Brace yourselves for another episode of #JasSuccess as Host, Anna Soriano, interviews, Brian Zenarosa, another successful VA Bootcamp student.

Brian is a proud work from father of a 1-year-old daughter. He’s currently a Virtual Assistant/Digital Marketer to 5 clients. (2 Aussies, 2 U.S Clients, 1 British). Recently, he focused on Social Media Management, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and Email marketing.

In this interview, Brian talked about;

✅ Why he pursued a freelancing career, despite his struggles being an introvert and also health problems.
✅ His journey from a "tambay" or  to work from home "Tatay"
✅What finally motivated him to get back on his feet and decide to work again.

All these and more inspiring revelations.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ni-go through ko yung VA Bootcamp 3 weeks, natapos ko ng April. So ayun ganda ng training sobra, from zero knowledge as Virtual Assistant as in kaya nga iba 'yung pasasalamat ko kay Sir Jason, sa team, ini-inspire ko din 'yung iba na mag go through kayo kung talagang zero knowledge mag go through kayo sa VA Bootcamp kasi as in parang zero to boom! Magkakaron ka ng idea although depende pa din naman yun sa'yo, 'yun yung lagi pinapaalala e, yung success mo naman hindi mo naman pwede idepende sa VA Bootmacp, still depends on how you take action, so that’s what I did, I took action.
• August talaga I think yung pinaka highlight ng freelancing career ko, nagself-hustle ako, ayun sa mga newbie, or sa mga dati na, never stop hustling, tuloy tuloy lang kase, ayun nga ma-share ko lang this month din kase kumbaga, nung hustle challenge ako, sabi ko kase bakit hindi ko mahit yung 6-digit mark, hinding hindi ko mahit yung mga previous, sabi ko I will challenge myself , this month I need to hit 6 digit mark.
• Sabi ko “you just need to consistently pray and praise”, kumbaga kahit anong mangyari praise mo pa din si Lord kung nag-fail ka ngayon, praise mo pa din, mino-mold lang naman niya yung character mo e di ba, even if you fail praise Him, sabihin mo Lord alam ko may pinaplano ka sa buhay ko, the more you need to praise Him when you are kumbaga naging successful ka sa ginagawa mo, as a freenlancer man yan, as a tatay, as a nanay, bilang parent or bilang breadwinner, just give glory to God, yun lang naman yun.

Brian’s Journey to Freelancing

• He worked as a waiter in a fine dining restaurant (Max’s).
• He is an introvert way back elementary to college.
• He applied as a management trainee at KFC but the position is not available.
• He accidentally got hired at Tokyo Tokyo because the HR Manager was fond of him during the interview.
• He is a very detailed oriented person.
• He is officially unemployed from 2001 to 2015.
• He got into networking as the only source of income while he is unemployed.
• He got addicted to watching Korean novella's and playing computer games while he is unemployed.
• He leads a Singles Ministry of Professionals in their church.
• He applied and got hired immediately at Coffee Bean, a Christian Company.
• He got a health problem (tubig sa baga).
• He got healed but struggled with another sickness which is Tuberculosis.
• He underwent 6 months of treatment and got healed.
• He went through financial training online.
• He got married in April 2016.
• He was referred by a friend to be a music teacher for Koreans.
• He planned on going to Qatar.
• He decided to stay at home then worked in ESL Rare job for 6 months.
• He researched about work from home and saw Sir Jason Dulay’s video.
• He got 5 clients now, one direct, two US and two Australian. And earning 6 digit mark.
• He got a client that gave him a worth 50k of training for SEO, White Hat Link Building. But didn’t get hired because of the client’s credit account problem.
• He made her wife resigned in her Job to stay at home for their daughter.

Q&A Highlights

Anong buhay-buhay bago naging work from home tatay? Anong ganap?

