May 6, 2025 • 27 mins
What’s in my OBM tech stack right now?
In this episode of The OBM Show, I’m pulling back the curtain and walking you through the exact tools I use behind the scenes to run a streamlined, scalable service-based business.
We’re not just talking about any tools—we’re talking about the non-negotiables that every Online Business Manager and support pro needs to create structure, support growth, and deliver an elevated client experience. From project management and automation to real-time communication and AI-powered efficiency, I’m sharing the platforms that are making my business (and my clients' businesses) run like clockwork.
Here’s what we cover:
- The 6 core tech categories every OBM needs to nail
- How to organize your backend for clarity, consistency, and confidence
- Real examples from OBM School students who’ve streamlined and scaled
- The free (or low-cost) tools that pack a punch—perfect if you’re just getting started
- Why your tech stack is the foundation of your business—not just a bunch of shiny tools
Whether you’re still duct-taping your backend together or ready to upgrade, this episode gives you the blueprint to build a business that runs smoothly, strategically, and without burnout.
👉 For a full breakdown of the tools I mention in this episode (plus a few bonuses), go to:
https://www.obmschool.com/tools
No gatekeeping here—just the real tech, systems, and strategies that work.
------------------------------
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.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah Noked (00:00):
Today on the OBM show, we are getting practical
and we are getting strategicbecause we're talking about your
tech stack, not just the toolsthat you could be using, but
those non-negotiable tools thatpretty much every OBM needs to
run a professional, scalablebusiness.
So here's the pattern that Isee.
(00:20):
way too often.
OBMs are pros when it comes tobuilding out our systems for our
clients, but behind the scenesin your own OBM business, it can
be a hot AF mess.
Now, our operations aresometimes held together by duct
tape and memory.
So you might not haveonboarding processes.
(00:42):
You might not be using aproject management system.
You might have no automationsin place and no frameworks for
how you run discovery calls.
And I really I really say thiswith all the love and respect in
my heart because I have beenthere too.
But if you want to step into aleadership role and be taken
seriously as an online businessmanager, and I know you do
(01:02):
because you're listening to myshow, you have to build your own
back end like you would for aclient.
You need to treat your businesslike you treat your clients'
businesses.
This is what is ultimatelygoing to allow you to expand,
raise your rates, work with highquality clients, and scale your
business.
So today, that's what we'refocusing on.
(01:26):
I'm walking you through themust-have tech stack every OBM
needs to feel in control oftheir business and deliver
results with confidence.
So these are the tools that aregoing to really be your
foundation.
And most of them are completelyfree or incredibly low cost
when you are just gettingstarted.
So if you want this full listbefore I even kick off into it,
(01:49):
there's even more than what willbe covered today, but you can
head on over to obmschool.comforward slash tools.
I'll also leave those in theresources below this video or in
the show notes of the podcastfor the OBM show so that you can
have that resource to reallydive into what a complete OBM
school tech stack could looklike.
(02:10):
This is not about gatekeeping,right?
This is the OBM show.
After all, let's dive in.
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.
I'm your host, Sarah Noked,agency owner, OBM mentor, and
(02:34):
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
that no one talks about.
Here, we get real about thetools, strategies, and stories
(02:59):
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
scenes of thriving businesses,you're in the right place.
Let's get started.
Let's get started.
Let's start by getting clear onwhat a tech stack really is,
(03:23):
right?
Because it's not a badge ofhonor, right?
It's not about using thefanciest or latest and greatest
tools.
I mean, I'm a very practicalperson and I want to deliver you
some examples that are verypractical, right?
It's not about paying an armand a leg to keep your business
afloat.
A beginner OBM could easily getstarted for just $10.
(03:43):
$30 a month.
You could have thingsautomated.
You could make your lifeeasier.
You could give your client thatwhite glove experience that is
very much indicative of an OBMbusiness.
So this episode is all aboutbuilding a lean functional
ecosystem that supports how youwork.
But here's the reality.
(04:03):
If your business depends onmemory or inbox, like managing
everything from your inbox or,you know, random sticky notes
all over your table, it's goingto hit a ceiling relatively
fast.
Your tech stack will allow youto scale without scrambling.
It will give youinfrastructure.
It will give you bandwidth.
It will give your clients trustthat you can lead.
(04:27):
So let's walk through my sixnon-negotiable categories along
with some examples and real usecases that will show you what is
truly possible.
So let's start off with onethat you may or may not be
surprised about, and that isusing a project management tool.
This is the operational brainof your business.
(04:48):
If you don't use a projectmanagement system, you're flying
blind.
And whether you realize or not,it's costing you time, trust,
and follow through.
So I use Teamwork PM in my ownbusiness.
I have been using this for 15years.
To me, it's no frills, it'sreliable, and it really
integrates beautifully with howmy team works.
(05:11):
But whether you choose ClickUp,or Asana or Trello.
The tool is really secondary tothe structure you build inside
it, right?
Your project managementplatform should house your
weekly workflow.
You know, what happens everyMonday?
When are you reviewing yourleads?
When are you sending invoices?
(05:32):
When are you following up withclients?
When are you checking theirproject management tools?
These routines need to livesomewhere structured and not
floating in your brain or buriedin Some random notebook.
