A Glimpse of Mr. Sergio Benoya's Journey to Success

Pag gusto, maraming paraan…

Would you survive sleeping only 3 hours for your first freelance project just to use ALL your earnings to invest in an online course?

Oh, did I say… WHILE having a full-time job?

Sergio Benoya, our Zero to Hero probinsyano, did!

Get a load of lessons as Mr. Sergio Benoya magnanimously shares his inspiring success story along with Ms. Anna Soriano.

In this video, you will surely catch his life's treasure troves as he unfolds the behind the scenes of his pathway to a flourishing freelancing journey.

By the time you finish watching the video, you will find ways to continue moving forward and to never raise the white flag or to never quit as you pursue your life's passion as a freelancer.

In fact, he uncovers his insightful stories as he trudges back the road of his freelancing career as a neophyte and as a novice, his journey from being a college student who got scholarship for being a varsity player, a Research Analyst in a BPO and his dazzling career now as a Social Media Marketer.

In this #JasSuccess, he’ll be sharing his inspiring personal story on how persistence. hardwork, and be

ing surrounded by positive people pushed him to improve his situation.

Join us in the Live interview to find out:
- why he decided to quit his full-time job to become a freelancer
- how starting as VA lead him to Social Media Management then to his current niche
- his ONE secret on how to charge high rates online

And a lot more…

Free VA Course for Newbies
FreeLancing In the Philippines (FLIP) FB Page
Subscribe to Jason Dulay's YouTube Channel

Notable Quotes:

• • Yung work ko dati paulit-ulit. So, hindi ako satisfied. Walang career growth and walang personal growth.
• • I wanted more time for myself, family, friends , relatives.

• • Dito kasi sa freelancing, I work at my own time. I wanted to work in the morning. I can work anywhere din kasi laptop lang at stable internet lang ang mga kailangan ko.
• • Nag sesearch ako ng part time job online tapos I came across of Jas Success Interview sa youtube.
• • So yun nanunuod ako ng videos ni Jayson, tapos nag subscribe ako sa free va course tapos dun ako nagsimula
• • Nasa jobs pa ako nun I searched for online jobs sa freelancer.com, onlinejobs.ph, mga ganung platform
• • Sa free course okay na siya makakapag start ka na talaga
• • Ang first freelance gig is a $10 job 
• • Di ko talaga akalain na makaka work ka online

• • So, sabi ko, "What if I pursue freelancing in full time?" Tapos, I really dive into it. So, sabi ko sa sarili ko, "How can I do that?" So, I searched for mentors. Nakilala ko si Jason and the team. Tapos, nag-subscribed ako sa free course nila na very comprehensive, very newbie friendly.
• • I always set aside 1 hour a day to really study
• • I finished the 30 day while I was studying I landed 1 client
• • In my first client I doing general virtual assistant
• • What if I quit and pursue this online? Kasi nakikita ko yung potential ko eh kasi I’m young , I’m able and I have this drive of wanting to learn and earn from home
• • After a month, natapos ko siya tapos yung salary ko na doble
• • After ko na finished yung course I quit my job

• • Hindi lang naman ang course ang helpful dun, helpful din 'yong community ng VA Bootcamp. Makilala mo 'yong dating students sa course at may support group din.

• • After I finished the course, I quit my BPO job. That was November 17, 2016. After I quit, tumaas nang tumaas 'yong earning ko.

• • After 6th month,  I hit my first 6 figures. 'Yan din 'yong time na nakapag-travel ako. Hindi rin ako nakapag-travel if hindi ako nag-stop with my BPO work.

• • Before nag-quit ako, it was the scariest thing that I had ever done. It was one of the giant, mega, over leaps. The feeling was like jumping in the middle of the sea without any life vests at night.

• • Freelancing is not for everyone. It is not for the weak of heart, and it's not a quick buck. If you are looking for something na mabilisan, hindi ito 'yon. It takes guts, determination, motivation, and drive.

• • Kailangan ba talaga magaling mag-english? No. Kailangan ka lang nilang (clients) maintindihan. 90 percent naman sa ating mga Pilipino may English subject. Hindi kailangan na maganda 'yong accent or 'yong grammar except na lang dun sa mga call center jobs.

