In case you don't know, there was a typhoon in the Philippines 4 days ago.  It's bad.  I'm writing this blog post for 2 reasons:  1. A call for donations 2. Answering questions I've gotten  -------------------------- 1. A call for donations -------------------------- I've never asked people to donate to anything before, but this disaster really hit home.  One of the girls I employ in the Philippines lost her uncle.  Someone else I know has a VA who lost a sister.  People there don't have water, food, clothes, blankets, shelter.  I hooked up with an organization who normally ships stuff to Africa but now is sending their normal stuff to the Philippines.  If you can donate anything, please do:  http://purecompassion.org/urgent-shipment-needed-in-phillippines-now/  Whether you can donate $500 or $5, it's going to help. On that page, be sure to click the link right below the "Donate" button to read more.  Please don't wait on this, people are suffering right now.  I talked with the guys who run that website. They're not a huge organization, but they're very well organized and have a lot of experience with this.  Also, Google has a page where you can find other places to help: http://www.google.com/landing/typhoon-ondoy.html  -------------------------- 2. Answering questions -------------------------- I had quite a few people ask me the question today: "How does this affect your ability to outsource to the Philippines"  I have 2 answers:  1. Short term: My people are not working for a few days 2. Long term: It doesn't!  A similar typhoon came through the Philippines 2 years ago and some of my GUYS were very affected by it. They didn't have power for 4 days. They struggled for a while. I sent them money to rebuild their houses.  Short term I lost a week of work from them. Not a big deal.  Long term, it didn't affect anything. I still continue working with them. They still continue doing great work for me.  Please consider donating some money if you can: http://purecompassion.org/urgent-shipment-needed-in-phillippines-now/
There are a lot of online tools I use in running my business. Tools which at one point I didn't know existed, and when I found out about them, I said "HOLY COW!!! THAT SAVES ME HOURS OF TIME AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!!!"  I attempted to create this list somewhat here, but it was just too much content creation for me (I just don't like creating ongoing content...that's why I only blog once a month!).  So, here's a big laundry list of tools I use to run my business, and just in general good internet websites to know about.  This is a list that comes from my experience in doing online business, as well as the knowledge of my mastermind group. If you have great sites to add, please add them in the comments. Maybe I'll add them to my main list if I start using them. Testing/Tracking    Crazyegg.com - heatmap click tracking   Woopra - website analytics   Statcounter - Not the most detailed analytics, but gives very important trend/keyword data easily. Great for affiliate websites.   Google Website Optimizer - free split testing and multi-variate testing   ClickTale - web analytics that takes a video of your users mouse/actions   ClickDensity.com , similar to crazyegg.com...   Site Yogi Free consolidated website statistics  Video/Audio/Picture    Audacity - free audio editing   Jing - free screen capture/sharing tool   JW Player - best free flash player (the best flash player...period)   Super - free video conversion tool (the best free video converter - converts from anything to anything) Download   VSO Image Resizer - right click to resize/save images to a different format   OnlineVideoToolkit - How to do video with a Flip camera   LiveFaceOnWeb.com , Pay to have an actor create a video and "appear" on your site   TubeMogul.com Free Video Distribution service (free alternative to traffic geyser)   iStockPhoto free stock photos   sxc.hu free stock photos   Amazon S3 I use them for streaming video and for reliable image/file/video hosting.   Pixlr Image Editing - Free alternative to photoshop. Amazing online image editing...free.  Outsourcing    ReplaceMyself.com - How to outsource to the Philippines   Elance - freelancers galore   OnlineJobs.ph - Where to find Filipinos to hire   BestJobs.ph - Where to find Filipinos to hire   Guru, GetAFreelancer, odesk, RentACoder, ScriptLance - More freelance job sites  Screen Sharing/Collaboration    Crossloop.com - screen sharing for tech support   Logmein.com - free alternative to gotomypc.com   Adobe Connect now - free (for 3 people) screen/mic/webcam sharing  Phone Calling/Recording    FreeConferenceCall - a whole suite of phone services - conference lines, voice boxes, broadcasts...   Pamela skype recording plugin   PhoneTag.com , intercepts voicemail, transcribes it, and texts the voicemail to you (voice recognition to text)   Google Voice , If you can get in...   MagicJack.com - A usb device that gives you VOIP for dirt cheap. My partner, Dan, uses it exclusively at home.   K7.net Free incoming voicemail and fax service   AuctionAudio.net or AudioAcrobat.com , 3 way in phone conversations to record  Project Management    Google Docs - duh   Mindmeister.com - free mind mapping tool   RememberTheMilk.com - free online todo list (the most full featured online todo list)   ActiveCollab - great project management software  Graphic Design    99designs.com - People will compete to create a logo/design for your website (cheap graphic design work)contest for cheap graphic/design work   DoMyDesignStuff.com - Great graphic designer   DesignGuruRyan - Another great graphic designer   Kuler.com free Adobe recommended color pairings and design templates  Content Creation    Screen Steps - tool for creating step by step instructions with screen capture   MTurk.com - Get articles written for you for cheap. Also automate human processes.   AssociatedContent.com , get content here and then re-write it for articles   ExpertVillage.com - collections of video that you can buy from people   Findarticles.com , searches offline articles , go buy them from people   HowStuffWorks.com , good source of content, like expertvillage   Ehow.com , more content, like howstuffworks.com  Online Survey Tracking/Creation    Zoomerang.com Free Survey Tool   Survey Monkey Free Survey Tool  Online File Storage/Backup    DropBox.com Free file storage, sharing and remote backup from a folder on your desktop!   Mozy - Simple online backup solution   SugarSync - Online File syncing/storage   Backupify - backup your online life!  Random Coolness    Evernote - free note taking tool (puts notes on your desktop and online, indexes images/pdf to make them searchable)   Fatwallet.com - get great deals on "stuff"   Gliffy.com - free flow chart design - alternative to MS Visio   Filezilla - best free ftp client   "The" Paypal Button - Andrew Lock says that if you're doing more than $3000/month in paypal, you can click this button and they'll charge you less transaction processing fees   Kayak.com , travel prices aggregated   Web-Appointments.com , let people schedule appointments with you when you allow them to   Doodle.ch , Group date picking ("when works for everyone?")   HandWrittenresults.com Send hand written thank you letters to your list!   Ted - Inspirational video presentations from great minds!   Windows Notepad Replacement - A better program than what comes with standard windows.   RescueTime - Auto tracks and categorizes computer usage. Usable with employees.   LastPass Password Manager - Keeps track of all login info across computers. I'll never (hopefully) be without this again.   Kunaki - awesome CD/DVD creation/fulfillment service. 
I recently had a great comment/question on my blog: http://www.jonasblog.com/2008/07/how-and-why-you-should-replace-yourself-with-someone-overseas.html/comment-page-2#comment-62563  In a nutshell, David asks "how many sites do your GUYS maintain, and how much are the sties making in order for them to pay for themselves?"  I thought the question and answer were informative enough to make a post out of it. Here's my response: David - this is a great observation.  I'll tell you a little about my business so you can understand a bit about how I work.  I don't know how many sites I currently have; maybe 50, maybe 100? How many have I built over the past years? ...hundreds maybe?  Here's a quick breakdown of sites my team has 100% built for me:    I have a site that makes me over $15,000/month that my team built.   I have some sites that make between $1000-$5000/month that my team built.   I have lots of sites that make between $100-$1000/month that my team built.   I have even more sites that make me between $1-$100/month that my team built.   Most of my sites that my team built don't make me anything! $0.  Some of those $0 sites are new; at some point they'll make me money. Lots of them I've given up on because the model/market/niche/site failed. I lost money on those.  For me, I just know that the more sites I build, the better chance I have of finding winners. I also know that some of them that I build are going to do really well. Every once in a while I'll get an awesome one.  My team (of 3-5, depending on how you look at it) builds and maintains all these sites. Once a site is built and established, it requires less and less maintenance.  The thing about all this is that I DIDN'T DO THE WORK! If it were up to me to do the work, none of these sites would have been built or marketed. Because other people are doing it, it got done, and I make money because of it.  To me, that's the key to all this. For years I tried to do all the work myself. With that I think I had built 10 sites in a few years and only 1 of them was really successful. With other people doing the work I've built hundreds of sites and lots of them are successful.  Frankly, I'm capable of doing better work than my GUYS do. However, I DON'T DO THE WORK even though I'm capable. I don't know...it's just some problem I have. If it's up to me to do the work, it's just not going to get done.  For this reason I created my outsourcing system. So others can benefit from what I've done.  John
When it comes to outsourcing your business (or yourself!) to the Philippines, there's definitely a learning curve. Here are 7 ways you can guarantee failure for yourself : (Hint: Don't do these things!) 1. Try To Hire Someone To Do Everything Here's an actual email I got this week  So wait...you want a programmer, graphic designer, webmaster, who is fluent in english and likes to write, who can write sales copy, autoresponders, forum posts, ebooks, and reports. Oh yeah, sure, let me help you find that person! Oh wait, that person doesn't exist. Hire someone to do a specific task! Then train them to be able to do everything. 2. Hire A Project Manager Filipinos don't know how to run your business for you. Don't try to hire a project manager first along with 6 others, and expect that "project manager" to manage those other 6 and get things done. They don't know how. YES! They're very capable of being project managers, but very rarely will you find someone who has been involved in enough internet business that you can just turn a project over to them and have them manage other people for you. Eventually...yes! After you've trained them and they've seen how the business is supposed to work. 3. Hire Someone And Ignore Them You have to train the person you hire. They don't know how to run your super-niche internet marketing business. Don't expect to hire someone and just let them go do everything themselves. Expect to spend some time working with them. 4. Ask Someone To Do Work Before You Offer Them A Job This is my favorite. I get an email that says Can you please tell me why I can't successfully hire someone, they all keep disappearing. Here's the email I send them: I want you to start by doing a trial task. Write 20 articles, submit them to article directories, do a bunch of directory submissions for me, build me a website and write all the content for it. Then, I'll evaluate your work and see if it's going to work out. hahahahaha. Yeah right! They're not going to do work until AFTER they know they have a full-time job working for you. Don't give them a test task. Give them a job. Tell them the first month is a probationary period. 5. Expect Immediate Results This is a long-term proposal here. I've been doing it for 4 years. You're not going to see the same results in 4 days. Don't expect it. 6. Search and Search and Search For The Right Person, Then Email Them Hey John, I searched for 3 days and I found the perfect candidate. They can do everything you said wasn't possible back up in #1 on this blog post. Why won't they respond to me? Why? Because they already have a job and they're loyal to their current employer. Instead of trying to find the perfect person up front, try contacting 20 potential fits, see who responds, then sort through them. 7. Set The Wrong Expectations When you hire them, don't tell them you expect them to be totally self-directed and to work without supervision and to be able to figure everything out on their own. If you do, you'll never hear from them again. Try telling them I expect you to try to figure things out, but I understand that I'm going to give you tasks that you won't know how to do, and sometimes there won't be any way to figure it out. In these cases, please know that I'm here to answer your questions. I'm here to help you. Please don't hesitate to ask me when you get stuck. Otherwise, when they don't know how to do something they get embarrassed and will never talk to you again. If you set the right expectation with them about asking for help, they'll ask, you'll help, and all will be happy and good.  These aren't hard things to avoid...you just have to know about them to avoid them. There's more good stuff like this as a member of ReplaceMyself.com.
I haven't been this excited about a product coming out in a long time.  This is a special interview I did with Peter, the creator of a product to be released tomorrow.  What Peter is teaching is EXACTLY what I do on my websites in terms of the layout and design. It's exactly what I have my GUYS do for me to make me money each month.  Where it's different is in his promotion strategy, which is BETTER than what I've been doing.  Just listen to this:    [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/peter-spaepen-for-blog.mp3"][/audio]   My post about making sales  Get NanoBloggers Here  (when you do, notice the sales process...it's part of nanoblogging) (here's my guarantee) After buying, listen to the bonus audio (it's friggin' amazing!)
First of all, there's a LOT of misinformation about the new FTC guidelines about bloggers, affiliates, and testimonials.  I'm going to outline the main points (from the link above) and give a couple example disclaimers. 1. Clearly Disclose Typical Results From the FTC page: Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. Notice that you CAN use testimonials with results that aren't typical. If you do, you just have to also disclose somewhere what the average user might expect. 2. Disclose Affiliate Relationships From the FTC page: The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that "material connections" (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers , connections that consumers would not expect , must be disclosed. If you get paid or get free "stuff" from advertisers, disclose it. 3. Don't Lie From the FTC page: the revised Guides reflect Commission case law and clearly state that both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement , or for failure to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers Don't make false statements (fake testimonials, fake checks, fake results, ...), don't lie, and disclose your affiliate relationships. Example Here are a couple example disclaimers. Another great way to find your own disclaimers is to look at blogs or websites that are of the same nature as yours, and look at their disclaimer.  I would put this in the footer of every page on your site.  Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I suggest you consult your own attorney. :-)  Simple: Disclaimer: I may receive compensation from other websites I mention on my blog. You should probably assume I do. Sometimes (often) products I promote I receive for free. Blog Disclaimer: Disclosure: You should assume that the owner of this website is an affiliate for providers of goods and services mentioned on this website. The owner may be compensated when you purchase after clicking on a link. The owner may also have received the product for free. Perform due diligence before purchasing from this or any other website. Money Making Disclaimer: Income examples are representative of some of the most successful participants in the program. Some individuals purchasing the program may make little or NO MONEY AT ALL. These claims are not a guarantee of your income, nor are they typical of average participants. Individual results will vary greatly and in accordance to your input, determination, hard work, and ability to follow directions. Results will vary by person. Marketing Story Disclaimer: Please also recognize that the story and comments depicted on this site and the person depicted in the story are not real. Rather, the story is based on what some people have achieved with these and other similar products. If you have more insight on this, please post in the comments. If you have more disclaimer info, please post it also.  If this was helpful please Digg it -->
 The following is an email that John Barker (the original "Mr X.") sent out last week.I thought it was so full of good info and advice that I asked him if I could publish it.    In the email he gives you an example of a profitable affiliate site he has! I'm reading the new edition of the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris and I want to share a few thoughts with you.   First, is the new edition worth buying if you already own the first?   If you're a big fan, sure. Why not. I'd have to compare the books side by side - and I haven't read the complete second edition so it's hard to say exactly what the new info adds.   Instead it's a reminder of principles that have influenced my work.   If you want to believe 4 hours per week isn't enough to make six-figures or more, go ahead. I could tell you otherwise but you probably wouldn't believe me otherwise.   Here are some quick notes you might find useful.   DEAL - Define, Eliminate, Automate and Liberate. That's the outline of the book.   Define - what do you want? Almost cliche we've heard it so much but when you take the perspective that you work as much as you do because you've been too lazy to come with enough reasons to NOT want to spend most of your time working . . . well that's a paradigm changer for me. I could probably work 1/4 the hours I do and my income wouldn't change (it might even grow).   AND I could have a really kick-ass life, all made possible by my Internet marketing lifestyle.   Eliminate - what if the goal is to reduce and simplify your life instead of acquiring more information, more responsibilities, more crap?   People usually look at me like I'm crazy when I tell that that after the initial shock of losing everything in a house fire passed, I felt the weight of the world off my shoulders. Plus, the really cool thing is that instead of living with a couch Tara hated - but I was attached to because I paid a ridiculous amount of money for it 15 years ago - we got to go buy a new one we both liked.   Man, life is so much easier than we make it when we're just willing to let go and eliminate the things which hold us back.   "The stuff you own ends up owning you." - Fight Club   Automate - The end goal of your online business should be to automate it. Need an example? Go see http://abundancecourse.net   It's simple.   Find quality product with affiliate program.Setup up site with 6 pages. Page one is squeeze page, page 2-6 are information that leads into a sales pitch (recognize the similarity with how Nanoblogger was sold?)Create autoresponder follow-up series that highlights points from your 5-lessons.To capitalize on competition, it's great if the affiliate program is 2-tiered (this means even if you decided to try to copy and swipe my campaign you can assume all the cost of running ads and I'll still make a 10% commission for your efforts - thanks man!)Setup Adwords campaign and drive traffic.   This particular site was created FIVE YEARS AGO. Except for moving the site from a static HTML site to Wordpress 2 years ago for Google Slap reasons, I have virtually not touched this system otherwise.   December check = $2400 from one affiliate program. Oh, and then there's the list. :-)   Sure, I've left out plenty of key details here but this isn't rocket science.   Plus I have ZERO customer support and all that other good stuff that comes with being an affiliate.   Finally, Liberate - This is all about creating the conditions in your life that mean you're not tied down.   The crazy thing is discipline means freedom.   You must have systems and you must have standard operating procedures so you can hire someone else to do it all for you.   I'm getting better and better at this.   Final Thoughts -   The place to start here is defining the life you want.   Me? This year I want to get into better shape than I've been in since I was 20. I don't want to sit on my ass all-day anymore.   I also want to have the freedom to spend more time at home with my family. I want to be a part of educating my kids and enjoying them fully while their still little.   And I want them to have adventures they're going to remember for the rest of their life.   Next -   Evaluate what makes you money NOW. Not dreaming, hoping, etc, but what do you KNOW works?   That should be your focus - do more of that and waste none of your time doing stuff you hope might work for you.   If you're trying to free yourself from a J-O-B then you may need to find someone who has a system you can put some faith in.   (I know someone who has one ;-)   Thing is, if you're going to put your faith into that system then put ALL of your faith into that system and work it until you succeed with it.   Don't give up when it comes to work.   Don't give up when something high gloss grabs your attention.   DECIDE to make it work. Cut yourself off from any other possibility other than making it work.   NOW -   Don't just close this message and move on.   You deserve to have what you want as much as any other human on this planet.   Take 5 or 10 minutes and think about it.   Define what you want and evaluate what you know to work.   There is no magic pill to swallow here - doesn't exist.   All the best to you - X   PS - Thanks to all those who wrote to congratulate on Noel Patrick's birth. I just haven't had time to write everyone back yet. The little man is doing great and I'm happy to have this time with my family. When our first was born I had a J-O-B and was called back to work when she was 3 days old. That SUCKED. I'm grateful to be free of that.     If you're not already on John's mailing list, go here right now and subscribe:http://blackbooksblog.comHe'll mail you like once a month (IF that much), and when he does, it's pure gold! 
 On March 19, 20, 21, in Boracay Philippines I'm putting on an outsourcing retreat seminar.    This seminar is NOT FOR FILIPINOS!    It's for Americans, Australians, Brits, Canadians...Basically, for people who want to understand why the outsourcing they're doing to the Philippines is working SOOO darn well.    And...if you're not currently doing it, you can come and find out exactly why it will work so well for you.    At the event I'm going to teach some stuff about how I do outsourcing that I've never talked about before. Stuff that will literally double the productivity of your GUYS.    There are a couple reasons I'm doing this:  because when we did it in Costa Rica 2 years ago it was sooooo fun for everyone who was therebecause it gives me a chance to meet other people (you) who are succeeding in their businessesbecause it's a tax deductible vacationbecause I'm already going to be in the Philippines on vacation with my family for the whole month...because (this is a big one) it will give lots of people an excuse to come and meet their GUYS and make their outsourcing efforts WAY more effective.   It's going to be 3 days of networking, learning, fun, and face-to-face question answering.    We're also going to go on an excursion together which I will announce later.    The hotel where we are doing it can accommodate 70 people for the event. I already have at least 6 of those spots taken (me, Dan, speakers). This will sell out.I'm finalizing all the plans for it right now, and will make it available next Tuesday.The Outsource Retreat is available here 
I had a great comment on my blog that will answer so many people's questions:  A great way to show appreciation is to come meet your team.    