So the templates for onboardingand offboarding, the checklist
for what happens when a newclient signs or when a project
(05:52):
is complete from the intakeforms to scheduling the kickoff
call to accessing, you know,their own passwords and even
requesting feedback.
It all needs to live in yourproject management tool.
In my opinion, and I talk aboutthis a lot everywhere, anything
(06:12):
that is recurring in yourbusiness, in your client's
business, merits having a placein the project management tool,
right?
So I've just shared with you afew, like your invoicing, but it
could also extend to thingslike publishing your
newsletters, prepping for clientcalls, reviewing key
performance indicators, andchecking when contracts renew.
(06:33):
If something repeats, it isfair game to belong in your
system.
Now, sales pipelines and followup flows when you're tracking
your discovery calls and you'refollowing up with clients and
you're sending proposals.
If you're relying on yourmemory, you're likely leaving
your brain cells, revenue andresources on the table.
(06:54):
So when it comes to launching,which is another thing that we
do a lot with our OBM clients,when you map out timelines with
due dates and you may or may notbe using your client's project
management tool.
But let's say you're mapping itout in your project management
tool.
You're going to be able toassign due dates, task
dependencies.
(07:15):
It's not going to live in someother random Google Doc buried
in your drive.
Anything that is floating inyour head, even your day-to-day
personal things, like I have awhole project management section
called miscellaneous, andthat's where I dump my random
things that have to do withmanaging my family, right?
(07:35):
That's also where I use thatspace to clean out my mental
load and I put it there.
And then I am living inside ofmy project management tool
instead of depending on mymemory to make up for that.
And, you know, we all knowwhere that goes.
So even if you don't have ateam, this isn't for those of
you who are scaling agencies.
(07:56):
This is for you.
Even if you are a solopreneur,if you're doing all the work
yourself, you especially need asystem to keep yourself focused
and keep your business operatinglike a real business.
So one of our OBM schoolstudents, Kelsey, came into our
world managing everything out ofher inbox, which is chaos,
(08:16):
right?
No systems, just constantjuggling.
So she was doing amazing workfor her clients, but she was
totally overwhelmed trying tokeep up with it all.
So once she built out herClickUp, back end, everything
changed.
She had a handle on her week.
She could see what was coming.
She could plan ahead instead ofplaying catch up all the time.
(08:38):
And for the first time in herbusiness and in a very long
time, she actually felt like shecould breathe.
So project management tool,non-negotiable.
Now, my next piece on your techstack should be a real time
team communication tool.
This is so important.
If you are still managing yourclient communications through
(09:03):
your email, through your DMs onsocial media, through random
voice notes in even Voxer andrandom text threads, this is
your bottleneck.
And I will be real with you, itis exhausting.
You need one central placewhere communication happens.
One place where you can stayorganized, responsive, and
(09:26):
professional without feelinglike you need to be on call 24
seven.
So this real time teamcommunication tool is going to
give you what you need to feellike you are available for your
clients, but with boundaries andexpectations.
So I use teamwork chat becauseI use my teamwork PM and I have
(09:48):
this beautiful chat tool thatcomes with it that allows me to
do a lot of things, one of whichis setting tasks from within my
real time team communicationtool.
Because unfortunately, what cansometimes happen with these
tools is they default to beingwhere you manage your projects.
And I don't want that to likemingle that that ain't fun.
(10:10):
You've got your projectmanagement tool.
You've got real timecommunication where real time,
essentially, communicationhappens.
Many of our OBM school studentsuse Slack, especially if
they're juggling multipleclients or working with multiple
contractors.
So these tools can reallycreate structure but more
importantly they give youboundaries and you know me I'm
(10:33):
all about that mindset and I'mall about really making it work
long term with your clients nowreal time messaging is going to
let you keep conversations outof that email inbox no more
searching through threads totrack and find whatever that
update was so you can set up adedicated channel for each
(10:53):
client or project so for examplewe'll have hashtag Suzy last
name, OBM client channel to keepeverything centralized for my
team.
I can tag team members insteadof chasing replies.
I can at mention people justlike you would with other
real-time team communicationtools you might use in your
(11:13):
day-to-day, but this is reallydedicated to working with your
clients and getting thoseanswers that you need, getting
clear responses, making surethat everybody's where they need
to be.
You can also integrate thingslike notifications from your
project management tool fromyour Google Drive and plenty of
other things.
But I want to keep this simplefor today.
(11:35):
So I don't want to talk aboutall of the different
integrations.
I think the most importantthing here is that you are using
a tool that allows you tocommunicate in real time with
your clients.
Now, that being said, Theymight have their own real-time
team communication tools.
We're not going to get into thetech stack that your client
(11:55):
uses today.
I really want to focus on yourtech stack today.
Jasmine, one of our OBM schoolstudents, was constantly buried
in her email.
She was using her emailsessentially for a version of
real-time team communication.
And as you can imagine, thatwasn't working very well for
her.
She was trying to answerquestions and follow up with
(12:16):
tasks using email and trying toKeep it organized.
Not an easy thing.
She decided to streamlineeverything by setting up Slack
for herself and setting up achannel for each client to
communicate with her, tocommunicate in real time and to
check in.
So not only did it cut down heremail management time by nearly
(12:39):
half, but something shifted forher and her clients.
Her clients started to approachher differently.
They were communicatingdifferently.
