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From Tambay to Work at Home Tatay - Interview with Bernie Castro

March 13, 2019
by Jason Dulay 
Jason is the founder and CEO of Work from Home Roadmap and VA Bootcamp. Aside from teaching Filipinos how to succeed working from home, he likes traveling, playing board games, and drinking coffee.
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From Tambay to Work at Home Tatay - Interview with Bernie Castro #JasSuccess

Be ready to be amazed again by another inspiring story in our #JASSuccess interview.

Hear Bernie Castro's remarkable story of overcoming challenges, and his bravery when he quit his job to be with his son and see him grow up.

He was not forever called a "tambay" - because he had the determination to provide for his family and at the same time take care of his son.

Learn how he was able to start earning in freelancing because of the VA Bootcamp course he took when he was in "tambay" mode.

In this interview you'll learn the following:

✅ How He Struggled on Finding Online Jobs for Years and How He Stayed Motivated Despite It

✅ The Benefits of Being a Work At Home Tatay

✅ How Freelancing is Leading Him to Put Up an E-commerce Business

And a whole lot more…

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Watch this video as Ms. Anna Soriano interviews Mr. Bernie Castro on how he started his freelancing career, his journey from being an employee for almost 10 years, to becoming a house husband to finally discovering his potential as a successful freelancer.

Discover how he managed to open opportunities for him as a house husband and be inspired by his story of overcoming struggles and challenges.

Notable Quotes:

  • Malaking tulong sakin yung na-introduce sakin yung freelancing. Dati kasi, gusto kong mag-put up talaga ng business. Galing ako sa corporate. Halos hindi ko na nakikita anak ko. Nung natuto na ako ng freelancing, nag-gain ako ng knowledge ko at nagkaroon ako ng maraming opportunities na ina-apply ko na sa ngayon.
  • [Sa freelancing], dito ko nakita yung kapag ginagawa ko itong ginagawa ko ngayon, I'm happy doing it.
  • Yung work online, nakita ko na siya kaso parang wala akong skill para dun para makapasok.
  • Nag-take muna ako ng free course habang nakatambay. Gusto kong mag-upgrade nun para mas matuto pa lalo pero dahil nasunugan kami at hindi pa nakakabangon, walang wala kami. Pero kapag gusto mo, gagawan mo ng paraan.
  • Inaral ko yung course. Yung pang-isang buwan na course, tinapos ko ng wala pang dalawang linggo. Maghapon lang naman ako dito, ano pang gagawin ko? Pero kung ano yung mga assignment dun, ginagawa ko at the same time nag-apply talaga ako.
  • Actually nagkausap kami ni Sir Jason, nagkaroon ako ng confidence. Yun yung naging benefits nung nag-enroll ako. Na-boost ang confidence ko.
  • Mababa lang talaga ang start ko dun. Pero yung wala akong knowledge tapos tambay lang ako, mag-inarte pa ba ko?
  • Yung maganda dito sa freelancing, pag nag-refer ka mas malaki yung market mo.
  • Ang ginawa ko, since ako yung nag-ma-manage ng online store ng boss ko, kailangan maging one notch ahead ka sa kanila. Nag-search din ako. Dun ko nalaman na marami palang mga community, nag-tambay ako dun. Nag-join sa community ng mga dropshippers, mga groups. Doon ko nakita na maraming potential clients sa mga group.
  • [Sa pag-join ng groups], yung network mo, parang lumaki. International na yung network mo. Malaki na yung chance, marami ka ng source di ka na mag-fo-focus sa Upwork lang. Kailangan identify mo rin muna yung niche mo.
  • Ang maganda dito sa freelancing, hindi katulad sa corporate, kung ano yung sahod mo dun is yun na yun. Hindi ka pwedeng mag-demand. Siguro aabot ka pa ng ilang years bago makapag-demand ng raise. Dito kasi hindi. Ikaw mag-de-demand, nasa sayo kung tatanggapin mo o hindi.
  • Marine Transport lang tinapos ko. Pero yung natutunan ko dun, yung inaral ko, hindi naman naging related sa naging trabaho ko ngayon. It doesn't matter kung anong [graduate ka], basta basic requirements, marunong kang gumamit ng computer. Yun lang naman saka may internet ka.
  • [Bago sakin ang freelancing], lalakasan mo lang yung loob mo.
  • Since may basic knowledge na ko, nag-invest pa ko. Dati ang akala ko, makakapag-abroad ka lang kapag mag-ofw. Sa loob ng sampung taon ko sa corporate, never ko na-experience na makapag-abroad. Pero dito sa freelancing nakapag-Indonesia ako. Umattend ako ng mastermind [course] para sa e-commerce.
  • Dito sa freelancing, hindi na yung employee mindset. Kasi kailangan matulungan mo sila [client] mag-grow. Business partnership ito, hindi ka ordinary na empleyado.
  • Nag-invest pa rin ako to increase my knowledge. Never stop na matuto to improve.
  • Kapag kinompare mo kasi yung sarili mo parang ma-de-depress ka lang. May pagkakaiba tayo. Meron tayong unique skill. Kailangan ma-identify mo yun. Kasi pagka-na-unleash sa iyo yun, magkakaroon ka talaga ng confidence.
  • I-mindset mo na yung pinaka yung goal mo. Kasi dun ka ma-inspire eh kahit na makaranas ka ng mga pagsubok. Kailangan kung buo na yung loob mo, it doesn't matter kung ano pa man yang dumating, kakayanin mo, huwag mong sukuan. Kasi ako pinangarap ko siya, kaya ginawan ko ng paraan. Di ba sabi, [if] there's a will, there's a million ways.
  • Tsaka wag mong isipin na hindi ka magaling, or wala kang experience, or wala kang skills. Ma-de-develop naman yan, saka ma-di-discover mo din iyan.

