"I am begging people to hire me."

This is what Cyrille shared with us.

She's only 21 years old.

But as the breadwinner, she really needed to work hard and earn to survive.

Even if it means magmakaawa siya to get a job.

Not until she discovered freelancing.

Which allowed her to work at her own time and pace.

Getting closer every day to reaching her goal to become financially free.

And earn 10x more than what she usually earns when she's in the corporate world.

Curious to know how she did it?

How she handled all the rejections she received?

How she's able to get clients after clients?

21-Year-Old Breadwinner Earning 10x Her Previous Salary, Thanks to Online Freelancing - JasSuccess Interview 05/26/2021

INTRODUCTION

Watch this video as Cyrille Garcia shares her freelancing journey.

Find out how a 21-year-old breadwinner climbed her way up from being a receptionist, an online seller, to a six-figure earner freelancer in a short period of time. Witness how she transitioned from being a below minimum wage earner to a six-figure earner in just a couple of months. 

Discover Cyrille’s habits, best practices, and work ethic.

NOTABLE QUOTES

• Nakakuha ako ng first client with Graphic Designs, that's $75. I am very happy because sabi ko, "Ginawa ko lang yun ng two to three hours and I earned three thousand plus, three thousand something." Then sabi ko, "Kaya ko pala!" Then I was so happy na bumili pa ako ng pizza kahit yun na lang pera ko kasi syempre tuwang tuwa ako eh. I was so happy na kaya ko palang kumita ng ganito sa online.
• Noong una, ang hirap. Ang hirap pala. Ang hirap pag starting talaga ng freelancing. So if anyone of you na gusto magfreelancing, guys, it's not an overnight success. Sa una talaga you need to build your brand muna. Kailangan mo magpakilala. So habang nagpapakilala ako, I was begging people to hire me.
• You need to start, you need to take risks. If you won't take risks, walang mangyayari. If you will stay in your comfort zone or nandun ka lang sa loob ng comfort zone mo walang mangyayare. Sa mga nakikita ko sa freelancing sabi ko, "Bakit kaya nila? Ako hindi." Kaya sabi ko, "Kaya ko din yan." Parang ganun, na if they can do it, I can do it too. And also, no one's going to push you, ikaw lang. No one's gonna do it for you, ikaw lang.
• Of course noong mga una, guys, I had like, ang dami kong discovery calls na rejected, sobrang, ang dami kong discovery calls na parang di nila ako kinukuha. So ang gagawin ko pagkatapos nun, nandito ako sa table ko, papasok ako sa kwarto, iiyak ako. Iiyak ako for two weeks. Hindi ako maghahanap ng client because ang sakit. Pero ngayon tinatanggap ko na si rejections. Which is sabi ko, “Hala hindi yata para sa akin to kasi ni-reject ako ni client.” But ngayon, nalaman ko na, na pag ni-reject ka ni client, pag nag-fail ka, God is just preparing you for something big. At tsaka habang nag-fefail ka, nalalaman mo yung mali sa tama.
• Learn everything, learn learn learn. After you learn, you remove the letter "L", so you "earn". Then show up. After mong matuto, i-implement mo yun. Then after mong mag-implement, wag kang sumuko. 
• Lahat ng expert na yan, they all started as a beginner din. Lahat yan nag-fail. All of the successful people and freelancers are people who refused to give up.
• Be consistent. Be consistent na mag-learn, be consistent na hindi mag-give up, be consistent of showing up. And also itatak natin sa utak natin na failure is not the opposite of success.
• Learn everything because knowledge is power. Kailangan mo ng bala bago ka lumabas sa giyera and learning is yung balang yun.
• Ano bang ginagawa ng mga six to seven figures na freelancers na hindi mo ginagawa? Think about it. Ayun, baka kasi hindi mo ginagawa yun. Ready ka na ba to do that? Kasi of course, hindi yun madali. Kailangan doble yung hustle mo.
• Everyone, kailangan niyo maghanap ng circle na ipupush ka. Like example, I thought 100k is impossible, pero pag na-sorround ka ng tao na nag-eearn ng 100k, oh my God, madali na yun. 

