Watch another inspiring and tearjerker story on #JasSuccess as Pinky Anicete shares her successful journey to freelancing.

Pinky was an International Flight Attendant who lost her job and wanted to start a business but didn't know anything about Marketing and Business Operations.

Watch and discover more about Pinky as she shares:

✅ How she turned her struggles into her best assets
✅ Her journey from being a BPO employee to a flight attendant to travel agency owner and her transition as a freelancer
✅ Why she pursued her passion for Marketing, Copywriting and her vision to become a Coach

and a lot more...

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Notable Quotes:

• I realized, naalala ko yung sabi nila na focus on what you can control. Let go of the things you cannot.
• I lost my job and that was the time I realized that the job I worked hard for, my badge of honor is gone. Sabi ko sarili ko na, paano ko sasabihin sa parents ko na I cannot send allowance anymore, until I figured out what to do next.
• Di ko kinaya beshies, di ko kinaya. Tapos sabi ko, narealize ko, I think I need to learn marketing. I didn’t have any marketing background. Sabi ko, okay wala akong marketing background, I will learn it. That’s when I found out about freelancing.
• I learned about it sa The Feast because I’m a regular attendee of The Feast and Brother Bo shared the book of Jomar Hilario which is the ” Virtual Careers” and I read that book and I was inspired.
• I sought mentors, I bought a lot of courses. But I am not advising you to buy a lot of courses, okay? What I am saying is yun nakilala ko yung Work-From- Home- Roadmap and dun halos lahat din ng courses tinake ko.
• You might not know your niche yet. Parang as a starter parang yung niche mo kasi ay parang specialization mo sa freelancing. Maybe maging generalist ka muna, you can start with virtual assistance and then until finally mahanap mo yung gustong-gusto mo.
• I really believe that you can always change the way your life moves forward kasi you can create your own future. Even if you don’t have a diploma, your experience is your diploma. Even if you don’t have a marketing background or skills, you can learn it. Even if you’re not tall enough to reach something, you can be flexible. Para sa akin talaga, pag may gusto ka, kunin mo.
• As a former flight attendant, I’d like to give you a metaphor na when you are trying to achieve something, think of yourself na para din siyang airplane. It’s like an airplane, you see when you’re taking off, and the airplane is taking off. It burns more 30% to 40% of fuel. It burns more fuel during take off and climb. But when you reach a cruising altitude, you just have to enjoy the flight. Yung fuel, less na yung consumption and you just need to enjoy God’s abundance but you have to remember, that Sir Isaac Newton said, "Whatever comes up, will come down." Maglalanding ka pa din sa ground, dun sa destination mo, so be humble. Let go of your ego. Be hungry to learn. Let your guard down, just be real. Kasi at the end of the day, nagpahinga lang naman ang airplane na iyan. It will again take off to another destination this time, much farther.

Pinky’s Journey to Freelancing

• She lived in various areas with 22 addresses and no permanent school.
• She stopped studying even she’s the Dean’s lister because of a lack of financial support.
• She worked in Jollibee and got invited by a friend to work at KGB as a call center agent.
• She supported her family with her BPO career, she became a Training Development Officer, but the company went downhill.
• She applied to another BPO JPMorgan Chase and got hired immediately.
• She had a career as a BPO employee for 6 years.
• She applied for a flight attendant opportunity but was not hired due to her height but that didn’t stop her in her dream.
• She saw that she can do ways on how she can be hired as a flight attendant and she applied the second time, she passed with flying colors.
• She was hired in Qatar Airways and traveled the world but realized that her dream to have a home was not yet achieved at that time.
• She started her own travel agency business and it took a lot of her time.
• As she was working in Qatar Airways, she was fired unexpectedly.
• She pursued her travel agency but was not able to sustain it.
• She thought of marketing and freelancing.
• She enrolled in online courses and sought mentors to learn and acquire skills and knowledge.
• She applied what she learned and now has a great career as a freelancer focusing on social media and copywriting.
• She already owns a house and happy with her family.
• She also has a vision of becoming a transformational coach and she’s learning continuously to fulfill that.

Q&A Highlights

How did you find out about freelancing?

I learned about it sa The Feast because I’m a regular attendee of The Feast and Brother Bo shared the book of Jomar Hilario which is the ” Virtual Careers” and I read that book and I was inspired. Pwede pa lang mag earn online. What did I do? I immersed myself in online marketing. I sought mentors, I bought a lot of courses. But I am not advising you to buy a lot of courses, okay? What I am saying is, yung nakilala ko yung Work-From- Home- Roadmap and dun halos lahat din ng courses tinake ko. I explored, I’ve read hundreds of books and then I observed those mentors that I met and listened to them intentionally. Not just for the sake of you know, listening but yung sa isip ko kasi I want to talk like them, walk like them, think like them, because whatever they have right now, I wanna have it. They have the freedom to work at their own time. They have the freedom to choose kung sino makakatrabaho nila, hindi ba? There are so many opportunities in freelancing. Okay, in short, ginawa ko lahat. I got obsessed, as in obsessed. Pati seminars, lahat inattendan ko.

