So this Monday, we'll talk about personal finance in our FLIP Chat & Chill.

And I can't stress enough how important it is to manage our finances well.

Or else...

You end up living from paycheck to paycheck.

Just like what Janina did.

Her husband was a wonderful provider.

"It was enough for our needs, but we weren't saving anything. Medical emergencies are a no-no because that's out of our budget.

When it does happen, I had to pawn my engagement ring. I did that a couple of times."

But everything changed when she transitioned into freelancing.

Thanks to her sister who gave her an old laptop which allowed her to pursue writing.

So how did she stop the feast-and-famine cycle?

How did freelancing impact her finances?

What's her strategy in getting clients?

Find out on this replay.

Introduction

 Janina loves writing. One time, her sister gave her an old laptop and advice her to also write an article in a newspaper publication to help her financial status. From there, she started writing. She thought that writing would not be difficult until she got to work with a different company demanding to write a topic that is not in her forte.

Notable quotes

•  This is for the Moms and for the people who feel like meron pa silang gustong gawin, like ako kasi, gusto ko rin somehow na makatulong ako sa husband ko, sa finances namin, dahil may mga dreams ako para sa akin at sa family ko na gusto kong matupad. I just wanted to tell everyone that it is possible, na hindi natin kailangan mag stop, mag let go, pwede natin madelay but we can come back to it.

•  May times na narereject din ako, kasi nga nung bago pa lang ako hindi ko alam how it goes online, so I took those rejections and I tried to upscale. 

•  I took advantage of free courses na nakikita ko online. For me as a beginner, the basics help so much.

• People were calling me ''sayang'' dahil I graduated college with Latin honor and manager na ako dati. Wala pa ba akong balak bumalik sa work force? Ito yung ginamit kong fuel. 

• Noong una, wala pang masyadong naniniwala sa ginagawa ko, pero I was thankful to be doing freelancing kasi I was able to help my family. Na help ko yung family ko makasurvive.

• Has freelancing helped me? has life been better? It’s been better, so much better.

• Even if you're a parent or you're a mom, there is hope. There are a lot of opportunities online, in freelancing.

• Hindi mo kailangan bitawan yung dreams mo, you can still do it right now.

• When I was working in an Australian Company, one of the managers nirecommend nya na, kung gusto mong ma perfect yung pagconstruct ng sentences, you practice na yung kahit sa normal daily chatting messaging mo, dapat complete din yung thoughts.

• I do a lot of research. I read a lot. Reading helps talaga.

• It would also help to have a friend, that you know, who's good at writing to help you check.

• When you're freelancing, you'll be able to do the things that you loved.

• Akala ko nung una hindi ako matatanggap kasi hindi ko alam like first time ko pa lang marinig yun pero ngayon ako na yung naghahadle and more platforms later on. May mga clients who are willing to train you. You just have to show them talaga na you're willing to be trained din. 

Journey to freelancing

• She graduated with Latin honors.

• She landed her first job in Muscat Oman for four years and she decided to go back home to proceed with her master’s degree in Business Administration but she was unable to finish the course due to lack of finances and so, she decided to work in Integrated Tourism in Pasay in a marketing department for two years. 
•  She works in a retail store as a customer service manager but when she got pregnant, she decided to resign because her pregnancy is more sensitive considering her circumstances like:

             -Her house and the place of work were far away.

             -Her working place was on the 3rd floor and she had to go up and down.

             -Her nature of work is mostly customers' complaints which was incredibly stressful.

             -It was a tough decision for her because she earned bigger than her husband.

• Her sister gave her an old laptop and was encouraged her to write an article in a newspaper publication where her sister’s friend is also working to help their finances. 
• She started offering her writing services to friends until such time, her services reached out to brands, NGOs, different companies and got clients from abroad but it was just project-based and with lower rates since she thinks she is still a beginner.
• She got work in an Australian company and the article again was not her forte which is Tech or sometimes Fintech a combination of finance and technology she worked for 2 months and was transferred to another department and was handling clients more on lead generation and appointment setting. 
•  She discovered that online writing has a lot of variety. What she did is slowly upscale her skills through free online courses and slowly invested in a paid freelance courses.
• She was able to get part-time as a content marketing copywriter more on travel and she’s still working here until now.
• She is currently working as a digital marketer and handling influencer marketing for a US company.

Question and Answer

How do you hone your skills so that you will be able to market yourself as a better writer?

Research. I do a lot of research and reading a lot helps talaga. I highly recommend na kung gusto mong mapractice yung writing skills mo, even when your chatting or texting, don't use or shorten the words. 

To people who didn't graduate with Latin honors like you or people who are undergraduate, is there anything you can share on how they can be able to upscale their skills?

When I came to freelancing, it didn't matter if Magna cum laude ako. Na realize ko, when you're in freelancing, you'll be able to do the things that you loved kahit hindi ka graduate. What matters is what you can do. Your skills matter. You hone it and you'll be able to find the place, your place in your freelancing journey. 

 What is the biggest advice that you can share with everyone?

Press start. I just want to say na it's possible. Lalo na sa mga parents, posible na maging magulang tayo habang patuloy nating tinutupad ang mga pangarap natin. Let’s find our place in freelancing. Alamin natin kung ano yung gusto nating gawin, alamin natin yung kaya nating gawin, ano yung nagagawa na natin. Let’s take that first step, make your profile at try to take advantage of all the free learning that's there, and when you are in and you're earning na, upscale and go to paid courses.