Together Again: How a Former OFW Got Reunited With His Family Through Freelancing

December 4, 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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Long-distance relationships can be challenging for couples, but it's much more difficult when kids are involved. Kaya nga hanga kami sa tibay at lakas ng mga kababayan nating OFW.

Can you imagine the loneliness that they feel everyday?

Do you wonder sometimes how nurses and caretakers manage to take care of strangers in a foreign country while they are separated from their very own family?

Do you sometimes pause and think about the millions of skilled laborers abroad who are building structures instead of helping establish their own families?

While we cannot deny that most OFWs will never be able to match their earnings abroad if they are employed locally, it's becoming more and more common for ordinary Filipinos to earn dollars without leaving the country. How? Through online freelancing!

Buti nalang talaga may option. Hindi mo kailangang malayo sa pamilya para maitaguyod mo sila.

Watch the replay here on how Elmer got reunited with his family because of online freelancing.

Elmer was an OFW who dreamt to be with his family while working. He worked hard to achieve his goals while working in the corporate world. He is now with his family, And he is now a successful Social Media Marketer/ Facebook Advertiser.

Notable Quotes

  • Dito ko natutunan sa VA Bootcamp na kailangang maghanap ka ng niche kung ano yung gusto mong i-specialize or i-improve pa, so dun ko nakita yung mga tips kung paano gumalaw yung mga freelancers sa loob, kung paano sila mag handle ng mga clients.
  • Kailangan kasi meron kang guidelines bago ka sumabak sa ganitong field, kailangang may mentor ka, huwag ka magsasarili kasi nadanas ko yung nag sarili ako mahirap, parang namamangka ka sa gitna ng karagatan na wala ka namang target. So kailangan mo talagang mag-enroll sa mga paid courses kaysa manood ka lang ng mga free videos. Mahirap kasi spread out yung knowledge. Kaya ayon nagdecide ako na mag-enroll sa mga paid courses kasi worth naman yung investment mo babalik naman siya once na makakuha ka ng client.
  • When I started that time wala akong client ang ginawa ko is yung experience ko sa pagiging E-commerce Marketer yun ang ginawa kong portfolio. And then naghanap ako ng mga friends na interested din, ginawan ko sila ng mga basic na mga websites, mga facebook pages, yun yung ginawa kong portfolio when I applied to freelancing platforms, combination pa ng mga tips ng mga mentors dito and sa other groups, and then I do my own research as well. Ang ginawa ko apply lang nang apply kahit maraming rejections along the way. Just push yourself na makakuha ng kahit isang client then yun. Aside from the combination of that in-improve ko pa yung skills ko. Just by reading blogs, reading articles and watching videos, which is very helpful.
  • For the students na for example wala pang nagiging result,  just be patient and study hard and digest it, internalize what the mentors saying. Just follow it then dive into the platform na gusto mong i-specialize, kasi dun ka talaga matututo.
  • Tip ko lang pag napanood mo na yung training. Just apply it agad-agad para hindi mo siya makalimutan. Just push yourself para magkaroon ka agad ng result na mabilis.
  • Identify the pain points of the client, once you identify the main points malalaman mo yung kahinaan ni client, dun mo na ipoposisyon yung sarili mo, kung paano mo sya ibebenta. Kailangan i-practice mo din yung communication skills mo, on how to sell yourself.
  • Kailangan mo nang continuous learning. Learning is a process, learn from the mentors na mas magaling sayo, surround yourself ng magagaling din para mas mahawa ka. And then just self-study. Improve yourself, improve your skills - ewan ko na lang kung hindi mo pa ma-achieve yung goals na hinahanap mo.
  • My current goal is mas tumaas pa siguro yung rate ko. Mas gumanda yung rate, syempre meron tayong ina-achieve na gusto nating marating sa buhay pero hindi naman nakukuha yon sa biglaan, so little by little, step by step just be patient, and we will go that direction.
  • Kung gusto mo talaga matuto may paraan, kung ayaw mo naman mayroon kang excuses sa sarili mo. Yun lang ma-aadvice ko, just take action agad agad, wag ka ng mag-analyze pa ng kung anu-ano just enroll in the paid courses kagaya nang ito,  VA bootcamp. Meron silang mga Facebook Marketing, advertising and then basic chatbot building as well and also some social media marketing courses na sobrang makakatulong sa iyo as a beginner.
  • Labanan kasi ngayon is paramihan ng knowledge aside from experience. Kailangan marami ka ring alam. And then find a mentor, na very willing to help you and guide you along the way. Kasi mas mapapabilis yung learnings pag meron kang sariling mentor kaysa yung nagseself-study ka lang. Kasi if you have a mentor he will correct your mistakes.  Kung saan mahina ka, dun nya palalakasin yung fighting spirit mo, yung skills mo.
  • Sa mga newbies at aspiring freelancers na nag-uumpisa pa lang, masasabi ko lang sa inyo when you enroll into paid courses just take action, kasi doon mo ma-accelerate yung potential mo, doon mo malalaman kung gaano ka kagaling or yung limitation mo dun mo malalaman.