Bernie’s Freelancing Journey:

  • He worked for almost 10 years in a corporate job. His job mostly required his presence in the workplace giving him less to no more time to bond with his child.
  • He’s undergraduate who only finished 2 years of Marine Transportation.
  • He really wants to put up his own business. He became a distributor of imported diapers and built a small shop near a small hospital. But the hospital was closed and moved to a different place.
  • He tried to work abroad but his medical assessment failed him.
  • He tried different jobs including being a load agent to different stores and applying to call centers.
  • He became a house-husband taking care of their child and the household.
  • He learned about working from home with online jobs and tried applying for basic jobs like data entry, but he wasn’t getting hired.
  • In 2014, their house was caught on fire, they lost everything instantly and have started again from zero.
  • In 2015, after their house was built again, he prioritized on investing in a computer and having an internet connection.
  • In 2016, he saw the ads of Jason Dulay on the internet.
  • Having nothing to do at home, he took the free courses of VA Bootcamp.
  • He wanted to upgrade and enroll in the paid courses but was unable to because of financial problem.
  • When he got a commission for selling a house, he did not tell his wife that he was already paid. Instead, he enrolled in the VA Bootcamp.
  • He finished the 30-day course within 2 weeks and started applying while learning. The course also helped him boost his confidence.
  • He got his first full-time job as Product Research through onlinejobs.ph after finishing the assignment given to him by the client.
  • He fulfilled his dream of owning a business with dropshipping and still getting fixed online jobs.

Q & A Highlights:

Parang mas mabilis ma-hire ang VA Bootcamp students kesa sa ibang mga training courses na nag-o-offer, is it just luck o yung nasa turo lang?

Hindi rin. Tinuturuan tayo dyan kung paano ma-develop yung confidence. Dun palang panalo ka na. Kasi kahit na wala kang skill set na naka-ready. Ako nga di ba, anong malay ko sa dropshipping. During sa pag-a-apply, sa interview, nagkaroon ako ng confidence na kaya. Nakapag-develop ng enough knowledge saka confidence. Yun talaga yung naging benefit sakin ng Bootcamp. Importante talaga nag-i-invest din talaga. Kasi kung ako, natakot akong mag-invest, eh kailangan na kailangan namin. Hindi ko alam. [Baka] Tambay pa rin.

Decline always account ko sa Upwork, kaya nag-give up na lang ako sa freelancing.

Hindi lang naman si Upwork ang nag-pro-provide ng opportunities sa mga freelancers. Meron sa onlinejobs.ph. Sa freelancer.com na-discuss na rin last time. Tapos, meron tayong parang hidden skill. Hindi mo pa na-unleash. Kailangan ma-identify mo yun. Mag-focus ka kasi mahirap pag-aaralin mo lahat, ma-o-overwhelm ka.

Dropshipping daw ba is selling also?

Ang dropshipping isang business model ng retailing. Ang maganda dito kasi sa dropshipping is you can sell without touching the product. Hindi mo na kailangan mag-stock ng inventories at para ikaw mismo yung mag-deliver. Maghahanap na lang ng supplier to deliver yung item. Para kang isang middleman. Ikaw maghahanap ng mga buyer sa store mo. And then kapag may bumili sayo, saka mo o-orderin dun sa supplier mo and then sila na bahala. Ikaw lang yung mag-ma-market.

Tatay Bernie, what ang ma-a-advice mo sa mga member na nasa stage na nag-a-apply but not yet very successful?

Identify ninyo muna yung kung ano ba yung current na skill. Kung hindi naman related [sa pinag-aralan], tulad ko, hindi naman related, ginawa ko is nag-invest ako to that knowledge para magkaroon ako ng skill. Pag nakapag-develop ka na, na-identify mo na yung skill na yun, dapat i-apply mo din. Sinasamahan ko rin ng prayer.

Sir Bernie, paano kaya kung mag-complain ng buyer ng damage, paano gagawin kung ikaw ang nag-dropship?

Kailangan i-verify mo kung damaged ba talaga. Kami, pinapa-video pa namin tapos hinihingi namin yung resibo, kung yun ba talaga. Ano yung order number.  Kailangan identify or kailangan hingian mo muna ng mga proof na talagang sayo tapos pi-picturan.

What if kung ang supplier mo eh mali ang dineliver sa customer mo? Ano daw mangyayari. Lugi ka na dun kasi di ba fully paid mo na?

Ah hindi kasi kung fault ng supplier require mo siya to replace.

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by Jason Dulay 
Jason is the founder and CEO of Work from Home Roadmap and VA Bootcamp. Aside from teaching Filipinos how to succeed working from home, he likes traveling, playing board games, and drinking coffee.

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133 comments on “From Tambay to Work at Home Tatay - Interview with Bernie Castro”

  25. What F kong ang supplier mo eh mali ang ideneliver sa customer mo what will happend? Lugi ka don kc dba fully paid mo na e2 sa supplier mo tpos yong customer mo ni contest sa paypal. What will u do?

    Reply

  26. “Identify niyo muna yung current skill, kung hindi naman related, ang ginawa ko lang, ng invest ako to that knowledge, para magkaroon ako ng skills. Pag na-identify mo na, focus mo siya. Kung ano yung natutunan mo, i-aaply mo din. Sinasamahan ko ng prayers. Pine-pray-over ko pa.” – Bernie Castro

    Reply

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