects your
new summer rhythm.
Now the third step is, isreimagining your summer revenue
plan, right?
Because I know it, like insteadof trying to maintain the same

(08:55):
retainer energy, I really shiftmy focus to lighter lift revenue
streams.
Okay, it could mean promoting asmall product that you have.
It could mean sellingintensives, right, with that
summer flavor that I mentioned.
It could be about hunkeringdown and getting some of those
affiliate offers in place.

(09:17):
It could be about pausing orbatching your content creation,
right, and communicating thatupfront.
I'll give you an example fromour actual agency.
So I often scale a matchmakingclients in August because August
is an absolute bleeping youknow bleep storm okay bleepity

(09:42):
bleep and I really do want toprioritize these seasons with my
children because soon they'renot going to want to spend any
time with me in the summertimeso you know for that we don't
take any matchmaking clients onin August and we get all of our
launch stuff coordinated well inadvance so that it can support

(10:04):
you know myself and every singleone of my team members to be
able to spend more time with ourfamily because when I go back
to our own company culture it'sreally about family coming first
as cheesy as it sounds it isabsolutely the truth so I really
do want to make sure that wehave that time and so we have to

(10:26):
reverse engineer the plan forthe revenue because it's going
to slow down we're not going tohave those clients coming in so
we have some other thingshappening like you know an OBM
type summer schools and littleoffers here and there to be able
to continue to deliver and tocontinue to make revenue, but

(10:47):
also to respect our ownboundaries.
Now, the next step, step four,is really planning for
restoration, not just hustle.
And this one is personallyimportant for me.
And I tell you, my friends, itdid not happen overnight.
organically or in somemiraculous way.

(11:09):
Like I literally over the yearshave been able to sort of see
this for what it is.
And I recognize that these arethe days to literally calendar
in rest and unplug.
Okay, so if you're like sittingand listening to this podcast
and you're like, oh, easier saidthan done.

(11:30):
I'm telling you guys, if youdon't plan some rest in your
calendar, if you don't plan sometime with your family, with
your friends, it's just simplynot going to happen.
And then you will roll backinto September, October when
things get really busy andyou'll be like, oh my God, why
didn't I give myself some timeoff when I had it?

(11:51):
So this year, I am planning afamily trip.
Last week of August, I amscheduling some creative project
time to just, like, have sometime to brainstorm because I
love doing that.
And I am, and we have been, asa team, as a business,
experimenting with that, oh yes,the four-day work week.

(12:14):
So the summertime is going tobe when families, We don't work
on Fridays.
This year, I'm planning anamazing family trip.
Last week of August, I havesome really amazing, creative,
brainstorming time scheduledwith Tovi, who is my right hand.
And we're going to beexperimenting and have been
actually for this entire year.
That'll be another podcastepisode, experimenting with the

(12:37):
four-day workweek.
Because, you know, this is thetruth.
And it honestly is, guys, youcan pour into your clients or
your team.
You can't do it from an emptycup.
So restoration isn't a reward,guys.
My friends, it is an absoluterequirement as an entrepreneur.
Now, the next step, step numberfive, is automation.

(13:00):
Yes, and as online businessmanagers, we should know that
best.
You don't need to be live to bevisible.
Okay, I feel like that shouldbe my middle name.
You don't need to be live to bevisible.
You don't need to be showingup.
I know our personalities, youknow, whether you identify as
being introverted or extrovertedor a little bit of both.

(13:21):
We are behind the scenespeople.
Okay, we're not puttingourselves out there per se.
But one of the things you cando, especially before summer
officially hits, is review youropt-ins and welcome sequences,
maybe create that opt-in.
And welcome sequence so that itcan run on autopilot while you
enjoy some much needed time off.

(13:42):
I schedule out newsletters.
I'm literally bulk creating mypodcasts as we speak.
So I pre-schedule those.
I create all of that good stuffso that things keep humming
along while I am speaking.
Enjoying some much needed timewith my family or alone.
And I also consider like I justkind of go with the flow

(14:06):
because things are slowing down.
So I run lighter promos.
You know, we always have ourOBM starter kit.
So if you guys want to checkthat out over at obmschool.com
forward slash starter, that'ssomething that is always
available.
We have some low ticket summerworkshops coming up.
So stay tuned because we havebeen planning for those.

(14:27):
And You know, it's just lowlift but still building
momentum.
I think the point I'm makinghere is that summer doesn't have
to mean a slump or a sprint.
in the fall feeling energizedand not exhausted.

(15:08):
Okay, because I've spent waytoo many seasons coming back and
being frustrated that therevenue didn't pan out as I
expected.
And I hustled my tush off allsummer long.
And then when September,October rolls around, and that's
really when clients start tocome out of the woodwork,
they're ready to get goingagain, you're burnt the F out.
So I want to leave you withthis question.

(15:30):
What does your ideal summerlook like?
And what's one thing that youcan do today to move it forward?
Now, if you're looking to usethis summer to work smarter, not
harder, now is the perfect timeto get your hands on our OBM
Starter Kit.
It is designed to help youelevate your positioning,

(15:51):
tighten up your onboarding, andlead your client relationships
with more strategy andconfidence.
Whether you are refining youroffers or setting clearer
boundaries, this starter kit isgoing to give you the tools to
show up as the OBM thathigh-level clients actually want
on their teams.
So head to obmschool.com That'sit for today, my friends.

(16:27):
Go take one bold step towardsthat OBM life you really want.
I am here cheering you on.
I will speak to you in the nextepisode.