They saw her as the one settingthe pace, leadership, one of
the most important soft skillsas an online business manager,
the one leading the process, notjust responding, but owning
(13:00):
that whole workflow.
So it's such a great way to setthose boundaries and
expectations.
Now, the next piece of OBM techin your tech stack has got to
be a cloud-based documentmanagement system like Google
Workspace, like Dropbox.
And before we really get intoto automation, I want to talk to
(13:22):
you about where your businessactually lives.
Because if you're building yourbusiness as an online business
manager without a cloud-basedfiling system, you're making
your life a lot difficult.
And you're also limiting yourcapacity to really be a leader.
So I love Google Drive becauseit's free, it's intuitive, and
it's built for this real-timecollaboration.
(13:45):
So whether you are working as asolopreneur or managing your
own team, everybody's in thesame document, on the same page,
working from the same version.
Now that level of clarity makeseverything and everybody's life
a whole lot easier.
So here's what your GoogleDrive should include.
(14:07):
A business operations hub, yourcontracts, your financial docs,
your legal stuff, yourtemplates or frameworks, your
standard operating procedures.
I call this my SOP vault andAnd we actually give this inside
of our paid OBM schoolprograms.
Now, the other thing that youneed is a client folder system,
(14:30):
clean naming conventions, shareddeliverables and access to
control.
And actually, I'm going toshare below this video and
inside the podcast show notes,my video on how I actually set
up these standard operatingprocedures.
So you have that also as anoption and you can actually see
(14:50):
behind the scenes of what mysystems look like.
Inside the OBM SchoolAccelerator, our flagship
business building program, wehelp you build this exact
structure from the ground up.
It's the foundation foreverything we teach.
Our entire SOP vault lives inGoogle Drive and students call
(15:11):
it the mecca of SOPs.
So it's plug and play,customizable, and hands down one
of the most valuable resourcesinside of our programs.
So whether you're onboardingclients, managing launches, or
running internal ops, there's asystem for it and it's ready for
you to make it your own.
(15:31):
So if you want to scale, youneed to think about what it's
going to look like long term,right?
We want to build proactive andnot in a reactionary frame of
mind.
Now the other piece my numberfour tech stack must have is
scheduling automation.
My friends, there are a ton ofthese on the market.
I love Calendly.
(15:52):
I've definitely experimentedwith others.
But now that you've got yourback end organized, it's time to
automate your first real systemand that is scheduling.
This was the first tool thatI've ever used.
ever paid for in my OBMbusiness, Calendly.
And if you are a little bitconfused on where to start, I
recommend you do the same.
(16:12):
Why?
Because I have internationalclients.
I don't necessarily work withclients in my time zone.
So if I'm coordinating meetingswith clients in different time
zones without a scheduling tool,it is a nightmare.
It's I was looking unpolishedand I was also getting buried in
(16:39):
unnecessary back and forth andsome meetings that were
scheduled incorrectly, not fun.
So once I set up my scheduler,everything changed, right?
Clients could book based on myavailability, get automatic
confirmations and reminders andshow up ready.
It is professional and it's soeasy.
It's such an easy thing to doto give your clients that white
(17:01):
glove experience.
So this simple shift createdcreates massive impact and it
immediately elevates your clientexperience and takes one more
thing off your plate, right?
And if there's one thing myintention is here, it's to make
your lives easier, especiallywhen you're confused about where
to start with the tech.
And if you haven't already, youabsolutely need a clear, bold
(17:25):
call to action on your websiteto invite people to book that
discovery call with you.
Make it easy to work with you.
And while we're on the topic ofwebsite.
I also have this onobmschool.com forward slash
tools, but I actually recommendElementor.
It's a great WordPress theme,simple drag and drop.
(17:46):
We also have a Wix templateinside of our OBM school
programs.
And I really recommend keepingit simple when it comes to
building your website.
But your storefront is also animportant piece of how you're
going to automate and allowclients to find you and then
book that So I also recommendSiteGround.
(18:07):
I have all of these toolsavailable to you.
That's what we use for hosting.
And this is, of course, a bigpart of your tech stack and
automation and really making iteasy for people to find you, for
people to work with you.
And that's why inside the OBMSchool Accelerator, we give you
a full plug and play website,actually two templates, one
(18:28):
built on Wix, one built onWordPress, complete with
onboarding copy, call to actionplacement, page structure so
that you're not just building abusiness, you're launching it
with clarity and confidence.
Because whether it's booking adiscovery call or onboarding a
client, every part of yourcustomer journey should feel
intentional and automated fromthe start.
(18:50):
Now let's talk about levelingup your automation and your
automation tools and reallycreating that premium white
glove experience because We'reonline business managers.
So tools like Dubsado,HoneyBook and Entreport, one of
my favorites, allows you toautomate your client experience
from the get go.
(19:10):
Now, when you automate yourentire client journey without
losing that personalized hightouch feel is where it's at.
So when it's done right,automation actually enhances the
client experience and buildstrust from the very first
interaction.
So I want you to picture a leadfilling out your inquiry form.
They immediately receive abeautifully branded welcome
(19:33):
email with a welcome pack.
They're invited to book a call.
Then comes the contract or aninvoice and an onboarding
questionnaire.
And it's all just triggeredautomatically as you flow with
that client.
