Watch this video on how Mr. Berns Gayo discovered freelancing.  He didn't have his own laptop and internet connection when he started but still, he’s determined and pursued work from home. Watch and learn how he succeeds.

Be inspired with his challenging journey as he started as a supermarket bagger into a waiter, then a service crew, and then a machine operator until he finally found his career as a Data Entry Expert.

In this interview, Berns will talk about;

✅ His transition as a freelancer considering it’s totally different from his past work experiences

✅ His gigs as a Data Entry Expert

✅ How he aced his first interview

These and more entertaining revelations from the 31-year-old most eligible bachelor of the WFHR Student Group.

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Notable Quotes:

• Kung di marunong mag-english, i-Google Translate pwede rin sila yung ano magbasa-basa lagi ng english, manood ng english movie or educational….. Grammarly malaking tulong yun
• May paraan naman. Yung iba, I think pumasok sa online world nanghiram lang din sa mga relatives ng mga computer mga unit.
• Oo bawal tamad. Marami kang babaguhin na mindset dito. Puro positive mindset kasi.
• Dito sa freelancing, hindi kailangang matalino. Basta maabilidad ka.
• Tanungin mo sarili mo kung bakit gusto mo, kasi ako tinatanong ko sarili ko.
• Pero kung halimbawang gusto mo pang mag-excel, tapos may experience pa, yung iba susugal ka nga lang dito  kasi lalo na kung wala kang idea.
• Sipagan mo lang magbasa-basa tapos cumonnect ka sa mga ano, sa ibang mga lodi, sa mga..na freelancer dito sa Facebook kasi makikita mo sa wall nila nag-s-share.
• Kaya maswerte din yung mga ano, IT graduate ng college, IT na course yung ano mo, pagpumasok ka dito, swerte mo kasi in demand yun sa online eh.
• Hindi importante kung college level ka, kung anong diplomang meron ka. Ang importante kasi dito yung kung anong maibibigay mo sa client eh. Di titingnan ni client kung ano-ano.
• Tsaka yung attitude pala importante yun. Yung attitudue mo. Tsaka dapat honest ka.
• Yung mindset ko kasi parang wala na talagang plano bumalik eh, kaya pinupursue ko 'tong online.
• Laging positive, kasi kapag nilagyan mo ng limit yung mindset mo dito, parang hindi ka masyadong mag-g-grow pagka-hamlimbawa ano, napasama ka dun sa ano negative.
• Ang importante lang naman kasi alamin mo ang basic dun eh. Hindi mo kailangan maging professional dun sa ano, pero kung gusto mo masterin ang excel, malaking bagay din, kasi nga marami kang kumabaga, marami kang matutulong sa client.
• Oo si Google, may mga video tutorial naman.
• Sa mga newbies, kung mag-p-pursue kayo dito sa may ano, sa may online freelancing, alamin niyo kaagad yung ano mga basic, lalo na alamin, kung pano makukuha mo sahod mo siyempre di ba.
• Huwag kayong matakot sa ano. Darating at darating yung time kasi na makikipag-engage ka sa client.
• Pag may skills ka na siyempre, it’s a process. Kahit na newbie ka, meron pa rin namang mga alam tapos i-ano mo exercise mo yung English. Yung conversation ayun.
• Huwag kang matatakot mag ano pag may job invite ka kay client. Huwag kang matatakot. Kausapin mo, kasi darating at darating na yung time na talaga na mag-f-face-off at mag-f-face-off kayo ni ano, ni client
• So may mga client diyan na very understanding, mas maiintindihan nila yung sitwasyon mo, yung katulad ko di masyado maalam sa English. Minsan sinasabi ni client, kaya kong mag-adjust parang ganon. Tapos bago ka naman tanggapin ni client, i-t-train ka niya.
• Kaya huwag ka matakot na ano, na basic lang ang alam mo, kasi importante yun. May alam kang basic tapos the rest, kapag pinakita ni client yung ano, yung process, kasi minsan kasi, yung job title mukhang big time, mukhang mahirap, pero pagka-binigay na ni client yung ano, yung sample instruction, ano na, madali lang siya, basta wag ka lang sasama sa mga negative people.

