What do the following people have in common?

Colonel Sanders

Vera Wang

Samuel L. Jackson

Julia Child

You might say they are/were highly successful people. That's true.

What's also true is that they only became highly successful later in life.

Author C. S Lewis once said, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

Most people would agree to this, perhaps including yourself. But just like any popular saying and words of wisdom, it may tickle your ear but it's often easier said than done.

When you are a full-time mom of three with no yaya, it's hard to imagine pursuing a career in the corporate world. Of course, family comes first. So, huwag na lang mangarap para hindi ma-frustrate.

Well, thanks to online freelancing, stay at home moms now have an option to reach their financial goals without sacrificing time for their families. Yes, it's OK to dream again!

Just like Jerika.

She used to work as an accounting assistant and bookkeeper but when she got married and had kids, she and her husband decided that she'd have to stay at home to take care of their growing family. She's been a full-time mom since 2006.

One day, her uncle and niece shared with her the concept of online freelancing. It gave her hope and it drove her to take action. She spent her free time studying how to get started and eventually landed her first job. She also became a FLIP moderator and this helped her get a 2nd client.

"I'm earning money but I still have time to take care of my kids and pursue other activities that interest me. Freelancing gave me the chance to dream big despite my age. Kasi naisip ko noon hindi na talaga ako magkaka -work pa kasi wala talagang magbabantay ng kids ko. I was 34 when I got pregnant with my 3rd child. After more than a decade of being a full-time mom, now I have a chance to help my clients with their business and it feels good."

Can you relate to Jerika's story? Do you want to hear the rest of it?

Watch the replay of this interview here.

Freelancing Gave Me A Big Chance To Dream Big Despite My Age with Jerika Doyayag

Watch this video as Jerika Doyayag narrates her own freelancing journey.

Find out why freelancing gave her a big chance to dream big despite her age. You’ll also know how she transitioned from being a full-time mom to a freelancer. 

Be inspired by Jerika’s success story and learn some tips on how she landed her first Upwork job. Discover her habits, best practices, and work attitude.

If you want to learn more about her story, watch the replay here.

INTRODUCTION:

Jerika is from La Trinidad Benguet with 3 kids and 14 years of full-time mom.  

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in October 2003. She took the review and CPA board exam twice but did not make it. She decided to work as an Accounting Assistant that lasts until the end of 2005 and got married in 2006 at the age of 23 and became a full-time housewife.

Time passes by, Jerika realizes that she's not getting any younger and feels worthless. She can't help her husband with the house expenses. She also suffered from depression, praying and hoping that opportunity will knock her door.

Upon learning about freelancing, she researched on her own about working from home and easily got hooked up and enrolled in VA Bootcamp. She joined the hustle challenge, got her first client but didn’t last long. Again got her second client but the same thing happened.

Failure after failure, Jerika has her turning point. Is freelancing really for her? 

She has been depressed for five months but when she got back and said: “ I’m gonna do this, there’s no turning back.” She reviewed her lessons, joined the hustle challenge and the Flip Internship and ended it with a big bang.

She’s now happy with her two clients, the first even gave her a second monitor. 

Notable quotes

• Freelancing gave me the opportunity to work at the same time kasama ko yung mga anak ko. Ang mindset ko noon talaga corporate lang, pwede pa lang ganito,nagwowork ka kumikita kasama mo yung mga anak mo.
• Yung freelancing binigyan ako ng opportunity para may sariling pera. Ako na yung nakatoka sa groceries namin, nakakatulong sa tuition fee ng mga bata at mga bills sa bahay.
• Iba kasi yung client ko ngayon puro chat interview, nung na hire na ako may video interview. Try nya ako ng one week, yung work ko back office manager ng isang jewelry shop, order sheets, this is how you do it, gusto nya tinuturo nya. "Can you do this?" Yes sabi ko, maingay ang anak ko. "You have a son?" sabi nya - baka hindi mo kaya ung work?" Sabi ko, "Kaya ko, try mo ako ng one month" - sabi nya okay na ung one week.
• When I was doing my job nanginginig yung kamay ko, nagbre breast feed pa ako noon, hawak hawak ko ung anak ko. "Is there something wrong?" Napapanuod nya pala sa order sheet yung ginagawa ko, sabi nya ang simple lang ng trabaho bakit di mo magawa? Sabi ko, kasi hawak ko yung anak ko - nakatulog. Pagkatapos nuon,  fixed na yung schedule ko - na gawin na nang tama yung procedure na pinagagawa nya, satisfied naman sya. Nagpadala pa nga sya ng 2nd monitor.
• "You don't have a second monitor?"... Sabi ko, I don't have, tapos nun nagpadala agad sya ng second monitor, nag order sya sa Lazada.  
• I will not paid off yung mga nangyari, kasi life lessons yan. Marami akong natutunan sa experiences na ito, yung struggles pwede yung maging blessings in disguise in the future. Iyon yung natutunan ko, so I will not trade it.
• Don't give up, mag rest ka kung depressed ka o nawawalan ng ganang mag freelancing. Alalahanin ang mga goals, kung anong gustong mangyari sa buhay ninyo. Kung gusto mo bang i improve or ganun na lang ba palagi.
• Don't be discouraged, but be challenged. Pray talaga, malaki talaga ang magagawa ng prayer pero syempre with actions yan. I-guide kayo and everything,  don't be stuck where you are. At some point na stuck ako. Your struggles now, might be your blessings in disguise later.
• There's no age limit in freelancing, that's the advantage in freelancing. 