Now you didn't lift a fingerand yet your client completely
feels supported and impressed.
So it's not just automation.
(19:55):
It's your system for showingup, showing off, And it really
does a better job than any pitchever could.
So Dubsado is a great optionfor OBMs who want a simple but
powerful workflow andautomations for service delivery
and all that good stuff.
HoneyBook is a beautiful toolthat's perfect for creatives or
OBMs working with personalbrands, for example.
(20:18):
And Entreport is what Ipersonally use to run both OBM
School and my accredited OBMagency, Serenoked OBM.
It handles everything for usfrom client onboarding to
working as a CRM, a customerrelationship management tool.
It helps deliver our programs,helps collect payment, and I can
(20:38):
store credit card informationthere.
And I've created high touchautomations that really
integrate as well with myproject management tool.
So this kind of infrastructureisn't about being fancy.
It's about building trust andsaving time and really giving
your clients a premiumexperience from day one.
One of our students trained whocame into our accreditation
(21:01):
program, ready to become anaccredited OBM and scale her
agency.
But her backend was a totalmanual mess.
So she was chasing contracts,sending emails one by one and
onboarding new clients off thetop of her head.
So inside the program, she wasable to really concentrate on
(21:22):
how to set up an automatedonboarding workflow and
entreport relaunch with anagency model and and she signed
three clients in a single month.
The best part?
Her VA handled the entireonboarding process while Tracy
focused on delivery.
So that's what automationunlocks.
And you might not be in thatsame place as Tracy, but I hope
(21:44):
that you're considering movingin that direction because when
you have automations in place,it not only puts your best foot
forward, but it gives youbreathing room.
It builds client confidence andit positions you as the kind of
OBM who leads with systems andnot chaos.
Let's wrap up with somethingthat completely has changed the
(22:05):
game for OBMs right now, andthat is artificial intelligence,
AI.
I know that there's stillhesitation from some people when
it comes to tools like ChatGPT,but here's the truth.
This isn't about replacingyourself.
It's about freeing up yourbrain, scaling your thinking,
and moving faster withoutsacrificing quality.
(22:25):
I use ChatGPT almost daily, forsure daily, not just to write
for me, but to collaborate withme.
It helps me do a lot of things.
For one, it helps me draftSOPs.
It helps me write onboardingemails and welcome kits and to
help my students customize theirown.
It helps to summarize mycoaching calls and create
(22:49):
transcripts for me andhigh-level action items.
It helps me to brainstormlaunch workflows when I feel
like I don't have a lot of braincells left or client processes
when I'm also thinking aboutdifferent tech integrations and
native integrations.
It helps prepare me forcreating my podcasts and my
YouTube videos that you'relistening to right now, but also
(23:12):
90-day plans, proposals, andtraining ideas for our ongoing
live OBM school community.
So it's like having a sharpjunior assistant on call 24-7,
but you're still in the lead.
You still refine.
You're not starting fromscratch.
every time.
(23:32):
And that really helps to movethings at a normal pace.
And it's not just for me.
Inside OBM School, we rundedicated AI workshops live
because obviously thistechnology moves very fast where
we show our students how to usetools like ChatGPT to enhance
and not replace our expertise.
(23:53):
So we're teaching how to promptand prompt strategies.
We're walking through realclient use cases and we're
helping OBMs integrate AI intohow they manage operations, lead
teams, and document systems.
Because here's the bottom line.
OBMs who are embracing AI noware moving faster, are moving
(24:13):
more efficient, and we arepositioning ourselves as
future-proof strategic partners.
So one of our students,Marissa, used ChatGPT to map out
her entire SOP structure andonboarding copy in just one
weekend.
And she said, I finally feellike I'm caught up and even a
(24:34):
few steps ahead.
So that's the power of workingsmarter, not harder.
And stay tuned because I've gotfull AI tools for OBMs in an
episode coming soon.
So make sure you subscribe,make sure you follow us, follow
our YouTube channel, follow ourpodcast, The OBM Show to dive
deep into prompt strategy and tohow to actually implement this
(24:56):
stuff in your day-to-day work.
But for now, this is yournudge.
Play with the tools.
Start small and use AI tosupport your brilliance and not
to replace it.
So here's what I want you totake away from this episode.
Your tech stack isn't aboutlooking professional.
It's about operatingprofessionally.
It's how you create structure,deliver results, and grow a
(25:19):
business that doesn't depend onyou being in the weeds 24-7.
From Google Drive to onboardingsystems, schedulers, automation
tools, and AI, these arenon-negotiables, in my opinion,
that don't have to break thebank and that are going to set
you apart as an online businessmanager.
Now, if you are ready to stoppiecing all the pieces together
(25:39):
and you want some support, Ihave a great free tool as well.
It is our OBM Starter Kit andyou can learn more about it at
obmschool.com forward slashstarter.
And if you are ready to join usinside of our paid programs
inside of OBM School and you'relike, Sarah, I love this
business development stuff.
I need to set up these thingsin my business.
(26:01):
I am check out the OBMAccelerator.
This is our flagship program,all about the business
development pieces, all aboutthe support, the step-by-step to
actually build a business thatruns like the ones you support.
So come join us inside the OBMSchool Accelerator.
We don't just teach you what todo, we help you build it.