Sige ano muna salamat dahil na-invite ako dito , kumbaga, hindi one year ago kase kumabaga , parang ano ang galing ni Lord kase kumbaga, one year ago pinapanood ko lang si ung pinaka una si Emmanuel Domingo, grabe yun sabi ko although hindi ko naman inaasam na makasama dito sa JasSuccess sabi ko ah darating din yung panahon ok na hindi man direkta sa JasSuccess sa ibang paraan makapagsahre ng story success talaga ayun unang una salamat sa inyo sa team ng VA Bootcamp, Work From Home Roadmap and talaga blessing kayo sa amin talaga na nagsilbing inspirasyon kayo samin. Tapos, bale yung father ko kase pastor, father ko nagpapastor before so laking church din  ako so ano rin sakin yun when it comes to music, yun laki kase ako sa music, so parang yun yung naging output ko. Anyway ,yun nga bale ayun na nga elementary and highschool to college and then fast track when I graduated, HRM graduate ako e Hotel and Restaurant Management from CEU. So ayun kumbaga pagkagraduate ,HRM graduate hotel and restaurant yung typical na stepping stone ng mga HRM graduate is usually restaurant, hotel e yung asawa ko nga e kase diba luto e diba HRM. Mahilig lang kumain pero, so pero ang mindset ko kase sabi ko I  will not focus sa mga pagluluto ganun sa pagiging chef dun ako dun sa Hotel and Restaurant Management dun ako sa part na Management. So pinangarap ko talaga, ah maging “big dream” general manager ng isang hotel  ,yun talaga yung big dream ko. So yun stepping stone ko when I graduated from college nag waiter ako, nag work ako as waiter sa Max’s Taytay. Mga 6 months lang naman ako nag work dun kase sabi ko nga stepping stone lang naman, gain ng experience. Yung supervisor ko nga nun gusto na nga ako i-absorb as parang sa mga events yung nag cocoordinate nga mga party so forth and so on,  kase kumbaga nakita din nila yung potential ko, pero alam naten practicality yung sahod kase mababa tapos provincial rate tapos ano kase fine dining restaurant pa yun so hindi katulad sa maga fastfood although nakakapagod sa fastfood kase madaming tao. Ang mahirap kase dun yung ano mga plates ang bibigat, iba yung ano dun kase 5’4” lang kase ako e, wala e di nman nalalaman sa freelancing yun e. E isa ako sa pinakamaliliit nun. So binubuhat ko yung plato as in oo yung mga oval, sa mga ano dyan sa mga freelancer na galing sa fine dining  alam nila yan ang hirap talaga sa fastfood at fine dining restaurant. So sabi ko hindi pwedeng hamabangbuhay dito, oo 6 months lang. So pahinga lang mga isang buwan nun, so that was 2010 June to January 2011. And then umalis ako dun, then nag apply nman ako as Training Assistant sa ano naman Tokyo Tokyo. Parang ano kase yun e sa totoo lang aksidente lang ako na napunta ako sa Tokyo Tokyo kase nga dapat ang applyan ko nun dapat e Management Trainee sa KFC e nagkataon dun ayun di ako nagtuloy sa Management Trainee so sabi ko sayang naman yung punta ko dun, so ayun lumipat ako sa kabila nag apply ako sa Tokyo Tokyo as Management Trainee kaso puno na rin,  ang ginawa nila e nakita nman nila yung potential ko kung paano ako mag explain , parang ano kase ako detalyado kase ako sa mga sagot sagot ko e. Parang technical kase ako na tao so ayun natuwa yung naginterview sakin na HR Manager, so sabi nya parang ganun na rin kase pinabalik na ako pinaasikaso na mga requirements sabi nya ang mas magandang position is Training Assistant na office based, pero nag field din naman ako kase as Training Assistant alam mo dapat yung takbo sa store, sa Trinoma dun ako nag parang OJT before I officially, grabe di ba? Saklap sobra. So ayun so di ko na, may mga issues na nangyari dun parang bored ako nakulangan ako ng support kase di ko na iseshare para to protect the company. Pero grabe respeto ko dun sa HR manager namin, pero yun nga umalis ako, 3 months lang ako.

Head ka ng Singles Ministry , di ba introvert ka tapos biglang ganon?

Ayun nga ang laking tulong nung exposure sa restaurant as Training Assistant kahit 9 months lang yun kase sabi ko nun, pagkagraduate ko nung college, ah tutal wala naman ng nakakakilala sakin, medyo pwede ko ng baguhin yung pagkatao ko. And it happened, nagawa ko nman siya, it’s a matter of mind setting naman siya. So ayun, praise God nakapag lead ng Ministry ewan ko kung ano or by the Grace of God. Then tapos naging active din ako ng worship team, nag woworship lead, nag papakanta tapos tumutugtog ng keyboard, syempre ayan nameet ko din yung asawa ko.

Anong niche mo Brian?

Ah ngayon, ah di ko pala nabanggit no, ako kase more on Virtual Assistance plus Digital Marketing. More on Digital Marketing.

Saan mo natutunan si digital marketing?

Ayan accident, aksidente ulit , ganito balik tayo 2017 mabilis lang naman, 2017 may kumuha sakin client from Upwork, binayaran niya yung training, worth 50k na training, SEO, yung white hat link building, SEO siya, so sabi lang niya tapusin ko ng 1 week and then i-oonboard na niya ko, so sakin naman libre to, ituloy man nya yung kontrata o hindi, game ko yun, tapos the good thing kase ang ugali ko kase, everytime that I study something online, nagtatake note ako, so lahat yan at dinadownload ko yung video. So yun aksidente natapos ko yung 1 week, but di nya tinuloy yung contract, kase parang nag kaproblema siya sa credit account nya

Hindi mo ba parang nafeel dati na ano na parang, yung mga sinasabi ng kapitbahay ay yung tatay nasa bahay?

Kase ang ano diba traditional, ang mga tatay sa labas nagtatrabaho. Ay hindi ko pala na share 'no, siguro isa yun sa mga highlight na naitulong ng freelancing sa akin, although plano ko kase maparesign si Shee, so nung April naparesign ko na siya, actually nagpaplano nadin siya, acutally may Upwork account na din siya, approve na, inaano na lang yun sa bata kase medyo maligalig yung anak namin, tsaka plano din naming mag home school. Tsaka may community pala ako FH dads, yung heart ko kase sa mga father who are struggling for their family, away tapos, alam ko kase yung struggle e kaya gusto ko din ishare. Siguro eto yun unang video na ishashare ko dun.

What is your last tip para sa mga freelancers like you?

Sinulat ko na din dun sa pdf, sabi ko “you just need to consistently pray and praise”, kumbaga kahit anong mangyari, praise mo pa din si Lord kung nag fafail ka ngayon , praise mo pa din, minomold lang naman nya yung character mo e diba , even if you fail praise Him , sabihin mo Lord  alam ko may pinaplano ka sa buhay ko, the more you need to praise Him when you are kumbaga naging successful ka sa ginagawa mo, as a freelancer man yan , as a tatay, as a nanay, bilang parent or bilang breadwinner, just give glory to God, yun lang naman yun.