Watch another #JasSuccess interview as another VA Bootcamp and Road to 100k Masterclass student, Clarissa "Isay" Naquila, talks about her freelancing journey with Anna Soriano.

Isay is a typical ‘promdi’ who enrolled in VA Bootcamp using her last pay as an ESL teacher. She then flew to Manila alone with nothing but her 9 Kg luggage and a laptop to push her luck in freelancing.

Join us as Isay talks about;

✅  Accepting her weakness as an introvert, being bullied in school, peddling bean sprouts under the scorching heat of the sun, doing under the table writing gigs just to support her studies

✅ How she worked as an ESL Teacher by borrowing laptop from friends

✅ Becoming a Social Media Sweetheart who charges $20 per hour

All these and more inspiring story on  Isay's #JasSuccess interview.

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Notable Quotes:

• How I became an Upwork Top Rated Freelancer from being very inexperienced na introvert talaga, it only took me three simple steps. As in tatlo lang. One is acknowledge your weaknesses. And then two is, find solution to it. Kasi you know we only have to accept what we can’t change, di ba? Number 2 is find solution. And then, number 3 is surround yourself with positive people who can and will help you. Kasi may mga taong kaya kang tulungan pero hindi ka willing tulungan. Alam mo yung ganon.
• At an early age kelangan naming matuto parang naturuan kami ng parents namin na i-value yung money, na hindi lahat ng gusto mo mabibigay sayo without you working hard for it.
• And then na-realize ko, if I’m going to let others dictate what I can’t be, wala akong mararating. So, I remember nung Grade 5 or Grade 6 ako, that’s when I first learned how to monetize my talent.
• At an early age, natutunan ko nang i-monetize yung skill na alam kong meron ako.
• Nung time na ‘yon parang na realize ko na merong pera sa Internet. So dun nabuksan yung isip ko na many chance na di ako mag-aapply talaga sa corporate.
• No.2 is find solutions to the weaknesses. If you cannot change it, accept it and then move on and look for solutions. Parang workaround, yun yung hanapin mo.
• That’s the most important thing pag nag fi-freelancing ka, wala kang workmates na mahihingan ng tulong. So, all you need to do is to reach out to people na kaya kang tulungan at willing na tumulong sa’yo.
• One thing din na nakita ko sa FLIP (Freelancers in the Philippines) kung bakit ako nag enroll din sa Bootcamp was the community.
• Though hindi napapabilis yung success mo in freelancing ng networking, pero malaking tulong siya kasi di ba nga “Surround yourself with positive people.” Hindi lang naman siya limited dun sa friends, dun sa mentors, dun sa Facebook group. Also reach out to people whom you look up to especially yung mga tinatawag nating "lodis" ngayon.
• Reach out to people lang talaga, and build relationships, engage with the community because the resources are all around you.
• For people who are interested na mag freelance, don’t hesitate to reach out to people pag kelangan niyo ng tulong.
• Para sa atin din na nagtatanong, let’s ask smart questions din that deserve smart answers. Kasi basically we are asking people a few minutes of their time.
• Ang pinaka number 1 skill na kailangan mo talaga sa freelancing is magbasa. Andaming resources. Promise. And then all you have to do is research and read. Tapos apply agad, execution.
• Madami ang nagsa-start sa freelancing nang hindi umuusad kasi stuck sila dun sa “analysis-paralysis” part. Na nagku-consume sila ng super daming content and then hindi na nila alam, na-ooverwhelm na sila.
• Kasi yung takot na yan. Yan yung roadblock niyo papunta dun sa success niyo.
• Push lang, tanong ka lang ng tanong.
• Pag na reject ka, eh di move on. Hair flip and move on. It’s easier said than done pero it’s the only way para hindi ka ma-stuck dun sa rejection part.
• Being employed right after college is not the only way. Ako kasi hindi ako employed eh, sa corporate di ba? It’s okay na hindi ka sumunod dun sa norm especially for me pag tinignan ko yung mga tao sa paligid ko. Don’t compare yourselves with others kasi you have your own timeline.
• Create a career out of what you love doing.
• Success is relative. What might be successful to others may not be the definition of success for you.
• What’s important is how you look at yourself in the mirror and say na “Okay, I’m happy”. Kung ano man yung nararating mo ngayon nagawa mo ng sarili mong sikap.
• For example ako, wala akong experience sa corporate world, wala akong experience sa freelancing. Yung alam ko lang is magturo but then na-hire ako kasi I created my own experience.
• Create your own experience. Don’t rely on others to hand it to you.