Since I'm here in the Philippines for a month (I've been outsourcing to people here for 4 years and this is just my 2nd time here...the first being 3 months ago!), I figured "what a great time to give some great tips on outsourcing yourself and your work to the Philippines.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZvALwrQx4[/embed]  All these tips plus many more are available inside ReplaceMyself.com. Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
Today's tip is about getting started when hiring a Filipino. What are the things you say to them. What are your policies? How do you expect them to work.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgxG2UWFYTo[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
Tip #2 - Filipinos feel unworthy. It's really a big cultural problem that holds them back. They feel like they're not good enough. If you don't know this and know how to take care of it, you're in for a frustrating time.    [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNh2ltiW-78[/embed]   Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
So often I see people say "I want to hire someone to do X, Y, Z, 1, 2, and 3. They have to have all those qualifications!"  I think that's a mistake because the Philippines doesn't have a super developed workforce like in the US.  In my opinion, you'll have a better experience if you hire someone to do 1 task for you.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57TYFDUjUE[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
There are some unique cultural reasons why you'll get much better work from people if you hire them on a permanent, full-time basis. Hiring them part-time just isn't as effective as full-time will be.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E43Y6pAo0cw[/embed]  You can get the whole story about how to outsource to the Philippines at ReplaceMyself.com. Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
It took me a couple of years to find BestJobs.ph, which for a long time was the best place to hire Filipinos for online work. Today, OnlineJobs.ph is the best place to hire Filipinos. You'll find AMAZING talent at both places.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE87kxWDSoM[/embed]  You can find your talented Filipino employee here at OnlineJobs.ph and BestJobs.ph Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
It's important that you don't try to hire someone to do everything at first. Hire them for their English skills, unless you're hiring a programmer, designer, or some specialty job like an accountant.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYONe38Exdg[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
This is something that people don't realize that they don't realize. Filipinos are human beings. They have families, needs, problems, wants, desires, ... just like you do. Treat them as humans (not as robots) and you'll have a much better experience.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anZL_MGNjzw[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
It's important that you know multiple ways of paying your people. Sometimes one will stop working.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiNynYO9Zcg[/embed]  Ways to pay your people xoom.com emoneygram.com paypal.com remithome.com  Update We recently switched to using Payments.ph to pay people. It appears to be faster, cheaper and has higher conversion rates than other options. Xoom is no longer a good option as they are now disallowing commercial payments (payments intended for workers). Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
The educated, experienced workforce that exists in the US doesn't exist in the Philippines. Yes, you can find people who have experience in some things...but for the most part, you'll have to teach and train people.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_NwV-3XHNc[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
The Philippines is VERY different than India. You don't need to micro-manage people. You don't need to look at every single thing they're doing. Let them do their work and don't worry about it. Get their work out of your head and concentrate on the things that are most important in your business.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoN-0vkJHsQ[/embed]  Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
There are some cultural differences that exist in the Philippines that don't exist together anywhere else in the world. This is one of the biggest reasons why outsourcing to the Philippines works so much better than anywhere else.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNfO5COyJGU&t=1s[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
This is one of my favorite videos I've ever made. It's tips for outsourcing...from the Filipino perspective. I asked my guys to give some tips for things they've found helpful, or things they wish I did better. These are the things they came up with.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUKTv9zQjds[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
You'll find lots of different ways to communicate with your team. Try different things and see what works for you.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=094qoQGsy8c[/embed]     Messenger Skype Google Talk Yahoo Messenger  Project Manager Basecamp ActiveCollab  Screenshots and Screen Recording Jing Camtasia Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
Filipinos can do anything. But, I've found they're better at some things than other things. Here are my thoughts on what to have them do for you.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTI-VioCg_Y&t=5s[/embed] Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
This last tip was supposed to be a video just like the rest of them. 2 nights ago someone came into our apartment while we were sleeping and stole everything:    3 laptops   2 cameras   my Kindle   ipod Touch   750 GB hard drive (which had all our pictures on it from this trip)   cell phone   cash   wireless router   4 SD cards   wireless recording equipment   my backpack (lots of personal stuff)  They also stole my passport...but were nice enough to dump it in a plant right outside our apartment to give it back to me.  We're ok. It was all just stuff.  Maybe the guys who stole the stuff will find OnlineJobs.ph and get a job so they can stop stealing stuff.  So, since I don't have a camera to record this tip, it's just text...not as fun. Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA The reason I started ReplaceMyself.com was to make outsourcing to the Philippines easier for people who are just getting started. Not only do I teach everything I know about it inside ReplaceMyself.com, but it's also designed to take away the initial time investment curve most people will have when starting hiring. How? ReplaceMyself.com is designed to train your Filipino staff for you. As a member you'll get access to all my training that I've given to my GUYS on how to do the tasks they do to run my businesses. You'll get training that will allow you to hire someone, and make them productive for you from day 1.  ReplaceMyself.com is not another "training"/"technique"/"coaching" program. It's not really even for YOU. It's really designed to make your life easier by training the GUYS you hire so that you don't have to spend the time creating that training.  As a member of ReplaceMyself.com you'll also get FREE access to OnlineJobs.ph (which costs $50/month to join). My suggestions for getting started    hire 1 person   give them 1 specific task to do which will help your business (either give them article marketing, video marketing, building a mini-net, directory submissions, social bookmarking, or something else you know of which will help your business grow. All these trainings are available for you inside ReplaceMyself.com)   help them accomplish that 1 task   add another task (give them training) and have them split time between the 2 tasks   grow from here I've had fun doing these tips. I hope you've had fun watching them! Tips In This Series:    Philippines Outsourcing Tip #1: Daily Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #2: Setting Expectations   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #3: Initial Hiring Communication   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #4: Getting Someone Started   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #5: Hire Permanent, Full Time Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #6: Where To Hire Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #7: Skills To Look For When Hiring Filipinos   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #8: Filipinos are Human   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #9: How To Pay Your People   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #10: Teach, Train, Teach, Train   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #11: This Isn't India   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #12: Philippines Culture For Outsourcing   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #13: Tips From My Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #14: How To Communicate With Your Filipino Team   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #15: What Filipinos Are Really Good At   Philippines Outsourcing Tip #16: Getting The Most Out Of Your Filipino VA 
Most people when they start a website, they have no plan for it.  "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  Here's MY website plan.  It consists of 13 "ToDo" lists that I have my GUYS implement for me. Some of this stuff won't be relevant to your business, but my guess is that most of it is relevant. These lists were designed to be used to build and market an online business that I don't want to be involved in. This is supposed to get the site ranked well in SEO and bring traffic in from lots of different sources so that the site makes money.  Also, this list has some things that are specific to building 'review' websites with WordPress. You might want to use some other plugins for WordPress than the ones I list here. Please think about it. Maybe some of the plugins listed here aren't relevant to you, or maybe they've gone out of date by the time you get this. Nothing on this list is CRITICAL. Nothing on this list will make or break the process.  You DO NOT have to do everything I list here to be successful. These are just the things WE do. Also, there are probably some things on this list that we don't do anymore. Things change all the time. If something on this list doesn't work for you, SKIP IT AND MOVE ON!  Most of the stuff on this plan was created with the idea of having someone else do the work.  Lists 10, 11, and 13 aren't 'todo' lists. They're more for ideas of things you can/should do with your website. If you have things to add to this, please post it in the comments. If you find errors (I know there are quite a few), please post it in the comments. I'll monitor the comments and update the list as you add/correct things.  Website Building and Marketing Plan   Table Of Contents    Pre-Site Setup   Site Setup   Configure Wordpress   Initial Site Work   Initial SEO   Initial Adwords Campaign   Long Term Linking Strategies   Testing   Adwords Campaign   Building Trust   Sales Copy Notes/Ideas   Long Term SEO   Landing Page Notes      Pre-Site Setup Things to do before you build the site. When I wrote this it was based off the plan of building a website where we write reviews on all the products in the niche we pick. If your business plan is different, modify this list accordingly.     Decide on a market (one way to find what's hot is to record late night TV and watch the commercials/infomercials. Those are hot products/markets) Here's how I do niche research    Familiarize yourself with the market    Do initial keyword research (familiarize yourself with the keywords)    Buy a domain name (I recommend using godaddy) Here's how I pick a domain name    Buy hosting (I recommend HostMonster)    Build a good keyword list      Site Setup Things to do to get your site setup properly     Set up domain on hosting    Install Wordpress (You can usually do this through "fantastico" in your hosting control panel, or you can download it from wordpress.org and install it yourself)    Upload robots.txt file (in the zip file at the end of this post)    Configure Wordpress (Todo list #3)>    Do a 301 redirect from non www to www (.htaccess example is in the Files tab)    Set up mailing list (I recommend aweber)    Set up GoTryThis    If not using WordPress, figure out a way to do tag and ping, and blog and ping (an easy way is to add tags to your pages, and to use pingoat.com each time you add a new page). If you're not using WordPress, I think you're foolish right now.      Configure WordPress All these things can be done inside the admin area of WordPress. This assumes you use Semiologic as your theme. We DON'T need to have every single one of these plugins. Some of the URL's might not work. Try to find that plugin by searching google for it. If something doesn't work, just move on and set up other plugins. No single plugin is absolutely necessary. Depending on the theme you use, you won't be able to do everything here. The really important part is that you get rid of ALL widgets. We don't want any sidebars. All they do is distract people from our main marketing message.      Plugins - Activate Akismet    Plugins - Activate Contact Form http://chip.cuccio.us/projects/contact-form-ii/    Plugins - Activate Exex-PHP http://bluesome.net/post/2005/08/18/50/    Plugins - Activate Feed Control http://www.silpstream.com/blog/    Plugins - Activate Full Text Feed http://cavemonkey50.com/code/full-feed/    Plugins - Activate Google Analytics http://www.semiologic.com/software/marketing/google-analytics/    Plugins - Activate Google Sitemaps http://www.arnebrachhold.de/2005/06/05/google-sitemaps-generator-v2-final    Plugins - Activate Permalink Redirect http://fucoder.com/code/permalink-redirect/    Plugins - Activate Singular http://jamietalbot.com/wp-hacks/    Plugins - Activate WordPress Database Backup    Plugins - Activate WordPress Hashcash    Plugins - Activate dd sitemap plugin - http://www.dagondesign.com/articles/sitemap-generator-plugin-for-wordpress/ create a page called "Sitemap" and put into it and then link to that page in your footer nav    Plugins - Activate Any other plugin you think you'll need/want    Plugins - Deactivate all the rest of the plugins (you don't want extra crap going on)    Presentation - Install Semiologic (the pro theme is better...but I believe the free theme will work) - Make sure you get Semiologic Version 5! this page: http://www.semiologic.com/resources/wp-basics/how-to-upgrade-sem-pro/ is a good resource for installing/upgrading    Presentation - Turn off ALL widgets    Presentation - Change Font to Verdana, Small    Presentation - Footer - Uncheck "Kudos to WordPress, Semiologic and the skin author"    Presentation - Pick a layout you like. I do Wide with "Main, Ext Sidebar" (this is assuming you're using Semiologic)    Presentation - Menus - Only Home in the header    Presentation - Menus - No Sidebar Menus    Presentation - Menus - Add these footer menu's: Contact - /contact RSS - /feed Sitemap - /sitemap.xml Privacy - /privacy-policy    Presentation - SEO - Add title, keywords, description    Options - General - Let Anyone Comment    Options - Writing - Set up your ping list (mine is available in the Files tab)    Options - Discussion - Check: Attempt to notify, Allow Link notifications, Allow people to post, Comment Author must fill out name and email    Options - Permalinks - Custom Structure /%postname%.php This is where the .htaccess file in the Files tab comes in handy. If WordPress has problems, just upload that file to your base website directory    Options - Feed Control - Include Posts, Pages, and sort by modified date    Options - Google Analytics - Paste in your google analytics code (this is a good time to sign up for google analytics if you haven't already). Update: I have now stopped using google analytics because it really doesn't show me the data I want to see. I now use statcounter.com.    Categories - create one category for your default posts (always put stuff into this category)    Plugins - install Custom Query String plugin http://www.transycan.net/blogtest/download-themes/    Options - CQS - Add an "is_category" and set it to -1 (this will show links to all posts in all categories on the category pages)      Initial Site Work Things to do to your site in the very beginning after it is configured   The business owner needs to decide what the "sales page" is.      Write your first post about your topic    Write your second post about your topic    Write a privacy policy as a page and name it "Privacy Policy" (there is a privacy policy in the files tab that you can pretty much copy)    Write a sales page as a "page" in WordPress. "Sales page" could be: - an actual sales page if you're selling your own product - review page (where you review affiliate products in your industry) - squeeze page (where you capture name/email and send them on to an affiliate offer) - lead generation form - whatever your goal is with the site    Link to your sales page in the header section of Presentation -> Nav Menus    Write a contact page and name it "Contact" - in the body of the page put [CONTACT-FORM] and that's it. That will create a contact page using the "contact form" plugin you already activated      Initial SEO Things you should do for immediate SEO for your site.      Make sure your keywords are in the title, meta keywords, meta description, and h1. If you can, add an h2 and h3.    Submit an article to ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com, and articlecity.com. Link to your site in your resource box.      Initial Adwords Campaign Adwords is how you should get your initial traffic. Make sure you monitor this to see that it's profitable for you. If it's not, turn it off. There is a full training on how to set-up and run and Adwords campaign inside my outsourcing training website     Set up an adwords campaign    Use only a few keywords (just enough to get traffic and see it working)    Write 2 ads    Turn on the content network    Set up separate bids for content network and search network. Bid lower on content.      Long Term Linking Strategies Tons of things you can do to get links to your site. This is the most important thing to do for SEO. Start doing these things now, and do them consistently. The more links you get over a long term period of time the better your site will do. If you get too many links, too quickly, search engines won't consider it to be natural.    It's important that you set up systems to do this stuff. If you don't have systems (whether it be reminders from google calendar or be an employee doing it) they won't get done and your site won't progress. This is a SUPER long list. Don't do all of these things at once. Do them one at a time. When you've completed one, move on to another. Then do the first one again, then the second again, then move on and do a third. These do not have to be done in exact order.      Sign up for UniqueArticleWizard.com    Use UAW to submit an article each week linking to your product. (There is NO SUBSTITUTE to using UAW) Create a reminder for either yourself or for an outsourced employee to get this done (use google calendar or rememberthemilk.com).    RECURRING - Submit each UAW article manually to ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com, articlecity.com    Use need-an-article.com or elance.com or guru.com to get articles written for you.    (Education) Always use different keywords as anchor texts when linking - If you don't it doesn't look natural to search engines. Use as many anchor texts as you can, but focusing on your main keywords.    Buy links from high PR sites. www.text-link-ads.com or backlinks.com is a good place to start. Do this about 2 months into your site. You should be able to get a pr6 or 7 for $50 or less per month.    Use buyblogcomments.com or hire someone to do what they do for you (bbc has become somewhat unreliable)    Submit to directories (do both: pay seoster.com to do it, use directory submitter software to help you). There are ton's of directory submitter softwares. Most will give you a free trial of like 300 sites to submit to. Submit slowly (like 5-10 directories each day).    Submit to DMOZ.org    Submit to Yahoo Directory (it costs $300 and is well worth it)    Build a blog on blogger.com that links to your sales page/other pages on your site    Build a squidoo page and add content to it every few days. Make it link to your site.    Squidoo site notes: - Use lots of tags - Create a bio - Use the Guestbook module at the end of the lens - Use the links module. Add affiliate links to your page - Use the write/text modules to add content - Add an opt-in form to your lens for your mailing list - Use the YouTube/Flickr modules to add relevant video/pictures to your page - Don't forget to promote your squidoo page just like your other sites (submit articles linking to it and submit it to directories)    Use Pingoat.com every time you add content to any of your sites (including your squidoo site, myspace site, and other blogs)    Build a blog on wordpress.com    Build a blog on livejournal.com    Build a blog on clearblogs.com    (Education) With all blogs write a few blog entries initially (1 every few days for 2 weeks) and link to your site. Afterwards, write at least one blog entry each month.    (Education) Link all your extra sites together in a circle (don't reciprocal link them, link site A -> B -> C -> D -> A)    Use onlywire.com to do social bookmarking for your site.    Create a blinklist.com space http://www.blinklist.com/space/contribute.php    (Education) Don't link every page on your site to every other page on your site. Only link one way. (this isn't totally possible if using software ...just use it as a general rule).    Set up a Wikipedia page for your topic (or add a link to your site on an existing page). Make sure you put legitimate info or it will get taken down.    Build an MSN Spaces blog.    Answer a few questions on yahoo answers and link to your site/sales page. After answering a few, answer one more each day.    Get an account and put your link on your profile page on these sites: flickr.com youtube.com facebook.com buddytobuddy.com twitter.com    Make some posts in forums that link to your site. (add your link to your forum signature)    Make some comments on blogs that link to your site (make sure they're legitimate comments)    Use trackback spider to get links to your OTHER sites. Don't promote your main site with this (unless you know what you're doing) (WARNING: This is very black hat. It is spamming.)    Add listings to Craigslist.com. Link to your sites. Make sure you don't look like you're blatantly posting ads, the craigslist community doesn't like it. This can bring you TONS of traffic.    Add your site to stumbleupon.com    Pay prweb.com to do press releases for you. Come up with something interesting about your site and pay them the full $200 to get them to do a good job with your press release. It's worth it.    Give something away that links to your site (templates for your industry, site award, software, widget that does something cool)      Testing Testing is critical to getting conversions correct. You should always be testing.     use a multivariate testing program on your sales page (or your review page, or your squeeze page). Try and increase your conversions. Google Website Optimizer - Free SplitTestAccelerator.com - $900 KaizenTrack.com - $500    Test the headline and any other pieces of the page that are "important". If you do nothing else, test your headline.    Enter wildly different variations of tests. Don't just test different variations on the same concept.    Test using wp-cloaker (if you can find the plugin). It cloaks or redirects visitors that come to your site who have used certain search terms that you define. You can send those visitors to any page you want. Last I tried I couldn't get the plugin to work, but if you can, it's super powerful.      Adwords Campaign Obviously I can't give an entire adwords tutorial right here. There is a full Adwords tutorial inside www.ReplaceMyself.com. These are just things I've written down to serve as a reminder to me (and you) to do certain things.      (Education)Put benefits in your ads (put them on the first description line and test the CTR)    (Education) There are 3 types of buyers: Browsers, Shoppers, and Buyers Cater to the Buyers. Use buying keywords like discount, buy now, purchase, get, sale, limited time. Browsers don't know what they want. Shoppers are looking to compare stuff. (These are notes I took from Mr. X)    (Education)Keywords that don't convert, add them as negative keywords    Set up winneralert to test your ads. I bolded this because so few people actually do this, yet it's so important.    Set up site specific targeting (the adwords180 concept).    Once the campaign is profitable, duplicate the campaign in a new adwords account (Thanks Kirt Christensen). With a new adwords account you can show 2 of your own ads on every search page. Get more clicks. Get more sales.    Set the campaign up in Yahoo    Set the campaign up in MSN    Set the campaign up in second tier search engines: Looksmart Findwhat Goclick.com 7search.com      Building Trust These pieces are more notes than things you have to do. They help you build trust with your users. Some of them might not be appropriate for your website. This is more as a set of reminders for me (or you) to add things to our site to help increase conversions.      Add testimonials to your sales page    Add live chat to your sales page You can use skype to do this http://www.skype.com/share/buttons/index.html You can use www.liveperson.com There are ton's of these (search google for "live chat" or "free live chat")    Interrupt your users while they're on your site and chat with them about what they really want to find (liveperson.com will do this). This helps you get into the head of your customers. Doing this allows you to write a better sales letter.    Put your contact info at the top of the page and make it obvious. Tell them to read the whole page and then contact you if they still have questions.    Tell them the flaws/negatives in the product (this really makes you sound honest)    Don't charge their card until their trial period is up (30 days, 14 days, ...). Just authorize the money, but don't charge the card.    Use the plugin "What Would Seth Godin Do" for WordPress. It allows you to display something to the user after they've seen your site X times. Find out why they keep coming back.    Set up a broadcast phone message to your customers. voiceshot.com xmvoice.com search google for "voice phone broadcast"    Send a hand written letter to your customers. http://handwrittenresults.com/      Sales Copy Notes/Ideas This is by no means a comprehensive list of things to do in your sales copy. It's just a list of ideas/notes from different copywriters. It is stuff you should try and refer back to in building your site. Some of it might not apply to you.     Your headline is a Problem + a Solution. If you state people's problem, they know you understand them. If you give them a solution, they'll listen to you.    Guarantee - Give double money back if they do something extra. Make an outlandish guarantee. Remove the risk with the guarantee. This builds trust.    Add a drop first letter (where the first letter of your sales page is bigger than the rest)    Make it time/quantity limited. Create scarcity.    Offer a coupon to entice them to buy.    Offer a free trial/sample and then automatically charge their card at the end of the trial.    Scientific Advertising - Offer Service, don't ask for a sale. "Try this for a week, then do what you want" (meaning either return it or pay for it)    Scientific Advertising - The longer the copy, the better the response rate. But only if you're telling people relevant information. You should test, test, test sales copy.    Scientific Advertising - Copy other people's ads, ads that have been used over and over again.      Long Term SEO Things you can/should do long term to increase your natural search engine rankings.     Use a service to turn your blog posts into speech. Add the mp3's to your rss feed. This makes them podcasts. Podcasts increase search engine rankings.    Create a video and add it to your site. You can use animoto or eyejot or veodia to easily create videos.    Submit your video to video sites (youtube, google video, ... search google for video sites).    Add your video to your rss feed.      Landing Page Notes These are notes for specific types of landing pages you're doing. This overlaps somewhat with the Sales Copy list. These are just notes/ideas that I've had or that I've taken from other people. They don't apply to all cases.     Review Site - Ugly does it. If it's ugly, it's a little more trustworthy. Not too ugly.    Review Site - Make one product the clear winner. Don't leave a doubt in the persons mind.    Review Site - Test different products as the best product.    Squeeze page - In addition to the name/email, have them give you something else (a checkbox, a choice from multiple check boxes, an open ended box, ...). It makes them feel a sense of commitment because they've already given more info.    Squeeze page - There is software to help you make it: squeezepagemaker.com squeezepagegenerator.com    Squeeze page - Test all the different elements of your squeeze page    You can download the files here.
You get an email that says:   Do you believe it? What do you do?  1. Do you believe it? YES! Power outages in the Philippines are a SERIOUS problem.  In some areas they have them EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Most areas aren't so bad, but one of my GUYS has a 5-hour power outage every day. Look at what google has to say about it.  It's VERY common.  2. What do you do about it? You'll find that most Filipinos will apologize for not being able to work and they'll make it up another time. If they don't, you need to figure out how to deal with it. You have 2 choices:    Don't worry about it, let your brain focus on more important things like how to make more money.   Worry about it and have it pull you down. Yes, I realize that's a simplification. The reality is, there's not much you can do about it.  You could let the person go and find someone else.  For me, that's not a reasonable solution.  I train my people too well to let them go just because they're working less than I would like.  For you, if this is a serious concern, try hiring people in Manila or Cebu.  They tend to have less of a problem with it.
I get this story often enough that I thought it was worth a post.  DON'T PRE-PAY FOR WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES.  Clearly this isn't a 100% of the time rule, because there are times when it's appropriate. Just DON'T do it with a new employee. Don't buy them a laptop. Don't pay their internet bill. Don't pay for their sisters medical bills.  Not with a new employee.  Filipinos are shy enough as is. If they're not comfortable with you yet, and they're asking for money up front, for work they haven't done yet, there's something wrong.  Here's a conversation a friend of mine had recently with a new employee:    It was the 2nd person he had hired who was asking for money up front.  The first person disappeared.  He learned his lesson for the second person.
Last night Typhoon Megi hit the northern end of Luzon island (Luzon island is the island Manila is on).  In case you don't know, a Typhoon is essentially the same as a hurricane.  This one was about equivalent to a category 5 hurricane.  The Philippine government did a pretty good job preparing for this one, so few people died, but many people lost most of what they had.  If you have GUYS in the Philippines, regardless of if they're on Luzon island or not, it's probably a good idea to ask them if them and their families are OK.  It will go a long way with them.  Also, if you do have GUYS in northern Luzon, expect MAJOR delays in productivity and communication.
In this interview I describe the number one problem people (including myself) experience when hiring Filipinos to work in their businesses.  In 4 words: Embarrassment, unworthiness, fear, (not being good enough to qualify) <- that's one word :)    [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/number-1-philippines-problem.mp3"][/audio]   To sum it up for you, here are 3 situations that occur frequently:    You just hired a new person, gave them their first task, and they give you a reason why they have to resign.   You've had someone working for you for a bit, they've done great work, then all of a sudden you don't hear from them for a week.   You've had someone working for you for years and they stop responding to your emails and don't email you for a month. In over 90% of the cases I've seen, the cause of all of these is that the person is embarrassed that they don't know how to do whatever it is that you've asked them to do. They either don't know how to solve something, or they don't understand something, or they can't figure something out. The natural Filipino reaction to this is to shy away from it because they don't want to disappoint you.  Unless you want to lose an employee (or lose months of productivity like I've done a couple of times), you need to email them and tell them you know they have a problem and that you'd like to know what the problem is so you can help them solve it.  This will literally save you thousands of dollars and countless headaches.  You can find more tips like this both in the free video and in the members area at ReplaceMyself.com.
Command of the english language in the Philippines is amazing.  They watch american movies and TV shows. They listen to american music and radio.  They know english better than they think they know english.  For example, I got an email from my good friend Robert Murgatroyd the other day.  He forwarded an email that one of his Filipino employees had sent him.    Not everyone you find will have such amazing english like this, but there are plenty of Filipinos who have perfect english. You can find people to hire at OnlineJobs.ph. Be sure to look at the advanced search to search for multiple skills at once.
Marketing to local businesses, and helping them do their internet marketing, is what I would do if I had to start everything over.  It's easy. It's profitable. It's easy to understand from beginning to end. There's almost no risk. It's easy to get started. You don't have to be technical. You don't have to know everything when you get started. You just have to know more than the small business owner does about marketing on the internet. Simple.  Yesterday I did an amazing interview with Jim Cockrum, owner of OfflineBiz.com.  Jim gave some amazing tips on how to be successful in doing online marketing work for offline businesses.  It's 94 minutes long (it was so good that I didn't want to stop it at an hour).    [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jim-cockrum-local-biz-mono.mp3"][/audio]   Download the MP3 recording Just so you know, there isn't a sales pitch in this. Jim does own OfflineBiz.com which has TONS of resources to help you succeed with this, but it's $50 to join. Very reasonable.  Here are notes I took along with their timestamps for when Jim talked about these things:    12:00 - why this is a great market   12:43 - beginning of "How do you get a client"   13:14 - you need to talk to people   13:47 - no business card, no website, just being "a fellow business owner"   15:26 - 4 line letter - direct mail you can send to business owners   The conversation between 15:26 and 18:00 is amazing   18:15 - build websites then auction them off for a monthly amount (typically $500 - $2000/month)   19:09 - another way to get clients is to knock doors of the businesses you use in your community   21:25 - how to find local business addresses from their websites   23:00 - "Turn Tuesday night into the busies night of the week"   24:50 - using TrafficGeyser to get results for your clients   26:15 - partner with web design companies to get clients   30:50 - Top services to sell to people (really just ideas for services to sell)    mobile websites (this conversation is amazing)   testimonials   google maps   social media services     35:14 - what kinds of businesses to target   38:30 - finding businesses based on where people are already advertising on PPC   40:22 - why you don't need a price sheet of services   41:40 - how to get on stage in front of an entire industry of small business owners   44:00 - Q&A   69:28 - how to collect money from clients   72:30 - Questions to ask local business owners   78:43 - What to outsource and what not to  Here's my affiliate link to join OfflineBiz.com if you want to use it.  Last night a few hours after the call I had this IM sent to me.   Here's an email I got with more feedback on the call: 
This is a horror story with lots of lessons in it for you! Please heed them!!!  UPDATE: I got my gmail account back. Read this post to find out how. But first, continue reading what I learned before getting it back. THIS IS DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO YOU! Part 1: My Google (Gmail) account is gone Tuesday night at 10:06pm my phone couldn't connect to my Gmail account.  I tried the password...it didn't work.  I came up to my computer and tried to login...no luck.  After putting my account into the "Forgot Password" system I got:    WHAT!!!  That's right: "No account found with that email address. Please try again."  I tried again. and again. and again. and again. Nothing.  So I searched: No account found with that email address. Please try again.  Turns out lots of people have had their gmail accounts deleted (or disabled)...with very little success getting them back.  Seriously? OH MY GOSH!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!!!  I've had my account for 7 years. Never deleted a message. I've gotten 170,000 messages in that time (I'll tell you how I know in a minute).  I can't login to my google docs, google calendar, google voice, youtube.com, or google sites where I had LOTS of documentation for my business. They've all been deleted (or disabled...yet to be determined). I can't access anything!  What the heck was I thinking trusting so many things to a company who has a ZERO policy:    ZERO tolerance   ZERO warning   ZERO communication   ZERO acceptions   ZERO phone numbers  Don't get me wrong...google provides the best services.  There's a reason I'm using all these things. But there has to be a safeguard when you're using a company who will disable such vital information without warning or repercussion.  Be warned.  In the end I found this link: http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/request.py?ara=1 which is an account recovery link for if your account has been disabled. Go through that link right now! WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING THEY ASK FOR  BEFORE THIS HAPPENS TO YOU!  Fortunately for me, I had read a blog post about this a while back so I had written lots of this info down and put it in a drawer thinking I would probably lose the paper before I needed it.  I have the info.  It's not as complete as I'd like (or as complete as google would like as of right now), but I have a lot of info. Google has already said NO to my first request to get my account back. I didn't have enough information in my first try. I'll update this blog as things progress.  Right now all my email is just bouncing back to people who email me. My email address no longer exists.  What I *think* happened? I think a hacker got into my account. Either    they did what they wanted and then deleted the account   they sent a bunch of spam, google caught it and disabled the account It's also possible that I did something google didn't like (I mean...they wouldn't tell me if I had...), but I don't think I did anything different than I have for the past 7 years... In any case, I'll never know because even IF I get my account back, Google will never tell me what happened. Part 2: What I learned from having my gmail account deleted First: I learned (again) that with google, there is 1 chance. If something goes wrong, there are no warnings, no communication, and very little shot at a second chance. Even if you've done nothing wrong. That being said, I still believe google puts out the best products and I'm still using them as I reconstruct my life.  Second: MAKE BACKUPS OF EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!!! I had backups of my gmail and google docs. My life isn't over. I backup in 2 ways. Here's how you backup your gmail account:    Zoho.com will give you a free email account and they'll POP your email from gmail. I've had them doing this for years. Zoho is amazing. As of right now I have over 175,000 emails backed up in zoho.  Zoho has also been invaluable in figuring out all the info google wants to get my account back. **UPDATE**: I just read this post which details some ways to backup google services. It also says that using POP3 to grab all your emails is against google's TOS. Be careful before you do it. I can't find anything saying it's against their TOS, but we know what happens with TOS violations...   Backupify.com is an amazing backup service. They backup all kinds of online data including gmail, facebook, flickr, blogger, and picasa. I also had Backupify backup google docs...so I have a copy of all my docs (that's a big deal...over 4 years of documents). With Backupify, they automatically backup your data and you don't have to worry about it. It's an amazing service.   Here are more ways to backup gmail:    http://www.gmail-backup.com   http://www.mailstore.com/en/mailstore-home.aspx   http://gmailkeeper.com/   http://www.labnol.org/internet/backup-gmail-emails-online/13477/     There are lots of other ways to backup gmail. Just search google. Those are the two I use. Third: I will never again use a free email address that I don't own. When someone else is in control of your contact location (your email address), when they decide to take it from you, you're out of luck. From now on I'll have my own domain and have Google Apps handle the email. Now, if something happens to my account, I just change my DNS settings to somewhere else and my email address doesn't disappear. Because I have backups of everything, if they disable my account, I can just reconstruct everything. Yesterday I bought a domain from Godaddy for less than $8 (search "godaddy promo code" and use a coupon when checking out). I have already set it up in Google Apps and have a new email address.  Fourth: Dealing with passwords I shouldn't have to say that using an insecure password is just playing with fire. At some point you WILL get burned. That's just stupid. Most people use a secure password, they just use the same password for everything. I'm fine with that...to a point. Now I know you should always have a different password for the things that matter to you:    email   facebook   bank   paypal   godaddy (or domain registrar)   hosting   ...figure out what's important to you Use a different secure password for each of the important ones.  Fifth: Prepare for the worst with ALL important accounts I'm in the process of going through the account recovery steps for things that are important to me (especially the google account recovery process). When I lose another account, I want to be able to get it back fast.  Sixth: Lastpass I love Lastpass. I love that I have all my passwords in one place, and that I can find out all the services that I have passwords to just by looking through the list.  I also love that I can change my important passwords as often as needed and I don't have to worry about remembering them.  Lastpass does it for me, across all my computers and my phone. Before you hate on me and say I'm stupid for using an online service to store my passwords, look at the security Lastpass uses.  It's pretty darn good. Conclusion If you have a gmail.com address as your primary email you're playing with fire. I'm not saying don't use gmail. I'm just saying: Make backups. Lots. Often. Make sure you're prepared to go through the recovery process of your important digital data. UPDATE Here's another horror story of an expensive hacking...and things you should change right now!
