“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” - Buddha

Maaga pa lang, kahit kagigising pa lang natin we all need to make decisions.

From the most trivial things to the important matters in our lives.

Tulad ng ano kakainin mo for the day, papasok ka ba sa work or hindi, anong damit or sapatos ang susuutin mo.

Some of us are undecided on how to face certain challenges and setbacks in our lives.

It’s not that easy to make decisions, especially life-changing, such as a career change.

But, I believe all uncertain or unfamiliar things are really scary at first.

It’s up to us to face our own fears and take a leap of faith that everything will work out in the end.

We simply need to consider whether we allow fear to control our lives or use it as a tool to do better and become better.

At the end of the day, it still boils down to CHOICE.

To work hard and endure or stay within your comfort zone.

To learn and improve yourself or be content with your current knowledge.

To avoid pain or learn from it.

Meet Akila.

She used to work full-time for outsourcing companies in India.

After giving birth, she planned to rebuild her career but yearned for the flexibility of working from home.

She discovered Coach Jason Dulay’s VA training program and decided to jump into freelancing.

Now, she enjoys the flexibility provided by her freelance VA work.

She also gets a reasonable salary without a manager constantly breathing down her neck.

Get ready to be inspired by her brave choices, hard work, and success in our JasSuccess show on this replay.

Introduction:

Find out why Akiladevi Shanmuganathan took a break from working in an outsourcing company and how she started to learn about Virtual Assistants. You’ll also learn how she shifts from a 9 to 5 job to a Virtual Assistant. 

Notable Quotes:

• "I segregated my time for studies, home, and my child. Once my studies are going, I started doing them for applying for jobs and then looking for skills like what other people are doing. I used to take part in Bootcamp workshops. Do those exercises, then get certificates. I am very fond of those things." 
• "I faced some difficulties in Upwork, there was like a restricted number of credits given to me when I opened a new Upwork account. Like many of my fellow freelancers also face the same problem. Initially, when we are doing something new, we invest in our knowledge, not money. So I thought investing something in my knowledge is very good.  So I managed to apply for the jobs."
• "I was very nervous, but then I told myself I should cool down and say my answers confidently so that the person interviewing me will also give a reasonable opinion." 
• "At first, my niche is a General Virtual Assistant, but I am planning to shift down to Website designing. I was going through a lot of things before I landed a particular niche. As of now, I am not planning to have more than one client may be in the future."
• "I plan to work as a website designer which I like the most. I have already completed MailChimp's foundation course. I am a certified MailChimp assistant and I am in the dilemma of whether to go through email marketing or web designing."
• "If you hear people say something negative about you do not listen to them. Just believe in yourself. Do not be affected by what you hear. Stay focused on what you are doing and be determined. Have a strong belief in what you do and you will succeed."

Akiladevi Shanmuganathan’s Journey to Freelancing:

• She was working in an outsourcing company in India related to lead generation, then googling and giving the information to the team. Also, she worked in US Mortgage and has worked in many teams and companies. She got married and was blessed with a son. Later she plans to take a break to focus on her family. 
• She plans to jump into her career again because of her son. She was unwilling to leave him home and go away to a 9-to-5 job. 
• She searched on the internet during that time and learned that working from home is one of the options for moms. She wasn't aware that working from home was an option and researched how to get into this job. 
• There are many scams in India where they pay money for that, and later on, they give jobs. She contacted many people inside India but did not land a good place where she could get a genuine job. 
• Later on, she searched youtube videos and landed upon Jason's video. She finds it fascinating and is very much impressed by those videos. 
• She wrote to Sir Jason and asked him whether joining the VA Bootcamp course was possible.
• She thought he would only teach Filipino people. So she asked him if it was possible since she is from India. 
• He teaches people worldwide and was very happy to join the course in Sept. 2020. 
• She has gone through the course and done the assignments. She was delighted to do all those things—step by step.
• She had built the skills step-by-step and then created a work profile and a freelance website profile. 
• She prayed to God that she would land an excellent job. One day, she received an interview call from a person and attended the interview. For God's grace, she was able to answer all the questions very well and impress the boss and the company. She was pleased about it.

Q&A Highlights

How to get started in freelancing?

• Is It rare to find a friend from India who works from home? 

"Indeed, I was not able to find one."

• Do you find it cool that your classmates and peers are almost Filipinos? 

"Yes, indeed."

• Did you communicate with your classmates while you were studying? 

"Yes. I posted many of my doubts on the VA Bootcamp Facebook page. I'm happy that all those were answered."

• What is the opinion of your family about you studying here in VA Bootcamp? 

"Initially, I had some negative reviews from my family. As they said, this might be a scam because we face much scam-related freelancing in India. So they told me that I might not land an excellent job compared to a nine to five job as a safe one, but I did not find one. If I leave the home for a nine-to-five job, my son would feel lonely and I do not want to give that situation to him."

• The rest of your family is giving negative reviews. What made you decide to stay with us here in VA Bootcamp? 

"The quality of the course material is excellent. My family members did not see the course, so, they did not know about it. I’m the only one who knows what is going on in this course and what I am going to land in my career someday. I ignored them for a few months."

• How long did it take for you to land your first job after your course here in VA Bootcamp? 

"It took three months for me."

• How many hours do you work in a day? 

"I'm working 6 hours per day."

• Can you still take care of your family, especially your kid, and household chores while working? 

"Yes, I'm able to manage."

• What was the question your client asked you during your interview? 

"Their question was about an email outreach like email management and been my initial job. Now I do many roles in my company. I manage clients, and websites, working account for a client."

• You're playing a massive role in this company, what is your title or role as a freelancer? 

"I am an admin staff in the company."

• Is there any difficulty you went through during the times you were working with this client? 

"Sometimes, I have to work for seven or eight hours. But very seldom and I was able to manage."

• You're happy working overtime sometimes. What is the reaction of your family to that?

"My family and some of my close friends are very happy for me. And, they told me I deserve it!"

• Have you ever been asked how you were able to do it? Do they want to learn as well? 

"Some of my friends asked me how I did all these things. I told them about the VA Bootcamp. They are very much interested. Maybe soon, they might also join us."

• Did your salary start with a low or high rate with that client? 

"I joined with the low pay, but later on, I was given an increment."

• If one of your family will also try to learn in VA Bootcamp, do you have intentions of outsourcing your tasks?

"If there are possibilities, yes."

• Are your prayers answered when it comes to freelancing? 

"I can't say no or yes but this is better than before. The staircase is there for me and I know there are better places to move from this position."

• Do you have plans to build a freelancing agency to help your friends and relatives in India?  

"Yes. I have."

• When do you think this should be? 

"I'm not sure, but I have plans as I want to help people like me in India. They are educated with degrees but they are at home taking care of their families. If they are earning, it will be a boost to their family."

• Have you tried to demand for a better position or maybe even become a partner in the company you are working with? 

"I already asked the person in charge of the company. Hoping for a positive response from them soon."