Upleveling as a DOO from OBM with Allie Stewart

Is it necessary to be an OBM before becoming a DOO? What are some of the nuances between the two programs?

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Today we have a really special guest with a really cool story. Allie Stewart is a Certified Director of Operations (DOO), and also a Certified OBM. Allie and I have a lot of overlapping values when it comes to leadership, teams, and her zest for learning.

Meet Allie

Allie is a Certified Director of Operations and Certified Online Business Manager specializing in Team Management & Hiring. Before transitioning into the online space, Allie was a Clinic Manager and has worked in a variety of roles and fields. After the pandemic hit, she realized she was tired of working with businesses that didn’t align with her values. She didn’t want to take any further time and energy away from her daughter than she already was. She quit her job to start her business working as a Virtual Assistant. She quickly realized that being a VA didn’t fully utilize her soft skills or passion for leadership, and she wanted more. Two months after starting her online business, Allie joined the OBM certification and was certified in November 2020. In April of 2021, Allie joined Round 9 of the Director of Operations certification which gave her the confidence she needed to propel her business further. She now serves a few retainer clients and also does hiring on a project basis through her business Essential Allie. Allie is hugely passionate about ethical hiring and team management and hopes to be a voice and advocate for change. She uses her skills and experience to show business owners the importance of “people over profit” and how a positive business culture can drastically impact business in the long term.

She is a wife and mother to a 2 year old
Started her online business to be more present with her family because her current job was causing so much anxiety
Didn’t share the values of the business she was working in
Started as a VA, and quickly found the DOO program and joined
Likes to learn and grow her knowledge
Was looking to increase her confidence in the online space

“I wasn’t feeling confident in the online space because there was so much that was new and I used the certifications to help me gain my confidence.” – Allie Stewart

Professional background

Managed a chiropractic clinic
Was responsible for team management, training, and working with insurance

Her experience as an OBM

She blasted through the self paced OBM certification program as fast as she could so she could get to the next step as quickly as possible
She had hoped to feel confident pitching herself as a leader in the online market
The OBM role focused more on implementation
Left that program feeling confident in pitching herself as a leader, but was still struggling because most OBM roles wanted everything when it came to tech
Decided to sign up for the DOO program to fill in some knowledge gaps

“There are a lot of people who expect OBMs to come in and wear every single tech hat… and do all of these things that are not realistic for one person to do.” – Allie Stewart

“Just because I can do tech, doesn’t mean I want to… it’s my zone of competence, not my zone of genius.” – Allie Stewart

What did you feel like you were missing after the OBM certification?

She wanted to be a part of the DOO certification from the very beginning, but didn’t feel that she had enough experience
She wasn’t feeling fulfilled in an OBM role
- Wan’t happy doing all of the tech things
- Didn’t feel confident about pitching for OBM roles because of many clients’ high expectations regarding tech
Felt like there was so much more she had to learn to be competitive in the online space

Inside of the DOO program was there any content that stood out that helped you move forward?

All of it!
This program worked well for how her brain works; going through it as a group and hashing things out together
Having accountability coaches checking in regularly felt very personalized
Having the opportunity to take her time and being forced to take her time helped

How did your business change after going through the DOO certification program?

Her business changed drastically
She felt so much more confident, and she instinctively started pitching herself as a DOO
She finally felt like she knew what she was doing and had a wider skill set
About halfway through the program she felt like she found her thing, which was the hiring module (rather than KPIs like she thought she would specialize in)

“When you find something that brings so much ease, it’s almost unavoidable.” – Natalie Gingrigh

What are you doing today in your business?

She has split her business in two: she works with 3 retainer clients & she also does hiring projects
One client has opened so many doors for her, and one reason the client chose to work with her was because she was enrolled in the DOO certification

“Whether or not you have the OBM certification, The DOO program is an amazing investment for you and your business… it has changed my life. If you are looking to find where you fit into the online space, I definitely recommend the DOO program!” -Allie Stewart

Don’t forget to sign up for our Career Clarity masterclass on March 29th & 30th, where we will help you identify your skills and imagine what your career path can look like!

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