A few days ago I posted about my disabled gmail account.  After a long, painful process, I was able to successfully recover the account.  Before you read this blog post, let me tell you that one of the things I discovered was Google's account recovery process is 100% automated! No humans involved at ANY level. More on that below.  In getting my account back, I learned a LOT. Here are the things I learned about my account     My account was disabled/deleted because a hacker got into it. When I was finally able to recover it, during the "change your password process," I found this:   So I at least know the account was hacked.  The first thing the hacker did was change my password and the account recovery email addresses, so it would be really hard for  me to get my account back.   The hacker also deleted my Youtube account and added 2 more of his own to my account:   Jerk.  I did manage to get my youtube account restored, but he deleted all the videos out of it and I can't recover those.  Good thing I make TONS of backups of things.    The hacker deleted all emails in my inbox (I had probably 15 emails from 10 people in my inbox, 5 of which were to remind me to do something). If you were expecting a reply from me recently...sorry...your email got deleted. Keep your inbox clean!    I still don't know how he got into my account. I had a very strong password. I can only think of 3 scenarios:    a brute force password attack (unlikely)   I used the same password somewhere else and he hacked into some other database that had that password (most likely). My own stupidity.   I logged into my gmail account over an unencrypted connection on a public wifi network and he got my username/password (unlikely)  What I learned about Google's account recovery system, and what it means to you! I learned a couple awesome things about recovering a deleted google account during this process...a couple things Google doesn't want you to know (or...things they don't tell you).    If you're not prepared, forget it If you're not prepared to recover your gmail account and can answer the questions google asks, basically you can forget getting your account back.  They ask obscure things nobody would ever know (not even you). Here are 2 screenshots of the page they make you fill out.  I took these so I could remember what I had put in.  My personal info is blurred out.  These are screenshots of the google account recovery pages    To recover your account, here's my take on the difficulty:    frequently emailed people - easy   labels - slightly more difficult   invitation url - difficult depending on how you got it   all questions about orkut and blogger: if you answer yes they want to know the url of your profile and when you started using it - almost impossible to find   4 services you use - Impossible, unless...you have a backup of your gmail account in a searchable location like zoho mail. I was able to find these things by searching through my zoho for things like "calendar," "docs," "orkut," ... It still took a LOT of work.   Account creation date - Impossible without a backup      Google's account recovery system is 100% automated! No human will ever even see your account recovery attempt. Don't try to put identifying info into the fields for a human to look at.  It will just hurt your chance of getting your account back. You really just have to figure out how to give enough accurate info to get the computer to say "Yeah, this is over 80% correct, give the account back" or whatever percentage they have. The reason I know this is:   How Google responds to your account recovery attempts Google says it may take between 24-48 hours for them to reply to you.  The first time I submitted the account recovery form I got an answer back in 44 hours. It was a NO. The second time I submitted the account recovery form it took 40 hours. It was a NO. The third time I submitted the account recovery form, it took 2 minutes. It was a YES!  Now, I don't know this for sure, but here's what this tells me:    You submit your info to Google and a computer validates it against the data the computer knows about your account.   If the computer matches the info and it's correct enough, it fires off an email immediately to you saying "You can change your password now!"   If the computer looks at your info and it's not correct enough, it waits 24-48 hours before sending you an email saying "NO, you're screwed for a while longer!"  If it were humans looking at the requests, why does it take so long to say no, but only 2 minutes to say YES! (I literally got an email from them within 2 minutes of submitting the successful request). It's done on purpose! Google doesn't want to give too many chances to people who don't have the right info. If you get a NO back from Google after submitting the account recovery form, and you don't hear back from them within 15 minutes, start gathering more data to recover your account. This whole thing was a big, painful, learning process. Things I've learned and things I'd do differently     Make backups of everything - I already had pretty good backups.  In the future I'll have rock solid backups.   Prepare for the worst early - I was slightly prepared.  Now I'll be better prepared.   Don't use a free gmail account - I've since bought a domain and set up my email through google apps.   If you want to migrate your email and your docs to another account, I highly suggest this email and data migration company, MigrationBox.com. Their docs migration needs a little work (only try to move 100 docs at a time) but their email migration is solid. It moved 175,000 emails of mine no problem. I chatted with them for a while and they gave me a 40% off coupon for my readers: JOHNSYNC 40% Off Coupon What a lifesaver MigrationBox was for me. I now get all my old emails in my new email account. Everything seamless. They're also good for:    moving between gmail/google apps   moving between just about any email service providers   syncing email accounts (ummmm...backup anyone?)     NEVER use the same password for your email, facebook, bank, anything else you care about - I now keep one "junk" password, and like 6 completely secure passwords that I don't use anywhere else.   This is a bit extreme, but I'm now keeping an email account that I use to sign up for everything. I won't sign up for things with my real email address anymore. That way, my real email address isn't out there in too many databases, and it doesn't have any passwords associated with it in case I slip up somewhere. The other email account just forwards to my main one so I still get all the emails.   UPDATE:This post on lifehacker by adam pash details a new security feature google is JUST NOW rolling out (they're about a week too late for me...although I'm now using it). Amazing...as I was going through this nightmare, I had wished google would have some sort of 2-step verification system. I also wish lastpass had the same thing!  Maybe I'm a bit extreme. Maybe not. What I do know is that the internet isn't going anywhere, losing your email account ISN'T fun, and hackers aren't getting dumber. It's getting more and more common. I'll try to stay ahead of the game from now on.  Please learn a lesson from my misfortunes and mistakes!
 Below is the sequence of emails I sent to hire someone Note: Don't copy these emails! These are just examples....too many employers have copied this email exactly and onlinejobs.ph is flooded with these emails....jobseekers won't reply to you b/c they'll think you are a spammer/scammer!Email #1: This email went out to about 15 people.  Hi,  I found your resume on OnlineJobs.ph.  I currently have a job opening in my company.  I need someone who is great in english, and who can do SEO for some of my websites. Other skills are a bonus, but not necessary.  I am looking for someone to work full-time (40 hours/week) from home. I will expect you to not have another job except for working for me.  If you're interested, please write one paragraph of why I should hire you. I want you to write this so I can see your english skills. Don't send me a list of your past experience. Describe it to me. I want to see how well you write.  Also, please tell me your desired salary (I know you listed it in OnlineJobs....just tell me again) and when you would be available to start work.  This email is going to 13 people, that's why I didn't personalize it to you...sorry.  John   Email #2: This went to each person who sent me back a good response to Email #1  Where are you in the philippines? How are the power outages there? Will you be able to work full time? Do you have your own computer? Did you write that last response to me yourself? Did someone help you with it? When could you start? Email #3: This went to the person I really wanted to hire. They had already proven their english skills and also claimed to have other skills.  How fast is your internet connection? What SEO experience do you have? If I gave you a new website to do SEO for, what would you do? Can you send me some references to graphics work you've done? How about wordpress sites you've built? Email #4 - after 2 days of not hearing back from them, I sent this email  Name,  I didn't hear from you about this. I think I'm ready to hire you, I'd just like to hear from you about these things.  Also, one of the things I know is a problem with Filipinos is you get embarrassed when you don't know something. Then you disappear and don't email me back. I've been through this quite a few times.  If this is going to work for us, the first thing you need to know is that you MUST email me when you have a problem. I NEED to know.  Let me know if you're still interested.  John    She responded with a good response. Email #5  Name,  Great. You're hired.  The part about Filipinos is my experience. I've seen it over and over again. You don't know much about my business yet (other than I own onlinejobs.ph) but I would bet you'll get to know it pretty well over the next few months.  I would like you to start today.  I am inviting you to use our project management system. You will get a separate email from me inviting you to get in. You will find a lot of information in there. (here I gave some specific pages inside MyProjectPlans.com for them to read)  I want you to specifically tell me if you have any questions or comments about the Employment policies and the Using TrackLabor.com pages.  I want to make sure our working relationship starts off right.  I will pay you using xoom.com around the 1st of the month. It should be pretty easy. We will start at $200 per month. Depending on your work it will go up from there.  I expect this to be a long-term working relationship. I expect to have you working for me for years to come. Over time, I hope you will make a very good wage from me.  I am hiring you right now to do SEO work for a couple of websites we just started...and to help someone with whatever he needs help with.  Name, meet (my employee) (he's cc'd on this email).  He has worked for me for almost 5 years. He knows EVERYTHING. You will be helping him with whatever he needs help with, and will be in charge of doing SEO for a couple of websites.  I will send you your "first" task in another email. He will probably also give you things to do. (the first task was setting up wordpress on my hosting account, change the theme, write a post and a page).  Please let me know what you need from me and what I can do for you.  I'm excited to have you on our team.  John    I posted the specific emails here not for you to copy exactly. Some of the information I asked for might not be relevant to you. I post it as an example and a guideline of what I look for when I'm hiring someone. You may (probably will) be different.
In my last blog post about hiring Filipino workers and requiring them to only have 1 job I apparently stirred up some controversy.  In the comments    I was accused of exploiting people   I was told that I don't pay enough   I was told that the people I hire aren't "employees"  I feel differently about all of them.  Here's my response:  <missing video>  Here are the notes I worked from:        I stand by what I said. I require only 1 job.   I don't pay my people $250/month for very long. They get raises. They get large bonuses. This according to their output/loyalty/devotion.   Pay is different in different parts of the country. Manila is different than davao. Companies pay more, cost of living is more. It doesn't mean your work quality is better. I have people in davao and their work is just as good as people anywhere else in the country. They ASK for less money. Companies in Mindanao or Panay or Palawan are NOT paying 20,000 pesos per month. Different regions of the Philippines have VERY different in their pay scales.   I don't advocate exploiting people. When I teach outsourcing I teach what's real about wage differences, but also tell people to treat them well. Not everyone will.  Nobody is forcing anyone to work. If the wages you're being paid aren't enough, you should go look for a different job.    I love my workers. I try to treat them very well. They get all the paid time off they want. They work the hours they want. They've asked for me to pay their Phil Health and SSS and I gave them raises to pay for it.   In the end, what I think this comes down to is If you treat people well, they'll do good work. If you don't, they won't. 
Some thoughts on how to train your Filipino VA. It has become clear to me that I haven't done a very good job of teaching how to train people. I've done a WORSE job of explaining that ReplaceMyself.com is intended to train your VA's from the Philippines for you.    File Download:  MP3 Audio, 2.6 MB [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/how-to-train-filipino-vas.mp3"][/audio]   Inside ReplaceMyself.com is my training that you can give to your VA's on how to do:    Article Marketing   Video Marketing   SEO   High PageRank Link Building   Copywriting   Directory Submissions   Social Bookmarking   Build a Mini-Net (or a super mini-net)   Manage your Adwords Account   RSS Feeds   Facebook, Myspace, Squidoo 
"Direct Linking" is an old school internet business model where you buy PPC clicks and send the clicks straight to an affiliate program.  It was really popular (and REALLY profitable) from 2000 - 2006. Since then, everyone say it doesn't work anymore.  I've heard people say "You can't do direct linking, Google won't allow it."  While direct linking doesn't work as well as it once did, I'm here to say: YES! "DIRECT LINKING" DOES STILL WORK! I know because we do it.  Here's proof. I took screenshots of an adwords account and of affiliate income from the past 6 months (November - April). Expenses:  Income: $2090.12 - Expenses: $437.56 = Profit: 1652.56 Profit per month: $275.42 For members of ReplaceMyself.com, the business model we use is outlined in detail in the "Business-in-a-Box." All members have access to it. The "Business-in-a-Box" is designed to be given to a Filipino employee and have them implement it for you.  Like I've always said, this isn't something that will make you rich. It's not designed to make you $100,000,000,000. It IS designed to help you get someone working for you quickly, with little to no intervention on your part, and hopefully have them start making money for you.  We just finished updating the "Business-in-a-Box" training so it's current and has all the training someone needs to get started doing it today.  No, I'm not getting rich off this income. Does direct linking still work? YES, yes it does.
Today I sent out an email to my mailing list.  Normal.  This afternoon I got an email from one of them:  Hello Sir,  Good day!  Just so you know. There's an error on your link but I already fixed it. I created a htaccess RewriteUrl on the error link to the correct link. It was missing the last "L". http://www.jonasblog.com/2011/04/does-direct-linking-still-work-yes.html  Regards, [his name]   I love my GUYS. They go above and beyond all the time.  This is why I hire Filipino workers. I never asked them to subscribe to my mailing list.  Or to verify that everything's correct.  Or to fix it for me.  Amazing.  You know who you are.  Nice job.
You know what question a get asked the most about outsourcing?  It's not "How do I find a trustworthy employee?" It's not "How much should I pay them?" It's not "How can I know if they really have the skill to do the work"?  Nope.  The biggest question I get is:  "How can I be sure that they are actually working while I am paying them?"  AND "If I am paying them by hour how can I know that it takes them as long as they claim?  Over the years this has been a major pain for me. I mean, if someone's only working 15 hours/week it's pretty hard to know that. It's hard to know if they're working 2 jobs or just one (for me!).  I tried using Odesk's screen capture software to validate things...what a pain in the butt. That took more of my time to manage than it was worth.  I tried using manual time tracking software (like DotProject) but that didn't work either. Too easy to fake, too difficult to control.  Then I stumbled upon a system that came really close to what I wanted. I've been working with it and tweaking it for the past 2 years. Finally, I have the PERFECT solution for knowing exactly what's going on.  An elegant outsourcing tracking solution that:    Works for tracking outsourcers   Is inexpensive and simple to use, with virtually no ramp up time   It tracks, down to the SECOND, how much time people are spending on what activities and what web pages , telling you EXACTLY what they are doing, and where your money is disappearing. But not only that.... Turns out it allows you to increase their productivity and save at least 10 hours of productive time per person per week.  Seriously, how you ever wondered how productive are your Filipino employees? (or any employees for that matter) Do you really KNOW?  Now you can.  Introducing http://www.TrackLabor.com - Productivity and Time Tracking for Outsourced Workers.  .
Scott listened to one of my webinars where I teach how to outsource to the Philippines. He knew he should be outsourcing, but his business wasn't quite there yet.  We met when he took me to play golf at Trump National. I told him I thought he should be doing "local business marketing." The rest is history.  He's succeeding. He's making money. He's outsourcing all the work.  For your listening pleasure.     Get Flash to see this player. [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/scott-yarnall-case-study.mp3"][/audio]   Download the MP3 recording Things to learn from Scotts experience:    Scott was struggling with building niche sites (1:15)   Sticking with what works for you (the grass isn't always greener!) (1:50)   Scotts business model (2:20) - I love this! He's learning from OfflineBiz   Make sales first! (2:58)   Everything's confusing, how to gain confidence (4:20)   How much money he's making (5:25)   What work his outsourcers are doing for him (6:24)   How much to pay his GUY in the Philippines ($75/week) (6:40)   Things his GUY in the Philippines does for him and his clients (6:50) (includes WordPress, graphics, videos, video editing, video marketing)   The work Scott does vs the work his GUY does (8:05)   A glimpse at Scotts workflow process (8:40)   Teaching someone to do something you didn't hire them to do (9:02)   Scotts hiring criteria and hiring process (9:43)   Mindset and tasks for how to keep someone busy (12:35)   Scotts final words on business model and the highest payoff tasks (14:44) Do you have a success story you'd like to share with me? Please Share Your Success!.  
Dan does a great job of explaining how big the mobile space is, As well as showing marketing opportunities in the mobile space.  His "local groupon" business model is brilliant.  Here's the replay of the webinar we did.   File Download:  MP4 Video 77.1MB [videopress xOyppkAN]    
Eric came to our seminar in the Philippines and went out and applied what he learned.  Here's a snippet of an email he sent me one day: "... In any case- just a reminder that you have changed my life, an I owe you big time for that. If there's ANYTHING I can ever do for you, just ask and consider it done. (no joke) I tell everyone who is doing everything themselves to get your training and hire someone in the Philippines NOW.  Jason has been with me for a year this month, and he runs my ENTIRE business. Best thing I ever did. (Though it's a little scary just depending on one person- need to hire another!)  Anyway, thanks so much for all you do- you may (or may not) realize it, but you are literally changing lives (on both sides of the Pacific).  See ya! Eric Sent from my iPhone."   So I asked him to get on a phone call with me and talk about his success.  Sorry about the low video quality...this is the first and last time I record skype video with Pamela.    File Download: MP3 Audio, 2.6 MB [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/eric-genesoto-case-study.mp3"][/audio]   Here's a summary of what's in the interview:    1:40 - Eric's business model (Local Business Marketing).   2:15 - He got started trading services   4:30 - What he's doing for his clients (SEO, Video marketing, Article marketing, "everything")   5:20 - Work is structured around Filipino workers   5:40 - What his GUYS in the Philippines are doing for him   6:45 - Why he doesn't do "social media" for people. (<-- this is GOOD)   7:30 - How he does things differently than I do. He doesn't do it once himself.   9:50 - Why his GUYS don't do customer service for him   10:48 - Eric's hiring process - how he hired someone. Different things work differently for different people.   11:37 - Eric's criteria for hiring (this was a SHOCK to me)   13:44 - What to do with someone who's English isn't PERFECT.   14:58 - Tips for hiring from Eric   17:35 - BIGGEST tip   20:25 - How much money he's making   21:30 - What kind of people he hired. Teaching Filipinos to do things.  Here's where you can find Eric Genesoto blog.    If you have a Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I'll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
I shot this video in the Red Cliffs Recreation Area in St George, UT. That waterfall is slightly bigger than it looks and was fun for my 4 and 6 year olds to slide down into the pool below.  Pay attention to the exchange rate.   File Download:  MP3 Audio, < 1 MB [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/pay-attention-to-exchange-rate.mp3"][/audio]    
This is a great case study with George and Evan. They're doing local business marketing and building a whole host of WordPress plugins.    File Download: MP3 Audio, < 1 MB -- File Download:  iPhone/iPod Version  [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/george-and-evan.mp3"][/audio]   Here's a summary of the case study.    1:22 - Their business model (local business marketing)   3:00 - tasks they're outsourcing (social media)   3:40 - documenting tasks and teaching new people how to do them.   4:35 - starting with a blank slate   7:50 - asking your Filipino workers to teach you   9:30 - starting with 2-3 people   10:12 - following instructions   10:20 - where they found people to hire (OnlineJobs.ph)   10:45 - George's twist on my hiring strategy   11:50 - emailing them and then waiting to see who emails back   12:20 - looking at someone's delay in response time as a hiring test (this is great!)   13:00 - Don't cherry pick people!   15:10 - Filipino's don't like to disappoint   15:50 - Contacting people vs putting a job out there (<-- This conversation is worth the whole interview!)   18:00 - Laying out specifics before giving a task (good and bad of doing this)   19:30 - Learning to delegate   19:45 - "It doesn't matter how good you can do it, if it doesn't get done...WHO CARES!"   20:20 - Things their Filipino workers do with article marketing   21:20 - "OPSEO" and "MOWSEO"   23:00 - How MOWSEO saves you time and makes your sites more successful   26:30 - Getting stuff done you hate doing   27:30 - How to outsource repetitive tasks   29:40 - Using a different Skype account for interviewing people    If you have a Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
This should be a guest post by George (who I recently did a case study with).  Because George is succeeding with having Filipino workers do the work in his business he has other people asking him how he's doing it (hmmm...that sounds familiar...). He wrote up this list of 21 things he learned while hiring Filipino workers to help others get started with it.  George's list of 21 things he learned while hiring Filipino workers    It is very prestigious for a Filipino to work for an American company.   Filipino companies HATE American companies that "steal" people from their potential work pool.   Many Filipinos are more loyal and dedicated and hard-working than their American counterparts (in my opinion).   Phone connections are "bad" to the Philippines.   Internet is "iffy" in many parts of the Philippines. When it is good it is good, but the rainy weather sometimes makes it tough. Therefore, you must be flexible with their hours.   You may be disappointed if you rummage through all the potential resumes and cherry-pick the best. It is better to send out the template to anyone who has the potential skill set you are looking for and then talk with the ones who respond. I only got maybe a 10-15% response rate.   One reason you don't get a response...a Filipino friend told me that Filipinos hate to disappoint - so in many cases they just don't respond. In other words, they probably already got a job and don't want to tell you so.   Filipinos are leery of Americans sometimes and that is because of many unscrupulous ones jacking them around with their pay. It is not uncommon for an American to hire, get 2 weeks of work and then not pay, only to do that again with someone else.   Since Filipinos have intermittent issues with internet connections (depending on how close they live to a major city), you have to be willing for them to make up time; for instance, to work a Sat-Sun to substitute for a day missed.   Although you can pay a company based in the Philippines to manage your employee by providing them a computer, office, etc., you will pay twice as much and have a higher turnover than if you take the chance and let them work from home.   A typical commute in a city like Manila is 45 minute to work and 45 home. Letting a Filipino work from  home is pretty appealing for them.   Filipinos like structure. Many are not as fast at doing tasks as Americans, but you get more productivity out of them in the long run.   Use an instant message service like Skype to communicate. I used this service to interview as well. At first it was awkward, but I ended up with a written record of EVERYTHING they said, which was great to refer back to when I was trying to make a hiring decision.   Pay them using Xoom (http://www.Xoom.com). That way, you can transfer to their bank account (if they have one) or they can go pick it up at any of hundreds of Xoom locations.   Filipinos expect something extra at Christmas time. A friend told me he pays them an extra month's pay in December.   Find out what they are willing to work for and then give them a little more so that you will lock them in.   Make a spreadsheet and keep records of all the e-mails you send, as if there is someone you really think that you are interested in, you need to know if you have sent them an e-mail and how many times. Sometimes it takes several e-mails to get them to respond.   If the e-mail comes back (undeliverable), scan the resume for a phone number and call them. I did this. We talked long enough for me to get their new e-mail and a Skype ID. I ended up hiring that person.   Get a calling card with NobelCom (http://www.nobelcom.com) for making calls to the Philippines. Very cheap.   Never type in a communication using "Philippino" for "Filipino". They will laugh.   Hope this helps. I paid hundreds of dollars to learn a lot of what I just shared with you about hiring Filipinos and learned much from John Jonas and by trial and error.     Do you have things you've learned while hiring Filipino workers? Contact me and tell me about it. I might let you make a guest blog post.  
"I couldn't believe ReplaceMyself. I know the trainings aren't for me, but I was going through them and learning tons of stuff, and then it was like, "here you go, you guys do this stuff"!, and I didn't have to do it!" - Dean Soto Dean has a full-time job in the Aerospace industry.  At the same time he is running a 6-figure side business by outsourcing all the work.  What's he doing?  - Web development/design - Local Business Marketing  In this case study there are so many things to learn about using a Filipino VA for doing either one of those businesses.    File Download: MP3 Audio, 19 MB — File Download:  iPhone/iPod Version (145mb) [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dean-soto.mp3"][/audio]   One MAJOR question this case-study answers is: "Can Filipino's do client facing work?" The answer is YES!  Here's a summary of the case study:    2:15 - they build wordpress websites for companies   3:30 - time spent and what he does as a "web development" company   5:00 - what they charge people to do websites   6:33 - how many people he has working for him in the Philippines   6:55 - how much he pays people   7:40 - paying bonuses to his Filipino employees   8:25 - NEVER tell other people your Filipino employee's name   9:00 - Can Filipino's do client facing work?   9:50 - What his Filipino workers are doing in his business   10:30 - His VA creates training videos for him for his customers   11:20 - Hiring a technical person and teaching them technical things   13:22 - What skills to look for when hiring a technical person   14:00 - Hiring for Wordpress skills and for English skills   15:40 - Dean's hiring process - mostly in writing   16:12 - Posting a job on OnlineJobs.ph   17:00 - How to tell how good their english is!!!   18:00 - Skills to look for: PHP, Mysql, AJAX   20:00 - Using Google Apps to give them emails from your company   21:30 - He uses Basecamp to manage projects because his customers find it easiest   23:00 - Doing what you're good at THEN building niche sites   24:30 - Building a team with what you're good at   25:25 - Being the CEO of your business   26:00 - Last words: Use ReplaceMyself.com   27:00 - Your VA's will become your friends.  You can find Dean's podcast on Small Business Ideas and Tips on iTunes.    If you have a Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
Hiring all your GUYS in the Philippines in the same city isn't necessary, but it's something to consider.  Here's a video with my thoughts about it.    File Download:  MP3 Audio, < 1 MB [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/hire-in-one-city.mp3"][/audio]   If you see yourself someday setting up an office in the Philippines (because you have a team of 5+), hiring all your people in the same city will make it a lot easier.  I shot this video in Bluejohn Canyon. What an amazing place.  
One of my GUYS sent me this tool today:   http://clues.yahoo.com/analysis  It will show you who's searching for the keywords you're targeting by:    age   gender   location   search volume   alternative keywords  Put in "photoshop" and "learn guitar" for some surprising demographics (at least...surprising to me!).  It would be super easy to be marketing to the wrong demographic if you're in those markets.
Determining someone's English skills is one of the most common problems I come across.  When I was in the Philippines last year I was given this awesome tip for one way to get a better idea.  Ask potential employees if they grew up watching "Sesame Street" or "Batibot."  This is really clever, and surprisingly effective!    File Download:  MP3 Audio, < 1 MB [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sesame-street-vs-batibot.mp3"][/audio]   Ask your current employees what they grew up with and let me know in the comments if this was correct.    Just FYI, my guess is that this technique will become less and less effective over time as more and more Filipinos know what their answer should be (from this blog post).  
This is a great case study of how Derrel has used outsourcing to succeed in providing local business marketing services.  Derral has done a great job in setting up his business with outsourcing. The quality of the video is pretty bad. The audio is much better. It's surprisingly difficult to get good video+audo recording in today's world.    File Download: MP3 Audio, ~27mb MB -- File Download: iPhone/iPod Version [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/derral-eves.mp3"][/audio]   Here's a summary of the case study.    1:15 - He does website design, programming, and SEO for people.   1:55 - the joys of internet connection problems   2:25 - problems with hiring local people to do the work for you   2:50 - Cultural differences with India   3:30 - A "Yes" in India isn't the same as a "Yes" in the USA   5:20 - Copying and Pasting an email template   6:00 - How he filters people in hiring (this is really good)   8:00 - His experience giving a first task   8:45 - How much writing is possible...just don't expect this   10:15 - Looking for a technical person (HTML, PHP, CSS)   11:00 - Giving leeway   11:25 - Another Filipino going above and beyond   12:15 - When Derral realized he had replaced himself   13:00 - Don't find a jack-of-all-trades   14:10 - Kinds of people to hire <<-- Video quality gets much better here    English Writer   Technical person (programmer)   16:20 - how to test a programmer   17:30 - PHP is a more important skill than "WordPress programming"   Graphic designer   SEO (he talks about this at 25:55)   Video Editing and video marketing (he talks about this at 26:20)     19:00 - filling their downtime to generate passive income   21:55 - Keeping people in stable work so they don't look for other work   22:40 - Letting them finish something before starting something new   23:45 - What you can do when you have a programmer working for you   24:25 - Not outsourcing keyword research   26:45 - SEO takes time!!!   27:00 - How we both haven't outsourced social media yet (if you have, please contact me!)   28:12 - When to get a project manager   30:00 - How much to be involved with the project manager   30:50 - using screen capture will make your life easier   31:40 - TREAT YOUR PEOPLE WELL!!!   32:30 - Giving praise   33:00 - Specific hiring tips (and an interruption)   34:00 - Contract work (freelancers) doesn't work as well as hiring full-time   36:40 - Video works great for getting exactly what you want done   37:00 - Going from sceptic to success story!    If you have a Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
David is another great success story with outsourcing to the Philippines.  He has built a really great business thanks to being able to outsource all his fulfillment work.  After the video is a summary of the case study.    File Download: MP3 Audio, ~7mb MB -- File Download: iPhone/iPod Version  [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/david-james-ostiguy.mp3"][/audio]   Summary of the outsourcing success study with David    0:25 - Davids business model - owning the top 10 on google   1:00 - What David's 7 people in the Philippines do for him    free consultation   keyword research   use software   build backlinks   on-site SEO   creating videos and doing video marketing   high PR linkbuilding   article marketing     4:05 - One of his Filipino workers does lead generation for him <-- THIS IS GENIUS   5:30 - David's hiring process   6:00 - often Filipino resumes are exaggerated - expect it.   6:30 - make sure they know they can ask questions   7:00 - having them use tools you don't know how to use   9:00 - a couple ways he has trained his people   10:10 - his tips    hire full-time people (not part-time)   have them check-in every day   have specific tasks for specific people   don't give people money in advance!!    Recently David put together a training package for how he's done what he's done at Be and SEO consultant in 90 days.    If you have a Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
Chris has been very successful in numerous businesses. He now has multiple teams of Filipino workers with lots of people on them.  His success is better now than ever...but he went through quite a learning process to get there.  This is a fantastic case study and success story of using outsourcing to grow a business. Chris is super smart and teaches a LOT.    File Download: MP3 Audio, ~27mb MB -- File Download: iPhone/iPod Version  [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/chris-johnstone.mp3"][/audio]   Summary of the outsourcing success story    0:30 - Chris' evolution in outsourcing: 4 Hour Work Week, then India, then my presentation   2:20 - Giving my training (the training available inside ReplaceMyself.com) to his people   3:30 - What his guys do for him    register accounts   filling out profiles   market research   keyword research   backlinking   article marketing   traffic geyser   project management     4:45 - Chris usesmixture of full-time and part-time people   5:00 - high-end pay: $8/hour   5:15 - low-end pay: $4/hour   6:40 - How Chris is involved: daily maintenance with google docs and odesk platform   7:20 - time tracking software: TrackLabor.com   9:24 - being very clear with what you want and limiting tasks to specialties   11:30 - teaching them to the point where they see the problems and solutions in your business   12:30 - different methods of finding people   13:05 - recruiting in your GUYS network   15:00 - finding project managers from within your employees   16:15 - investing in the education in your employees   19:00 - he doesn't have an office in the Philippines, they all work from home   20:00 - TREAT THEM WELL!!! <-- this is the most common piece of advice I see from people who are succeeding with this!     If you have an Outsourcing Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
This was such a fun case study. The last picture is of Marvin and his team wearing sunglasses because, as they said:  "The future is so bright we have to wear shades" This is a screen capture of what Marvin Skyped me.     Listen to this interview I did with Marvin    [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/marvin-webster-case-study-join.mp3"][/audio] File Download: MP3 Audio, ~13.3mb MB        1:35 - take action and hire someone in 2 days!   2:30 - start by hiring 1 person. Don't hire 6 at once!   4:27 - establish relationships with people   5:07 - their first fear is if they're going to get paid   6:37 - taking your internet marketing education and adapting it to a different business   8:37 - wrote down every single detail of a plan for building his sites   9:42 - his profit sharing program   9:52 - how much he's paying people   10:32 - how and why he did time trials for tasks   12:37 - more explation of his profit sharing system   15:27 - some of the things he does to get 200 visitors/day   16:02 - 3 strike rule   17:07 - sensitivity, loyalty, productivity of Filipino employees   17:42 - No Philippines taxes, 100% US tax deductible   18:37 - explanation of his business model   21:24 - Filipinos are excellent at doing repetitive tasks   21:52 - they appreciate their jobs   24:22 - tips for hiring Filipino workers   Marvin, his Wife, his business partner, and their Filipino team! The future is so bright that we have to wear shades. His company is Black Tiger Imports
Scott is a good manager. This case study was a pleasure to do for me because time and time again I saw how he's doing things right. It's no wonder he's succeeding.  There's a lot to be learned from this (even the parts where he's not doing it right...and he KNOWS he's not doing it right!).    [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/scott-smith-case-study.mp3"][/audio] : MP3 Audio, ~17.7Kb MB -- File Download: iPhone/iPod Version   Summary of Success Story with Scott Smith: Managing Filipinos The Right Way    0:45 - Scotts team   1:15 - Scott does local business marketing for churches   2:05 - what Scott's team does for him (WordPress, plugins, graphics, video design, research, looking for JV partners, ...)   3:30 - finding people for specific skills, not necessarily for WordPress   5:05 - tools become an excuse to procrastinate   5:35 - understand WordPress yourself - get someone else to implement it for you   6:33 - help someone get good at things, on your team, so the future gets better   8:20 - learn it yourself, then hire someone else to implement it for you   10:06 - hiring a full-time graphic designer   12:10 - Scott created a full side business just based on the skills of his team!   14:30 - don't hire someone to do everything! Hire someone to do 1 thing.   17:45 - Scott has a programmer in the UK. He could find the same skill set from someone in the Philippines!   20:35 - Hiring "by-the-hour". A conversation for and against.   24:45 - Potential consequences of hiring on a per-project basis.   26:05 - Doing affiliate marketing in your teams downtime   29:30 - Getting local clients   30:40 - Advice from Scott: be detailed in your instructions <-- this is a big deal. It's the biggest feedback I've gotten from my team is that they like detailed instructions.   32:10 - "A lot of time it's the boss' problem"   33:05 - Put the onus on yourself - assume it was your fault first, that you weren't clear enough <-- THIS IS HUGE!!!   33:40 - show your gratitude (verbally), then give bonuses   35:30 - foster their feeling of community   36:35 - Scotts testimonial for me about his success with the Philippines     If you have an Outsourcing Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
 A full 8:44 introduction to outsourcing to the Philippines.  How To Replace Yourself In Your BusinessBy Hiring Virtual Assistants In The Philippines     https://videopress.com/v/6idjAMeb?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fjohnjonas.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F10%2Fintro-to-outsourcing-click-link-graphic-ending_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata     Register To Watch The Full Training Webinar    Years ago I realized that the only way to live the "internet business"lifestyle was by getting other people to do your work for you.    In this video I explain how to do it.    