Berns’ Journey to Freelancing

• He started as a supermarket bagger at the age of 17.  Then his 3-month contract ended.
• He then worked at a supermart in Landmark Makati wherein he has his cousin as backer.
• He enjoyed working there because of occasional tips he gets from customers. Eventually, his 5-month contract ended and had to look for another job.
• Then, he worked as a Server/Busser for Renaissance in graveyard shift. He helps sets up events & functions. It wasn’t as good as regular work because their supervisor draws lot to decide who among their employees get to work for a function. So basically, he gets lucky only when his name gets picked.
• Obviously, he didn’t last long and eventually worked as a service crew in a fast-food, Greenwich
• He worked as a Diser in a supermarket for Hanford. While at work, he saw an old man who still works despite his old age. He pity and then began to ponder. And told himself that he don’t want to stay, grow old and get stuck working in there.
• He pursued college and worked in a factory as a Machine Operator which is an in-demand work that time.
• He realized that working in a factory is no joke, too dangerous and entails real physical hardwork.
• Gradually, he had some health issues at work. He had carpal tunnel from box printing. He also worked with gas-like kerosene as molding maintenance and got serious health problem which forced him to resign from work.
• He finally wondered if there were any alternative jobs out there that he could try so he would afford quitting in danger-risk factories.
• While browsing his Facebook, he came across Work from Home Roadmap (WFHR) post and got interested. At first, he doubted the possibilities of working from home. He continued to stalked WFHR group and posts.
• He did some self-studying in YouTube and Google. But after months, he found much information overwhelming, too vague and broad. Then, eventually he enrolled in WFHR course. He even asked P1,000 support from his mom just so he could enroll.
• He doesn’t have a laptop and internet when he started.
• He said he only knew few English. But his determination was strong that it didn’t stop him to pursue freelancing.
• He then started at his sister’s computer shop. If there’s a will there’s a way, he said.
• Eventually, after clients to clients, he was able to buy himself his very own laptop. He felt proud and happy that he was able to afford one. Which he said he would never afford in years that he worked in factories.
• He was able to prove himself personally that freelancing is real and it’s definitely possible to work from home and earn.
• What he love about WFHR's group is that the support and positivity mindset that the community shares. Students are very helpful, encouraging and has each other.

Q&A Highlights

After nun ini-stalk mo WFHR’s group, ano nangyari?

In-istalk ko na yung group tapos ilang months yung nag-self-study ako, parang sabog na ako. Di ko mainitindihan yung mga ni-re-review ko. Yung sine-self-study ko naman, yung pinapanood na YouTube at saka Google, parang siya guide lang, mga overview lang. Tapos sabay I decided mag-enroll nung time na yun nag-announce sa WFHR yung “get your first online job, yung 350 pesos” Afford ko yun sabi ko. Tsaka yung ibang successful na student di sila madamot, nag-s-share talaga sila ng mga tips. Tuwang-tuwa ako kasi parang nakakakuha ako ng panibagong mundo at tsaka bagong pamilya.

And ito naman, nakapundar ka na ng sarili mong laptop. So inipon mo talaga?

Dun sa sinahod ko dun sa may client namin. Ayun tuwang-tuwa naman ako kasi nga totoo eh. Sa factory kasi, di masyado naka-experience. Ilang years na rin kasi na nag-wo-work sa corpo diba, pero di ako nakabili ng ganito kaya tuwang-tuwa din ako. Push lang 'to kahit na ano, may struggle talaga dito eh. Di mo maiiwasan ang struggle dito eh.

Katanungan ng mga bago kung papano daw ba 'to kung wala kang laptop, papaano? Kung wala kang internet papaano din? So, ikaw lahat ng mga katanungan mo na yun, ginawan mo ng paraan.

May paraan naman. Yung iba, I think pumasok sa online world nanghiram lang din sa mga relatives ng mga computer, mga unit.

Interviewer: Nagka-work na sila tsaka sila bumili ng sarili ng unit. Parang si Mary Jane... si Mary Jane din ganyan rin di ba. Nag-start siya, nanghiram lang siya ng laptopn so hindi talaga anon hindi talaga magiging hadlang ang any challenges na dadating kung gagawan mo ng paraan

So pano yung mga hindi marunong mag-english, ano naman yung advise mo sa kanila?