• • Dito sa freelancing, age, gender, and social status or whether or not you graduated high school or college. It doesn't matter as long as you can do the job.

• • I'm just your typical promdi that received a varsity scholarship from a prestigious school in Manila.

• • If you think that you are not special, you are not talented, you are not a genius, then make your hardwork your weapon and your perseverance.

• • If it weren't for freelancing, I wouldn't be able to travel. I wouldn't be able to save. I wouldn't be able to invest. I wouldn't be able to buy an insurance for myself.

• • If you are starting out and you feel like you can't do the task or feel like you can't communicate well with your client, you just have to do it. If you have a goal and have a dream and you really want to achieve that dream, you are really going to do everything to achieve it. If you are afraid right now, don't be. Just dive with it. Just do it. There's no better teacher than experience.
  • I have this friend. In fact, he is my mentor right now. His name is John Pagulayan. Hindi siya nakapagtapos ng college. High school lang ang tinapos niya. He was a janitor and a barker. He didn't finish college, but he's a seven-digit earner. Wala 'yan sa current status mo kung ikaw ay magiging successful or not. What you do right now will not define you in the future. Kung andyan ka lang ngayon and after watching this video, wala kang gagawin, walang mangyayari.

Sergio's Journey to Freelancing

• • He came from an impoverished family.

• • He and his four siblings received a varsity scholarship as table tennis players that enabled them to get access to education in a well-known institution in Manila.

• • He was a former Research Analyst in BPO wherein his salary was not enough to support his needs.

• • In the midst of difficulties, he was able to find a silver bullet or solution to his seemingly boring and debilitating past routines as a worker in a corporate sphere.
  • He is obviously a man full of optimism from within and has indomitable courage that makes him shines above the rest of the pack.

• • He enrolled in various online courses that opened the opportunity of stellar connections like John Pagulayan and Jason Dulay. He somewhat called John a friend.
  • Beaming with pride, he uplifted his socio-economic status to the limelight of success as Social Media Marketer.

Q&A Highlights

Paano mo nadiscover ang work from home kung nag-BPO ka that time?

Nag-sesearch ako ng mga part-time jobs online. Tapos, I came across a JasSuccess interview sa Youtube that featured Emmanuel Domingo. Just like him, he came from a BPO. Nakarelate ako. Sabi ko, "Wow ang galing!" In just three months naka 100k na agad. So, I was like, why can't I do this as well? Why can't I try? Nanuod ako ng videos ni Jason. Nag-subscribed ako sa freevacourse. Dun ako nagsimula. Nasa job pa ako nun. Tapos, I searched for freelancer jobs sa freelancer.com, sa onlinejobs.ph, 'yong mga ganong platforms.

You started lang muna sa free course?

Free course pa lang ako nun, naka-land na ako ng mga jobs. 'Yong free course pa lang, okay na siya. Makakapag-start ka na talaga. My first job was a transcript.

Usually, maraming namimislead pagka napupunta sila sa VA Bootcamp na page. Akala nila nag-ooffer kami ng jobs. Ikaw, hindi ka ba namimisled? Ano ba ang una mong thinking about VA Bootcamp?

Kasi ang page (VA Bootcamp Facebook Page ) na 'yon is super simple naman, super straightforward. 'Yong nakalagay dun are: Learn what kinds of jobs are on the trend. Learn how to work from home. Learn where to find clients. Nagtuturo sila kung papaano. Hindi sila nag-ooffer ng jobs.

Saan ang first client mo?

My first client was in freelancer.com. On the first month of doing work, I earned 8k. That was really something kasi part-time. Tapos, ang saya, hindi mo akalain na makakaearn ka pala online. So, nagulat ako.

Paano mo napagsabay ang pag-aaral mo sa VA Bootcamp course at work mo?

I always set aside one hour a day of my time to really study. The course is very step-by-step. May 30-day roadmap si Jason na nilagay dun sa VA Bootcamp. All you have to do is susundin mo lang and allot one hour a day to study the course and to finish the course. While I was studying, I landed one client, and I was doing the tasks of a Virtual Assistant like research, a bit of social media management, a bit of customer support, anything na assistance's services.