In this case study Tim lays out his hiring process really well.  It's not the same way I do it, but it works for him.  Everyone is different. Figure out what works for you and stick with it.    [audio mp3="/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/tim-fahndrich.mp3"][/audio] File Download: MP3 Audio, ~13.13Kb -- File Download: 105.22 KB iPhone/iPod   Summary of Success Story with Tim    0:52 - his business is web design, social media marketing, local search optimization, and reputation management   1:20 - 3 Filipinos working in their business   1:58 - Tim's interview process    2:28 - contact via skype   3:14 - tests their English   3:38 - good internet connection   4:05 - expects proper and consistent reporting   4:25 - willingness to be on skype during working hours Everyone is different. Find what works for you!   6:15 - willingness to learn and share ideas    7:15 - Part-time vs Full-time  8:54 - how Tim trains his Filipino VA's   9:30 - using GoToMeeting, Jing, and recorded videos with Camtasia   10:40 - skills Tim looks for (English, WordPress, link building, video editing, directory submission, graphic design)   12:55 - Tim likes to have some things done in the USA, not in the Philippines   14:00 - Different personalities do things differently. Figure out what works for you.   15:15 - Figure out what you really want to get done before you hire.   15:45 - Daily communication! So important   18:10 - Have realistic expectations     If you have an Outsourcing Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I'll probably give you some free advice if you do).  
Talk about "The Cloud" is everywhere. The question I get is: "How do I use 'the cloud' for my business?" More specifically: "How do I use Amazon's EC2 and S3 for my business?" About 18 months ago we switched the hosting for my blog to use Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing and Amazon S3 Cloud storage.  It wasn't simple.  (since...we've moved everything over to Amazon's web services) Why I moved to "the cloud" My goals with moving my blog to "the cloud" were to:    understand how to use the cloud effectively   document how to use amazons cloud   see how much it would cost (about $80/month to host my blog, which gets between 1000-2000 visits per day, and runs LOTS of bandwidth with all the videos)   and make everything accessible to people who maybe don't have a tech staff  My experience setting it up I had one of my GUYS set up everything and document every step of the way. He did an amazing job of it. We've been running my wordpress blog on amazon's EC2 cloud for about 18 months and have learned A LOT! We've been through crashes, downtime, expensive time, and now cheap time. We've figured out things to do and things not to do. Documentation for how to use Amazon's cloud computing Here is the third version of the documentation my GUY created: Amazon EC2/S3 Cloud Computing How To Document It's VERY ROUGH! It's VERY TECHNICAL! We'll create more versions as I get feedback from people. You'll notice 2 things about the doc:    The dates on the title page are older. We've updated the document, we just haven't updated the title page.   It's written by a Filipino. He's a programmer, not an english major! (you'll laugh at some of the language Who this is for (and who it's NOT for) This document is for you if:    you're technically inclined   you want to use "the cloud" but don't want to spend all the time figuring stuff out   you're interested in using reliable dedicated servers at a reasonable price  This document isn't for you if:    you struggle with FTP   the word "server" scares you   you're not making money with your current website  Why I'm doing this I want feedback! I know the document is rough. I want a few people to follow it and implement what it goes through in their business. Take notes and let me know what's missing, what you don't understand, and how you figured it out. I'm interested in making this document a more thorough guide so more people can take advantage of this resource for their business. If using this interests you, read through it. See if it's way over your head. See if it makes sense. See if anything jumps out at you immediately as being lacking. I hope to make this a guide which more people can use.  It's free!    If you use it, use the contact form to let me know what's wrong or what you like about it. Also, feel free to leave comments of things you find which you believe will help people.  
You recruit what looks to be a very talented employee in the Philippines. They do great work for 3 weeks. Then they disappear. BAM. GONE!  This is one of the biggest problems employers have when hiring Filipino workers.  This video explains what happens.    File Donwload: MP3 Audio, ~1.36 MB   Give more/better/proper training and 95% of the time you'll avoid this problem.
 One of my employees gave me the idea of having them make guest posts on my blog.I thought it was a great idea.    I asked each of them to write a post. In the email I asked them to:    Write about what's good/bad about your job. Write what's hard/easy.Write about what I do good/bad.Write whatever you think would be helpful to people. Things they don'tknow about, things they need to consider, things they need toremember.     Through this series I hope to show     What kinds of people work for me. You'll see wildly differing english skills. What's important to them. Some of my management style (I don't claim it's great...but it seems to be working)     If you'll pay attention to what they write, you'll find out how your outsourced workers in the Philippines feel.     "I Gambled To Work For The Company" - A Filipino Guest Post A Peek at the Work From Home Mom's Diary - A Filipino Guest Post Problems with Outsourcing and How to Deal With Them  Part 1 - A Filipino Guest Post Problems with Outsourcing and How to Deal With Them Part 2 - A Filipino Guest Post Problems with Outsourcing and How to Deal With Them Part 3 - A Filipino Guest Post Problems with Outsourcing and How to Deal With Them Part 4 - A Filipino Guest Post Outsourcing Made Me Feel Useful - A Filipino Guest Post From Pantsuits to Pajamas: Why I Chose to be a Fulltime Online Worker - A Filipino Guest Post Outsourced and Happy - A Filipino Guest Post Next post coming next week   
 After more than 6 years of working with Filipino employees, I learned a couple things this week about the 13th month bonus custom in the Philippines.    It's LEGALLY REQUIRED! - I thought this was the case...but wasn't completely sure.It's supposed to be paid BEFORE Dec. 24Paying it earlier in the month is better.Paying it close to the 24th (or even after) is disrespectful and likely to anger employees (I've done this before!)It has specific formulas for calculating what is required!It's NOT a Christmas bonus. A bonus is given ON TOP of the 13th month.   This page gives more detail    To my GUYS:WHY DIDN'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING TO ME??? 
 Recently I promoted a product to my list.The product doesn't matter...this same thing happens all the time.    I got a response back from someone saying:   Hello,I signed up for [PRODUCT NAME], but I wanted to ask you honest opinion.So many of these services get so little results. Is this service really effective?    This was my response    That's a good question.I've never tracked any of them. I don't have time to track things like "does this one work for SEO or does that one?"I just know that the more you do, the better results you get.My GUYS do everything. They use backlinks ninja. They use UAW They use TG They use SEO Link Vine They use Linkvana They use ...I don't know...there are so many tools we use.com So, is it effective? Yes.Do I use it? Yes.Will it ALONE get you results? I don't know.The reason I outsource is so I can use EVERYTHING!NOT so I can try and figure out if one tool works over another.I don't care which one works...as long as we get results! "
 There was a Typhoon in Southern Philippines 2 days ago. It was REALLY bad. If you have people in the Philippines, make sure to check on them.    For more info on the typhoon check out this article about the aftermath or this one, or google it.    The whole thing is terrible. You can donate to help out at the Red Cross.    One of my customers forwarded me an email from one of her GUYS.   Dear sir and ma'am,this is the daughter of [NAME]. sorry for no updates lately. i am now at the city just to email you. there is a calamity happen to our place HINAPLANON ILIGAN CITY. there is a huge flood happen to our place.Thanks God that we are all alive in our family and there is no one in harm. right now, there is no electricty and internet in our place. and our was was damaged until to our 2nd floor. we will send you some pictures and videos to what happen to our place. it was very horrible.we stayed all night until morning at the roof looking at the rising water. all our things were damaged except for our computer and laptop, we saved it so that my mother can still work on you ma'am. maybe this will be the last email until we haven't recover yet. we will just email if have recovered sir and ma'am. we need your help and consideration sir and ma'am. until now, our house was full of mud because of the flood. and some of our neighbors and close friends died. thanks to God sir and ma'am that we are safe... thank you sir and ma'am. just see the news at our place HINAPLANON, ILIGAN CITY, it is the one of the major destructed place.    The most important thing to save was their LAPTOP!    If you have people in southern Philippines, consider sending money to help them recover. 
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      A. (no names will be used) has worked for us for about 3 years. We initially hired him as a programmer. After having him work for a few months, A's skills weren't what we (or he) thought they were. Rather than letting him go, we gave him other tasks. He's been an invaluable member of our team ever since. We couldn't do what we do without him.  I have been an outsource employee of John Jonas and Dan Goggins for 3 years. After working on a local company in the Philippines a friend of mine suggested that I should try applying online.Weeks after applying... John Jonas contacted me and asked me if I am interested of being a part of their business. It was my first timeworking for a foreign company and the feelings of fear, hesitations and pressure were there. I gambled to work for the company and tried to be optimistic that everything will be fine after a month of hard work. Since then, everything went well. It was hard for me at first since I need to work from homewith no office mates to talk to or ask about a problem with the things I need to do. Later I became confident with the task John and Dan is giving me because they are always there to guide us and give us instructions on how to accomplishour tasks. It is nice to work for someone who motivates people, who believes in the capabilities of their employees, provides them with proper training and lead them by example. I was more motivated to workfor the company when the team met on a distinguished place here in the Philippines and when John gave us an assurance with our jobs. And one good thing about that meet up is that we were not only there to talk about business but to enjoy ourselves on such rare occasion. John and Dan did not only focus on onespecific task in hiring us for the team but they have fully utilized our capabilities to work on new things through giving us training and allowing every member to teach and share ideas. John and Dan was not only the brain in the team but they allowed us to share our thoughts to come up with a more crisp idea. They have always given us a room for improvement which a very goodthing to keep us going and not getting stuck to our everyday job.  "
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      S. (no names will be used) has worked for me for exactly 3 years.I initially hired her to write an ebook for me. Trial work. Temporary.Her writing was so good I asked her to come on full time.Her writing then become so good I made her the dedicated writer for my team.As a standard, she can write about 3000 words per day. And it's GREAT writing.That's probably 3x what I've ever seen anyone else do. She's amazing.   S. is an amazing writer and a fantastic member of my philippines outsourcing team ; A Peek at the Work From Home Mom's Diary ; ; Call me A[name omitted]. I'm a full time mom to a feisty toddler by day and full time writer by night. I've been doing this for more than two years now and won't trade it for anything else. But let me tell you this: life as an outsourced employee is no bed of roses.Cultural DifferencesFor one, there's the cultural differences that one needs to adjust to when you have an American boss. Unlike working 9 to 5 for a local company or agency in the Philippines, doing online work is very different. Think of yourself as one of Charlie's Angels , you receive instructions via email, an mp3 file or a video, and you're expected to carry out those instructions and accomplish your task for the day. ; Learn To Speak UpAmerican bosses naturally assume that you follow what they're saying or that you know exactly what they're talking about. If you don't send an email or a skype message to clarify or ask questions, you're toast! They're not going to be sympathetic that you weren't able to finish your assignment because you did not understand the instructions. The lesson here is to speak up and ask relevant questions, or you'll never get any work done. Difficulties Of The Virtual WorkplaceSecond major area of adjusment is the virtual workplace. I'm not sure if foreign employers are aware that Filipinos are "pack workers". They thrive on the office atmosphere and camaraderie with fellow workers. They take their lunch break and coffee breaks together and send each other silly messages via messenger during work hours. Some people may say that this hampers productivity, but this is one of the things that I had to adjust to when I started working for John. The rest of the team worked their own schedules and I found myself the only one online late at night when I do most of my writing. The team is dispersed in different parts of the archipelago, so it was not easy to set up a team building session or ask one of the girls to have coffee. Fortunately, John set up occasions for all of us to meet and get to know each other. These several days off are blissful (yes, no work), fun and very fruitful in terms of building camaraderie and team spirit. Maintaining Productivity For Virtual EmployeesThe third major area of adjustment for virtual employees is productivity. Since there is no physical office and no hands on managers and supervisors to check your work, it's up to you to make sure that you work your full eight hours. There are no quotas or number of words to be met in my case, but I had to take the initiative and set one for myself. For example, I know I'm slacking if I don't even manage to finish one product review or article in one day. My target is at least three, and that's something that I try to meet day in and day out. The good thing about John though, is that he won't berate you for not working. However, it doesn't mean that he doesn't notice. When work is slow or productivity is low, there will be a reminder email sent to all members of the team. He won't single anyone out, but as a professional, you should own up and send a reply. Step Out Of Your Comfort ZoneFourth and most important thing to remember when you're on John Jonas' team is be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. You won't be doing one task over and over again for years. Instead, brace yourself for challenging tasks and varying assignments that will push your creativity and determination. The company is growing, the clients' demands are ever changing, and each team member must grow as well. I start my work day around 4 or 5 in the afternoon and I log off at around 2 or 3 in the morning. I see my daughter every day , I get to hold her, play with her and teach her to count and read. If I was working a regular office job I would miss out on all of these things and still not earn as much. Raise Children, Work VirtuallyI am grateful for the opportunity to work in John's team and I encourage other Moms to give outsourced work a try. We can work hard and earn money the smart way without sacrificing our primary role , raising our children well.  "   Any Filipinos reading this should look for work at OnlineJobs.ph.    PS. Her email to me about this post said:   Hi John,Sending in my guest blog post and a goofy family photo. Working for you has allowed me to enjoy life with my family =) and that's what I want your readers to see. However if I need to send a more formal picture please let me know.Best regards,S. 
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      R. [name omitted] has worked for me for about 6 years.He'll tell you that when I hired him HE KNEW NOTHING!  Of course...I knew nothing about hiring Filipinos at the time either!The biggest thing I've learned from R. is that consistency in a worker is REALLY important.    He's not the smartest guy ever.His english isn't the best ever.He's not a designer (although he's taken it on himself to learn)He's not a programmer (although...he did learn some PHP so he could be a better employee)BUT...HE'S ALWAYS THERE!    He's consistent. He'll try anything. Fail or succeed, he'll try it.He always replies to my emails.He always sends me daily reports.He always shows up to work (ok...not ALWAYS...but pretty close).I love him for what he's taught me (not to mention what he's done for my business).   ; Problems With Outsourcing And How To Deal With Them ; I have read many comments about the problems encountered in outsourcing to the Philippines. In this article, I will talk about the major problems and give suggestions and possible solution to them. I want to share my opinion as one of the Filipino workers who have worked in the online industry for 6 years. ; Problem 1: Employees suddenly disappearedThis is a very common problem that employers want to deal with. You hire an employee and after a week or so that employee never communicates and suddenly disappeared without warning. This is very frustrating on the employer's side. Causes One thing that may cause this problem is the lack of communication in both employer and employee. This may result to an unclear instructions, lack of training materials, or lack of understanding of training materials on the part of the employee. Most employers would chose employees with good English without any experience in SEO or online task. And if an employer would only send an email and tell that employee to build backlinks to a certain site without explaining what backlinks are and why they are important, that employee will surely be stuck on work. And when that happened, that employee will just leave because of lack of understanding. The most difficult task to do is the task that we don't even understand how to do it. Some of us are afraid to ask because of the expectations the employers set. Most of us are afraid to tell you that WE DON'T KNOW how to do a certain task. That is why some employees just leave and disappear. Another thing that can cause this problem is the employee doesn't want to do a certain task.  "      I have a co-employee that we want to work on a different task aside from writing. After a few weeks of trying, she never sent us any updates and when I asked her why, she said she wants to resign. The reason is that she does not want the assigned task. She is not good at it. So I convinced her to stay and we will give her the task she wants and that is writing articles. She stayed working with us because she is happy with what she is doing. This is only one example of this kind of situation.    Solution:    If you hire an employee, try to talk to them often. They need you. Try to chat with them (not just email). Talk to them so that you will know their weakness and strength. Don't just rely on training materials. Training materials are very good references, but you need reach out to your employees and let them feel that they are not left behind.By trying to talk to them, you will determine what task would be appropriate for their skills. And because you know their strength, you can give them the task they wanted to do. Don't give a linkbuilding task to a web designer. Know your employees well and set up a good relationship with them.    Coming Soon (his guest post was so long I had to split it up):    Problem 1: Employees suddenly disappearedProblem 2: Dishonest EmployeesProblem 3: Demotivated EmployeesProblem 4: Really Bad Employees (this is my favorite, wait until you read his "Causes")   
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      Part 2 of R's blog post is especially important because it talks about one of the most common problems that discouraged business owners from outsourcing to the Philippines and hiring Filipino workers.    I can't guarantee that all the Filipino employees that you'll encounter are honest and hardworking. There will be bad apples in every bunch. But that shouldn't discourage you from outsourcing. If you want to be the CEO of your own business and live the 4 hour work week (or the 17 hour work week like me) you need to be able walk away from your business. You need to delegate tasks and hand over the reins to people you can trust.    The problem that R talks about here is probably (and hopefully) the worst that you will encounter. Fortunately, there are ways you can prevent this problem and solutions if you do encounter them. Remember that lasting success doesn't come easily. And with outsourcing; just like in a fairy tale, you may need to kiss a few frogs before you find your outsourcing prince (or princess).  Problem 2: Dishonest EmployeesSome employers find out that their employees are working with other foreign employers even though they are paying them on a full-time basis. I personally find this thing an act of dishonesty but I will discuss some possible causes of it. ; Causes:One possible cause why an employee will seek to work for other people is the kind of task given to them. If you give your employee a boring, copy and paste task that he/she can finish in just 4 hours when he/she is good at it, then that employee would have a great chance of getting other work from others employers.Another possible cause is the salary. If the employee is not satisfied with the salary, that employee would find other means to have additional income. And one way to do it is to work for other people. Solution:Don't just give a redundant task. Give your Filipino employees more room to learn. When we have the opportunity to learn more, we get excited and will took some time to read and to write notes about the new idea we are learning. This will make our mind work well enough that we can think of better ideas on how to do our tasks. Giving redundant tasks is like creating a robot and program it to do similar task every day. We are not robots; we are human beings capable of learning and are willing to learn more if the employers are also willing to trust us with these ideas. Use a tracking program such as RescueTime to track your employees work. I know some of you would say that your employees are not willing to use it. Well, maybe But when you have established a good relationship from the very start, this won't be a problem on most employees. It still goes back to employee and employer relationship. Let them understand why you are doing this.  "      Problem 1: Employees suddenly disappeared Problem 2: Dishonest EmployeesProblem 3: Demotivated EmployeesProblem 4: Really Bad Employees (this is my favorite, wait until you read his "Causes")
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      In the part 3 of R's post, he talks about another common problem with outsourcing to the Philippines: Filipino employees who have lost their motivation to work.    This is something that some of you may have experienced. The first few weeks or months with your Filipino were great. He did great work and you received regular updates and emails. Then, slowly, his work started to deteriorate. He's working less and he's not updating you as often as he should.    There are a lot of people out there who say Filipino workers are lazy. In most cases, this is completely untrue. A lot of Filipinos are willing to work hard because they want to keep their jobs. They become lazy when they lose motivation to do the work that needs to be done.    Fortunately, we now have insider info on how to fix that problem.  Problem 3: Demotivated EmployeesThere are times that you hired a Filipino employee and in the first few months they are very productive and after that, their productivity declined. These employees don't work for other people. They don't disappear. They keep on working but the difference is their productivity is not the same as the first time you hired them. ; Causes:One thing that can cause this is that they feel they are not doing well in the tasked assigned to them. Maybe they are good at first and for some reasons; they felt they everything they do is a disaster. They become demotivated and fall short in their performance. Another thing that can cause this is they become bored of what they are doing. When someone gets bored on a certain task, their performance level decreases. This is true to all of us. Solution:You need to motivate your employees. They need a little push from you. You can offer incentives when they reached a required goal and see to it that they are really interested on the task they are working on to reach that goal. You can talk to them about other things, not just work; to know their plans, goals in life, etc. and make them feel that you can help them if they will help you reach a certain goal. I believe only a few employers talk to their employees about personal life. And I don't know if you are also willing to help your employees improve their way of living. If both of you can talk about other things aside from work, I believe that it is a start of a good relationship. And with a good relationship as a foundation of all these things, the above problems could be avoided.  "      Problem 1: Employees suddenly disappeared Problem 2: Dishonest EmployeesProblem 4: Really Bad Employees (this is my favorite, wait until you read his "Causes")
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      R. really lays it on the line here. He's brutally honest about the fact that there are bad employees out there.  Once you read his words you'll realize that bad employees are something that frustrates good Filipino workers as much as it infuriates employers. Bad employees are bad for business. Bad employees are also bad for Filipino employees because it ruins their reputation and limits their job options. I know that they personally don't want to work with this type of people.    My favorite part is his "Causes."   Problem 4: Really Bad Employees  I don't want to be one sided on this article. I also want to tell you that just like on other countries, there are really bad employees in the Philippines. There are people who just want to get money and give little or no work for it. These people are people who think about what they can get and not thinking of what they can give. That is bad and I personally don't want these kinds of people. Causes: I don't know! Maybe they are raised that way. Solution: I would suggest that you should not give any money to those who are newly hired and to those you don't give your full trust to. But as I know most Filipino workers don't ask for a down payment. If you feel that they are only getting your money and they are not working, I suggest you talk to them. Maybe they are into certain problems that they cannot work well. But if they are not communicating, reporting for months, let's say 6 months, and they keep on getting their salary, I suggest you let go of them. I suggested this because I do believe that employers should also be honest enough to pay us after we have delivered the work. I have a friend who is not paid after working for 8 hours a day for 15 days. I hope we can also do away with those kinds of employers. These are some of the problems I find in outsourcing to the Philippines. I think in order to prevent these kinds of problems; you need to have a good relationship with your employee. Establish trust on both parties.  "   Problem 1: Employees suddenly disappeared Problem 2: Dishonest EmployeesProblem 3: Demotivated Employees   Watch out next week for more guest posts from my Filipino employees. 
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.       J has worked for me for about 3 months. She has created an SEO and content plan for ReplaceMyself, OnlineJobs.ph, and my blog. She has also written lots of content for all 3 sites.When you read content she wrote, you'll never know I didn't write it myself!     From Pantsuits To Pajamas A lot of Filipinos believe that you can only find success when you leave your family and work somewhere far away, either abroad or in the main metropolitan cities in the Philippines. It's common to find a lot of Filipinos workers who willingly endure loneliness and depression just so they can provide for their families. This was the situation for me and my family up until 3 years ago, when I found myself a job through a website that caters to companies that outsource to the Philippines. Three years ago, my husband and I came at a crossroads. We were going to have a baby. We knew that even with the jobs we had we still wouldn't be earning enough for the new addition to our family. And we really wanted this baby, we wanted to be with her as much as we could and see her grow up. We knew it wasn't possible with the two of us working long hours and the long commutes we had to and from work.  Thankfully, I discovered outsourcing, the answer to my prayers.  My Introduction To Outsourcing It was actually my sister who introduced me to outsourcing back in 2009. I had a regular job as a medical information analyst in Manila and was looking for ways to earn extra money without having to leave home. She knew that I was a pretty decent writer so she suggested that I post my resume on bestjobs.ph and onlinejobs.ph. I was able to find work as a freelance writer. Through those sites, I was able to supplement my income whenever I needed to. I started working fulltime as a writer/editor in 2010, when I had my baby. I could have easily gone back to work as a medical information analyst but chose not to. I didn't want to spend 4 hours a day commuting to and from work. I didn't want to come home from a 12 hour workday (plus the 4 hour commute) bone tired and unable to take care of my baby. I didn't want to wait for the weekend just to spend time with my husband and daughter. Outsourcing To The Philippines: Win-Win Situation John Jonas constantly talks about how outsourcing can help you by giving you more time to do what you want.  What he doesn't say is that outsourcing your business to the Philippines also gave us Filipinos more time for ourselves and our families. Sure, we still work 8-10 hours a day but we get to spend those hours at home. We get to adjust our work hours to suit our lives. With outsourcing, I have a fulltime job and still am a fulltime wife and mother. I even have time now to indulge a few hobbies (cooking and crafts) and help out in the family business. In addition to having more time, I also have more money. I may not be earning as much as I used to as a medical information analyst but I'm also not spending as much. When I was working in an office in Manila, a third of my income would go to my work-related expenses like fare, food, and office clothes. Now, most of my income goes to my family because I don't have to spend for those things. Challenges Of An Outsourced Filipino Employee I'm not saying that my experience with outsourcing is completely without problems. Sometimes, I miss dressing up for work and meeting co-workers in person. And at first, it was hard for me to focus on work, especially with the distractions at home. I had to discipline myself and set some boundaries. I even got a nanny so I could dedicate some time for work. But the great thing about this set up is my daughter still knows I'm with her at home and I'm still there to cater to her needs. Her nanny is more like a companion and a playmate, not a substitute mom.  It was also a little odd for me at first to have an employer who wasn't constantly hovering over my shoulder. That was what I experienced working in an office. Now I appreciate it. I can't believe how much I've learned and grown these past few months. And I'm really humbled by how much John trusts my work and ideas. He really respects us as employees. I've encountered Americans and Europeans before when I worked in Manila and a lot of them talked to me like I was stupid. It was really refreshing to find an American who actually respected my intelligence and talked to me as a professional. And probably the hardest thing about my outsourcing job is that I really don't get the same respect as I used to get from some of my fellow Filipinos. A lot of people don't take my work seriously because I don't wear a suit and I work at home. Despite the fact that I'm a good writer and am now training as an SEO specialist, a lot of people still see me as a stay-at-home wife "dabbling" on the internet.  Redefining Success For A Filipino Employee For those who have already outsourced their business or are in the process of outsourcing to the Philippines, I want to thank you in behalf of the Filipinos who are working in this field. Working for you has allowed a lot of us to have a challenging career and a earn enough for our families. You've changed not just your employees' lives but the lives of their families, friends, and loved ones as well.  Coming from a culture where most people believe that success can only be found by leaving our families and working abroad; outsourcing has redefined success for us. With outsourcing, Filipinos like me were able to define success on our terms: we can stay in the Philippines, be with our families, have a challenging career, and earn enough to have a comfortable lifestyle.  "   
 Today (literally, no joke, as I offer my one time only coaching program) in the mail I got this package:   Complete with brownies and all. (the card is 8.5x11!)    The crazier part was that Nathan actually spent money JUST to thank me for teaching him how to properly outsource!    (I bet his Filipinos created the card for him!)    Here's the inside of the card:    Are you going to be next?    It changed Nathan's business. It changed Nathan's family life. It changed Nathan's free time.    (Here's the full scan of the front cover)     Imagine where your business will be 2 years from now when you're outsourcing like Nathan is.    Let me teach you how to outsource!     