Kung di marunong mag-english, meron namang Google Translate. Pwede rin sila magbasa-basa lagi ng English, manood ng English movie or educational.

Interviewer: Or pwede rin tayong mag-upload ng Grammarly di ba?

May binabayaran po ba?

Interviewer: Baka ang tanong niya feeling niya siguro ang freelancing ay parang networking. Hindi networking. Actually, yung pag-o-online work, wala kang babayaran. Parang mag-sign up sa isang platform or kuha ka ng direct client para kumita ka. Ang binayaran ni Berns, nag-enroll siya sa isang course. Online course yung may binayaran  siya. Pero may option ka naman. Yun nga yung sinasbi ni Berns nung nag-start siya. Nag -Google lang siya. Nag-s-self-study, so wala siyang binayaran dun. Yun nga lang, ang kaibahan lang...

Berns: Trial and error

Interviewer: Correct. So kailangan ng mahabang proseso pag-ka-self-study. So, yun sana nasagot ang tanong.

Ako merong laptop, meron internet. Tanong ko pa rin, pano mag-start?

Merong paid meron din tong free course. Dun din ako nag-start eh, medyo marami lang kasing babasahin. Nung nag-start ako dito tamad ako magbasa.

Medyo marami kang babaguhin na mindset dito. Puro positive mindset kasi. Yung kumbaga dati, ano, ako sa klase yung parang di ako masyadong active.

Oo dito sa freelancing, hindi kailangang matalino. Basta maabilidad ka.

I want to push to be a Data Entry Expert, basically ano ang mga tasks for Data Entry?

Pag sa Data Enrty, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint kung maalam ka dun. Wala akong idea dito dati, Google sabi ko may silbi pala itong Google na ito.

Ang alam ko lang yung dati yung purpose lang niyan yung parang gawa ka lang ng email yung dun ka lang makaka-receive ng mga ano. Eh di ko alam yun pala ginagamit ng mga ano, mga client sa business nila.

So anong ma-advise mo nga pala dun sa ibang mga ano na-re-reject kay Upwork?  Yung mga hindi pinalad na ma-approve yung profile nila?

Nung dati kasi nag-a-apply din ako sa ibang platform na mga Freelancer.com tapos sabay Onlinejobs.com pero parang mas madali ako kay Upwork nakakuha.

Interviewer: Nagamay mo siya tsaka mas safe ang Upwork kaya lang meron talagang kasi parang maswerte lang tayo na nung time na di pa mahigpit.

Berns: Nag-create ako ng Upwork profile. Ni-re-reject din ako. Kasi di ko alam kung anong ilalagay dun eh. Tapos nung nag-enroll na ako sa WFHR, ang importante daw sabi ma-100 percent daw ang Upwork profile. Ako kasi, di ko alam ang mga ilalagay ko dun gawa nga nung bago bago pa ako. So ang ginawa ko, meron dun ano eh, parang pointers kung pano mo ma-100 percent sa Upwork, nandun din sa support yata yun ng Upwork. Parang may article sila dun so ginawa ko. Di ko ma-100 percent ilang weeks din kaya yun bago ko ma -100 percent kasi nga parang di pa ako masyadong ano sa online. Parang pabungeeing-bungeeing, konting basa.

Hindi importantne college gradute ka. Di rin importante yung age. Kung bata ka po or matanda ka na

To yung gustong-gusto ko dito eh. Tsaka yung mindset ko kasi parang wala na talagang plano bumalik eh, kaya pinu-pursue ko 'tong online, kasi nga na-experience ko na naman sabi ko kumita na ako. So, ano pa hahanapin ko?

Sa pag-aaral po ninyo inaral po ba ninyong mabuti ang Excel? Marunong ka ba nung Excel yung bago ka?

Kasi diba galing ako sa mga factories? So kahit nung college days ko, ginagamit lang namin nung college days ko ano eh, Powerpoint presentation lang naman eh, sa mga report-report pero sa Excel, malabo. Ang ginawa ko nagself-study din ako kay Excel. Ang importante lang naman kasi alamin mo ang basic dun eh. Di mo kailangan maging professional dun. Pero kung gusto mo masterin ang Excel, malaking bagay din kasi nga marami kang kumbaga marami kang matutulong sa client lalo na may mga macros. Di ako masyado aware sa macros eh.