Watch a truly inspiring story from Ginger Arboleda: CEO of Manila Workshops / COO of Taxumo / Blogger / Start-up Business & Marketing Coach.

Ginger is a serial entrepreneur with businesses that revolve around the mission of helping entrepreneurs start their own businesses and helping them sustain it. She has also been a speaker at various events, where she talks about entrepreneurship, women empowerment, marketing, social media and even mommyhood.

In this interview we tackled a lot, including;

✅ The advantages of being your own boss
✅ How to succeed in starting a business
✅ The importance of continuous learning

and much much more.

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Notable Quotes

• I think it’s more of practicing first. Practicing building your portfolio, because the best way, like you can really show the skill that you have as a blog article, technical writers, through this work that you created. So it’s really building your skill and building your portfolio, step by step. So if you go to what you can do is to go different life and you try to get clients or even if for example, go to small startup companies. I think there’s a lot of startup company here in the Philippines even for especially base. I’m sure your base here, the people listen mostly Filipinos. So what you can do is, if you can find any job in Upwork or Freelancer.com what you can do or other sites like 199 job, what you can do is approach the small startup companies and open to creating articles for them. So that you build your portfolio by doing a thing and by doing so, you can up your game, up your skills and after a while, you can use these articles as your portfolio and then you can eventually get high pay, higher paying clients.
•  It is something that you want to do, then go for it. It really depends on the person, the reason why I want to do blog, blogging or the reason why I became a blogger is that I really enjoyed writing and I always mentioned these to another aspiring blogger. If you really can’t be consistent with blogging and if you really want to monetize it later on, the key is really consistency. If you know that you can keep up with the content for your blog because of the other things that you do, obviously, like you have to earn for clients. You have to write for clients. If that’s the thing that you want to focus on there, focus on your client but if you want to make it big as a blogger, focus on being consistent with your blog. So it really depends on what the person wants for him/herself. And blogging is really hard work, it’s not as easy as you think it seems, like a lot of people I came across people and they tell, ang dali-dali naman ng ginagawa mo, like my relatives, they don’t understand, they tell me, you just write about the thing to get stuff, or we go to restaurant you write about those, so that you can get a discount, that's not the point. It’s hard work you have to think about the content you have to learn all of this marketing stuff.
• The thing about entrepreneurship or freelancing is that, you have to experiment with certain staff, there’s no clear out a way of making it big or being successful in the particular field. People like the rock star that you have, John, you personally. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of people who successfully done it well but all of our stories will be different, all of our journeys will be different.
• It’s more of bringing value to entrepreneurship and freelancing, and whatever which way whichever track that I would look for the specific date. So there, so that how I saw my blog it wasn’t just a blog so that I’ll learn, but it was more a blog so that I can provide value to the aspiring entrepreneurship who read my blog, an aspiring freelancer who read my blog. It’s all about rebuilding brand value or rebuilding value for the customers.
• It’s more about looking inside rather than looking upward. First, before you can look outward effectively, you have to look internally first.

Ginger Arboleda’s Journey to Freelancing

•  She was working in a bank for almost 7 years.
•  She quit work for a lot of reasons;
•  She doesn’t want to be a vice president in the future.
•  Way back 2010, she has a miscarriage and there is some complication in her pregnancy that leads her to have chemotherapy.
•  During the time of her miscarriage, she was going through different freelancing sides and she came up across with Odesk (all known already as Upwork). She was started working at home and then she ended up gigs as a freelance writer.
•  After 6 months she realized that she has done a lot of article writing, technical writing for different blogs since 2008. She realized that why not focus on blogging so that she could earn in blogging. So that’s the time she focuses on her blog in Manila Reviews.
• In 2013 she had her daughter, so she focuses as Mommy Ginger and that’s the time she resigned for her banking job and pursued full-time freelancer and a full-time entrepreneurial career.
• Six months prior the time she resigned she actually creating a lot of workshops for entrepreneurs and freelancers because she sees that’s the way for her to look up different business opportunities. And it ended up having her own business.
• Her strength is in article writing, blog writing, and technical writing. She wrote like more than a hundred articles before she went on focusing on her own task.
• She’s the Chief Operating Officer of Taxumo. Taxumo is a web application that helps people prepare a file for their taxes.

Q & A Highlights

In your last job other than money, what inspired you to keep on?

    I guess the learnings, a lot of learnings where handed over to me by my boss. I had a really great boss by the way. So it was one of the reasons why I couldn’t quit because I learned so much from him.

What age would you want to retire?

    Forty-four, because, specific no, I really calculated what age I would want to retire. I prepared giving presence I don’t have to think about that.

Describe the color yellow to someone whose blind?