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      Read the story below! It's amazing    There are a lot of smart, hard-working Filipinos out there who can't find jobs because of illness. F is one of those people. When I hired her she was asking for $100/month. She never thought she'd be able to work...ever.     "Outsourcing Made Me Feel Useful" It was late in  November 2008 when I heard about online jobs. I am staying at home, actually recovering from a long and I can say hard to face Guillein Barre Syndrome. I honestly don't know where to start my life again, but I realized that this wasn't the end of my story. I will work and earn, have a family and live like others do. So I posted my resume at a particular site and then two days after, here's John Jonas asking "Are you still looking for job?", so definitely I replied asap. God knows he changed my life; this job lifted me up in all aspects. I had doubts to be honest at first because I have questions in my mind and I can now tell everyone who is patiently reading this that: WORKING RELATIONSHIP From the very start, both employer and employee should know what the job they will work on is. Video trainings, Instructional documents are helpful too, and OPEN COMMUNICATION. Most Filipinos are respectful; I said most because I know were not all that kind. But if employers show smooth, kind and open to different ideas of his employee, well, working tandem will smoothly flow. On the other hand, if employees shows disrespect, fails most of the time in doing his tasks, then Sir/s and Madam/s, do an action. ASK them why, what is the problem? so both will benefit from each other in case you regain the working relationship. I actually don't know what I am going to do from the very start but since I was given great trainings, unpressured tasks, get to know each other not too personally but almost, everything went well. HONESTY I am not that good in English. But I can write contents, follow instructions, do my tasks not at all times, do self-study when team is busy and always honest.  We are not perfect workers but we make things possible in honest ways. Whenever we don't know what to do, we ask. Though others don't and just disappeared. When we need to do something that is on our working hours, we tell our employers, through e-mails, text messaging, or a phone call  what we need to do, where, why(if not too private) or whatever it is. It is because we want them to know what situation we're into. We believe that employers are not stone too; they know how to listen, understand and appreciate the honesty Filipinos are doing. !Sharing: I have been hospitalized for many times, I am weak, my immune system. And all those times, my team was there, I let them know and I really appreciate their concerns. In all aspects, they were there especially Sir John. And the last time was when I gave birth by c-section. Premature. It was so wonderful experience though life seems to be tough on me.  She lived for three days and it was so hard. I can't move on easily, but the team was there. They never left me.  Honesty is really a great weapon in facing life. Work goes along with it and the nice people. Employers get Filipino workers because we are not idiots. They hire us because, they can trust us, we are not perfect but we are giving our bests, we are contented with worth it salaries they offer, we are honest and respectful. Because if not, then why is numbered of Filipino now are on online jobs?  To achieve great Filipino workers, I can say that from the start, whole name, contact numbers and addresses should be of employers' knowledge. Don't start with high salary so as to see employees' eagerness and loyalty in working with the employer. Give them tasks that fit our skills. Employers hired us in the first place. If not contented with the work, then let us do other things, in that way, we can pay you done tasks in return and we learn at the same time. If possible, implement GIVE AND TAKE relationship. Fairness results harmonious work bonding.  I am almost four years now working with Sir John on websites (promoting, doing contents, setting up and updating), and recently with Sir Dan (on onlinejobs.ph database). *FYI: I knew nothing when I started and with team's open communication, self study and proper instructions and video trainings as well, I now do different stuffs. I earn and learn at the same time. Thanks to our team!  "   
This post is part of a series on outsourcing from a Filipino perspective.      Filipinos are a really happy bunch of people and nobody personifies that more than "Little John".    No, I didn't give him that nickname. He made that up himself.I didn't even know the team called him "Little John" until he wrote this blog post...hahahaha.I found John by browsing the resumes at OnlineJobs.ph.    Turns out....he's better than I thought he would be.     Outsourced and Happy How the Story BeganAllow me to start with a brief introduction of myself. My name is John; well...the team addresses me as Little John to do away with all the confusion with our big man John. I'm 22, a nurse by profession but have none the less no more intention of going back to my medical roots. I was introduced to onlinejobs.ph by a friend who pitied me for complaining about my stressful job as an English Language Trainer for a call center and I've been working for John for more than a year now and have worked a very happy and productive year. As a little present for John (and perhaps for all the readers), I'll be revealing some things most outsourcers don't know. Here goes. Squealing the SecretOutsourcing is one job that has changed lives of many Filipinos.Needless to say, it has broken a lot of barriers starting with the cultural barrier wherein someone from the west works together with somebody from the tropics. Though cross-culture working relationships may sound awesome or cool or whatever, the hard reality is that it is never easy. As a Filipino, I am shy and easily embarrassed by nature. I don't know why, you as the employer need not know why. These stuff cannot be easily changed as I was born with it. The best thing to do if you ask me is to just let me be until I get comfortable with you, my employer. Once Filipinos begin to get comfortable with their employers, they start opening up their feelings and start telling you how they really feel about their jobs, their tasks, their workload.... you name it ! Making the ChoiceIf there one thing employers should know and understand, majority of job seekers posting lower salary expectations are novices in the business. That said, expect to have your employee trained by you which I bet isn't that hard. Judging from experience, I learned most of the basics and more by self-learning. I initially was looking for a writing job but found that managing a website or two is way more awesome. On the flip side, most who declare higher salary expectations are those with extensive experience. Well as a matter of fact; these guys actually do know how much they are worth. Rollercoaster Ride to ComfortI have had my shares of frustrations while on the job. Not getting the job done or not meeting the expectations of John and the rest of the team is one. Despite appearing rather unpressured, I have been pressured because I find myself responsible and accountable for the tasks I am working with. I started out shy and kept questions and problems to myself. Sad thing is, I felt left out and even got more pressured. It's a good thing John and the team allowed me to open up and helped me become closer with them. In turn, I found myself more productive, more involved and more confident with what I do. Having been instilled from the very beginning to ask when in doubt, I took the advice to my advantage whenever Google failed me. Loud and ProudIf there is one thing I am proud of and would actually find pretty neat if all employers did the same, is that John actually acknowledges the fact that as humans, we too deserve breaks in order to become productive. Recognizing that attention may actually diminish after long periods of concentration is something we Filipino's would appreciate if our employers had. Accepting the fact that from time to time, in the middle of our work, we browse Facebook or Twitter or read the latest gossips is pretty important as we are not working in an environment where there are people beside us we could share a giggle just to break the ice. Cutting the Ropes EarlyI have tendencies of writing too much and I guess John knows that (I sold myself into having him hire me because of my lengthy mails) reason why I am cutting this post short. I have a whole lot more to tell but would rather give the space to my team-mates to share their own slices of cake. Having to guest blog for John is a great honor on my part. Not everyone is given such an honoring experience. If you have a workforce in the Philippines, I suggest you give them this opportunity too. I'm sure they'd have smiles as wide as I have as I am writing this. My name is John. I have control over my time. I work at home. I have a job I enjoy. Outsourced and happy.  "   
 Years ago I was struggling running my own business. There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done.    I knew I needed to get others to do work, but it just didn't work for me.      I tried India...disasterI tried US based workers...too expensive, and they quit too quicklyI tried Elance, Odesk...too frustrating, it's not automation and still depends on me    Then I found the Philippines.     The day I hired my first Filipino worker was the most liberating day of my life (thanks Kates!). All of a sudden I was free to focus on things that actually matter in my business.    I never looked back.    I now have 11 people Filipinos for me. I love them. They're amazing.    This ebook is the story of how I've done it and how you can too.    It's the story of how I've replaced myself in my business and how I work the 17 hour work week.     Download The Ebook How To Replace Yourself By Outsourcing To The Philippines  Available on Kindle   "   The book is 134 pages (with lots of screenshots).    If 134 pages to change your life is too much of a commitment for you read this introduction: Outsourcing To The Philippines: What's it really about? It's only 18 pages, but reads a lot shorter than that.    In the books I teach:    Why outsource to the Philippines and NO WHERE ELSE!How to find the best talent.How to find great people for $250/month FULL-TIME!!!How to have them do the work you're currently doing.How to best leverage your time and money for maximum efficiencyHow to pay peopleWhat the difficult first task isThe #1 problem in outsourcing to the PhilippinesThe #2 problem in outsourcing to the PhilipppinsHow To overcome #1 and #2 problemsWhat to have them do for youHow to find GREAT programmers for $400/monthHow to find GREAT content writers for $250/monthHow to find a project manager for $500/monthWhy you need to become the CEO of your business, and how to do it with Filipino laborUse Jing - it will become your best friend22 tips on hiring/managing FilipinosWhat sites to use to search through talentCultural differences to expect...I could just go on and on...but you're wasting time already deciding, when you could be reading the book already    No opt-in required.     Just download it and read it.     It has already changed hundreds of people's lives.    
 I understand that generalizing "living the four hour work week" into"7 EASY STEPS!!!..." isn't likely to work for everyone...    but...    I've been living the 4 hour work week (actually, the 17 hour work week: 4 hours/week made me bored) for about 5 years now. I've helped numerous other people do it.    So, while these steps aren't necessarily easy, they're basically required (in my experience).    It WON'T happen overnight    It took me a couple of years(without realizing what I was trying to do).    It's DEFINITELY possible. I do it.    I had lunch with someone today who is also doing it.    7 Steps To Living The 4 Hour Work Week    Learn about online businesses    The only way this is possible (as far as I know) is if you have a business that can make sales by itself, 24/7.Learn how it's done! Learn what autoresponders are, what different shopping carts do, what a squeeze page is, how to write sales copy, what an affiliate program is, how adwords works, basic SEO, …There's SOOOOO much to learn.Don't spent too much time learning about it. It's super easy to get caught up learning and learning and never implement. However, you'll find it much easier if you have a basis for action before you start implementing.Jim's book "The Silent Sales Machine" is a great place to start. It will give you a great education and give you ton's of ideas.    Create a plan for an online business    Make sure you understand it. Make sure you can see the end from the beginning and that you can understand how to get there.Don't try to re-invent Facebook. Don't create the worlds greatest and newest and most magical website.Follow what other successful people have done in the past.I see too many people go into a business not understanding all the pieces. You don't need to know how to do everything, but you need to understand what needs to get done and why.    Start an online business.    Read my post about how to start a business online. Maybe youcan live the 4-hour work week without an online business…but I don't know anyone who has.    Plan to outsource everything from the beginning.    Even in internet businesses, there's always work to be done. Fortunately, most of it can (and should) be outsourced. This is the most important piece of the 4 hour work week plan. With every business decision you should ask "Can that be outsourced?" If not, maybe it shouldn't be part of your business. Maybe it should, but recognize that each piece you take on is one step farther from the 4-hour workweek. Here's where you can learn to outsource.    Stay away from bright shiny objects.    Focus.Stay on track.Follow your plan.You DON'T need to implement everything you hear about.You DON'T need to have everything done before you start. Your business will evolve over time and you'll have a chance to try all the different things you hear about.If you don't focus you'll find yourself pulled in all different directions and you'll never succeed at any one of them.Start with something small and make it profitable. Then automate that small thing.    Make decisions based around your lifestyle.    If something is going to require a bunch of work from you, maybe it's not worth it.If it involves you being the only one who can do the work, and it's something that happens all the time, it's probably not going to fit the 4hww.Right from the beginning, think about the lifestyle you're trying to build.Part of every decision is the question: Am I going to have to do this more than once? and Will this create ongoing work for me? If the answer to either is Yes, then maybe it's not a good decision.    Find something to fill your time    Before you can fill your time, your business has to succeed. This one assumes you've succeeded at the previous 5. If not, go out and work your butt off (I did).When you do start to succeed, as long as there's time in the day, you're going to fill it.You can choose to fill it with work, or fill it with life.For some people, work is life.For me, I spend time with my family, playing golf, and trying to do service.As you find free time, fill that time with things that AREN'T work.One thing I remind myself constantly is that "Work will be there tomorrow, my family might not be!"    Tim Ferriss' book changed my life.It opened my eyes to what I could do with my time because of the business I had built.Once you build the business, make choices to spend time doing exactly what you want.    A great job post can do more than just advertise your need for an employee. A great job post can also attract the right kind of applicants, giving you better choices when looking for the best person for the job.    This is especially important when you're hiring Filipino workers. A lot of business owners I know complain about why there are a lot of unqualified Filipinos inquiring about their job post or why none of the qualified Filipino workers seem to want to apply for their job postings.    It's like Dating    I think an online job post is a lot like online dating. You want to be attractive enough for people to want to date you but you don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry asking for your number. You want whoever's interested to meet your qualifications, but you don't want to set these qualifications too high and scare off potential dates. Nor do you want to set them too low and appear desperate.    In line with the online dating analogy, here are a few tips on how to write a great job post and attract the right kind of Filipino employees.    Be clear in what you want in an employee. We all have this list in our heads on what we're looking for in an ideal mate. We should do the same thing when we're looking for employees. It's easier to find the Filipino employee that you want when you spell out what you want in that employee. Let's say you're looking for a virtual assistant. What kind of virtual assistant are you looking for? Do you want someone with a strong background in writing, SEO, or administrative skills? This lets the potential applicant asses his qualifications early on and weeds out those who don't make the cut.  Have realistic expectations. There's no such thing as an ideal mate in the same way there's no such thing as a Filipino VA who has excellent English skills, can do SEO, WordPress modification, programming and website design. It's just too much, for anyone! Ask yourself, what skills do you need for your business and what can you do without. List down the tasks that you need to be done and can't do by yourself; that's how you should write down the skills you're looking for in an employee. Be the person that you want to hire. When it comes to finding employees, opposites don't attract. Rather, it's people with the same values and work ethics that get along together. So instead of writing down the qualities you want to see in your job applicants, write down the qualities you like about your company, your people, and the qualities you want to see in them. Use measurable criteria. If you want your date to be an animal lover, the first thing you ask if whether or not they have a pet. As much as possible, ask for references, samples or portfolios in your job posts. Those who can submit these requirements are the one most likely to be qualified for the job.    Like dating, you'll probably have to kiss a few frogs before finding the ONE. But once you do find that perfect Filipino employee, you'll see that they will be worth the effort and worth the wait.        Post a job at OnlineJobs.ph.    
Recently Facebook implemented it's new Timeline feature for fan pages, converting all fan pages to the new format as of March 30, 2012. This change has important implications for internet marketers:- Reduces the effectiveness of using a Like Gate to get more fans- You're no longer allowed to specify a default "landing tab" for your fan page, all users see the timeline unless they arrive via direct link to another tab- Increases opportunities for visual branding- Provides more promotional features    This article from HyperArts thoroughly covers the implications of the changes.    To make your life easier, we updated the ReplaceMyself.com Facebook training module to provide training for your employees to stay on top of Facebook changes.    If you don't want to deal with the new changes (I don't), have your Filipino workers do it. 
 Over the past few months I've begun to realize that doing outsourcing correctly requires a change in mindset.       See...most people are so used to busting their own butt to get stuff done,    that giving their work to other people is very foreign to them.    It's almost unnatural.    I know often people think "If I do it myself it'll get done faster and better."    That's exactly the wrong mindset I'm talking about.    The problem with it is that you'll always be the one doing it.    Even if it does get done faster and better, you're still limiting the amount of stuff that gets done.    When you change your mindset, you start giving stuff to other people and letting them figure it out.    No, I'm not talking about giving business decisions to other people, you still have to do that.    I'm talking about tasks that someone else can do.    ALL OF THEM.    For example, here's a list of things I recently had my people do for me:    Set up a listing for meconvert all my videos using Supercreate and encode a video for me using 2 different videos and an audio streamupload my personal pictures from my personal PC to my flickr account (hey…this is about lifestyle…I'm tired of doing this!)Set up an aweber mailing listWrite a sales letter (yes, you read that right…and they did a dang good job too).Tell me what ebook in which industry we should write next!    I did very little training for this stuff because I've already given them so much training (all the stuff that's available as a ReplaceMyself.com member) that now they can figure out almost anything)    After your guys are trained, they can do ANYTHING!    You just have to change your mindset!    Here's the training you need:    http://www.ReplaceMyself.com/audio 
 Part of changing your mindset is giving other people tasksthat you would normally have done yourself.    It's also about using your resources efficiently.  If you canbuy an ebook about something for $50, and have that teachyour guys how to do it, why wouldn't you do that insteadof spending 3-4 hours creating training yourself?    Is your time really only worth $12/hour?    It's the same thing with ReplaceMyself.com.    Did you know that 98% of the content inside ReplaceMyself.com isn't for you!    No, IT'S NOT FOR YOU!    It's for you to give to your guys to train them.    It's process lists.It's step by step training.It's business concepts.It's minute details to make sure stuff gets done correctly.    The point of ReplaceMyself.com is to help you change your mindset.    If you don't change it, how can you ever expect to be the    CEO of your company?    Here's the training to hand off to your Filipino VA's.All of this stuff is there to help you move towards the lifestyleyou want to be living.    If you're not living it now, when are you going to start?    "As soon as...?"    "As soon as..." never comes.    Today's the day to start.    I understand that this is a blatant ad for my website.    I've just seen too many people try to hire someone, not train them, and then complain that "this doesn't work."It does work.You just have to train the people you hire…and then manage them well.    
 This Thursday begins Holy Week in the Philippines.    For detailed info, see the wikipedia article on holy week in the Philippines.    For you, it means time off for your VA's.    They'll take at least Thursday and Friday off (plus the weekend). They might want to take Wednesday off.    Let them know it's ok for them to have it off. It builds goodwill. 
 Having started and run lots of businesses online, here's my advice on starting your own online business.    First: The Don'ts    Before you go making a bunch of mistakes…    Don't Try To Re-invent The Wheel - Lots of other people have started businesses. Lots of them are willing to tell you how they did it. Find a blueprint for what works and follow it. Below I'll give recommendations for business models I believe are the easiest/best to follow.Don't Get Caught Up In Bright, Shiny Objects - As you begin learning, you'll find that everyone has something to sell you. Almost every one of them is "THE BEST, MOST AWESOMEST, 100% GUARANTEED, IF YOU DON'T DO IT YOU'RE STUPID WAY TO MAKE MONEY ANYWHERE EVER!!!" My experience is: the more you jump from one thing to another, even if the other thing looks better, the less likely you are to succeed.Don't Get A Merchant Account - Lots of people will tell you "you need a merchant account in order to process credit cards!" Don't fall for it. It's expensive. Plus, there are lots of other ways to collect money. Try Paypal, Google Checkout, or Intuit Payment Network. Any of them will make it super easy to collect money (just copy and paste the code they'll give you).Don't set up an LLC - At least…not until you're making money. You'll find tons of people wanting to set you up a Nevada LLC because of all it's "benefits." It's all a bunch of crap.Don't do "paid surveys" - Worst idea ever! You'll NEVER make any money from this, no matter how easy they make it look.    I've seen too many people make these mistakes before the ever even get started.    Next: The Do's    Now for my advice on what to do when starting an internet business. Most sites will give you a bunch of generic advice like "find stuff to sell" or "clean out your garage and sell it on ebay". What a bunch of garbage.    Learn To Sell- When I read "Learn how to sell" in "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" I thought: "Nah…I don't want to and I don't like it. I'll get other people to sell for me". Wrong! Not only will you be selling online, knowing how to sell online will make all the difference in the world for your confidence as you begin any venture. Learn to write sales copy. I'm not saying you need to write your own copy (I usually don't), but knowing it will give you power. When you don't know how to sell, don't know how to write sales copy, you'll do everything else except the important part, MAKE SALES! You'll beat around the bush doing tasks that won't ever make you money. Learning to sell will give you a TON of confidence and will take you like 2 hours. Here are two pretty good copywriting courses: http://www.sherus.com/business/copywriting/ and http://www.copyblogger.com/copywriting-101/.Recognize: This Is A Business! - I see too many people who try to start an online business who treat it like a hobby or a get-rich-quick scheme. If you don't want a "get-rich-quick" scheme, don't treat it like one. You're not going to make a bazillion dollars overnight. IT WILL TAKE TIME! Implement what you learn and learn from your failures. Also, recognize that as a business, IT WON'T BE FREE! (but I'll tell you the best, most economical places to get started…at least…according to my 7 years experience)Get A Practical Education - When you know how to sell it's time to learn what works online.     This involves learning tacticsand implementing them!    The best way I know of to get this education is at NicheProfitClassroom.com. I've seen hundreds of people go through the training at NPC. It's the best in the world. The best part of it is that it helps you implement the tactics you're learning. Adam makes "making money" sound much easier than it is, and maybe it is for him, but the fact his, his training inside NicheProfitClassroom is the best in the world and will definitely propel you forward in your online business. Another place you can get a really good education is at Challenge.co. Both offer step-by-step training and implementation.    Implementation is Key!    If you don't implement what you learn, you guarantee failure!    Learn To Outsource - The reason you're starting a business online is to that business can run itself for you, right? A brick-and-mortar store can't run itself for you.  A website can…    My experience is that a website must be updated and maintained or it will die. So how do you live the lifestyle you want?    Outsourcing!    It's amazing what you can outsource nowadays. You just have to know how. In my not-so-humble opinion, here' the best place to learn to outsource    Follow A System That Works - I already told you about 2 systems (NPC and Challenge.co) which will give you the best education. However, in my opinion, the best way to make money online is as a consultant doing online work for offline businesses. It's easy to learn, it's easy to understand, and I see success story after success story of people doing it using all kinds of systems. It's not what you would consider a "normal online business", but it's the quickest way to see profits. In my experience, the best place to get started is at OfflineBiz.com. It's cheap, has a huge community behind it (super easy to get help), and the guys who run it are honest, smart, and know what they're teaching, and, the best part…people who use it are succeeding!    Last: Pay Attention    Get An Education (an online education)Follow A SystemImplement What You Learn    I see too many people skipping steps. They don't want to learn, or they JUST want to learn and never implement. Or, worse, they learn, and implement, but never stick with anything and just jump from one program to another. If you don't stick with something you'll never succeed. 
 One of my GUYS sent this to me because it was funny.       I love that:    1. it's from the Philippines    2. it's from 1 billion people    Funny. 
 I know this post is going to cause controversy...but...    This is a common problem:   My Filipino employee works, but it's like he's only working 2 hours/day instead of 8.What do I do?    First let me say I struggle with this too!   Second: This post is not intended at any of my current employees...even though some are currently struggling with this.    It's not always the case that they're being dishonest with you or working for someone else.     Often the problem is with me. I haven't given clear instructions. I haven't paid enough attention to what they're working on. I haven't given enough direction for them to do what I want them to do.    So how do I deal with it?    Tough question.    The first step is to look inward. ;Make sure you're blaming yourself first. You're taking the responsibility of not having done enough training, spent enough time, given correct instruction.    If that doesn't work...    Some things I've done include:    Ask them if they're struggling with something.Mention times when they were very productive vs. times they're not very productive (now). Ask what's going on.Ask who else they're working for.We both know this is happening sometimes.  I hate it. But it's good to get it out there.Ask what they're struggling with.Tell the importance of the daily email.  If I don't get the daily email, my business falls apart.  Sometimes they forget this.  I need the daily email to track what's going on. Sometimes just getting the daily email is enough to get them (and me) back on track so that work quality goes up.Have a frank conversation. "Look, I know the difference when you're working well and when you're not.  It's pretty obvious to me."Use  more carefully.Ask why things are taking so long. What do they need more instructions on.    There is no perfect solution to this!    Ask lots of questions    It's amazing what you might find out (like they're pregnant and didn't want to tell you because they thought they might lose their job…so instead of telling you, they just worked less and hoped…)    I try really hard not to let people go. This situation has put me really close.    I'd love to hear your experience and how you deal with this situation. 
 Every year there are numerous typhoons in the Philippines. It's always sad.    Recently there have been numerous typhoons back to back.    It's a good time to check on your GUYS and make sure they're ok.    Here's an email I had forwarded to me today. It originated in the Philippines.   One of my customers forwarded me an email from one of her GUYS."Dear sir and ma'am, this is the daughter of [NAME]. sorry for no updates lately. i am now at the city just to email you. there is a calamity happen to our place HINAPLANON ILIGAN CITY. there is a huge flood happen to our place. Thanks God that we are all alive in our family and there is no one in harm. right now, there is no electricty and internet in our place. and our was was damaged until to our 2nd floor. we will send you some pictures and videos to what happen to our place. it was very horrible. we stayed all night until morning at the roof looking at the rising water. all our things were damaged except for our computer and laptop, we saved it so that my mother can still work on you ma'am. maybe this will be the last email until we haven't recover yet. we will just email if have recovered sir and ma'am. we need your help and consideration sir and ma'am. until now, our house was full of mud because of the flood. and some of our neighbors and close friends died. thanks to God sir and ma'am that we are safe¦ thank you sir and ma'am. just see the news at our place HINAPLANON, ILIGAN CITY, it is the one of the major destructed place."    The most important thing to save was their LAPTOP!    If you don't have Filipino's working for you, you're missing the boat! 