CYRILLE GARCIA’s JOURNEY TO FREELANCING

• A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management and worked as a receptionist at a five-star hotel in EDSA earning below minimum wage.
• Regardless of her wage, she continued to work in the five-star hotel as she wanted to pursue her goal which is to be a Flight Attendant. But because of the pandemic, as a breadwinner, she had to compromise her plans and hustled through online selling.
• Her profit in online selling is not enough. She then applied to a lot of platforms and posted numerous times in different Facebook groups, begging and hoping to land a job.
• Her friend introduced her to freelancing and advised her to enroll in an online course to enhance and gain the skills needed to become a freelancer. But due to being unemployed, she wasn’t able to do so. Thankfully, her heaven-sent-friend lent her the money needed to enroll in the online course.
• At first, like everybody else, she struggled. But she surrounded herself with a circle of freelancers who taught her the ins and outs of freelancing.  
• She built her brand and was able to land and retain a client. This boosted her confidence, it got her to the point where she gets offers from different clients, and the rest is history.

Q&A HIGHLIGHTS

When you first heard about freelancing, what was your first impression? Were you curious or skeptical? 

I am a very curious person. Pag hindi ko alam, hindi ko siya titigilan hangga’t hindi ko siya natututunan. That’s it. Hindi ko siya titigilan hangga’t hindi ako magaling sa side na yun. Noong una gulong gulo ako. Ano ba yung freelancing? Then I tried joining freelancing groups at dun ko siya nalaman.  

From the start, would you do something different? 

Yes. There are some things na sana alam ko bago ako mag-freelancing. Dapat pala hindi ako desparate. Akala ko na, kung ano yung iniisip mo, that’s what will happen. Eh ako dati napakanegative ko. Feeling ko hindi ko kaya. Sana naisip ko na pwede pala akong mag-optimize ng profile at pwede pala akong pumasok sa loob ng Facebook groups para makakuha ng direct clients. 

What was the time span of you desperately looking for a job to be confident with your skills? 

From April to August, I was building myself, my portfolio, and testimonials. August to November, I boosted my brand via Facebook groups and I started to build a circle of freelancers internationally. 

Where did you get the courage to enter the world of freelancing? 

Noong una, I pursued freelancing because I don’t have a job. We all know how important money is and I needed it desperately. Not just for me, but for my sister as well. And also because I want to help out my clients and other freelancers. Pero, my biggest “Why” and the person that really pushed me, is my Mom. Despite the fact that we have our ups and downs, I’m aware that our time is limited and this is my way of giving back to her. There was this time that I was working for two straight days. I was really hustling and this is my way of providing her a better life. 

Are there still times where you feel low?

I had numerous discovery calls that are rejected. Hindi talaga ako nakukuha tapos papasok at iiyak ako sa kwarto ko. I would then take a break for two weeks, hindi ako maghahanap ng client kasi ang sakit. Pero ngayon, tinatanggap ko na ang rejections. Kasi pag nagfail ka, God is just preparing you for something big. At tsaka habang nag-fifail ka, you would come to a realization at malalaman mo yung mali sa tama. 

In your experience, what is the biggest advice that you can give?

Learn everything, learn learn learn. After you learn, you remove the letter "L". So, you earn. Then show up. After mong matuto, i-implement mo yun. Then after mong mag-implement, wag kang sumuko. Don't give up. All of the successful people and successful freelancers refused to give up. Be consistent in learning, not giving up, and showing up. Itatak natin sa utak natin na failure is not the opposite of success. If you fail, God is giving you another chance to try. Knowledge is power, kailangan mo ng bala bago ka sumabak sa gyera. Ang magsisilbing bala mo ay ang iyong knowledge. Maraming freelancers na nagretreat, bumalik sila sa corporate world dahil sumuko sila agad. They tend to give up dahil hindi nila nakuha agad yung gusto nila. Ano bang ginagawa ng mga six to seven figures na freelancers na hindi mo ginagawa? Think about it. Baka kasi hindi mo ginagawa yun. Ready ka na ba to do that? Kasi of course, hindi yun madali. Everybody wants to be a beast until it’s time to do what real beasts do. Kailangan doble yung hustle mo at maging consistent ka, it’ll all be worth it.