Where did you find the grit, when things were really tough? Ano yung source of strength mo?

Yung biggest why ko. I mean yun talaga yung pinanghawakan ko kasi gusto ko talagang magkaroon ng better life. I mean, I’m not yet at yung pinakavision ko. But I am happy with where I am, I am so excited on what’s coming because I can really see the opportunities. Siguro another answer to that kasi kapag naiistress ako at kung hindi ko gusto ang nangyari and things are out of control I just remind myself that I am a child of God. Yun, dun nacocomfort ako.

Ano ang pinakavision mo?

I think I have a calling in transformational coaching. I think that’s where I am heading. That’s it.

Ms. Pinky share ninyo po ang struggles sa newbie freelancers?

You might not know your niche yet. Parang as a starter yung niche mo kasi ay parang specialization mo sa freelancing. Maybe maging generalist ka muna, you can start with virtual assistance and then until finally mahanap mo yung gustong-gusto mo. As for me, ako, I combined social media and copywriting at the moment but I am transitioning to copywriting as well. Hindi mo malalaman kung di mo susubukan. Mayroon ako message para sa inyo, siguro words of wisdom ko.

I really believe that you can always change the way your life moves forward kasi you can create your own future. Even if you don’t have a diploma, your experience is your diploma. Even if you don’t have a marketing background or skills, you can learn it. Even if you’re not tall enough to reach something, you can be flexible. Para sa akin talaga, pag may gusto ka, kunin mo. Ibibigay sayo ni God yan.

As a former flight attendant, I’d like to give you a metaphor na when you are trying to achieve something, think of yourself na para din siyang airplane. It’s like an airplane, you see when you’re taking off, and the airplane is taking off. It burns more 30% to 40% of fuel. It burns more fuel during take off and climb. But when you reach a cruising altitude, you just have to enjoy the flight. Yung fuel, less na yung consumption and you just need to enjoy God’s abundance but you have to remember, that Sir Isaac Newton said, "Whatever comes up, will come down." Maglalanding ka pa din sa ground, dun sa destination mo, so be humble. Let go of your ego. Be hungry to learn. Let your guard down, just be real. Kasi at the end of the day, nagpahinga lang naman ang airplane na iyan. It will again take off to another destination this time, much farther.

What was the earliest memory where you felt like you were in control of your life?

Para siyang in between those experiences, somehow I felt like I am in control kasi yun nga di nga ako nakapag-college, nakuha ko yung job kahit wala akong diploma. So parang “Oh, I’m in control.”

Tips for newbie freelancers like dun WFHR kasi madami students nagsstart palang sila nawawalan kaagad sila ng pag-asa, kapag halimbawa hindi naaprubahan ang Upwork nila.

Eh di ba ikaw, di ka naman nag focus sa Upwork?

Eto natutunan ko sa mga mentors ko kay John Pagulayan na hindi lang Upwork ang source of clients. We can also find clients in Facebook. You can search in the search bar whoever is looking for, for example, Social Media Marketer and try to help that person kung may question siya about Social Media Marketing, dun mo macre-create yung interest niya na “I wanna work with you.” But of course, you have to study first, kailangan aralin mo muna ang gusto mong pasukin, hindi ba?

I’m curious what’s the next step for you?  Ano mga action steps na ginagawa mo to reach that?

I have that vision for myself. I built a curriculum for myself and I block my time each day wherein I have a set of studies. I study, I connect with people who can help me. I attend seminar na hindi na kung anong seminar lang. I listed down five skills that I needed to learn for me to become a coach. Anything around that, yun lang yung inaaral ko. But still hindi pa ako umaalis sa freelancing because this is my bread and butter right now, tuloy-tuloy lang siya.

Paano po pag may lovelife, wala nang time kay boyfie?

Personal life kasi yun guys. I've only had one boyfriend since highschool. I am a very loyal person.

Ms. Pinks, what happened po sa travel agency mo?

Yung travel agency business, yung brand ko, I let go of it. I just partnered with another travel agency kasi may mga clients parin na lumalapit sa akin and I connect to that person or agency so kami yung naghahandle yun. Kasi you need to choose your focus, because you can’t do all the things lalo na kung nagstart ka sa isang business. Maybe when you’re already power CEO but when you are building your skills and grit, you have to choose just one.