 After I lost my gmail account then recovered my gmail account I became much more security conscious.    Yesterday @Mat Honan lost everything.Please read his story    I write this just in hopes that it will save a few people some headache.    7 Simple Ways To Protect Your Digital Life    USE DIFFERENT PASSWORDS! - I use different passwords for my email, facebook, twitter, apple, amazon, bank, and lastpass. Anything which would cause me pain if hacked...I use a different password. SUPER IMPORTANT   Why? It's becoming more and more common for a hacker to hack a database and pull all the email addresses and passwords. Then they use software to try every email/password they just got on gmail/facebook/twitter/yahoo/msn...    2. Use Different Emails - I don't use my main email address for setting up accounts online. My "accounts" email address forwards to my main email. It's easy for a hacker to get a hold of your primary email address. Not as easy to guess a separate account email.    3. Use a different recovery email address - My account recovery email address is not with a common email provider. It's on it's own. Just one more layer.    4. Use Gmail's 2 Factor Authentication - No, seriously. This is not a joke. It's not hard. It adds peace of mind. It makes hacking your account SUPER difficult. DO IT NOW!    5. Use Lastpass - Nobody wants to remember the different passwords for different accounts. Use Lastpass . Everything's encrypted. Use Google Authenticator for 2 factor authentication on Lastpass.    6. Stop using your mother’s maiden name - Don't tell websites your pet's name. Don't tell them what elementary school you went to. Create a system for security answers. If you don't, you might end up like Sara Palin.    7. MAKE BACKUPS EVERYWHERE!- I like backups. They make me feel good. I use    Syncback to backup my computer to an external hard drive inside my house.    Carbonite to make automatic backups online.    Backupify.com to backup the data I create online (google data, Facebook, Blogger, Wordpress, Picasa, Flickr, Twitter).    Crashplan to make online backups of all my data from all my computers. Fantastic automatic backup service!    Flickr to backup photos. One of my GUYS uploads my photos to Flickr for me. Now my photos are on my computer, the external hard drive, mozy, crashplan, and flickr. I don't intend to lose memories of my children!    Zoho Mail to pop all my gmail so I have an accessible copy of all my email somewhere NOT on google's servers.    If you're not backing up your data, you're begging to lose it.    Don't give out personal information - DUH! Yet so many people happily give it out. Godaddy called me the other day and the conversation went like this:      Godaddy: Hi, can I speak with John?    Me: This is John    Godaddy: Hi John, can you please verify your account by telling me the last 4 digits of your credit card?    Me: HECK NO! You called me! How about you give me the last 4 of your credit card to prove you're actually Godaddy!    END OF CONVERSATION      Godaddy wouldn't do it that way if people didn't give it to them all the time!    Be careful with your info. Nobody EVER asks for passwords, don't send money via western union, don't give out your social security number or your birthday, Google and Facebook don't send out emails saying "Your account has been compromised."    I'm not a security expert    But doing some simple things can go a long way towards protecting your digital life.    I'd love to learn more from you in the comments. 
 Today I got an email from Phil:   John, you nailed me, I am doing nothing while trying to learn everything. I can't build an auto-responder, I found out me web-site is a template that I can't change only add. I started a blog and found out it's only a facebook page, I spent a great deal of time advertising on Plenty of Fish, over 200,000 views to get 25 clicks and no conversions.I know that I need help but I believe you that I need to out source right now but I am afraid that I don't know how to tell them what I need done, and what is it I need done?I think I need a landing page, but why shouldn't I out source it? I want a blog, outsource? I think I need a new web site but I don't know how to abandon the old, damn this is hard.I am aware that I need to dumb it down and get things done one at a time, I have clickbank, I have adf.ly, I have advertising money but what should I do to start the cash flow so that I can tackle the WHOLE? I need to produce leads for an insurance project how?    Woah!!! A bit overwhelmed...no?    So, here's some advice for anyone who is overwhelmed in starting their internet business.   While I can't answer all your questions (it would take me all day and would be an entire training course), I can give you some advice.It sounds like you're all over the place trying to implement a bunch of different things you've heard about.It doesn't sound like you have a cohesive strategy.Map Out Your BusinessI suggest you sit down and map out your business plan. Draw it out on a napkin or a piece of paper.Figure out    your traffic sourcewhere the people will gowhy they'll go therewhat they'll do when they get to your sitewhy they'll do it (you're crafting your "offer" here)what action they'll takewhat they'll do after they take the action   Don't skip any of these pieces. Skipping them means you're going to fail.Understand Your Customers. Add Value.During the whole process, make sure you think about and understand "Why is someone going to do this?"    Why is someone going to click on my ad? (saying "just because if I get 100,000 views SOMEBODY'S got to click!" isn't good enough)Why is someone going to buy from my website (saying "if I get enough visitors SOMEBODY'S got to buy!!!" isn't good enough)Why would someone opt-in here?Do I really need someone to opt-in here? (saying "because so-and-so guru says I need to" isn't good enough)Why would someone buy this product?Is it what the person really wants?Am I giving them a reason to buy which would make ME buy?Am I trying to fool people here? Am I tricking people here? (if so, it's NOT going to work)Why am I outsourcing? What exactly am I outsourcing?Does someone else know how to do what I want done?Do I know how to tell them how to do it? If not, you're asking for trouble.   If you're not adding value to people, you're likely to fail.If you're trying to fool people, you're likely to fail.If you don't understand why someone is going to buy, you're likely to fail.    Understand The End From The Beginning   As you go through things, make sure you understand the end from the beginning.Make sure you understand every step of the process. If you don't, go figure it out NOW. Otherwise, when you get to that step you'll get bogged down, you'll skip it, and your business is very likely to fail.        Succeeding    There are lots of ways to succeed in this business. There's no "right" answer.When you fail at something, try that thing again. DON'T move on to the next thing and say "Well, that didn't work the first time, so it must not work at all."    One of my favorite quotes:   If you want to succeed, double your failure rate!-Thomas Watson    Success in this business is a matter of understanding why you're doing what you're doing, doing it, and then doing it again. 
 At ReplaceMyself, where we teach people to outsource to the Philippines, we just released 2 new trainings:    Digital Publishing Training - Teaches your Filipino VA how to publish books to Kindle, Nook, and iBooksContent Curation - Teaches your Filipino VA how and why to curate content onto blogs to generate traffic.    Both modules are very well done and will save anyone who uses them tons of time.    How Can We Help You???    We're considering adding a couple live training sessions each month where we would have someone get on a webinar with YOUR FILIPINO VA'S and teach them different traffic strategies or business building strategies.    Would live training for your VA be of interest to you?    What kinds of training would you like to see?    Please reply in the comments. 
 A couple of the products available in this $19 charity WSO, are products we use, and which we paid $97 for.    It's a great way to get access to some really good tools to help your local marketing business. 
 My team created this trailer video:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUSKOasIZHI    ;They're pretty amazing.You can get really great video work done. We found this guy at OnlineJobs.ph.    Our PR Process    At their suggestion, when we get something which is PR worthy our process is:    write a press release about the event (interview, story, blog post, news, ...)create a video about the event (this trailer video)submit the release through PRweb's highest tier distribution with the video attachedpost it to social media accounts    It all happens basically without me, although I am involved a little (like in telling them the initial video was 2x to long). 
 The Philippines has a LOT of "Regular" holidays ("regular" is the word they use for "You have to give us the day off")    Here's a color coded list with my experience of days you must give them off, days you should give them off, and days you might give them off, if you're really nice.The reality is, they won't take all these days off.    January - 01 - New Year's DayJanuary - 23 - Chinese New YearFebruary - 25 - People Power DayApril - 05 - Maundy ThursdayApril - 06 - Good FridayApril - 07 - Black SaturdayApril - 09 - Day of ValorMay - 01 - Labor DayJune - 12 - Independence DayAugust - 20 - Eidul FitrAugust - 21 - Ninoy Aquino DayAugust - 27 - National Heroes' DayOctober - 26 - Eidul AdhaNovember - 01 - All Saints DayNovember - 02 - Special Non-working HolidayNovember - 30 - Bonifacio DayDecember - 24 - Special Non-working HolidayDecember - 25 - Christmas DayDecember - 30 - Rizal DayDecember - 31 - New Year's Eve    In addition, from Christmas to New Years, I always give my guys off. They say that most people take that entire week off work (maybe they do, maybe they don't, but I don't want to work during that time so I don't make them work either).However, I ask them to check their email in case I need something done.    
 I learned an AMAZINGLY powerful lesson in 1991. It changed the way I approach business (and virtually every important aspect of my life).   Flash back to the days of Boyz II Men and the original Super Mario Brothers...    It was the unbearably painful 3rd hour of church (yes, I go to church for 3 hours every Sunday). I was sitting in Sunday school, fidgeting in my chair and wondering what I was going to eat for dinner.    I had just gotten my braces off and couldn't stop moving my lips over the sliminess of my newly straightened teeth when my ears perked up at something my teacher said...    He told our entire class of awkward, naive 13 year-olds that if we wrote our goals down on a piece of paper, he would buy us a spanking-new-Franklin-Covey-genuine-leather planner, worth $80.    I didn't care about my goals.I cared less about the planner.But the fact that my teacher was going to spend $80 on me, that meant something.    So I Wrote My Goals Down...    Later that week (the deadline he gave us was fast approaching), I pulled a tithing slip out of my Sunday school bag and got to work:     (So I've always been a little obsessed with making and saving money. Don't hate.)    I had no idea that he was teaching us a seriously valuable lesson.    I carelessly stuffed the paper into my scriptures, too anxious and eager about the new planner to care about my scribbled goals.    The Afterword...    I pulled this paper out of an obscure place in my scripture bag a couple of years later. Shocked, I realized that I had accomplished every one of those goals:    I had been struggling in a class at school. I ended up getting all A'sI had gotten a job and for the age, I probably made a lot of money. I had saved basically all of it.Yep, I read my scriptures more.Church more often...check!Beach more often...check (really??? this was a goal???)    I gained much more than a new day planner from my Sunday school teacher: His lesson taught me the power of writing down goals.    You can listen to Tony Robbins or Bob Proctor or whoever your favorite motivational speaker is until you're blue in the face. You WON'T understand the power of WRITING goals down until you do it.    I haven't accomplished every single goal I've ever written down; but I've come close.    It works.    Try it.    
 Trying to outsource without knowing how to recruit Filipino employees is like sending your bank account information to that guy in Nigeria who emailed you yesterday to tell you you've inherited your distant cousin's estate.    It's a bad idea.    Watching this video so you can learn the right way to recruit Filipino employees...That's a good idea.      ; File Download: MP4 Video, ~8.64 KB jwplayer("initial-recruiting-steps").setup({ flashplayer: "/wp-content/plugins/mediacaster/mediaplayer-5.7/player.swf", controlbar: "bottom", width: 605, height: 379, skin: "/wp-content/plugins/mediacaster/player/snel.swf", file: "http://media.jonasblog.com/jonasblog-videos/recruiting/recruiting-initial-steps.mp4", image: "http://media.jonasblog.com/jonasblog-videos/recruiting/recruiting-initial-steps.jpg"});  "   Main points to take away:    Specify a few skills you MUST have and be flexible about everything else. There's no such thing as hiring a perfect VA. That's what training is for, and I can teach you how to do that, too. Make a list of a few indispensable skills (English speaking is #1 on most people's lists), and consider any other skills an added bonus.Be aware of other qualifications, like years of experience, desired salary, and check out their website if they have one. A serious applicant will make an effort to give out as much information as possible.Send multiple inquiries. It's okay to contact several people for a single job post. It's very unlikely to find a candidate that's perfect, affordable AND available on your first try. I usually contact around 20 candidates for a single position. Then I narrow the field from there.Spend time on interviews. After you get a response, make an effort to talk to the person before hiring them. You can learn a LOT about a person when you meet them (use skype or facetime) You might learn about some of their new skills, get a better feel for their English skills and get to know their personalities (are they go-getters?).    In the interview: Don't expect your interviewing candidate to volunteer information. Filipino candidates are much more modest and timid than American candidates- it's just a part of their culture. If you want to know something- ask specific questions. 
Chances are, you’ve seen this page --->    I see it every time I install a new, $38 ink cartridge into my HP 2610 printer.             I’ve had this printer for almost a decade.  And without fail, every time I install a new cartridge, it regurgitates one of these things...as if to say, “thank you for feeding me.”              The first time I saw it, I was somewhat enchanted by the idea of the tiny little bird down at the bottom.  There’s an image of him ‘pre-alignment,’ where his colors don’t line up. And then there’s a giant black arrow pointing to another image of him, ‘post-alignment:’              His colors line up. The cartridges are 'aligned.' You’re both happy.           But dozens of cartridges and alignment pages later, I’ve come to realize:  It's all bogus. A hoax.              The EXACT same page is programmedto print every time you install a new cartridge. It's not actually doing anything.             HP is giving you a false sense of confidence in their product, and they do it by wasting your time, your money, and your ink.             It seriously ticks me off. It’s dishonest.           I don’t trust HP anymore.  They’re pretending that they did something good when they didn't.  Moral of the story: don’t be a pretender. In business, don’t pretend to solve a problem or fix an issue that you sincerely can’t.             You’ll just make people angry and lose their trust.
 I’ve made tons of materials about how to live a 4, or 17 hour week. I have e-books, videos, presentations, blog posts and webinars on the what’s and how’s of the business. But let’s face it, in the internet, it’s easy to get lazy, or get lost.    Recently, I found a way to fix that through Udemy.com. So this site is an online learning platform that allows instructors to host courses.     I’ve launched my first course there. I've combined the best trainings I've done over the years and put them into one place where it's easy to learn everything.    In this course, apart from the usual e-book format, I’ve made power point presentations, together with my videos, webinar, and even made supplementary materials for you to download all available in a single course.    One of the things I like on Udemy is that students can ask questions on specific right there on the lecture area, so it’s like a webinar that you can take whenever or wherever you’re free.    To start learning, here's my course on udemy.com    Oh, and it's FREE. 
 Remember back in the day when we used to play video games all day as teens until our parents scolded us? And then when cheat codes became a more common thing, all the more we weren't stopping at 10pm to sleep.    My sister used to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on Nintendo's Game Boy Color. Just a couple buttons copying some code we found and you get infinite time, a couple more and you unlock all levels, and some more, you get unlimited money. It was a fun game and a fun time.;    That's the same as how I envisioned my;One VA Away Challenge. It's your cheat code to hiring the right virtual assistants for your needs when you follow the steps. It won't give you infinite time to hire, or unlimited money to invest, but it will make the process easier and actionable so you get the perfect VA the first try.    I guarantee it. (literally...if you don't find a great VA I give your money back)    If you haven't already gone through the One VA Away Challenge, now's the time to start.    http://www.OneVAAway.com    John 
 One of my family's favorite hobbies is going out to ride our bikes. We do it daily as a way to also hang out and spend time together.;    Earlier today, my daughter, Addie, and I were riding our bikes as usual and came to an area with a broken trail. I went ahead to cross that section but saw my daughter getting off her bike ready to walk it off in fear she couldn't make it through biking.    I didn't mind that, but I also knew that if she doesn't do it now, she'll just get off her bike and walk every single time she's in the same situation.    I nudged her with some encouragement. It's a good thing that she grew up listening to me. And she also knows that I won't push her to do anything that I know she couldn't do. And more importantly, that I was there for her when she does it. That made her get back on her bike to try.. failing and crashing, only to get back up, crashing, and trying again. She crashed at least 4 times, but that didn't stop her. And she managed to ride through. It was a feat. It was a good day.    Thinking about it now, I realized that this may be a common scenario for some employers with their VAs. When the virtual assistants encounter a problem, there are instances where they either stop trying or they take the easy way like asking us what exactly they should do next. And that's not a bad thing.;    But I don't want my VAs to stop trying, let alone not try at all. No employer wants that. But it's also our job as the employer to be the support system for them when they're stuck. You want to trust them just as much as they trust you to maintain a relationship. And when you do that, they become more loyal and go beyond expectations.;    All my current part-time and full-time VAs know that they have access to me when they really need support. All I had to do was to find the right virtual assistants fit for what I need and give them the necessary nudge, help, and guidance. Now I'm running my business almost hands-free.    You can also find your own perfect-fit VA that fits your lifestyle and company dynamics :www.onlinejobs.ph    John 
 I get emailed almost every day by people telling me how they got more free time by hiring a virtual assistant from OnlineJobs.PH.Super often they say "I just wish I had done this sooner!" or "Why didn't someone tell me this would be so good!".    I tried!!!    One notable email and successs story I remember clearly.    Starting a business is difficult. Building anything from scratch is difficult. ;Working on all the different pieces of your business is difficult. But once you build the momentum, you don't want to stop.    COO of Human Proof Designs (HPD),;Brad Vanderberg, shared his story with us. In less than 18 months, they grew the company he works with from 15 to 200 staff members, offering even more services to their clients, because now they can.;    Scaling takes a lot of effort. If you involve yourself with every little thing it takes time away from you working ON the business.Sometimes you need to take a step back and think of the tasks that you can delegate to people who can do it the same way or even better than you.    "..being involved in Operations I have to say my job has been made much easier by the diligent, ambitious staff we’ve recruited through Onlinejobs.ph." he mentions.    Read Brad full story >     Getting a VA (or lots of VAs) to help you with your business will make your schedule more flexible, give you extra hours to spend with your family, and lets you focus on the more important things. Because they are also affordable yet highly skilled, you won't need to worry about wasting money paying them, because you won't.    I'd like to help you make that time for yourself. That's why I'm offering a FREE book,;The Outsourcing Lever, to help you get the VA that you need in actionable steps that work for you.    Get your copy :www.outsourcinglever.com    John 
 My teenage son has a girlfriend, and today my wife and I suggested that he should take his younger brother with them on their date. They were getting smoothies from Roxberry. And his 6-year old brother would love to go with them.    Of course, that did not sound amusing to him.;    "Why would I do that?"    "It's gonna be fun and different.""No. I don't think so.";    "We still think you should.";    He left irritated. Didn't take his brother. Didn't say a word to us.    When kids are little, they generally obey what an adult tells them. Often they don't question their parents and just do as told. They take us as their role models and even copy us.    When they become teenagers, they suddenly know more than you. Telling you things like "they can take care of themselves" and "stop telling me what to do.";    But when these same kids turn to their 20's, they realize parents aren't as dumb as they thought. Oftentimes, this is the time they go to college and get more responsibilities. Parents know what they're talking about most of the time.;    10 minutes after my son left, he texted me.    "I'm coming back to get my brother.";    My younger son got very excited.;    That may be him thinking it can be fun. Or that he should be obeying his parents. Or him realizing that my wife and I know what we're talking about when we recommended it.He came back. Took his brother with them.    My younger son left excitedly but came back even more ecstatic to be included in that trip.    My wife and I thought it was an interesting experience for all of them. And it's gonna be a memorable "remember when you took your little brother with you to get smoothies?" story that they'll have growing up. The whole thing got better, because he listened to us.;    I often feel like if people would follow directions from those with more experience, people who know what they're talking about, then there will be fewer mistakes in the process and it's gonna be easier.    I have gone through the journey of outsourcing, far more than a lot of other people. I've made the mistakes, learned from them, and gotten more experience with dealing with them for over a decade. I'd like to share with you the same knowledge so you can hire the virtual assistants you and your business needs with less mistakes. I'm offering this information for free in my book,;The Outsourcing Lever.;    Get it :www.outsourcinglever.com    John 
 Often people will say to me in the middle of a conversation"Tell us how you really feel"because I'm not one to hold back. ;    I'm "passionate" they say.    And halloween is one of those things (notice not a capital 'H' - it's NOT a holiday!!!)    I know most of you reading this love halloween and that I'm being a grinch (last year I actually bought a grinch costume. Yes, I'm the halloween grinch). ;You love dressing your kids up in blood and gore and then sugaring them up so they stay up late and are terrors the next day.;    I don't.    And...imagine if we mimic'd halloween with VAs from the Philippines!    "Sure, just this one day a year you can create a fake profile.Then, apply for every job you can get to with your fake profile.Insist they give you money for doing nothing.If they don't, do something to scam them." Trick-or-Treat!    That's what we teach our kids! ;"But it's just one day a year!" you say.    Oh, sure, just one day..that teaches kids panhandling for sugar is "normal".    Yes, I buy my kids costumes every year.No, I don't spend hours (or more than 5 minutes) making them.Yes, I take my kids trick-or-treating every year. ;I'd be massacred if I didn't.Yes, I scream and throw a fit every single year about this.Yes, my wife tells me to chill out and go away.Yes, we hand out full-size candy bars.But one of these years I'm going to hand out pencils just to protest!    In the Philippines they don't do Halloween like we do. ;They do it the right way!They celebrate "All Souls Day" and they go to the cemetery and remember those who have passed on.    Maybe now's a good time to learn about all the holidays in the Philippines that are different from where you live?    https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/holidays-and-pto    or even;add them to your calendar so you know when they're coming    John 
 Typhoons are a part of life in the Philippines.;    Every year they get hit by some major storms that wipe out cities. ;It's terrible destruction.    Right now Typhoon Goni is bearing down on the northern central part of the Philippines.    BBC:;https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54759868    Its a good idea to ask your people if they're going to be ok and then check on them after the storm is over.    Here's a crazy image of the storm:https://www.goes.noaa.gov/sohemi/sohemiloops/shirgmsw.html    After a storm like this we usually have someone who has lost their house and most of their belongings. ;We usually help them rebuild. ;What you do is up to you.    John 
 One of the misconceptions of people when hiring virtual assistants is that either it has to be perfect, or it's gonna be perfect. But that's not always the case. Let me give you an example of how I work with my team:    I recently hired a virtual assistant to write emails for me, this email included. She did pretty well for the trial pieces so I got her to work on more of them.    She's doing well, but as she sends more emails to me, I start to notice some things... like emails being too short, or the story needs further development, or....    I gave her feedback and she addressed them. But on the next ones, I still notice some things that can still be improved- maybe paying more attention to some details, highlighting certain points, articulating the story better, etc. So I give her even more direction, she continues to build her rapport and improve to every email she writes.    The more we work together, the better she gets. ;I almost don't have to edit her emails anymore.;She wrote this email. ;I only edited a little (<-- this line was added by John).    I do my best to hire the best people, so I know I will receive the best work.;But at the end of the day, it won't always come out perfect. And that is completely fine. Things get done, they may not be perfect but they are still pretty good work.    It's okay if things aren't perfect on the first try. You won't always get the right VA every time, nor will everything be perfect in your business once you do. If things get done, and things improve - that's what matters.;    Finding a suitable VA that can work with you is easy if you know how to look for them. That's why I enumerated actionable steps that can guide you to finding and hiring the right VA :www.OneVAaway.com. This is available for a limited time at a discounted rate of $49 from $679! Get your guide now!    John 
 Hey - it’s John again.    Wherever you are on your outsourcing journey, I’ve been there.    In fact, I bet we have a lot in common.    I can understand what you may be feeling as you weigh the risks against the possibilities of outsourcing. Whether it’s curiosity, hesitation, desperation or hope that’s brought you to this point, I get it.    And whether you’re an outsourcing beginner fueled by curiosity or a veteran looking for new ways to hire and train your workers, I can help you get to the next level. And since you’re already an entrepreneur, you’re probably more prepared than you realize.    Entrepreneurialism to me is synonymous with grit.And smarts.And guts.And resilience.And creativity.If you’re an entrepreneur, you embody all of those things, and you have a story to go with them.    I want to share my story with you.Over the next few days, I’m going to take you on the rollercoaster experience that revealed the incredible potential of outsourcing in my own business. It was a nutty ride, and it includes face-smashing failures, a serious threat to my wife’s life, and a mind-blowing epiphany.;    Stay tuned for my next email; I’ll spill everything.    See you tomorrow,    John Jonas    PS - When’s the last time you checked the job board :OnlineJobs.ph? Your ideal VA might already be waiting for you... 
 This is a story about a painful failure, and a different failure, and yet another excruciating failure…you get the idea.;And then, finally, incredible success.    I attempted my first online business back in 2003, back when making money on the internet was still a relatively novel affair.    I had no idea what I was getting myself into.    At the same time, I was learning the ropes as a new husband and father, renting a tiny house on the rougher side of town, driving a beat-up Toyota Tercel and working long hours as a programmer to (barely) make ends meet.    But I was determined to give my wife and kids a radically different lifestyle than the way I was raised. And I was ready to work my butt off to do exactly that.    Fun fact about me: I hate being an employee.I mean, really, truly, mortifyingly hate it.;And to put the icing on the cake, I was absolutely terrible at it.    The threat of someone breathing down my neck, demanding deadlines and controlling my time did not match my vision of an ideal life.;That’s why I started my own business.;That’s probably one of the reasons you started your business too, right?    So I conceptualized this ‘brilliant’ online business plan. My goal was to automate its processes so that ultimately, I could work minimal hours and the business would run itself. This ‘automated’ business would create the freedom and opportunities for me to live as an engaged and present father and husband while providing generously for my family’s needs. It was everything I’d ever wanted.    The idea was perfection.;The execution was a total failure.;    Once I got my business up and running, I ended up working MORE hours instead of less to keep the business actually; functioning. It left me burnt out, frustrated, and borderline defeated.;    The exact opposite of what I’d dreamed about.    After weeks of burn-out I realized that in order to truly automate my online business processes, I needed to hire someone to help. I needed an employee (even though I could barely afford one).    So I found and hired someone locally who was bright, eager to learn and qualified.;I just knew - this was the answer.;This was going to solve all of the problems.    I was wrong. Again.    I spent hours teaching my new employee the ropes of my online business. I drilled them tirelessly until they understood every objective, every process, and how it all worked together.    Things were getting good.;The business was stabilizing.;I was cutting back on my hours.;The automation process was working...    Then my lone employee quit;and started an online business of their own, using all of my techniques and ideas that I’d so diligently taught them.    That sucked.    And to make things worse, I was back at square one, working 65 hours a week to keep this ‘automated business’ afloat by myself.    But if you could describe me as anything, it would be “determined” (my high school teachers likely used another word for it). I had a clear vision of the life I wanted to live, the life I wanted to provide for my family. And I was going to get there, road blocks and two-timing employees be damned.    I just needed to find another route...and I would.    Stay tuned for my next email to learn about my biggest outsourcing blunder yet - so you can avoid it yourself!    See you soon,    John;    PS - have you had the chance to order my FREE book,;The Outsourcing Lever? If not, be sure to check out this comprehensive guide to outsourcing to the Philippines. It will guide you through everything you need to know! 
 Welcome back to my crazy outsourcing origin story. Let me catch you up to speed.    At the end of my last email, I    - was working as a computer programmer;- was moonlighting as an online entrepreneur- just got double-crossed by my first employee- was desperately struggling to juggle two jobs;-;was attempting to create the ideal life for my new family;(Phew!)    Sound familiar to anyone???    At this point, I was exhausted. And the most crushing blunder was yet to come.    Some time after my first employee went rogue, Tim Ferriss wrote and released The 4-Hour Workweek. In his book, he introduced the idea of outsourcing. He preached that outsourcing would create boundless free-time and business growth.    I was riveted - this was the kind of automation I’d imagined.This book was proof that it could work!    I knew I needed help.Tim suggested India so that *must* be correct.So I hired someone based in India.    It was a disaster.    For whatever reason, we both struggled with the communication and cultural barriers. I tried hiring other workers from India (maybe it was just not a good fit the first time?).    Nope.    I continued to run into the same problems with each new hire.;    I almost gave up.But Tim Ferriss’ voice played over and over in the back of my head.Maybe I could find another way to make outsourcing work...    Then one day, I discovered eLance (now UpWork).    I hired someone to write articles for me. Article writing and submission was a huge part of my online business marketing plan. I knew article submissions were super effective, I knew the strategy was working great, but I hated doing it.    I hated the writing. I hated the posting. I hated the whole thing. Not only did I hate it, it ate up so much of my valuable time.    So I hired this guy from eLance to write 50 articles for me. I thought I’d won the lottery. I could pay someone such a reasonable amount to get so much work done. “Yes!” I thought, “I figured out how to hire people and do this outsourcing thing!”    And then he sent the articles back, and it hit me:    I’d created another face-smashing failure.The biggest one yet.    He did complete and send me 50 articles and they were decent. But then I realized I had to do the rest of the work. Argh!I had to review the articles’ content,I had to edit them,I had to make sure they weren't plagiarized(turns out, some of them were plagiarized).I had to come up with great headers for them.I had to submit them.I had to create links for them andI had to post them on a list of different sites.    Not only did I hate doing all of those things (for one article, let alone 50!), I did not have the time or mental capacity for them.    I just couldn't do it.    Instead of handing things off and creating freedom for myself, once again, I’d made more work for myself.    That sucked.    I was so disappointed. I was so let down.Outsourcing had;NOT;worked the way I wanted it to.    Sometimes, I feel like that’s the point that most people reach in their outsourcing attempt before they quit. They come to believe that it’s a headache, it causes more problems than solutions, and it’s basically terrible. That’s where I had landed.    But I kept hearing stories about people who’d made it big with outsourcing. I knew that logically, it should be the solution to so many challenges. It worked for other people and it worked in my head. I just needed to make it work for my business.;    Little did I know, I was about to have an encounter with an enormously successful entrepreneur.    It would change everything.    I’ll share that pivotal experience in my next email -; and you’ll learn the same thing he taught me which changed my life.    Until then,    John    PS - Keep up your efforts. You’re doing great. Outsourcing the right way takes time and hard work right out of the gate. But I promise you can do this, and I promise it will be SO worth it. 