Clarissa “Isay” Naquila’s Journey to Freelancing:

• Back in high school, she was already diagnosed with introversion. She doesn’t like going out, being in big crowds, and doesn’t like interacting with strangers.
• Later, she realized it was normal to be an introvert.
• She wasn’t born in a rich family.
• She was taught, and she learned how to value money at an early age.
• She used to peddle bean sprouts with her brother for their school allowance
• She applied the lesson of valuing money on freelancing.
• She used to be bullied in school.
• She joined campus journalism in her elementary years and eventually used her writing skills to earn money to support her studies.
• She developed an entrepreneurial mindset at a young age.
• She wrote book reviews and movie reviews to earn money in high school and in college.
• She learned networking, outsourcing, and financing in high school.
• She did transcription jobs in Odesk (currently Upwork) through her classmate’s account.
• She worked as an ESL teacher in Rarejob, 51Talk, English101, So-So English and several other ESL companies in college using her roommate’s laptop until she was able to save money and buy her own 2^nd-hand laptop.
• At the time, she realized that she can earn money online.
• She saw freelancing as a solution to her weakness (being an introvert).
• She heard of Upwork from a neighbor, searched it on the web, created an account but unfortunately, it was rejected.
• She became a member of Work At Home Pinoys
• She discovered the Work From Home Roadmap website and searched for its FB page.
• She used her last money from her previous job to pay for her enrollment in the VA Bootcamp on June 2017 and realized it wasn’t that easy.
• She opted for the Starter Pack at first but decided to enroll in the Accelerated Package and finished all the modules in less than a week.
• After graduating from the VA Bootcamp, getting her certificate, having her Upwork profile approved; she found herself struggling in applying for jobs because of these reasons:
• She doesn’t have enough courage to apply because she feels like she lacks the skills. She was not confident because she doesn’t have any experience working in a corporate world.
• She’s afraid to be rejected.
• One time, after sending 3-4 proposals and not getting any response, she got disheartened.
• She met some people in the WFHR community and founded a group called “Resbak Girls” which eventually became her support group.
• She learned to reach out to people, build relationships and reach out to the community.
• She also joined Jason Dulay’s Road to 100K Masterclass Wave 2.
• She caught herself in an “analysis-paralysis” situation.
• She was advised to focus on the Road to 100K Masterclass and she learned a lot from this intensive training.
• She achieved the goals she set for herself a few months after finishing the Road to 100K Masterclass.
• She began with a starting rate of $7 and now she’s earning $20 per hour.
• She had experienced working in an internet café for a month when she lost her internet connection.
• She is currently into Instagram Growth Hacking and Marketing.
• She even experienced flying to Manila from Cagayan de Oro with only her 9-kg luggage and her laptop bag to take a chance at finding greener pastures.

Q&A Highlights:

So, hindi ka nagdalawang isip nung nakita mong may course na mag-enroll, talagang pinush mo sya?

Yung utak ko okay na eh, go na go na. Pero yung pitaka ko hindi.

From Upwork na nag start ka, pwede mo bang i-share yung rate mo nung nag start ka and then yung rate mo currently, kung gusto mo lang?