(26:22):
So you'll walk away with afully functioning backend, real
systems, your SOPs, youronboarding flows, and yes, your
entire tech stack dialed in.
As for a full breakdown of allthe tools I talked about in this
episode, plus a few bonus ones,head on over to obmschool.com
forward slash tools.
There is no geek keeping aroundhere.
(26:43):
This is the OBM show.
So thank you for tuning in tothis episode of the OBM show.
I hope this episode gave youclarity and a little bit of fire
under your tush to clean upyour back end and run your
business like the pro I know youare.
Until next time, keep leading,keep optimizing, and keep
building the business you designto work with your life and not
(27:07):
against it.
I'll see you on the nextepisode of The OBM Show.
Today on the OBM show, we are getting practical
and we are getting strategicbecause we're talking about your
tech stack, not just the toolsthat you could be using, but
those non-negotiable tools thatpretty much every OBM needs to
run a professional, scalablebusiness.
So here's the pattern that Isee.
(00:20):
way too often.
OBMs are pros when it comes tobuilding out our systems for our
clients, but behind the scenesin your own OBM business, it can
be a hot AF mess.
Now, our operations aresometimes held together by duct
tape and memory.
So you might not haveonboarding processes.
(00:42):
You might not be using aproject management system.
You might have no automationsin place and no frameworks for
how you run discovery calls.
And I really I really say thiswith all the love and respect in
my heart because I have beenthere too.
But if you want to step into aleadership role and be taken
seriously as an online businessmanager, and I know you do
(01:02):
because you're listening to myshow, you have to build your own
back end like you would for aclient.
You need to treat your businesslike you treat your clients'
businesses.
This is what is ultimatelygoing to allow you to expand,
raise your rates, work with highquality clients, and scale your
business.
So today, that's what we'refocusing on.
(01:26):
I'm walking you through themust-have tech stack every OBM
needs to feel in control oftheir business and deliver
results with confidence.
So these are the tools that aregoing to really be your
foundation.
And most of them are completelyfree or incredibly low cost
when you are just gettingstarted.
So if you want this full listbefore I even kick off into it,
(01:49):
there's even more than what willbe covered today, but you can
head on over to obmschool.comforward slash tools.
I'll also leave those in theresources below this video or in
the show notes of the podcastfor the OBM show so that you can
have that resource to reallydive into what a complete OBM
school tech stack could looklike.
(02:10):
This is not about gatekeeping,right?
This is the OBM show.
After all, let's dive in.
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.
I'm your host, Sarah Noked,agency owner, OBM mentor, and
(02:34):
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
that no one talks about.
Here, we get real about thetools, strategies, and stories
(02:59):
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
scenes of thriving businesses,you're in the right place.
Let's get started.
Let's get started.
Let's start by getting clear onwhat a tech stack really is,
(03:23):
right?
Because it's not a badge ofhonor, right?
It's not about using thefanciest or latest and greatest
tools.
I mean, I'm a very practicalperson and I want to deliver you
some examples that are verypractical, right?
It's not about paying an armand a leg to keep your business
afloat.
A beginner OBM could easily getstarted for just $10.
(03:43):
$30 a month.
You could have thingsautomated.
You could make your lifeeasier.
You could give your client thatwhite glove experience that is
very much indicative of an OBMbusiness.
So this episode is all aboutbuilding a lean functional
ecosystem that supports how youwork.
But here's the reality.
(04:03):
If your business depends onmemory or inbox, like managing
everything from your inbox or,you know, random sticky notes
all over your table, it's goingto hit a ceiling relatively
fast.
Your tech stack will allow youto scale without scrambling.
It will give youinfrastructure.
It will give you bandwidth.
It will give your clients trustthat you can lead.
(04:27):
So let's walk through my sixnon-negotiable categories along
with some examples and real usecases that will show you what is
truly possible.
So let's start off with onethat you may or may not be
surprised about, and that isusing a project management tool.
This is the operational brainof your business.
(04:48):
If you don't use a projectmanagement system, you're flying
blind.
And whether you realize or not,it's costing you time, trust,
and follow through.
So I use Teamwork PM in my ownbusiness.
I have been using this for 15years.
To me, it's no frills, it'sreliable, and it really
integrates beautifully with howmy team works.
(05:11):
But whether you choose ClickUp,or Asana or Trello.
The tool is really secondary tothe structure you build inside
it, right?
Your project managementplatform should house your
weekly workflow.
You know, what happens everyMonday?
When are you reviewing yourleads?
When are you sending invoices?
(05:32):
When are you following up withclients?
When are you checking theirproject management tools?
These routines need to livesomewhere structured and not
floating in your brain or buriedin Some random notebook.
So the templates for onboardingand offboarding, the checklist
for what happens when a newclient signs or when a project
(05:52):
is complete from the intakeforms to scheduling the kickoff
call to accessing, you know,their own passwords and even
requesting feedback.
It all needs to live in yourproject management tool.
In my opinion, and I talk aboutthis a lot everywhere, anything
(06:12):
that is recurring in yourbusiness, in your client's
business, merits having a placein the project management tool,
right?
So I've just shared with you afew, like your invoicing, but it
could also extend to thingslike publishing your
newsletters, prepping for clientcalls, reviewing key
performance indicators, andchecking when contracts renew.
(06:33):
If something repeats, it isfair game to belong in your
system.
