Operations Manager vs OBM vs VA: Who Should You Hire to Run Your Agency's Operations?

If you're weighing an operations manager vs OBM vs VA, here's the short answer. A virtual assistant (VA) does the tasks you hand them. An online business manager (OBM) manages the day-to-day running of your business and the people in it. An operations manager designs and improves the systems your agency runs on, meaning the repeatable ways work gets done, from answering a new inquiry to delivering final files. Most agency owners we work with come to this question frustrated by the same things: approvals stuck with them, team members asking the same questions over and over, and projects slipping even after they've hired help. When that's the problem, another VA rarely fixes it, because the way work moves through the agency is what needs to change.

Why is it so confusing to choose between an OBM, an operations manager and a VA?

From working with creative agencies, we've found these titles get used loosely. Three job posts for an "OBM" can describe three different jobs: one manages a team, another rebuilds how new clients get started, and a third mostly handles admin. So it helps to set the title aside and ask, "What will this person own, and what will they leave for me?"

It also helps to name the problem before you pick a role. If you know exactly what needs doing but don't have the hours, that's a capacity problem, meaning more work than available time, and extra hands solve it. If nobody on your team, you included, could write down how a project moves from signed contract to final delivery, that's a systems problem, and adding more people usually spreads the confusion further.

What is the difference between a VA, a project manager, an OBM, an operations manager and an integrator?

Once you know which problem you have, the roles are much easier to tell apart.

A few terms from that table. An SOP, or standard operating procedure, is a written set of steps for a task your team repeats. The client journey is every step a client goes through with you, from first hearing about you to the day the project ends. An integrator is a role from EOS, a management framework built for larger companies.

My honest take: if your agency earns roughly $6k to $15k a month with two to six people, the most helpful hire is usually an operations manager or OBM who builds the systems first, then runs them with your team until they stick.

What does an operations manager actually do for your creative agency?

A common example is finished work sitting for days because only you can approve it, and fixing that is operations work at its core.

From working with creative agencies, our belief is that almost all of the work in an agency falls into one of six areas, which is why we treat six core systems as the foundation every agency is built on:

1. Lead inquiry: everything from the moment someone submits an inquiry to work with you until they become a paying client.
2. Client onboarding: how a new client is welcomed and set up so they feel confident they made the right choice.
3. Delivery: how the work gets made, reviewed, revised and handed over.
4. Offboarding: how you officially close out a project or relationship on a good note.
5. Team management: how your team is hired, trained and supported to work without you.
6. Data tracking: how leads, team capacity and project numbers are kept in one place.

We explain each one in the systems every creative agency needs. Day to day, an operations manager maps how a project moves through revision rounds (the agreed rounds of client feedback), creative review and the final file handoff, which is the moment finished work passes to the client. They remove steps that wait on you, write SOPs, run check-ins, watch capacity and onboard new contractors, without taking over your creative direction.

Do I need an operations manager for my agency, or is a VA enough?

A VA is a great hire when processes already exist and you need hands to follow them. If you're solo with no plans to hire, or your client work comes and goes, a VA plus simple templates is usually enough. Our free Template Shop has ready-to-use templates for creative agencies, sorted by industry.

Operations help is due when the signs start stacking up: contractors ask you whether files can go out, deliverables sit in review waiting for you, clients email you directly about deadlines, and a week off would stall the agency. To see where you stand, take the free Baggage Check, a self-assessment from GYOT that shows where your agency still depends on you and what to hand off first.

Should you hire a full-time, part-time or fractional operations manager?

A fractional operations manager works set hours or on a defined project rather than full time. With two to six people, that gives you senior experience without the cost of a full-time role. Either way, keep every SOP, workflow and login in your own accounts.

What should your operations manager do in the first 30, 60 and 90 days?

Knowing what good looks like makes it easier to judge candidates. In month one, a strong operations manager audits your tools, workflows and client journey, follows a few live projects, fixes urgent problems like missing access, and gives you a written list of priorities.

In month two, they document the processes that matter most, usually onboarding and delivery, agree on what your team can decide without you, set communication rules across Slack, email and your project tool, and tidy where client information lives (see how to set up data tracking for your agency). Loom or Kommodo screen recordings mean training stops depending on you. If you're starting from nothing, our free SOP Starter Kits, such as the social media agency kit, web design agency kit or interior design studio kit, include policies, an SOP template, an industry SOP vault and an AI SOP builder.

By month three, the new systems are running on real projects, you're getting a monthly operations report, and at least one recurring responsibility is off your plate. The real test is whether a project can move from kickoff to delivery without you.

What questions should you ask before hiring an operations manager or OBM?

That 90-day picture tells you what to listen for when you interview:

1. "How would you start with my agency in the first two weeks?" (Listen for an audit first.)
2. "Which agencies like mine have you worked with, and what changed for them?"
3. "Do you build the systems, run them, or both?"
4. "What happens to the systems if we stop working together?" (You should own everything.)
5. "How do you get my team to actually use documented processes?"
6. "How will we know this is working?"

If a candidate suggests daily meetings, ask why. Needing daily meetings usually means processes aren't clear enough for the team to work on their own, which is why I hold bi-weekly team meetings instead.

What are the red flags when hiring an operations manager?

I'd pause if a candidate wants to switch your tools before understanding your business, sells everyone the same template, or offers a giant manual nobody will read. Notice whether they ask about your values, because I believe good operations work starts with values, then policies, which are the general rules your business runs by (communication, AI use, refunds, late payments), and only then SOPs. Pricing or financial questions belong with your accountant or financial advisor.

What credentials should your agency operations manager have?

Look for accredited operations training, ClickUp or Asana certifications, and real agency experience with retainers (ongoing monthly client agreements), scope creep (projects growing beyond what was agreed) and revision rounds. Here's what I bring: an Operations Management degree from The University of the West Indies, certification as a CPD-accredited Certified Online Operations Manager through the School of Operations, the ClickUp Verified Power User and ClickUp Expert Certificate, the Asana Foundations and Asana Campaign Management badges, and hands-on experience running operations for creative and digital agencies.

Should your operations manager be tech-agnostic or a specialist in one tool?

A tech-agnostic partner, fluent in several tools and tied to none, is usually safer because they start with your process rather than their favorite software. At GYOT we work in ClickUp, Asana, Notion, Airtable, HoneyBook, Slack, Zapier, Frame.io and more.

What does good operations support look like in a real agency?

At Koined Digital, Shannelle and Omari Harris's content, social and branding agency, we built all six core systems. That included a lead capture form with a proposal, contract and invoice flow in Dubsado, separate ClickUp spaces for each service, a Frame.io review flow for client approvals, Slack rules, and detailed SOPs for scheduling, engagement and caption writing. At IVT Creative, we mapped Tara McKelvey's full client journey for every service in ClickUp, with SOPs. You can read these and more in our client stories.

How does GYOT work as an operations partner?

GYOT (Get Your Ops Together) offers this support in three ways. The Residents' Lounge gives you an embedded operations partner, someone working inside your business with your team, for up to 20 hours a month, covering day-to-day operations, team management, a monthly operations report, and quarterly and annual planning. Ops Concierge is a done-for-you systems build around how your agency already works, with SOPs, Loom walkthroughs and 30 days of Slack support. Secret Shopper is an undercover audit where our team experiences your agency as a prospective client and as a new team member, then delivers a written Field Report with an action plan.

Compare every option in which offer is right for me, or see our guides to team management in a small agency and mapping client delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Find out what to hand off first

Before you hire anyone, take the free Baggage Check to see what to hand off first. If you already want an embedded operations partner, explore the Residents' Lounge or book a consultation.