Journey to Freelancing A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy

• Worked as Accounting Assistant / Bookkeeper.
• In 2006, she got married and became a full-time mom of three for 14 years.
• Wanted to be a CPA, she took the board exam twice but things didn’t work out according to her plans.
• One day, her uncle and niece shared the concept of freelancing. She researched on her own, got easily hooked up and enrolled in VA Bootcamp. Study her modules during her freetime. She joined the hustle challenge and FLIP Internship as a moderator.
• Applied all the learnings, she got two clients but didn’t last long.
• Because of the experienced, she felt demotivated. She took a rest for five months,  while watching webinars of JASuccess.
• After rejections and failures in 2019, Jerika made her come back and said to herself  “I’m gonna do this and there’s no turning back.”
• Remembering her biggest “whys”, she reviewed her lessons. Tailored her profile according to her experienced - she got two clients in Upwork.
• Freelancing gave her the chance to dream big despite her age. She thought she can’t work again and earn money. Thanks to online freelancing, stay home moms now have an option to reach their financial goals without sacrificing time for their families. She’s earning money but still has time to take care of her kids and pursue other activities.

Q and A

Ano ang nag trigger sa iyo bakit bigla mong sinabi na, “I'm gonna do this, and there's no turning back"?

Hindi naman kasi nandyan yung mama ko forever para tumulong. Yung husband ko, sabi nya I'm not getting any younger. Meron din yung time na maiisip mo na mag ipon or other financial goals - "ganito na lang ba palagi umaasa sa iba?"

Why freelancing?

Freelancing kasi gave me the opportunity to work at the same time kasama ko yung mga anak ko. Ang mindset ko noon talaga corporate lang. Pwede palang ganito,nagwo work ka at kumikita kasama mo yung mga anak mo.

How did you catch up again, medyo matagal yung mga pahinga mo, nandito na yung mga hustle challenge, nandyan si Ms Holly. How did you send a convincing cover letter to these clients?

I reviewed my lessons, plus yung mga natutunan ko nuon sa hustle challenge at mga webinars. Kahit na nag rest ako nuon, yung mga webinars ni Sir LJ, Sir Mark, FCC - active akong nakikinig sa mga webinars, questions and answers.

If you suddenly lost these two clients, will you do the the same? Aatras ka na naman ba, mag-a-alinlangan? Magpapahinga ka na naman ba ng five months?

Tuloy pa din ang laban, yung ginagawa ko ngayon - one to two hours side business, building up. What's my next niche? Bini-build ko na, yung gusto ko. Ang aim natin as freelancers, magkaroon din ng passive income.

Are you managing your time well now as a mom, as a wife, as a freelancer as a business woman?Are  you able to manage your time now?

Hindi mo masasabi na ma-manage mo 100% ung time mo, pero natotolerate mo naman. Flexible yung pinili kong oras at clients at kahit flexible, I set time pa rin. Example,  Monday to Tuesday - natapos ko yung malalaking tasks. Pa-silip silip na lang ng Wednesday to Friday, tapos walang work ng Saturday and Sunday.

May ginawa ako notebook per client, nino-note ko dun yung mga mali ko para sa susunod alam ko. Yung mga clients ko, hinahayan nila ako to think on my own. Kung anong gagawin ko, basta sasabihin nila na ito yung dapat mong gawin for this week.

Gumamit din ako ng mga tools, like Google Sheets, Spreadsheets.

Who are you right now? Are you a happy freelancer? A successful freelancer?

Happy freelancer and at the same time successful din. Gusto ko mas relax na freelancer, manonood pa rin naman ako ng telenovelas. Pero dapat tapos na yung mga tasks, para ma-relax.

What's this title, “Freelancing gave me a big chance to dream big despite my age." When did you realize this?

My mindset is in corporate. Nung pinanganak ko yung 3rd ko, I was 34. Sa mind ko parang wala nang career, wala nang pag-asa makapag work pa. Wala nang pag asa na ma meet yung dream na may sariling pera, matulungan yung mga anak sa pag-aaral nila.