    It keeps you the feeling of happiness, it’s like eating ice cream, after feeling that tingling sensation. I have no idea what I’m saying.

What is your biggest addiction?

    Coffee, I think most of us addiction, where all addicted to coffee.

How many clients do you have right now, if you do have clients still for writing?

    I have contracts for my blog, because I really focus on my blog already. I have 6 contracts now for Mommy Ginger, so in terms of freelancing work, I have already dropped all of my freelance clients from freelance writing. I’m now focusing on building Mommy Ginger. So I have 6 contracts, some of them, well each of contracts end at different times.  So I already have one for next year and some of them are ending at different times throughout 2018. I already get direct sponsors I work with PR agencies, ad agencies, so that's how I earned now. It’s really direct sponsorship for a different brand.

How long did it take for you to make money for your blogging in general?

    I started way back 2008 and I remembered my first client was a big brand who sponsored us. I think that was in 2009 so it took me like a year before I found one big advertiser who sponsored our blog. But for Mommy Ginger it was a breeze, I think it was because I’ve already build my blog, my brand with my previous blog which is Manila Reviews. So I’ve been doing Manila Review since 2008, so when I introduce Mommy Ginger in 2013 I already knew the different challenges that blogger would encounter and I already knew what to do with Mommy Ginger, so I built a brand. So today 2017, so in just 2 years I doubled the amount that I was earning for Manila Reviews with just Mommy Ginger and I don’t really focus on Manila Reviews anymore. So I really focused now on Mommy Ginger.

Is it significant enough for the amount of money in a year?

    Yes, it is actually for Mommy Ginger as I mentioned 2013 I was starting my Manila workshop as a business and then last year I started Taxumo. So it really helps with the finances of both companies. So as you know when you like to start a business, return on investment isn’t really overnight. So you have to wait for like a year or so. And it was through blogging that I actually earned a lot to keep my business. So I still do that now, that being why it was a big help in the finances the family.

    Parang hirap naman talagang maging blogger. As writers, it's not that easy when it seems. Saludo ako sa mga  may talent for write and Alliyah says it true, ang hirap mag blogger, so people, just it right it's really difficult it is.

    For aspiring writers, it is advisable to first write a blog for yourself to establish your first personal brand.

    Well, you can do that when you practice, there a lot of it, really depend on the objective for a starting a blog. If you want to practice or if you want to establish your brand for yourself, and blogging is a good way to do it. There are other avenues you can build yourself. I’m not just talking about, well, blogging is how I did it but you can also create a Facebook page for yourself, share your thoughts, you don’t have necessarily to have a blog, you can also do vlogging. If you don’t really, well for a person is a writer naman I assume, but for those who can’t write well, you can do vlogging. So you can create YouTube channel, or you can just create videos or Facebook which you can share knowledge. So there are different ways on which you can build you brand, but if you love writing then yes, sure start a blog.

How do you deal with writer’s blog?

    I take a vacation, really I go on a vacation here or I just tell my husband that I need to go to a coffee shop or just roam around, go window shopping, look for new facial care product. But really, it’s about time for yourself first, getting time for yourself first, not thinking about work, not even thinking about the topic that you want to write up about or thinking that you’re in that moment that you don’t have to do anything, that you want to write about. It’s more about looking for inspiration, trying to see out there. I like observing people, so there is source like an inspiration for me. Just not dealing with the stress first, not thinking about it and then later on when you go back you feel more refreshed because sometimes, that’s why you encounter that because you're so stressed. You think about it too much that you both actually get to think about it. Actually, find that topic you want to write about. It’s more about finding time for yourself first and not thinking about that and then getting back to the view again.

    Don’t think about the blog or don’t think about the topic that your client wants you to write about. Just be there and be intentional, whenever it is that you’re doing, for example, you’re eating in the buffet, just focus on the food, focus on the conversations and then don’t focus on work, don’t think about blogging, writing, just think about the food and enjoy it. It’s a decision, its really an intentional decision not to think about so try to destruct your mind from all of these things.

How do you manage your time at the moment? I’m a full-time employee with 8 hours job, full-time mom of two grown boys and I also have a small business. I’m getting crazy thinking which prioritizes. We all know that it's very important to earn money at the time of my life who I want to earn at the same time be a little free and yes, people who can do that, do what they want but also be able to survive all day expenses.

    I think the first thing that you need is to think about developing a system that works for yourself. So what do I mean by a system? So for example for your small business look at the task that makes up your business, for example in a business you have operations, you have marketing, you have legal or the business component financials. Look at where you can actually outsource a specific project for a specific task of person that you really trust. In a person that can get the job done and then try to outsource the task. So after that, you’re free of anything when it comes to the business aspects.