Now, sales pipelines and followup flows when you're tracking
your discovery calls and you'refollowing up with clients and
you're sending proposals.
If you're relying on yourmemory, you're likely leaving
your brain cells, revenue andresources on the table.
(06:54):
So when it comes to launching,which is another thing that we
do a lot with our OBM clients,when you map out timelines with
due dates and you may or may notbe using your client's project
management tool.
But let's say you're mapping itout in your project management
tool.
You're going to be able toassign due dates, task
dependencies.
(07:15):
It's not going to live in someother random Google Doc buried
in your drive.
Anything that is floating inyour head, even your day-to-day
personal things, like I have awhole project management section
called miscellaneous, andthat's where I dump my random
things that have to do withmanaging my family, right?
(07:35):
That's also where I use thatspace to clean out my mental
load and I put it there.
And then I am living inside ofmy project management tool
instead of depending on mymemory to make up for that.
And, you know, we all knowwhere that goes.
So even if you don't have ateam, this isn't for those of
you who are scaling agencies.
(07:56):
This is for you.
Even if you are a solopreneur,if you're doing all the work
yourself, you especially need asystem to keep yourself focused
and keep your business operatinglike a real business.
So one of our OBM schoolstudents, Kelsey, came into our
world managing everything out ofher inbox, which is chaos,
(08:16):
right?
No systems, just constantjuggling.
So she was doing amazing workfor her clients, but she was
totally overwhelmed trying tokeep up with it all.
So once she built out herClickUp, back end, everything
changed.
She had a handle on her week.
She could see what was coming.
She could plan ahead instead ofplaying catch up all the time.
(08:38):
And for the first time in herbusiness and in a very long
time, she actually felt like shecould breathe.
So project management tool,non-negotiable.
Now, my next piece on your techstack should be a real time
team communication tool.
This is so important.
If you are still managing yourclient communications through
(09:03):
your email, through your DMs onsocial media, through random
voice notes in even Voxer andrandom text threads, this is
your bottleneck.
And I will be real with you, itis exhausting.
You need one central placewhere communication happens.
One place where you can stayorganized, responsive, and
(09:26):
professional without feelinglike you need to be on call 24
seven.
So this real time teamcommunication tool is going to
give you what you need to feellike you are available for your
clients, but with boundaries andexpectations.
So I use teamwork chat becauseI use my teamwork PM and I have
(09:48):
this beautiful chat tool thatcomes with it that allows me to
do a lot of things, one of whichis setting tasks from within my
real time team communicationtool.
Because unfortunately, what cansometimes happen with these
tools is they default to beingwhere you manage your projects.
And I don't want that to likemingle that that ain't fun.
(10:10):
You've got your projectmanagement tool.
You've got real timecommunication where real time,
essentially, communicationhappens.
Many of our OBM school studentsuse Slack, especially if
they're juggling multipleclients or working with multiple
contractors.
So these tools can reallycreate structure but more
importantly they give youboundaries and you know me I'm
(10:33):
all about that mindset and I'mall about really making it work
long term with your clients nowreal time messaging is going to
let you keep conversations outof that email inbox no more
searching through threads totrack and find whatever that
update was so you can set up adedicated channel for each
(10:53):
client or project so for examplewe'll have hashtag Suzy last
name, OBM client channel to keepeverything centralized for my
team.
I can tag team members insteadof chasing replies.
I can at mention people justlike you would with other
real-time team communicationtools you might use in your
(11:13):
day-to-day, but this is reallydedicated to working with your
clients and getting thoseanswers that you need, getting
clear responses, making surethat everybody's where they need
to be.
You can also integrate thingslike notifications from your
project management tool fromyour Google Drive and plenty of
other things.
But I want to keep this simplefor today.
(11:35):
So I don't want to talk aboutall of the different
integrations.
I think the most importantthing here is that you are using
a tool that allows you tocommunicate in real time with
your clients.
Now, that being said, Theymight have their own real-time
team communication tools.
We're not going to get into thetech stack that your client
(11:55):
uses today.
I really want to focus on yourtech stack today.
Jasmine, one of our OBM schoolstudents, was constantly buried
in her email.
She was using her emailsessentially for a version of
real-time team communication.
And as you can imagine, thatwasn't working very well for
her.
She was trying to answerquestions and follow up with
(12:16):
tasks using email and trying toKeep it organized.
Not an easy thing.
She decided to streamlineeverything by setting up Slack
for herself and setting up achannel for each client to
communicate with her, tocommunicate in real time and to
check in.
So not only did it cut down heremail management time by nearly
(12:39):
half, but something shifted forher and her clients.
Her clients started to approachher differently.
They were communicatingdifferently.
They saw her as the one settingthe pace, leadership, one of
the most important soft skillsas an online business manager,
the one leading the process, notjust responding, but owning
(13:00):
that whole workflow.
So it's such a great way to setthose boundaries and
expectations.
Now, the next piece of OBM techin your tech stack has got to
be a cloud-based documentmanagement system like Google
Workspace, like Dropbox.
And before we really get intoto automation, I want to talk to
(13:22):
you about where your businessactually lives.
Because if you're building yourbusiness as an online business
manager without a cloud-basedfiling system, you're making
your life a lot difficult.
And you're also limiting yourcapacity to really be a leader.