Hindi mo pa natapos ang VA Bootcamp, meron ka ng client agad?

Hindi pa ako tapos nun. Sabi ko, "What if nag-quit na ako sa BPO job ko and I pursue this online job." Nakita ko ang potential ko kasi I'm young, I'am able, and I have this drive of wanting to learn and earn from home. After a month, natapos 'yong VA Bootcamp course. Tapos, nadoble 'yong salary ko.

'Yong finally nag-resign ka, kailan 'to? 'Yong nareached mo na 'yong target na rate?

Hindi. Ang sabi ko sa sarili noon, " I will give myself one month to seriously find one big client to surpass my current income. From October 17 to November 17, 'yon 'yong course ko sa VA Bootcamp. Tapos, in that period, I landed my first big client na nasurpassed 'yong current salary ko.

Maraming newbies na nadidisappoint kaagad kapag hindi naaaprove ang Upwork account. So, hindi ka tumigil kahit hindi approved ang Upwork account mo?

Hindi ako tumigil. Nakita ko si first big client sa onlinejobs.ph. Nag-reached out siya sa akin, and we talked. Sabi niya sa akin, "Out of all the candidates I've talked, I think you are the best person to do the job. Tapos, I asked my client, "Is this a long-term job?" He responded, "Yes, let's try this for three months. If I think we are not a good fit, that's the end of our journey." In that 3 months, nagpupursige ako. I will find another clients. 'Yong work ko nun was 10 hours a week lang sa kanya.

Naka-experience ka na ba nang negative feedback?

Yes, madami. Actually, out of ten times nang pag-aapply ko, one time lang ako nireplyan ni client. I experienced a lot of rejections. Anjan naman talaga 'yan. Hindi mamawawala 'yan. You have to experience them for yourself. Dyan itetest kung freelancing is for you.

Saan magandang platform mag-apply?

If you're a newbie, I recommend going to freelancing platform kasi that's the easiest and has lots of clients na naghahanap. It's a market place for clients. I suggest that you really optimize your profile, make yourself standout in the crowd. These freelancing platforms include FreeUp, Upwork, Onlinejobs.ph, and Hubstaff Talent.

Tumutulong ka ba sa mga parents mo?

In fact, this month, irerenovate ko 'yong bahay nila. I'm going older so fast na nakakalimutan ko na sila tumatanda rin. Ngayon, I have the luxury to give them of what they deserve. Tayong mga pinoy kailangan talaga tumutulong sa pamilya. Halos lahat naman ng nag-freelancing ang reason nila is makatulong sa pamilya.

Ano raw 'yong biggest challenge mo sa freelancing?

When I was starting out, the biggest challenge was getting the attention of my client. Sending cover letter or proposal to prospective clients. 'Yon ang biggest challenge ko nun. Dati di ba, out of 10 applications, only one would reply. Nagtatanong din ako sa FLIP Community kung paano sumagot. Ngayon, ang challenge ko naman is declining clients.

Can you say that majority of your skills that you have right now in freelancing you earned them from the courses like the VA Bootcamp and other courses? Nagagamit mo rin ba ang experience sa regular employment before?

The current skills that I have right now are the skills that I learned from the coaches and the courses that I have enrolled. You really need to find a mentor whether or not it is free or paid. Look for a mentor who will guide you kasi they have been there. Pinagdadaanan na nila 'yong lows and wins. They have five years of experience. If you are going to do it alone, you also have to go to five years worth of suffering, pero 'pag andyan 'yong coaches, ang mentors ipapasa lang nila sa'yo 'yong five years of their journey. If you want to have a stress-free freelancing journey, I suggest finding a mentor kahit kaibigan mo 'yan or sino basta find a mentor.

Complete course ba ang kinuha mo sa VA Bootcamp?

Ang kinuha ko was the accelerated course kasi wala akong budget nun. If you have the budget, I suggest that you get the complete course which will help you step up your freelancing life. Nandun 'yong high levels of teachings. Kahit newbie ka pa, masusundan at matutunan mo siya.