 One day while attending a local networking meetup I had a conversation with the late John Bresee, the creative mind behind backcountry.com. I was airing out some of my frustrations and failures. As the conversation proceeded he said:When you’re ready to start outsourcing, make sure you go to the Philippines with it.What?!?!!;He explained why the Philippines was different.No, I had NOT tried outsourcing specifically to the Philippines. Could it really be that simple?The idea gave me hope.John Bresee was incredibly successful and clearly knew what he was talking about. In the remainder of our short conversation, he gave me some encouragement and told me where to find and hire someone from the Philippines....and I DIDN’T DO IT.That’s right.I’d been burned.I was tired.I was wary of more risk.;I didn’t know if there was really someone talented enough to meet my business needs.I didn’t know if I could afford it.I just didn’t know.So I didn’t do anything.It took me two months to finally come to terms with the fact that I just needed to try it. What I was doing wasn’t working. I needed HELP; I couldn’t keep drowning in my own business. I’d hit the point of desperation.So using John’s referral, I began the search for my ideal Filipino virtual worker. Little did I know that another face-smashing lesson was waiting for me…I’ll share that lesson soon,    JohnPS - Obviously at this point in my story,;OnlineJobs.ph;wasn’t around. I wouldn’t create it for years to come. Even though John Bresee’s advice was totally life-changing, it was harder to find great Filipino VAs back then. Today, all it takes is a quick visit to;OnlineJobs.ph. ;We get thousands of;new resumes every day... 
 Picking up where I left off -- John Bresee from backcountry.com told me to go to the Philippines with my outsourcing.This was a new idea...at least to me.He referred me to a hiring agency in the Philippines.;They promised to match me with a Filipino VA who met all of my requirements.And they did.To protect his privacy (and mine...I never tell the names of my VAs, people always try to hire them when I do), we’ll call my first Filipino VA Jake. Jake was perfect.;Hiring him was the most liberating experience of my life.He worked 8 hours per day and worked ONLY for me!I had tons of ideas and processes I wanted to implement in my business and I did NOT have enough hours in the day to do them.;But Jake did! It blew my mind that his full-time job was to do anything I asked him and taught him to do.Jake was incredibly intelligent and intuitive too. He followed directions and read between the lines. If I left out a step in my instructions, he would use his problem solving and deductive logic skills and figure it out. It was amazing.;    The Revelation    I was paying the Filipino hiring agency;$750;a month to employ Jake full-time. It was more affordable than local alternatives, and he earned every penny. But through a turn of events, I learned something that really ticked me off.Come to find out, the agency was siphoning $500 of what I thought I was paying Jake every month.;My VA was only getting $250;of my intended compensation! I flipped a brick. I had no idea that would be the arrangement when I hired Jake.Neither did he.When we realized what was happening, we were both upset. We both felt taken advantage of. (Later on, I learned that it’s pretty standard for an agency to take a huge cut of their workers’ pay. I understand that it’s just business. To me, it’s bad business and I will never do it again.)The day after we recognized the discrepancy, I got an email from Jake. “Sir, I quit. I walked into the agency off, quit, and walked out.”I didn’t know what to do except celebrate. I directly offered him a full-time job, increased his salary considerably (and he got to keep all of it), and we got back to work.    Was I Finally Getting Outsourcing Right??    Remember my article-marketing nightmare from a couple emails ago? Jake forever freed me of it.;I taught him the whole process - how to structure and write articles, create headings, resource boxes, links, seo, and where to submit the articles when he was done. He did EVERYTHING!It was all automated (by him) -- which was the entire reason I’d started my online business in the first place! I was in heaven.Eventually, I hired someone else from the Philippines to add to our team. He was a programmer and he did great work. But I still hoarded the bulk of the programming to do myself. I didn’t trust that he could do as good a job as me.The story doesn’t end here. Even though I thought I was outsourcing the right way, I still hadn’t uncovered the true potential of these Filipino VAs.They soon had the chance to prove themselves, even though it came as a total fluke. A total fluke that involved me almost losing my wife and our unborn baby girl.In my next email, you’ll learn about the scariest and most challenging trial of my adult life -- and how my VAs helped me through it.John 
 I don't have much time right now to write this, but I've had numerous people ask me how they can help with donating to the relief effort in the Philippines.    They estimate over 10,000 deaths after one of the largest typhoons (hurricanes) in recorded history.    If you want to donate, please do. ;I'll make a sizeable donation and make sure 100% of the donations go straight to the Philippines (not to administrators pockets).     "   Thanks for your generous donations.I'll personally make sure every penny goes where it should.      I just had a friend tell me this is a part of how he's donating. Here's the email he sent to his GUYS in the Philippines:   "I want you to do whatever you need to do to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors for the next week. I will pay you your regular wage for this plus bonus."    I think it's a great way to donate.    
 Yes, absolutely.    Because hiring Filipino online workers still makes a lot of business sense.    I know with Typhoon Yolanda a lot of people have become hesitant about hiring Filipino workers. The recent disaster raised a lot of questions that nobody wants to bring up because they’re afraid of sounding selfish or uncaring. I’m going to absolve you guys of all guilt by putting these questions out there, questions like:    What if my programmer happens to live in the affected area, what would happen to my business?My Filipino designer lost his laptop in the flood, now all the work we did together is lost. What do I do?How long will I have to wait for my VA to come back? Or should I even wait?How much help should I give to my link builder? And for how long?Would it be okay if I hire someone while waiting for my VA to come back?I can’t afford to hire more people to cover the work while my designer is away    Let Me Tell You This     Outsourcing, in general, carries certain risks. Even big companies that outsource to countries like China, India, or the Philippines have facilities that get affected by natural calamities. We just don’t hear those stories often in the news because it’s bad press.    The last typhoon did cause a lot of damage to the affected areas but the Philippines does experience around 20 typhoons per year. These typhoons pass through different areas of the country and vary in intensity. Most of the Philippines are prepared for these typhoons; it’s just that the last one was really a super typhoon and it was unlikely that anyone could have gone through that unscathed.    There's More To The Philippines    I also want to point out that this country has roughly 7,000 islands. There are ways to significantly reduce the risk of having workers that are often affected by natural calamities. Most Filipinos were not in the areas affected by the typhoon. There are a lot of places in the Philippines that aren’t hit by disasters as often as Leyte, for example. ;There are a lot of places in the Philippines that are better prepared to deal with disasters than Tacloban. Hiring Filipino workers from areas that are less affected and better prepared for natural disasters would help ensure that you get continuous work all year round.    Hiring Filipino workers for charitable reasons is admirable. But that shouldn’t be the only reason for you to hire them. Despite everything you see on the news, the Philippines is still a great place to hire good workers. Filipino workers are still some of the best workers in the world. Don’t let the headlines stop you from finding talented, reliable, and cost-efficient workers for your business. If you want your business to grow, the Philippines IS STILL the place to go. 
 Typhoon Yolanda was a big wake up call for business owners who have virtual assistants in the Philippines. Filipino virtual assistants are great workers but the 20 typhoons that hit their country every year can make anyone nervous.     The good news is that most of the Philippines are prepared in dealing with these disasters. But in the event of another super typhoon, there are ways to disaster proof the work your Filipino worker has done. Disaster proofing your VA and their work would help protect your business (and their job) so they can focus on saving themselves and they have a job they can come back to once the dust settles.    Here are 5 Things That Can Help      1. Hire from places that are better prepared and less likely to be affected by typhoons. There are reasons why companies flock in places like Manila, Cebu, Baguio and Davao. In addition to having the infrastructure and work force needed; these areas, historically, are less affected by typhoons. In a lot of ways, they are also more prepared for natural calamities than smaller towns and cities.          2. Insist on workers having laptops and portable hard drives. If ever your VA’s home gets flooded, a laptop is definitely easier to carry and save than a desktop. But if your Filipino worker uses a desktop, (most developers, essay writers and designers would probably use a desktop for work), then insist that they have portable hard drives where they can back up their work on a regular basis.          3. Invest in cloud storage. Another way to ensure that none of the work your virtual assistant gets lost to natural disasters is to invest in cloud storage. Having most of their work stored in it would also make it easier to pass on that work to someone else in the event that your VA is unable to come back to work.           4. Get their emergency contacts to ensure continued communication. Ask your Filipino virtual assistant for emergency contacts that you can call in the event that they’ve been affected by a natural disaster. Ideally, this should be a relative or friend that doesn’t live in the same place but has the resources to find or contact your VA. This is especially helpful in the event that your VA can’t go online or can’t get to a phone.          5. Have an emergency protocol and enforce this in your employment contract. One of the biggest things Filipino workers worry about is if they have a job waiting for them after a disaster. You, on the other hand, want assurance that your VA can get back to work as soon as they have recovered. You can help allay these fears and protect your business in the process by setting an emergency protocol and putting this in your employment contract.; Emergency protocols vary on how much detail you want to put in it but these protocols should contain the following information:    How soon should they contact you after a natural disaster so you’ll know whether they’ve been affected or not? (When they don’t contact you right away, this is where #4 would come in handy)How much time you’ll be giving them to get back on their feet? (This can be set beforehand or change depending on the situation).How much help you would be willing to give? (a month’s salary in advance? A loan? Relief fund?)References and recommendations if ever they are unable to come back to work.         Protecting your business is not selfish, especially if it can help give more jobs to people who need them. Disaster proofing your Filipino VA allows you to protect your business and protect those who work for you, allowing you to continue providing for them at the time they need it the most. 
 Behind the devastating headlines, what most people don’t know about is the silver lining of how jobs outsourced to the Philippines have helped hundreds on online workers in the affected areas rebuild their lives.      Tacloban City, one of the most affected places by Typhoon Haiyan, is also home to roughly a thousand online workers and relatives of Filipino online workers. Though they may have lost their homes, these workers have still something to look forward to because they know they have jobs waiting for them as soon as they recover. And even before that, employers of Filipino workers from all over the world have been looking for ways to help the Philippines, even if their workers were not directly affected by the tragedy.    From Paul Woodall of PaulWoodall.com   I told my first;Philippine;employee that she was hired the day before the Typhoon hit on the 8th of November.; I told her she would start on the 11th of November (a Monday).; Obviously that was impossible;after;the storm hit, not only because of the lack of resources (power, water, etc.), but also because of missing family members (later located) and just because of the massive devastation that was caused.; So we postponed her start date until the 18th to give her time to recover (somewhat) from the storm.I was told that some of her family had lost shelter and income because of the storm.; It was not said in a pleading way, but because I had asked how she and her family had fared.; Turns out they did better than a lot of people, but her Grandfather lost his home (and was missing for a while).; This is not intended to be a long story, but some background was necessary.My wife and I decided we wanted to help and thought the best way to do that was to backdate our young lady's start date to the 1st of November.; We paid her half a months salary on the 15th, even though she had not actually started to work, and we were blown away by the grateful response we got.; She and her whole family were (and still are) extremely grateful.;; We felt like it was just the right thing to do.; It was not a lot of money to us, but to them it meant a great deal.    From Richard Mathias, President and CEO of Rich Mathias Enterprises, LLC   I have three guys working for me and they were pretty close to the hit zone in Tanjay City.; While they sustained wind and water damage, they are all ok.; As part of our effort to bring some hope to the survivors, I gave my three guys a week paid time off to organize relief missions to the hardest hit small islands where they delivered food, water, and medical supplies.; It was a great way for us to do a little something for folks who were really just totally decimated.; The island they helped the most was home to 300 families and the storm took out all but 2 buildings.; The entire island population was essentially left homeless.; Here is a link to the Facebook Page that my manager made of the relief missions.;;;https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.321434181331305.1073741825.168526866622038&type=1&l=c7cb23da22The experience brought us closer together and allowed them to realize that although virtual in miles apart, we are spiritually connected closely as one.    The other side of this amazing story is how dedicated these Filipino workers can be despite of tragedy. JR, a worker from Leyte, saved his hard drive with his loved ones, to make sure that the tasks he has done for his employer is saved and can be retrieved once they have access to electricity.    CJ MacDaniel of Adazing Design   I have a worker in Tacloban that I found through;onlinejobs.ph. While at the same time worrying about him I have been rushing around trying to meet deadlines by recreating projects that took him 2 months to build. As I saw the;pictures;online I had resigned myself to the fact that I had probably lost months of work of client's projects and was hoping that everyone was safe.;After;a week of reading the horror stories and wondering if my worker and friend were alive, I finally received an email. He described that first week as bittersweet since all of his family are safe but a close friend had died. He recounted fleeing the city with his wife and two daughters on a C130 with nothing but an extra shirt and the computer hard drive with my work files on it. He told me that he had been worried that he wouldn't have a job waiting for him when finally got back online. He was super grateful that I had paid him for the week he couldn't work plus some extra for urgent needs. He said that I would never be able to understand how much it meant to him to still have employment because of the long road ahead of him to begin rebuilding their life. He and his extended family about 25 people are all at his brothers small apartment in Cebu. He doesn't yet have access to a work station where he can plug-in the hard drive but it is a major relief to know that we won't be rebuilding 6 months worth of client projects.    Donna, a virtual assistant from Tacloban, was one of the lucky ones to be first relocated to Metro Manila. Her first concern as soon as she had internet access, was to email her employer that she’s okay and that she can go back to work in a week, after she has her family settled in.    In light of criticism of how outsourcing to developing countries like the Philippines, stories like these show that these jobs have been lifesavers for Filipinos. They may not have the same pay as their Western counterparts, but they are earning well enough that would allow them to rebuild.     If you're looking to help the victims of typhoon Haiyan (or looking to hire staff members from the Philippines), try;www.onlinejobs.ph;which has the largest database of online Filipino workers. 
 "This story comes from a virtual assistant in the Philippines who used to work in a call center, and now works from home as a VA. When you hire Filipino virtual assistants, it's amazing how both of your lives change."   Hi! My name is B and I used to work for a call center. The call center industry is thriving here in the Philippines and there are plenty of jobs available. But what most people don’t tell you is that it can be a very stressful and demanding job. They don’t tell you that there are ;times when you’ll have to work more than 8 hours a day (on average I work 10 hours, 6 days a week), you’re always tired because of the changing shift schedules, and you’re constantly on your toes because you can easily be fired over the slightest infraction.    This didn’t really bother me much before when I was still single and back when it was still just me and my wife. But when my wife got pregnant, the work started to take its toll. She had a difficult pregnancy, so it was stressful for me to be away from her, especially at night when I knew she could go into labor anytime. And after she gave birth, I was basically a zombie because I couldn’t get enough sleep. It got better as our baby got bigger but I wasn’t enjoying fatherhood as much as I wanted because I was always asleep whenever I’m home. I could only spend time with my daughter on the weekends. It bothered me but I accepted it because I thought that was my only option.    Then a few months ago, I lost my job when the call center I was working for lost our account. I immediately went to job hunting mode but I knew it would be a while before I got any calls (there weren’t a lot of openings in my position). Then my wife, who is a VA, suggested that I try working from home as a call center agent. It would be something that would keep me busy while waiting for job responses and to make up for the income lost in my previous job.    I tried it out, put on a profile at onlinejobs.ph and in less than 2 weeks I got a job as a home-based CSR.    To be quite honest, when I first started I thought I wouldn’t like it. But now I love my job. In fact, I like my job so much I’m reluctant to go back to a regular call center job. And here are the reasons why:    1. I have a really good employer. He doesn’t pay me as much as my old job but he pays me well for the work I’m doing. And when I did the math it turns out I’m taking home just a little less than what I used to take home after taxes now that I have fewer work-related expenses to deal with. So when you think about it moneywise, it’s not a bad deal.    2. It is not as physically taxing as a regular call center job. In a regular call center, my work schedule changed every week or so and because of that I got sick a lot. I still work the graveyard shift but the work schedule never changes, so my body was able to adapt better. And the best part is that my employer never asks me to work more than 8 hours a day or more than 5 days a week (unless I want to) so I’m able to really relax during the weekend.    3. It is much more comfortable working from home. I literally work from my couch! I can work lying down if I wanted. I can wear anything I want. I can eat in front of my computer and go to the restroom anytime I wanted (which is impossible to do in a call center).    4. I can take time off when needed without any problems. A few days ago my daughter got sick and she’s a daddy’ girl. She wouldn’t allow my wife to take care of her so I was the one who had to feed her, bathe her and keep her company until she fell asleep, which meant I didn’t get as much sleep as needed. Back in my old job, I wasn’t allowed to take any days off, even when I was sick. And when I was allowed to file a leave I had a lot of paperwork to deal with. With my current employer, all I needed to do was email him as soon as I could that I had to take a sick leave because I wasn’t able to able to sleep taking care of my daughter. And that was it, all I need to do is to email and I had my valid (paid) leave.    5. I have more time with my family now. I’m healthier now because I sleep more and have less stress. ;I’m now able to spend more time with my family. I’m the one who gets my daughter ready for school. I take my daughter to school and pick her up after classes and we bond during our commutes. I do all that and still have time to get 7 hours of sleep before my shift starts. I’m now able to make plans to go on trips on the weekends like go to the beach or fly kites in the park, something we rarely got to do when I was still in the call center. I’m active in my church again because I don’t have to work on Sundays anymore.    It’s not all perfect. I miss socializing with co-workers. I have nice virtual co-workers but it’s really not the same as having someone to talk to at work. And it feels uncomfortable that some of my former co-workers pity me because they think I don’t have a real job and I don’t have the title.    But I also see how they envy me because I’ve lost weight. I have more pictures with my daughter now on my social media. I know they envy the fact that I now have time with my daughter to build playhouses made of cardboard boxes, harvest our mango tree, build Lego cars, or just walk around our subdivision and talk about nonsense.    I’m not saying I would never go back to a regular call center job. But it has to be a really good job to take me away from all of this. I’m earning well, I have my health, and I have my family. Really, what else can a man ask for?    To get started, you'll need to learn to hire workers from the Philippines so you'll know what to look for before you browse the database of Filipino virtual assistants and start hiring.
 You can achieve a lot of things with hard work. Ask anyone successful and they will tell you that one of the foundations of success is hard work.    People love this advice because it makes sense; the harder you work, the bigger the reward. There’s a sense of justice to it, when you know that at the end of the day everyone gets what they deserve based on how hard they’ve worked.    I’ve tried that route and it is true. There was a time when I dedicated most of my day to working on my business. There’s no bigger satisfaction than seeing your business grow from the sweat of your brow. I loved working on my business because it provided for my family and gave me purpose.    Then, my wife had a difficult pregnancy and everything changed. That experience made me realize what mattered the most. I had to work less in order to take care of my family.      And in the process it made me realize what I should be doing as a business owner. I was so busy working on my business I didn’t have time to do anything else. That was when I realized that in order to get what I really wanted, time for my family and a thriving business, I had to work smarter, not harder.    In short, I had to outsource.    I had to outsource my business    In order to spend more time with my family. With 5 kids, 10 to 12 hour workdays just doesn’t cut it.Because there was so much more that I needed to do and I couldn’t do it all alone. I have a ton of sites running and software development on the side. I don’t want to lose my businesses simply because I don’t have the time for all of them.Because I know what my skill sets are. It’s more cost-efficient to just outsource the stuff that I don’t want to do it to people who do want to do it and can do it better than I can.    I’ve said it time and time again how the 4 hour work week by Tim Feriss has changed my life. It resonated with me because it made me realize that working less isn’t about being lazy. If you can do certain jobs a lot faster, and better, than anyone else that doesn’t diminish the value of the work that you do. In fact, it makes you more valuable. And doing anything that’s not worth your time just diminishes the value of you time.    Be The Boss      Being a business owner, being the boss and CEO of your own company, your time is better spent running your business than working in your business. This means making important decisions about operations, marketing, customer service, etc. It’s your responsibility as a CEO to focus on making your business grow. That means you have to focus on running your business from above where you can see everything and not in the trenches working.    If you want your business to grow, if you want to earn more with each hour you work, you have to let go of the things that diminish the value of your work. The only way to do that is by getting others to do the work for you. ;This can either be local employees or outsourced workers...it doesn't really matter which one. Working 17 hours a week doesn’t make you lazy? it just shows that you’re smart enough to focus on running your business and working less is just one of the rewards.    I can show you how outsourcing to the Philippines can help you achieve the 17 hour work week with my book: Outsourcing Lever. There I’ll show you where to hire, how to track your employees, how to make them stay, and so much more. 
 Wage is a very hot button topic because of the on-going debate on whether or not the minimum wage should be raised in the United States. And when people hear how I built my business by paying my Filipino workers less than minimum wage, they paint me as some sort of monster.    How could I stomach paying these people slave wages, after all they’ve done for me? After all the money they made for me? And why oh why do I take advantage of people so desperate for work that I pay them a lot less of what they’re worth?    Let me make it clear that once and for all that I am not paying minimum wage. In fact, I pay a lot more than minimum wage and I give my workers raises on a regular basis. You can barely survive on $300/month in the US. But in the Philippines, you can buy a lot with a starting salary of $300.    The standard of living here is completely different from the standard living in the Philippines. Everything there is cheaper and it’s easier for them to get more for less. For example, the starting salary of a public school teacher, call center agent, and most office workers in the Philippines is P12,000 which is roughly equivalent to $300. So for an entry level position, $300 is more than fair; in fact, it’s expected.    Minimum Wage In The Philippines    Unlike the US, the Philippines has to raise their minimum wage every few years. They also have different wage rates depending on what industry they work in and where they work. If you hire a Filipino worker from Manila where the standard of living is much higher, then you’re expected to give a higher wage. If you hire someone from the provinces, the minimum wage there is lower.    Another thing I want to point out is I don’t keep my guys on "minimum" wage for long. In fact, we encourage our clients to raise salaries as soon as the worker has proven their work, as soon as they can afford to. We encourage employers to give 13th month bonuses, performance bonuses, gifts, paid leaves, etc. The only thing we don’t encourage is pre-paid work and I explained that in detail here.    If you just look at the numbers, you would think outsourcing is cruel to Filipinos. But when you dig deeper and look at the context, you’ll see how much outsourcing has improved the lives of a lot of people. Outsourcing to the Philippines to help make your business grow may look selfish at first, but when you look at how many people you can hire and help, how can you not give it a try?        If you want to learn more on how to outsource to the Philippines ethically, we have resources to help you with that at Onlinejobs.ph. Visit us today and start outsourcing your business to efficient, trustworthy and hard working Filipino workers. 
 A couple of years ago I had a series of blog posts from my Filipino staff. I’ve gotten some flak for that because some people think that the posts are biased. They’re my employees, after all. As my employees, they’re terrified of me and they’re just writing stuff they know I want to hear, things they know would please me.    I admit I did ask them to write that guest post. But that part where they’re so terrified of me that they’re written those things just to kiss my ass is just wrong.    My guys and I disagree on a LOT of things. They won’t say bad things about me in public out of loyalty but if you could see some of the emails I exchange with them, you’ll see a lot of:    I don’t think it’s a good ideaI don’t think I can do [task]I don’t want to do [task]I think it would be better is we do this or that…     I know disagreeing with your Filipino staff isn’t something a lot of people would want to hear but this is a good thing. Once you’ve established respect, trust and communication with your team, disagreements are bound to come up. The key is having disagreements about work without letting it affect their work and your business    It all boils down to communication, respect, and trust.    Communicating With Your Filipino Staff     I tell my guys time and time again that they have nothing to fear about their jobs. As long they do their jobs and they act in a professional manner when they do want to talk to me about the things we don’t agree on, they should feel free to talk to me about anything, even have a few disagreements.    I do this until now because it’s important for me that they have a work environment that allows them to be creative and keeps them motivated to work. I want them to be comfortable enough to talk to me about anything, even about problems at work, so we can communicate and work better with one another.    I know that if my guys are afraid of me, most of them would probably just disappear. And those that would stay probably wouldn’t be able to tell me of work challenges until they turn into big problems that could cost me my businesses.    These are people I trust my business with. If they feel like they can’t talk to me, then what’s the point in me outsourcing. If I can’t deal with disagreements and bad news, I might as well do everything myself.    Respecting Your Filipino Staff    They respect the fact that I’m the boss and my final say is what gets done. But I also respect the fact that my Filipino virtual assistants are smart guys. I’ve given them training and until now they go out and continue to learn new things on their own. So if they say something, I listen to them and take their opinions and suggestions seriously.    When running a business, it has to be about the business. Your Filipino virtual assistant isn’t there to stroke your ego. He or she is there to do a job and you have to give them every opportunity to do that job and do that job well.    I know that I don’t know everything. I don’t have the time to study everything and know everything. I don’t want to do that. That’s why I outsource a lot of my business. That’s why they get the training for the things that they do. They’re bound to be better at a lot of things than me. And if they can tell me why their idea is better than mine, I have no problems with conceding to their better judgement.    Trusting You Filipino Virtual Assistant    At some point, when you’re outsourcing, you have to let go of certain fears in order to move on to bigger things. You have to let go of your fear of your VA not working, of them leaving you, of things going wrong when you’re not there to watch over them. If they’ve worked for you for a long time and they’ve proven to be trustworthy, don’t you think it’s about time to really trust them?    Replacemyself.com is all about replacing yourself in your business by having someone you’ve trained enough to do all the work you need to do to run your business. But training is only one aspect. To achieve the 4 hour work week and financial freedom, you have to teach your Filipino VA to make some decisions himself. You have to trust that fact that your VA is looking out for your business, for your welfare.    If you won’t trust your VA, if you can’t trust your VA, you will never experience that kind of freedom. If you keep fixating on the small things, you’ll never see the big picture.    Letting My Filipino VAs Take Care of Me    When you think about it, friends and family fight when because they want what’s best for one another. I’ve seen how dedicated my guys are to my business and I know that we sometimes disagree with one another because we’re just looking for one another. This is why I can afford to work only 17 hours a week, because I can know they’re there in the background watching over my business. 