So I love Google Drive becauseit's free, it's intuitive, and
it's built for this real-timecollaboration.
(13:45):
So whether you are working as asolopreneur or managing your
own team, everybody's in thesame document, on the same page,
working from the same version.
Now that level of clarity makeseverything and everybody's life
a whole lot easier.
So here's what your GoogleDrive should include.
(14:07):
A business operations hub, yourcontracts, your financial docs,
your legal stuff, yourtemplates or frameworks, your
standard operating procedures.
I call this my SOP vault andAnd we actually give this inside
of our paid OBM schoolprograms.
Now, the other thing that youneed is a client folder system,
(14:30):
clean naming conventions, shareddeliverables and access to
control.
And actually, I'm going toshare below this video and
inside the podcast show notes,my video on how I actually set
up these standard operatingprocedures.
So you have that also as anoption and you can actually see
(14:50):
behind the scenes of what mysystems look like.
Inside the OBM SchoolAccelerator, our flagship
business building program, wehelp you build this exact
structure from the ground up.
It's the foundation foreverything we teach.
Our entire SOP vault lives inGoogle Drive and students call
(15:11):
it the mecca of SOPs.
So it's plug and play,customizable, and hands down one
of the most valuable resourcesinside of our programs.
So whether you're onboardingclients, managing launches, or
running internal ops, there's asystem for it and it's ready for
you to make it your own.
(15:31):
So if you want to scale, youneed to think about what it's
going to look like long term,right?
We want to build proactive andnot in a reactionary frame of
mind.
Now the other piece my numberfour tech stack must have is
scheduling automation.
My friends, there are a ton ofthese on the market.
I love Calendly.
(15:52):
I've definitely experimentedwith others.
But now that you've got yourback end organized, it's time to
automate your first real systemand that is scheduling.
This was the first tool thatI've ever used.
ever paid for in my OBMbusiness, Calendly.
And if you are a little bitconfused on where to start, I
recommend you do the same.
(16:12):
Why?
Because I have internationalclients.
I don't necessarily work withclients in my time zone.
So if I'm coordinating meetingswith clients in different time
zones without a scheduling tool,it is a nightmare.
It's I was looking unpolishedand I was also getting buried in
(16:39):
unnecessary back and forth andsome meetings that were
scheduled incorrectly, not fun.
So once I set up my scheduler,everything changed, right?
Clients could book based on myavailability, get automatic
confirmations and reminders andshow up ready.
It is professional and it's soeasy.
It's such an easy thing to doto give your clients that white
(17:01):
glove experience.
So this simple shift createdcreates massive impact and it
immediately elevates your clientexperience and takes one more
thing off your plate, right?
And if there's one thing myintention is here, it's to make
your lives easier, especiallywhen you're confused about where
to start with the tech.
And if you haven't already, youabsolutely need a clear, bold
(17:25):
call to action on your websiteto invite people to book that
discovery call with you.
Make it easy to work with you.
And while we're on the topic ofwebsite.
I also have this onobmschool.com forward slash
tools, but I actually recommendElementor.
It's a great WordPress theme,simple drag and drop.
(17:46):
We also have a Wix templateinside of our OBM school
programs.
And I really recommend keepingit simple when it comes to
building your website.
But your storefront is also animportant piece of how you're
going to automate and allowclients to find you and then
book that So I also recommendSiteGround.
(18:07):
I have all of these toolsavailable to you.
That's what we use for hosting.
And this is, of course, a bigpart of your tech stack and
automation and really making iteasy for people to find you, for
people to work with you.
And that's why inside the OBMSchool Accelerator, we give you
a full plug and play website,actually two templates, one
(18:28):
built on Wix, one built onWordPress, complete with
onboarding copy, call to actionplacement, page structure so
that you're not just building abusiness, you're launching it
with clarity and confidence.
Because whether it's booking adiscovery call or onboarding a
client, every part of yourcustomer journey should feel
intentional and automated fromthe start.
(18:50):
Now let's talk about levelingup your automation and your
automation tools and reallycreating that premium white
glove experience because We'reonline business managers.
So tools like Dubsado,HoneyBook and Entreport, one of
my favorites, allows you toautomate your client experience
from the get go.
(19:10):
Now, when you automate yourentire client journey without
losing that personalized hightouch feel is where it's at.
So when it's done right,automation actually enhances the
client experience and buildstrust from the very first
interaction.
So I want you to picture a leadfilling out your inquiry form.
They immediately receive abeautifully branded welcome
(19:33):
email with a welcome pack.
They're invited to book a call.
Then comes the contract or aninvoice and an onboarding
questionnaire.
And it's all just triggeredautomatically as you flow with
that client.
Now you didn't lift a fingerand yet your client completely
feels supported and impressed.
So it's not just automation.
(19:55):
It's your system for showingup, showing off, And it really
does a better job than any pitchever could.
So Dubsado is a great optionfor OBMs who want a simple but
powerful workflow andautomations for service delivery
and all that good stuff.
HoneyBook is a beautiful toolthat's perfect for creatives or
OBMs working with personalbrands, for example.
(20:18):
And Entreport is what Ipersonally use to run both OBM
School and my accredited OBMagency, Serenoked OBM.
It handles everything for usfrom client onboarding to
working as a CRM, a customerrelationship management tool.