Sige, okay lang. Di nyo naman maku-compute ilang hours a day ako nagta-trabaho. Kasi di ba sa Bootcamp, yung ini-encourage ni Jason na starting rate is $5 and then sa iba nag offer pa siya ng $3. Ay $5, ayokong mag $5 kasi madami na nagfa-five eh. Diretso $7 ako, tapos naging $10, and then naging $13, tapos nag $20 ako agad.

What is Master Class? Do we still have a Master Class?

Parang special mentorship by Jason Dulay kung san matututunan mo how to position yourself as a business owner, how to rate yourself, know your value, negotiate your prices, and then negotiate din with the clients. Para hindi tayo ma stuck dun sa “employee lang ako, employer siya”, yung right mindset.

How do you prepare for an interview?

It takes practice din kasi. Ako sa interview kasi hindi na ako ganun ka kabado kasi nga nagtuturo ako eh. Nasanay na’ko sa English-Englishan. Pero dun sa mga itatanong ng interviewer, hindi ako prepared dun. So ang ginagawa ko, Google muna or research about their business para kung may tanong sila, yung magiging sagot ko will be tailor-fit dun sa business nila.

Lahat ba na nag-iinterview foreigner?

Merong mga clients na Pinoy especially pag nakuha mo lang sa Facebook groups. Para ka ding ininterview sa foreign set up.

May nag-hire sa’kin sa Upwork as Data Analyst. For interview ako, kaso baka dumugo ang ilong ko.

You wouldn’t find out unless you try.

Ano naman ang masasabi mo sa mga groups na free lang yung mga information walang paid courses. Eh tayo di ba, may bayad?

Kung bakit pinili ko yung paid kesa dun sa free resources. Well, bukod sa community, aminin na natin na kapag binili natin mas may value sa’tin. So, pag nakuha mo kasi siya for free, parang pwede mo siyang i-delay nang i-delay eh. Hindi mo siya ganung bibigyan ng value. Since, hello, nagbayad ako ng P7,000 nung time na yun. O sige tapusin natin ‘to para ng makapagtrabaho ako at mabawi yung P7,000.

Applying at Upwork and receiving continuous rejection has really dampened my spirits.

Ganito kasi yan, pag na reject ka, that means hindi nila afford na i-hire ka. Ganun lang yon. I mean parang depende kasi sa perspective mo eh. Kapag ano, kapag kunwari na reject ka, tapos magmumukmok ka na lang. Ikaw din yung lugi. So, what I did dati, sa’kin din, aside from getting support from my peers, then from the group, from the community. Pinilit ko talagang i-adjust yung mindset ko na “Ay hindi, na reject ako dito kasi may nakalaan na mas better pa na opportunity for me.”

Hi Ms. Anna and Ms. Isay, I’m not sure if you’ve already mentioned if you focus on any field/niche?

Ngayon Social Media Marketing and Management ako. Pero currently mas finu-focus ko yung Instagram Growth Hacking and Marketing. So nasa Instagram side ako ngayon.  Though may clients pa din ako na hina-handle ko yung Facebook and Facebook groups and then yung Twitter. Pero mas madami sa’kin ngayon ang Instagram focus lang. Para yung pag-aaralan kong updates, pag-aaralan kong strategies, iisang platform lang.

Isa sa kalaban sa freelancing yung biglang nag brownout. Ano pong solution po while attending your client?

Ang ginagawa ko make sure lang na naka charge yung cellphone. Pero normally ngayon pag may power interruption meron namang advisory di ba hours before. Pumunta ka ng mall, ng internet café. Meron ka din dapat generator.

I started getting contracts in Upwork last May 2018. And I’m at $5 hourly rate, hoping to reach the $20 hourly rate. How long did it take you to get you to that rate?

Ten months. Pero for some especially pag SEO ang specialization mabilis lang maka $20 actually. It depends lahat ng pag raise nyo ng rate, it all depends on your positioning and your mindset. I-upgrade mo din yung value mo.