   All you need to do is now, think the bigger picture, still the direction of the company and focus on that. Focus on doing it, thinking it, making it sustainable so that’s what CEO or business ownership doing for the business.

    For the full-time job, well you really have to do that by yourself because no one can come in for you. So focus on that during the times that you're inside the office and make sure that if is 8 – 5 job, leave at 5. Finish all your task or most of it or the task that you prioritize for a particular day, and then leave at 5, go home spend time with your family.

I don’ have an idea about blogging, is there great God’s gift she loves to write but has no idea about blogging or how to do it? Is there any capital required? I guess how to start a blog and settings team up, not really a techie but working way to earn from home.

    You can start with a free site like wordpress.org is use free, you can a blogger, you can use Squarespace but I think there is a monthly fee for that Squarespace, Wix. There’s a lot of resources online also with Manila Workshop we have a few blogging workshop. We're already planning for next year, so most of the workshop for next year already, so we also have that. Were also planning an online course for bloggers or aspiring bloggers like you.

Ano po pwede ko gawin para makita ng tao service ko through social media? Need ko ba mag-aral din or kumausap ng tao to market my service?

    I’m familiar with Erick’s product. The thing about Erick’s product is very visual, so good job Erick case I’ve been seeing your videos, also that’s a good way kase if something visual that you’re trying to sell. It’s really promoting visually that work. So continue lang doing your videos will fix your Facebook page, kase yung kanyang Facebook page is The Art of Erick, so medyo mahaba. He knows that I told him na. But continue lang kase success naman, again isn’t achieved overnight. So with an experiment that you create, try to learn from each thing. And I think his already doing Facebook Ads, I’m not sure but I know he was asking about that. So Facebook Ad is also an affordable way of marketing your service. And always be present where your marketing did. You have to identify which market you really want to target and be there. Because of the thing about as if minsan we just market without really thinking of where our market is. So for Erick, try to identify who your target market is.

Do you have a mentor or blogger that inspire you?

    A mentor or blogger, well I’ve always been fascinated with the strategies of Marie Forleo, Amy Porterfield because she’s a marketing girl. Natalie Sisson, all of these women entrepreneurs and freelancers. And I also love dun naman sa male Pat Flynn, Neil Patel because of SEO  and content staff. These are the guys that I follow. These are my idols really. I think it’s more of, there are my idols because I see the strategies, the pre-employ and that it actually works for them and I love experimenting on the thing. So whatever they say I just experiment. I know that it won't, some of them work for me but I love to see because which work for me. Some of the strategies that they mention work for me, some don’t, like for example for Neil I love that he measures everything really well like his very kin into focusing on monitoring the metrics. Pat Flynn ganun din monitoring his income to the extent.  Marie what I like about her is PR girl, she knows her branch, she understands her audience and she converses with them really well really effectively. Amy Porterfield naman she's my goddess in terms of, in marketing, she loves talking to people as well, di ba she has been on the podcast. Natalie Sisson she inspires me because of her lifestyle, since she travel and works. She can work from anywhere in the world and she talks about her documents, travel, and how she works from each area.

What can you advise for as a first timer, I want to start VA, blogger or data entry?

    It’s totally different world that you in right now.  So the mindset that you have siguro when you were still working is, you get the task done because sinabi ng boss mo. You have deadlines that you need to fulfill or to follow. The task is given to you readily because obviously, your boss split task between like different agents or different people. But now it’s all about you, you’re the one who gonna tell yourself what you need to achieve for the day. You’re the one whose gonna motivate yourself and drive yourself to accomplish the task. You’re the one who's in control of your time. So that’s the first thing you need to realize early on that there’s no one thing there to tell you what to do at any point in time. You have to be proactive with everything that you’re doing right now. You have to be proactive marketing for yourself, you have been proactive fulfilling all of your clients. Ganun sya iba yung mundo na ginagalawan mo,  that’s the main thing I want to impart to you. It’s about knowing yourself and driving, motivating yourself.

Do you have basic structures as for how to launch and market your clients business?

    I have a course that developed with Ejay, it’s called Marketing for Non-marketers and it’s a foundation course. We come up with this online course that we created because of that purpose, you have to understand what marketing is and how to define the certain market.  Defining the need, defining the product and services. What makes you stand out in the industry and then when you know the foundation it’s really easy now to experiment and go into specific. The strategies that deploy like content marketing, email marketing. If you wouldn't want to attempt the online course it’s okay, but be sure that you understand your costumers, rule number one, next is have a plan and defining your objective and your metrics. The most important thing really is to understand your market because that has you defined a need and then convey the message you address the need.