It helps deliver our programs,helps collect payment, and I can
(20:38):
store credit card informationthere.
And I've created high touchautomations that really
integrate as well with myproject management tool.
So this kind of infrastructureisn't about being fancy.
It's about building trust andsaving time and really giving
your clients a premiumexperience from day one.
One of our students trained whocame into our accreditation
(21:01):
program, ready to become anaccredited OBM and scale her
agency.
But her backend was a totalmanual mess.
So she was chasing contracts,sending emails one by one and
onboarding new clients off thetop of her head.
So inside the program, she wasable to really concentrate on
(21:22):
how to set up an automatedonboarding workflow and
entreport relaunch with anagency model and and she signed
three clients in a single month.
The best part?
Her VA handled the entireonboarding process while Tracy
focused on delivery.
So that's what automationunlocks.
And you might not be in thatsame place as Tracy, but I hope
(21:44):
that you're considering movingin that direction because when
you have automations in place,it not only puts your best foot
forward, but it gives youbreathing room.
It builds client confidence andit positions you as the kind of
OBM who leads with systems andnot chaos.
Let's wrap up with somethingthat completely has changed the
(22:05):
game for OBMs right now, andthat is artificial intelligence,
AI.
I know that there's stillhesitation from some people when
it comes to tools like ChatGPT,but here's the truth.
This isn't about replacingyourself.
It's about freeing up yourbrain, scaling your thinking,
and moving faster withoutsacrificing quality.
(22:25):
I use ChatGPT almost daily, forsure daily, not just to write
for me, but to collaborate withme.
It helps me do a lot of things.
For one, it helps me draftSOPs.
It helps me write onboardingemails and welcome kits and to
help my students customize theirown.
It helps to summarize mycoaching calls and create
(22:49):
transcripts for me andhigh-level action items.
It helps me to brainstormlaunch workflows when I feel
like I don't have a lot of braincells left or client processes
when I'm also thinking aboutdifferent tech integrations and
native integrations.
It helps prepare me forcreating my podcasts and my
YouTube videos that you'relistening to right now, but also
(23:12):
90-day plans, proposals, andtraining ideas for our ongoing
live OBM school community.
So it's like having a sharpjunior assistant on call 24-7,
but you're still in the lead.
You still refine.
You're not starting fromscratch.
every time.
(23:32):
And that really helps to movethings at a normal pace.
And it's not just for me.
Inside OBM School, we rundedicated AI workshops live
because obviously thistechnology moves very fast where
we show our students how to usetools like ChatGPT to enhance
and not replace our expertise.
(23:53):
So we're teaching how to promptand prompt strategies.
We're walking through realclient use cases and we're
helping OBMs integrate AI intohow they manage operations, lead
teams, and document systems.
Because here's the bottom line.
OBMs who are embracing AI noware moving faster, are moving
(24:13):
more efficient, and we arepositioning ourselves as
future-proof strategic partners.
So one of our students,Marissa, used ChatGPT to map out
her entire SOP structure andonboarding copy in just one
weekend.
And she said, I finally feellike I'm caught up and even a
(24:34):
few steps ahead.
So that's the power of workingsmarter, not harder.
And stay tuned because I've gotfull AI tools for OBMs in an
episode coming soon.
So make sure you subscribe,make sure you follow us, follow
our YouTube channel, follow ourpodcast, The OBM Show to dive
deep into prompt strategy and tohow to actually implement this
(24:56):
stuff in your day-to-day work.
But for now, this is yournudge.
Play with the tools.
Start small and use AI tosupport your brilliance and not
to replace it.
So here's what I want you totake away from this episode.
Your tech stack isn't aboutlooking professional.
It's about operatingprofessionally.
It's how you create structure,deliver results, and grow a
(25:19):
business that doesn't depend onyou being in the weeds 24-7.
From Google Drive to onboardingsystems, schedulers, automation
tools, and AI, these arenon-negotiables, in my opinion,
that don't have to break thebank and that are going to set
you apart as an online businessmanager.
Now, if you are ready to stoppiecing all the pieces together
(25:39):
and you want some support, Ihave a great free tool as well.
It is our OBM Starter Kit andyou can learn more about it at
obmschool.com forward slashstarter.
And if you are ready to join usinside of our paid programs
inside of OBM School and you'relike, Sarah, I love this
business development stuff.
I need to set up these thingsin my business.
(26:01):
I am check out the OBMAccelerator.
This is our flagship program,all about the business
development pieces, all aboutthe support, the step-by-step to
actually build a business thatruns like the ones you support.
So come join us inside the OBMSchool Accelerator.
We don't just teach you what todo, we help you build it.
(26:22):
So you'll walk away with afully functioning backend, real
systems, your SOPs, youronboarding flows, and yes, your
entire tech stack dialed in.
As for a full breakdown of allthe tools I talked about in this
episode, plus a few bonus ones,head on over to obmschool.com
forward slash tools.
There is no geek keeping aroundhere.
(26:43):
This is the OBM show.
So thank you for tuning in tothis episode of the OBM show.
I hope this episode gave youclarity and a little bit of fire
under your tush to clean upyour back end and run your
business like the pro I know youare.
Until next time, keep leading,keep optimizing, and keep
building the business you designto work with your life and not
(27:07):
against it.
I'll see you on the nextepisode of The OBM Show.
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