Why operations consultants are in high demand and what they can do for your online biz
The nature of online business (like coaching or course creation) comes with a whole new set of challenges. The tried-and-true methods of brick-and-mortar stores just don’t work the same way in the online realm.
Truth be told, a lot of people in the online realm learn as they go because new information is popping up every day about effective strategies for online businesses.
As you delve through the pages and pages of tips and suggestions, you may have come across all the buzz about operations consultants and what they can do for your business. A common misconception is that you only need an operations consultant when your company is in trouble. But, the reality is that an operations consultant isn’t a last-ditch effort to get something running before it dies out.
The best time to get an operations consultant is actually when your business is starting to grow.
When you’re generating consistent revenue and looking add another income stream. However, it can be equally effective at any stage of your company’s growth as ongoing consultations with an ops specialist can turn something good into something great.
The term “good enough” isn’t in the vocabulary of your operations consultant. We help you strategize, prioritize, and develop your business plan, so that you gain and maintain the advantage in your niche.
We have a wide range of skills including:
- developing your backend marketing
- managing your project so you actually implement the strategies,
- leading focused brainstorming sessions, and
- creating or redesigning a business model.
We work together with you to take your ideas and turn them into action-based plans that can help take your business to the next level.
Here are 4 things that an operations consultant can do for your business.
- They know the industry standards, so you don’t have to waste time trying to figure them out
Every business is unique, so you’ll have to spend some amount of time A/B testing what you do to see what works best for your industry. However, there are some tried-and-tested industry standards that probably apply to you.
For example, if you’re a business coach for other businesses, you’ll probably want to be more LinkedIn, the most popular platform for B2B marketing, but if you’re a relationship coach, you’re going to want to target Facebook or Instagram.
Digging for this information is not always easy. Plus, there’s a ton of FALSE advice online. The amount of money and time that you could potentially waste on these marketing plans that don’t work just isn’t worth it when you could have someone who is on top of the trends.
- They help you make sure your plan is clear and understood
Communication is everything. Sometimes you have all the right people doing the right jobs and you have a product or service that you’re sure will sell, but you can still get detoured by a roadblock if your plan isn’t clear and understood by your team.
An operations consultant can help you take all of your ideas and vision and represent them in a way that is clear and understood by your team. Through their experience working with different people and teams, they can easily help you determine the best way for your team to excel.
Maybe the virtual assistant you hired to manage your Facebook group isn’t facilitating the conversation in the right direction, or they’re turning away copywriter applications because they misunderstood your requirements. You can never really know where that breakdown might be until you assess your workflow, systems, operations, and teams, and an operations consultant can help you do just that!
- They allow you to see doors and holes you didn’t know existed
If your business is near and dear to you, you probably have a very specific way you hope for your business to grow. This way is not necessarily right or wrong, but you’re likely attached to an idea or an end goal. Sometimes in the business world, you may hear this referred to as your vision.
It’s important to dream big, and your vision is a great place to imagine yourself having the kind of success that you want. However, sometimes when developing your vision, you may miss doors (opportunities) or holes (traps) that could slow down the growth of your business.
An operations consultant can provide an objective view for your plans to make sure that you are really making the best decision for your business and not just hopping on your current great idea (because we know there is never a lack of ideas). Maybe you think you’re set on using a certain platform for your online course, but it’s possible that you overlooked some features or functions available in another platform. Or perhaps it’s time to bring many of your tools under one CRM or you need a more sophisticated project management system. Your operations consultant will be able to help you see the problems and fix them.
- They advise you from a place of expertise
At the end of the day, you don’t just decide one day to become an operations consultant. People in this role have experience running their own business and working with other businesses. Not only do you have access to the knowledge that they’ve learned through their formal education, certifications and personal research, but you also get access to the plethora of knowledge that only they have from working in other businesses. This knowledge stems from all of the client interactions that they have (both past and present). Operations consultants have the unique opportunity of seeing all of the successes and failures of the various businesses that they’ve worked with, consolidating that data into actionable items, and helping you do what’s best for your business.
Sure, you can read about people’s experiences online, you can even buy books or take courses that summarize these best practices, but a lot of the time, this advice is general and glosses over some of the smaller details and still leaves you wondering if this is right for YOUR business (and also takes up a lot of time that you could be using to generate revenue). Having someone who can personally assess your situation and draw from their various experiences is a unique experience that will put you and your business ahead of the game.
Still not sure what I can help you with?
Book a business consult and we can talk more about your specific business operation needs.