Journey to freelancing

  • He was an OFW since he was 21 years old. He quit his job in abroad when he was  31 years old.
  • He was earning 5 times higher in abroad at that time compared to his corporate salary here in the Philippines, but he felt unhappy.
  • He wanted to have freedom and be with his family were some of the reasons he quits his job
  • He started his freelancing journey when he enrolled in VA Bootcamp mid of February 2019.
  • It amazes him that there are so many choices regarding social media marketing.
  • That time he was running his International E-commerce dropshipping store.
  • He discovered that he can use his social media marketing skills to earn money because he saw a post on Facebook that they were looking for Facebook advertisers. He was hooked by the reality that it’s possible to earn money by working from home.
  • He started as an email marketing affiliate. He promoted some digital products, hopped on advertising but didn’t succeed. He was overwhelmed and eventually lost focus.
  • One thing he learned from VA Bootcamp is to find a niche and a mentor.
  • He thought VA Bootcamp is very helpful; he found out about many things; he enjoyed making a website, product listing, and other tools that freelancers used.
  • There are so many distractions along the way, but he set a goal and time frame on when to have a client.
  • He was not confident that time to handle a client because he doesn’t have experience and he was a newbie and he doesn’t even know the tools that the freelancers are using.
  • He kept  on applying and pushed himself despite many rejections.
  • A month after he quit his job and he finally found a client.
  • He has 3 clients now, there are still some clients reaching out, but he doesn’t want to overload and doesn’t want to compromise the client.
  • He is now planning to build his own freelancing agency soon.

Q&A Highlights

What made you decide na VA Bootcamp ang e-enrollan mo?

To be honest when I searched for the other freelancing groups parang di ko nakikita yung impact. When I searched for the VA Bootcamp website updated sila every week may mga interviews sila. Marami silang great contents at tips na doon ako napapa-"wow". Marami akong mapupulot dito na aral, marami akong matututunan. Kaya doon ako nagdecide na VA Bootcamp is one of the best. At maganda yung support na nakita ko sa group. Meron silang program na hustle challenge, maganda kaya 5 star para sa akin.

How many hours do you spend per client and per day?

My one client gives me a limited hours of 21 hours per week. There is a client na walang alam pagdating sa social media marketing, busy, kasi business owner siya, so ikaw yung nag aayos ng oras ikaw yung mag-seset ng time kung ilan yung gusto mo. Pwedeng unlimited time pero hindi ko naman ginagawang unlimited kasi ayoko ma-stress. It depends on your client and your agreements.

Do you have any plans of expanding your freelancing business?

Perhaps I will establish my own marketing agency. Kasi plan ko na yan dati pa maybe next year hopefully makapagbuild ako ng sarili kong agency.

What are best skills for social media marketing na ma-aadvice mo Sir Elmer and Sir Phoenix?

Actually lahat naman is best. Basta mag-specialize ka lang sa isang skill, malawak kasi ang social media marketing, pwede kang maging paid advertiser, facebook advertising, chatbots, youtube, instagram at sa ganung fields ang maraming naghahanap. Hindi ko masasabi na the  best ang facebook advertising kasi nandito ako, pero eto yung ma-tatarget mo talaga yung audience na hinahanap mo compare sa ibang platform. But this is one of the good paying.

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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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72 comments on “Together Again: How a Former OFW Got Reunited With His Family Through Freelancing”

    1. share mo itong video ni Elmer to get his FREE Giveaway, tips on how to build your portfolio. You can build your portfolio kahit wala ka pa experience. 🙂 Then use your portfolio when you apply to jobs sa freelancing platforms

    1. Hello Ms.Tess. Best if you just focus on doing your profile in 1 freelancing platform first. It can get overwhelming at times when you try to do everything at once. Also, may I suggest that while you are doing your profile, open your notes or lesson on profile creation, para you have your reference. You can do it. Thanks.

  1. Takot sila MORE THAN ANYTHING to lose their job abroad. And they kling on to it.

    As in kapag sinabi ni employer na “Cancel Annual Vacation” nila, no choice talaga sila.

    But sadly, lilipas ang decades ng sobrang bilis and before they know it, they’re pushing 50, walang ipon (may pa utang na 70k php sa bank) at walang na ipondar na assets gaya ng a thing or an investment that makes them money like Jeep, sari-sari store.

    P.S. Not to mention, nka buntis si eldest son mo and now, after 15-20 years of providing for him, he now has to focus on providing for his in laws (dun ksi sya na pa tira gawa ni girl-lalu).

    P.S.S. So sad talaga... I blame it on the government and the schools to be specific ksi, they don’t teach us to make money... they only teach us to study hard so they can be employed. Thankfuly, I’m FREE of the “OFW Ball and Chain”.

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