Nanette
November 9, 2020
I met Melissa when many other business owners were paralyzed by pandemic uncertainties and restrictions. Not Melissa! She was driving full speed ahead – investing in herself and her business.
As she shared her story, I was amazed with her resilience and determination. She quickly and effectively built a business designed exclusively for online entrepreneurs. Our work together focused primarily on her immediate book support needs, but there was a bigger story. What she’d accomplished was fascinating. Small business owners seeking support for online growth are ideal prospects for her company.
Melissa is a Certified Online Business Manager. She owns Melissa Gamarra Management, which specializes in providing course launch support, system development & integration, SOP strategies, and team management for companies around the world.
Published author success
This October was a landmark month for Melissa. She launched her book, Transform Your Online Business into a Flourishing Enterprise, just before her 26th birthday. It’s an easy-to-implement, inspiring, and resource-rich guide for scaling a business. I wanted to share part of her story with you because I think you’ll find it inspiring, particularly if you’ve ever considered writing a book.
“I wrote the book with my daughter in mind to show you – and her – don’t need crazy degrees or years of experience under your belt to write something that helps people and does well in the marketplace,” Melissa explains. Her book hit four Amazon best seller lists on its release date, including the #2 spot in the Outsourcing and Knowledge Capital category. “I wrote this book because I want to serve more people. I’m incredibly passionate about what I do.”
What does an Online Business Manager do?
Melissa likes to explain her business from a brick & mortar perspective. “If you own a Domino’s Pizza, you’re not going to be there 24/7 making sure the pizza is being made right, the cashier’s not stealing, deliveries are made, doors are locked & lights turned off at closing, and facilities are kept spotless. You have a business to build and a family you want to spend time with so you put people in place to help ensure those day-to-day tasks are handled right. With an Online Business Manager (OBM), you have someone there to manage your team, put SOPs in place, come up with strategies to move your business forward, and have someone there to manage your business when you’re not there.”
She likens her role as an OBM to having someone who can step in and act as your clone with a specific focus on the operations of your business. “People hire me when they’re at their bursting point, working all the time, burning the candle at both ends.” It’s at a time when business owners need to stop focusing on operations if they want their business to grow; client needs and product launches are better leadership time investments.
An affordable option for startups
“The issue is that outsourcing operations requires money,” says Melissa. “There’s a whole slew of the market not quite ready to hire me because they’re not financially ready. But the foundational principles, such as SOPs, good organization, and an understanding how to onboard people in a way that makes you money instead of costing money are critical to ultimate success. What I wanted to do with this book was provide some education around what needs to be done to ensure these businesses are set up correctly to be able to grow long term.” Of course, she admits doing so makes it a lot smoother and easier to bring her, or someone else who provides a similar cost-effective service, on as part of your business support team. She stressed, though, her goal is more focused on providing a service to those building the beginnings of their business.
“I got into business because I wanted to help people, wanted to make a difference,” Melissa says. “Having a book that strictly exists just to provide value and serves as a resource for other woman to be successful in their business is all I wanted to do. I spent so much time in the beginning of my business wading through freebies and courses and fluff; people telling me they could get results and not delivering on that. This book is no fluff, all answers, here’s the plan you need to set your business up for success.”
Clients are great teachers
I enjoy learning something from every client I work with. There’s the occasional relationship, though, where the lessons I learn far exceed the value of what I provide. This was most certainly the case with Melissa. She taught me how important and powerful it is to pepper a constructive critique with comments about what grabs you, excites you, or feels perfect in expressing your intended point.
Think about this for a moment. Sure, you’re being paid to do a job. It’s not your client’s charge to boost your ego with “atta girl” comments. Few ever do this. I don’t expect it, and in fact, was taken aback with Melissa’s approach. Most focus, rightfully so, on pointing out what they don’t like about what you did so you can fix it to better suit their objectives.
Imagine, though, the pride that comes when someone who’s paying you to do a job makes a point to call out exceptional solutions. If you don’t think that changes how much more you want to give the client as value-added, try it. This approach is going to be my new normal (I’m not as adept here as Melissa – at least not yet) with vendor, client, and other communications.
Transform your online business into a flourishing enterprise
Melissa’s book provides step-by-step strategies for building the right kind of foundations to achieve online business success. It includes tips on how to scale a virtual business venture. You’ll learn how to add time to your day, select the right technology tools and create SOPs. She also covers onboarding millennials effectively, ideas for recruiting and retaining good help, and strategies for building a legacy business. She even created an online quiz tied to one of her chapters to determine your business personality. Her mailing list grows as curious prospects take the quiz.
If you’re thinking of starting an online business this book is for you. If you’re shifting your current company model to incorporate more online aspects due to COVID-19 you’ll appreciate it too. It includes a bunch of complimentary extra downloads to help you through the process. The book is also a quick, easy read.
For those who are keen on thinking bigger, Melissa offers a no-cost one-hour discovery meeting. If you think you can’t learn anything from a millennial, think again. I challenge you to stick to that conviction after an hour with Melissa. She’s a savvy old soul.
Need help editing or ghost writing your non-fiction book? Call or shoot me an email to schedule a free 1/2 hour strategy session. If you already have a print or digital book you’ve published, have you considered audio? If you haven’t started that book you’ve always dreamed of writing, there’s no better time to begin than now. It’s worth the smiles that come when you begin the process to get it done. Let me know how I can help.