 I was sick. I was completely out of my mind. The swelling in my throat began to sabotage my breath. I blinked back the moisture that threatened my eyes.I grabbed for something stable as the room spun and my vision closed in. There’s a good chance that nobody in the all-white, sterile office noticed what was happening to my body. They couldn’t hear the blood pounding in my hot ears or feel the sides of my throat stick together as I swallowed repeatedly. I looked from the doctor to my wife, Kim.She didn’t see my legs turn to jelly.She was probably spiraling in the same way. I shook my head to clear the tunnel vision that threatened to set in. I couldn’t black out. I had to be present, I needed to hear what the doctor had to say. And I knew that with this new information, my priorities had to change. This was in early 2007.  We’d left for the doctor’s office that morning totally unsuspecting. My wife was seven months pregnant with our third child - a baby girl. After running the routine prenatal tests, the doctor came in with a solemn look.“You have preeclampsia. You need to immediately observe strict bedrest. If you don’t, you may have a seizure and lose the baby, or possibly die yourself.”“My wife is going to die. And we're going to lose our baby.”I kept thinking to myself on our way home.Have you ever experienced this kind of abrupt disruption in your daily routine?Most days are normal.The world turns.Life moves.Everything is fine.And then one day, you get the kind of news that snaps you out of your routine coma. Your perspective transforms into a kind of tunnel vision. Your feet slam onto the ground of reality, and the air is knocked from your chest. It hurts, and you’re scared.But at the same time, you experience a sort of redemption. When that ‘tunnel vision’ hits, there’s only enough room and light at the end of the tunnel to see the things that are truly the most important to you. The faces that bring meaning to your life, the ideals that you strive to become and achieve…those things consciously become your entire world.All I knew is that we had two other young kids, I was working full-time and there was no way I could keep working.I was not about to lose a baby over money.So I committed then and there, I was going to take care of my wife, two rambunctious toddlers and my unborn baby girl, whatever the sacrifice.I wrote an email to my two Filipino VAs to explain what was happening. I let them know I couldn’t work and that they wouldn’t be hearing from me much. I asked them to continue to do what I’d taught them and try to keep the business afloat. I asked them to take over things I was currently doing in the business.  I asked them to do their best.And then I got to work on my new full-time job as caregiver.You won’t believe what happened next. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. This is where Filipino VAs get really really good for both you and me.     John 
 In my last email, I started telling you about the time I totally abandoned my online business.;    My wife was on bedrest with life-threatening pregnancy complications. She needed constant care. There was no way I was going to risk losing her or the baby. So I handed all of the day-to-day operations over to my VAs and held my breath.    It turned out to be the pivotal experience of my both my professional and personal life.    For the next three weeks, I was completely preoccupied with caring for my wife and two toddlers. I barely thought about work. In fact I probably clocked one hour of work, TOTAL.    At the end of those three weeks, my wife went into early labor and delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl without further complications. We were beyond grateful that the baby arrived safely. But I still couldn’t return to work in full capacity.    My wife struggled through post-natal recovery. Any energy she had went to meet the demands of our newborn.    I continued to man the household duties and keep our two oldest alive and in check. (Which, by the way, is exhausting work!);    Over the next two months, I worked about one hour per week.    Which means that over three months, I’d worked on my business for a rough total of nine hours. That’s it.;    When my wife finally recovered and I came back to work in full capacity, I was prepared for the worst. I had a lot of faith in the VAs I’d worked so hard to train. But at the same time, I was at defcon 1, ready to clean up the potential mess. I just hoped there was something left to salvage...    Then when I began to analyze the damage caused by my absence, I almost went into shock.;    The business hadn’t imploded without me.    The workers I’d hired and trained so well had kept it fully functional.    In fact, not only was it functional, it was profitable and it had grown.    I was floored.    I couldn’t believe how much I’d underestimated these guys! Up to that point, I’d had no idea what my VAs were capable of.    Quick, clarifying side note: This was not a ‘miraculous hire-and-hand-off’ ordeal.    Prior to my hiatus, I’d put; lots of work into the business and my VAs. When I left, it was fully functional and semi-automated. My two VAs had been working for me for 18+ months and I’d trained them well. They knew the ins and outs of my business and its automated processes (because I’d spent time teaching them).    When I stopped working, they were set up to keep the business alive. But my oversight and expectations were nominal.    Their hard work and dedication during those three months blew me out of the water.    Like most people, I thought they were only capable of doing menial work.Now, they were doing the work I had previously been doing.;    I just couldn’t believe it. I was living beyond Tim Ferriss’ 4-hour workweek -- I was living the one-hour workweek. My business was thriving. And it all happened because I had no choice but to let my VAs step up and reveal their true potential.    That was my outsourcing wake up call.    I realized entrepreneurialism boils down to this:    there’s always work to be done in a business - it’s just a matter of who’s doing the work.   So this is the question I want you to ask yourself:    who’s doing the work in your business?    Is it you or someone else?    And if it’s still ‘you,’ are you willing to take a chance and let go?    Think on it,    John 
 Many conventional outsourcing experts will tell you that you can only delegate mindless and repetitive tasks to VAs. My experience proves that Filipino VAs are capable of so much more.    After the revelation I had with my first two VAs when I realized just how capable they were (see my last email), I wanted to try an experiment.    I wanted to know how much and what kinds of work I could delegate to my VAs.;Exactly how far could I push this outsourcing thing??    So I hired a third Filipino VA for the sole purpose of testing how much he could do independently. But I didn’t tell him that.    I wanted to see if, under my guidance, he could build, market and operate a profitable website on his own. The prospect was intriguing.    For his first training, I recorded myself talking for 45 minutes about the new business model. In that recording, I explained:- How the website would work- Why it should work- How it would make money- How to drive traffic to the site- The overlying objectives of the whole business    Next, I trained him on the basics of WordPress using voice recording and screen captures.    After that, I bought a domain and asked him to figure out how to set up WordPress on it. He set up the theme according to how I’d described it in the audio. Kind of.    His first attempt was actually terrible; I’m not going to lie.;    But I worked with him. I sent him descriptions of what I wanted changed, and he tried again. Then I sent him another video with more fine-tuned instructions and he tried again. And we continued the process over a week or two and tweaked everything until it was perfect.    Then I had him write a content piece for the website. It was awful. So we repeated the same process of training and tweaking, training and tweaking. Once he got it right, I never had to write that kind of content piece again.    Then we repeated the same training process with SEO.Then Google Adwords.Then with affiliate programs.Social media,RSS feeds,forum posting…    All of the marketing elements that I knew we should be implementing (but I had no time to do them on my own) were now implemented and kept up by this VA!;    Once he completed all of the training, I decided to test his ability to maintain the website and all of its moving parts. I let go of the business (almost) completely and let him run it.    We communicated daily. I was always there to answer his questions and give additional training when he needed it. I also kept a close eye on everything he was doing and required him to send me regular updates.;    But he ran all of the day-to-day processes; I didn’t have to touch the website or marketing.    I taught him what to do, stuck with him until he really nailed it down, and I’ve never had to do those things myself again.    In the first month, this experimental business made $200. Within three months, it was making about $1,000/mo. At the 6th month mark, it was making roughly $5K. By the end of the year it was making close to $15k/month.    The experiment was a success.;    It was a major time investment for me initially. All of the teaching and training wasn’t roses. But it worked!    Tip for the day: You rarely get it right the first time with your VA. ;It almost always takes training then feedback then training then feedback then...you get it.But once you get it right, you never have to deal with it again.    You get the right people doing the right things, you train them and you work with them, and then you train them some more. That’s it.;That’s the magic.;    After they’ve been thoroughly trained, all you have to do is manage and oversee their work.    You can create your own freedom with help from a Filipino VA. Take time and think about it - what else could you be outsourcing? Then go and make it happen.    John 
 Short and sweet today.    Typhoon Vamco just hit the Philippines.    https://apnews.com/article/typhoons-philippines-storms-typhoon-goni-manila-fbbcbba92c2f5f6eed8047c6a0ec07c4    Ask your VAs if they're ok.    Typhoons hitting the Philippines is normal. ;2 typhoons in one week is not.    FYI (because I didn't know this for a long time) - a typhoon is the same thing as a hurricane. ;They use different words in different parts of the world. ;I don't know why.    John 
 You have to be the CEO of the company - you have to know the what and the why and the how…    AND THEN DON’T DO IT.;    This is where our stupid culture of over-work and “the grind” is so messed up.    You shouldn’t be doing all the work.    You should teach someone ELSE how to do it, and manage them. You have to do the hard work of recruiting someone and teaching them how to do it (which is hard work, but it’s way more effective and efficient work than trying to execute every business process solo.    Work smarter! Not harder.    So from there, the rest is ;history - I hire more people (36 currently), We do more. And that’s the end of the story...but not really.    THIS IS HOW YOU LIVE THE LIFESTYLE.    I was forced into it in my circumstances, so I had to do it.    Most people are never forced to do it. So they don’t. It may feel risky or they may feel reluctant to sign on to something that’s hard work in the beginning (which it is)...but the reward in the end is indescribable. The freedom you build as you grow your online team can’t be replicated, and the best place to do that is the Philippines.    Because I wanted to share my success with any business owner who would take advantage of it. And I wanted to give back to the incredible working class of the Philippines, so I created OnlineJobs.ph - the virtual job board where Entrepreneurs can go to find incredible, capable FIlipino virtual workers, and those workers can go to find stable, well-paying virtual jobs with foreign employers. ; ;;    And now that I’ve been outsourcing online for a decade and a half, I’m on a mission, through these emails and other resources I’ll share with you, to give you the best outsourcing experience possible.    Tip;- When you sign up for;OnlineJobs.ph;you can cancel as soon as you hire your VA.OnlineJobs.ph is a monthly subscription that you only need to pay when you’re recruiting.Consider it a recruiting fee.Sign up. Post a job. ;Interview workers.When you’ve found your VA - cancel your subscription. ;You don’t need to pay for OnlineJobs.ph after you’ve hired your worker. ;    And, you can still use EasyPay and TimeProof - free.    John JonasCreator of OnlineJobs.ph 
 I recently spent 6 days in Northern Minnesota boundary waters- the northern border between US and Canada- canoeing.     Everyday we would canoe, paddle across the lake, carry our canoe and all our gears to another lake, and canoe... and get out, and another lake. Repeat that for 6 days.    Weather was cold.It was hard work.The hiking from lake to lake is hard.Carrying the canoe and all our stuff is tiring.For 6 days.    During that experience..    I was thinking about my family at home.Then I was worried about my family at home.    I was thinking about a bike race.Then I was worried about the bike race.    I was thinking if I can last 6 days like this.Then I was worried if I can last 6 days like this.    I was concerned with my fingers and toes because it was cold.I was cold for so long.Then I got worried about permanent damage to my fingers and toes because it was cold for so long.    But what I wasn't worried about was my business. Because I had so many great people in my team that do their jobs so well.    Tip - Find a task in your business you're currently involved in that you think you could maybe teach someone else to do.;    Then teach it.    Work with your VA for 2 weeks so they get it right.;    Then go out of town for a week and DON'T CHECK YOUR PHONE!    See what happens to that task. ;Does it still get done? ;Does it disappear from your todo list?    John    PS. I'm about to go out of town again. ;White Rim.https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/whiterimroad.htm 
 I have mercury poisoning. ;    Tests came back that I was in the 99th percentile of mercury poisoning. Too much tuna. Silly mercury fillings.    No wonder I can't remember anything.No wonder I don't concentrate well.No wonder my body is freaking out.    I found out about 2 years ago and have made significant changes since.    No grains.;No dairy.No sugar.Lots of avocados.Chelation (to remove the mercury).LDA.    It's crazy, but it's what I have to do to make my brain work better.    What's LDA you ask?;    "Low Dose Allergy" Immunotherapy.    Doctor says it should help my body to stop freaking out about things (food, chemicals, scents, pollens...) and help my brain to function well. ;    I sure hope so because the special "LDA diet" is even crazier. ;For 3 days I'm only allowed- carrots- cabbage- celery- potatoes- sweet potatoes- tapioca- salt    That's it. ;It's hard.    But not as hard as hiring the wrong person.    Pro Tip from;Marcela“People who work in retail, work in retail. They don’t usually have skills with social media, image editing, managing social media campaigns and such. You’re asking for a skill set that’s more commonly found in office workers, and you can find a really great retail employee that doesn’t have that skill set.”    Don't try to combine all the skills you want into one person.    Jack of all, master of none.    John 
 Over the past year or so my wife and I have felt more and more frustrated with needing to nag our kids about doing their chores.    With Covid-19 in the mix, that became more obvious since the kids are home all the time and the house is messier and messier.    I attended a lesson with Russ Fletcher, an expert with Agile Methodology. Applying it to my family through this "chore chart" has been going well so far. Sat down with my kids on Sunday and started with everyone writing down the chores they know they should be doing.     This method lets us immediately see who's doing what with Post It notes.    To further incentivize their efforts, if everyone does their parts after a full week, each of them gets $5. But if something is left undone, then they can't go out for the week.    So far it has been going well. Not only does it distribute the chores at home, but it also teaches them accountability.;    The agile methodology is something that can be applied even to your VAs. It promotes responsibility among the team, and you as their employer will get visibility to what is happening in your business. Applying this method of watching over your company makes it easy for you and your VA to see the bigger picture, making it easier to track progress and watch over goals.;    Pro Tip - Use a project management system with you VAs.We use;Basecamp.You could use Trello, Asana, Teamwork, Hive, ...Whatever it is...doesn't matter.;Just give your VAs some organization and direction.    John    PS. Find your own virtual assistants and complete your team with people whom you can depend on. Post your listings :www.onlinejobs.ph;today and apply this methodology so you can free up your time, but still have complete visibility. 
 The;White Rim Trail;outside Moab, Utah is a good metaphor for life.    It's beautiful.     It changes unexpectedly.     It has high highs and low lows.     And sometimes you're on the edge of a cliff where little changes make a big difference.    Everyone starts off super excited when you're at mile 1, 6, 17, 29...But when you get into the real thick of it...mile 40 and you have a huge hill to climb, you're tired, and the sun has set, it gets really difficult to keep spirits up. ;    But you have to keep pushing. For most, there is no other option.    It's kind-of like hiring a VA.;    You're so excited to get the help you need.They do their first task and it's amazing.Then you have them do something else and it gets done too!    Then, some work comes back that's not very good. ;    What do you do? ;    You push through!    Teach, give feedback, train, repeat.    If you can make the first task work with the person you hired, the rest of it just requires pushing through.Push through the difficult times (which...there WILL be difficult times). ;Most of the time will be great.;;But when difficult times come, if you push through, both of you will come out better on the other end.    Pro Tip from Traci:"I ended up hiring my first virtual assistant within two days of starting on of starting my membership on OnlineJobs.ph.And we started the training process.I made her training videos.And, you know, of course there’s going to be mistakes when someone’s learning something new. But what I noticed about working with her is that she would make a mistake and I would let know what I corrected in the listings that she created for me. And then the next batch of listings there would still be some mistakes but they wouldn’t be the same mistakes repeated as from the last time, so that was really important to me to find someone who is teachable."    John    PS. I can make the part about finding your VA easier :www.OneVAAway.com. ;The pushing through part...you have to do it on your own. 
 As thanksgiving approaches our thoughts turn to gratitude (as they should...more often).    Yesterday I texted a post for social media to one of my VAs. ;I don't make any social media posts. ;I send raw photos/videos/text to her and she pretties it up and posts it.    As I sent it, I was grateful for her. ;Grateful for the work she does. Grateful for all of my VAs and the hard work they do. ;Some of it makes my life easier. Some of it builds my business. ;Some of it makes YOUR life easier. ;    I'm grateful for them. All of them. ;    Grateful that I was lead to hiring in the Philippines which is so different than anywhere else in the world.    Grateful that I was led to teaching other to do the same. It's amazing watching people hire Filipino workers and then magically their business starts to grow. ;I've seen it thousands of times. ;    Which brings me to Thanksgiving in the Philippines.;    They don't celebrate Thanksgiving.They celebrate Bonifacio Day. ;    It's not this coming Thursday, it's next Monday.    They'll want to work this Thursday/Friday but not next Monday. ;Something to be aware of.    Andres Bonifacio is not the official national hero but he got his own holiday because so many people relate to him.    He was born poor. He educated himself. He supported his siblings by building small businesses when he was growing up.    He has so much charisma that during the revolution (1896), most people thought of him as the de facto leader. Some would even say he was the first president. People loved him because he didn't talk down to them. He explained complicated concepts like the French revolution and the Enlightenment by relating it to Filipino lives and he wrote in Filipino. But the rich elites in the revolution were so threatened by him they had him assassinated.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Bonifacio    Want more holiday info? ;Here's a post made by my VAs;all about holidays and PTO in the Philippines.    John 
 No, seriously...is there anything good that has come out of COVID for you?    For me there has.;    - My kids have spent a ton of time at home. ;I love it.    - We've gotten to go camping together a ton.    - We've been able to ride our bikes almost every day.;    - Church at home with my family has been awesome!    - Exercising in our community doubled overnight.;    - We've provided more jobs in the Philippines than ever before.    Look, I know COVID is hard.I definitely want it to end.    Lots of people are struggling (If you're not, go look for ways to help).We have to wear masks (it's not that bad!).The danger is real.;    But there are still things to be grateful for. Find them.    TIP - Ask your Filipino team how things are going in their area.Ask about quarantine. ;How's the food situation?;How are the people around them doing?Do they know people who are really struggling?    You might just find a situation you can help.And it might make you a little more grateful for your own situation.    A couple times this year we've asked our team these questions. ;Then answers were surprising. ;We sent money to our team to help those around them. ;    We didn't ask for any reporting or accountability.  Just anonymous giving.Then the photos starting coming back.  Dozens of them just like these:     It doesn't take a lot to make a difference.    John 
 A couple weeks ago, my wife went out of town. I was left alone managing everything at home, including tending to my 5 kids.;    I got the kids to school, did some yoga, and took care of morning chores.At 3pm, I rushed home from the bike shop and started to make dinner because that's the only time I had.;At 4pm I went out to coach my son's soccer practice.    When I got home from his practice I realized that I left our broccoli dinner steaming on the stove.;We didn't want to waste food, so we had the overcooked dinner at our usual 5pm even though it was gross.    After that, I went to my daughters' mountain bike team practice. Unfortunately, all the (great) coaches were out of town so I had to step in and lead two different groups.    Before heading home, I had to pick up my other daughter from dance class and came home to a complaining kid for the mushy broccoli.;Put the little kids to bed afterward before I could proceed with cleaning the kitchen.    I was beat!    I've worked from home for a long time (since 2005) so I know the home routine really well. ;When she leaves, it's not usually that bad. This time it was.    I'm so grateful for an amazing wife and for our long-term contract (marriage) together.  20 years with her have been amazing.     TIP: If you're struggling with hiring a VA, Sara Crisp recommends a fixed-term contract."When hiring a VA, I recommend that you start with fixed-term contracts. This isn’t just for your benefit. It is for the benefit of both of you. This way, you can see if you both like working together. If you both like working together, then you can talk about moving to a permanent, ongoing position."This isn't the way I usually do it, but it works for a lot of people.    John    PS. Post that job advertisement today :www.onlinejobs.ph;and hire the perfect VA to join your team to free up your schedule. 
 Someone asked me today "how much time do you spend riding your bike each week...or, how much time in the sun?"    If I had to guess...I'd guess 8-10 hours/week.  Last week it was more like 25 hours.     Between riding bikes, running, skiing, or maybe things that aren't in the sun like yoga or lifting weights, I'd say 8-10 hours is correct.    And I love it. ;    Being in the sun does something to you.    The vitamin D.The wind.The cold.The heat.The sweat.The descent!The climb...    Then there's the beauty of it all. ;    The beauty of the earth. ;The variety. Nature.    I've never met someone who didn't think they were better off because they spend a lot of time outside.    I'm thankful for the beauties of the earth...and for the time I have to enjoy them. ;    Part of the reason I have the time is because I recruit VAs well.    TIP: Here's what Dennis Yu does in his recruiting process:"Here's our super-effective process for how we quickly and accurately narrowed the list down to just 15 and then down to the final group?    In short, we put a ton of detail in our postings, including a codeword for them to use in the subject line of their initial response.RABBIT is the one for our VA and SQUIRREL is for the designer.We ask them to include a 1 minute video about themselves.    Gmail sorts by threads and by subject lines, so they automatically group responses. 50% get knocked out instantly [because they didn't include the keyword], but sometimes I’ll make an exception.    Of the initial cut, we look to see if they have personalized their response. Another 50% of that gets knocked out.    Of the most promising remainder, we look at:--Did they include a one minute video?--How good is their English?--How strong is their portfolio and profile?--Do they have a cheerful, positive personality?    Then we provide one sentence of personalization, not just to show we care, but to ask them follow-up clarification questions. And then we paste in our next set of questions and give more content to consume and ask for another video to make.    Of the 5% that pass this filter (which is still 15 people out of 300), we are reasonably certain they would be great employees."    John    PS. My recruiting process is described in detail at www.OneVAAway.com where I'll give step by step instructions and walk you through a lot of what Dennis says. It will make finding a VA easy so you can get outside. 
 In 2007 when I found the right screen recording software, it changed VAs for me.    See, with screen recording software, there are a couple small things which make all the difference on how much you'll use it.    1. It needs to do both video captures and image captures2. It needs to always be open on your computer so that capturing is one click (or...preferably just a keyboard shortcut)3. It needs to have the ability to annotate images (add arrows, lines, and text to the image)4. It needs to upload the images and videos automatically and give you the URL automatically.;    For me, none of these are negotiable at this point.;    Why?;    Because in 2006 and 2005 (the two years I had VA's working for me before finding the magic software) I was using Camtasia Studio to make video trainings for my VAs. ;It always entailed recording the video, rendering the video, using FTP to upload it to a server, and figuring out the URL of the video.;    It took so much work I would only do it for really important things. ;    Then, it all changed with Snagit.    Snagit meets all the criteria listed above...but it's just easier to show you exactly how it works.http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/snagit-demo.mp4    You can't see the snagit controls in the video because the screen recording didn't record the screen recording controls. ;But...it just works.    And it's amazing!    I create training, feedback, SOPs, corrections, ...anything! ;This is how I manage my VAs. ;When I found the right software I went from being able to manage 5 VAs to being able to manage 20 VAs. ;It saves that much time.    Snagit;is the best. ;It's $49.Free alternatives include-;Techsmith Capture-;Tinytake- there are lots of others...but I don't bother with them. ;Snagit is better.    I'm thankful for amazing pieces of software which increase my abilities and make my life so much easier. ;Snagit is my #1.    John 
 Sometimes a good retail consumer... other times I'm a really bad retail consumer.    Once I went to a doctor because I heard he was a good doctor, even though I wasn't feeling anything wrong with me. I wanted to support. Good retail consumer.    Recently I bought some bike parts because their marketing pitch was so good. ;I don't necessarily need the parts...but the company had worked hard. ;I like that.    But other times.. I can be a bad retail consumer...    I buy a lot of stuff from BackCountry.com.    But..... I also return A LOT of it.    A few weeks ago as I was preparing to go canoeing in the Boundary Waters, I bought a couple of drybags, a tent, some shirts, multiple down pants, the works. I was excited.;    When I got them, I tested them.. and realized almost immediately that I didn't like any of the things I got.    I decided to return all of it.;    And what I like best about backcountry.com is that they let me return all of it, every time I do this, no questions asked.;    That's not the point.    While I was setting up my return, their live chat popped up and something clicked for me. ;    I've seen the live chat dozens of times. I always close it. ;But this time, I wanted some help.    Instantly, someone was there.    They give advice.Recommendations.Cautions.    It was awesome. It was convenient. It was a dream consumer experience.    And then it clicked!    I realized that our customer service can do even better tan they're doing.    So I set the wheels in motion so we can provide better customer service at OnlineJobs.PH, One VA Away and Outsourcing Lever.    I know our customer service is good, but I also know we can do better.;    Now we have 24/7 customer service in double covered shifts. We respond within 5 minutes usually.;    All because sometimes I'm a bad consumer, but I pay attention to how other people do their business. And learn from it.    It's so easy to find customer service help on OnlineJobs.ph    John 
 I need design or video editing work, there's Elijah or Mark.    I need social media posts, there's Julia.    I need customer support to attend to concerns, there's Jess or Jocelyn.    I need programming, there's Vincent or Nino or Raymond.;    I need ads, there's Louis.    I need content, there's Jessica.    I need help with ANYTHING, there's Joven or Jun.    The list goes on..    Virtual assistants are more than just your secretary or admin to help you with paper work or sort your emails. You can find seriously talented people.    And not only that, you can pass on things you don't know how to do or don't like doing and have your VAs do it for you. I personally want more free time and I hate monotonous and routine tasks, so to get that freedom and to remove repetitive tasks from my everyday, I hired virtual assistants who have the skills to do it. I give them employment, they give me their service. I get my free time to do what I want, they get income to support their families. It's a win-win.    I want to help you hire the perfect VA for your needs, and not just someone who can do secretarial tasks. Rather, those who can do the work for you the same way or even better, so you can run your business the way you want.    Take the 7-day challenge :www.onevaaway.com;and I'll take you step by step to hire the virtual assistant you need the first time.    I guarantee it.    John 
 Whenever my kids come home from school, I ask them "How was school?";    My 3 older kids, they're all teens, always say "BORING", while my 2 younger ones in elementary school always answer with "Good" or.... "BORING."    It's the same thing every time.    Today, my younger ones came home and I had the same conversation and it went like this:;    "So, how was school?"    "Good..";    "What did you do at recess?";    "Nothing.. just walked around.";    "...at recess?"    "Well, actually, these boys were hitting on us an--"    I stopped her mid-sentence.She's only in third grade, so of course, I had to pry.    "Hitting on you? You're in third grade";    "Well, one of them has a crush on one of my friends so they were following us around.";    My teenage girl heard and butted in.;    "Ah.. I remember the days when you liked someone and you chase them around..";    Honestly, I thought throughout the whole conversation that it was pretty exciting... but they didn't. And I can admit that when I was in school, I thought things were pretty boring, repetitive, and monotonous.;    But even as employers, most days are gonna be boring. The grind of getting things done takes up most of the day. Magic doesn't happen every single day. You won't always get that huge sale, or that big opportunity every single day. And really, that's fine. Because it means everything is running smoothly. All you need is to get a stable thing that accomplishes your day-to-day and you're all set.;    But, what if you accelerate the pace of boring and exciting? ;    To me, getting an email saying "I finished this project..." is exciting! And I didn't do the work.To me, hiring someone new is exciting. ;It means I'm going to get more emails saying "I finished this project..."    Some work is still boring, but to me, handing work off to others turns boring work into exciting work.    I can help you do that with One VA Away. It's now on sale for only $49. You'll learn the ins and outs of hiring the perfect VA for your business at an affordable rate. Get it :www.onevaaway.com.    When that "not-boring" thing happens, it'll be a big thing. For now, make the daily grind more exciting.    John 
 Oh wouldn't it be nice to hire someone and just say "Hey, go do my SEO for me."    Generally, that's not how it works.    So let me tell you how I usually do this.    I've been working on a new project for you. I'm creating SOPs and trainings which you can hand off to your VAs.    I create the trainings (VAsMadeEasy.com) , filter it so it’s intended for a VA, then you give my training to your VA.    That's the concept.    In order to make it work I found that I need to hire experts to create the training, then I just make sure the training is super well done, as well as make sure it's appropriate for a VA.  Most training on the internet is intended for the CEO to be the one implementing...dumb.    At first I tried explaining this process to a VA and having them find the expert.    First try...nothing happened.    So I tried adding a VA to the process.    Second try...nothing happened.    Like, they tried and tried and got nothing done.At this point, I've done this enough to recognize that I need to be involved.    So I went and created a job post myself.      "I'm looking for a person to create SEO training which will be given to a VA..."    I got applicants and interviewed them.    During the process I realized my job post needed refining.  I also realized that some instructions I had given my VAs didn't work.I refined the whole process.    When I found the right person I got them started.    Then I went back and did it again.    The second time I did it, it worked perfectly.    Now was the time to hand it off to a VA.    Third try...MEDIOCRITY...with some help needed.    My VA posted my job post, interviewed the candidates, picked the best one, made sure they knew what they were doing, negotiated pay, and got them started.    She included me in the whole process and I made a bunch of corrections along the way.    Fourth try...PERFECTION! I barely had to do anything. She did it all.    Fifth try...perfect.    Sixth try...perfect.    I have successfully handed off this process to a VA who has now worked through 8 SOPs and training modules and still working on 4 more.    Getting work off your plate isn't magic.Filipino VAs aren't magic.  But if you're willing to be patient, try it yourself once or twice, and then hand it off to someone else, usually you can work through it and get it done right.    And now...I'll never need to do this process myself again.     John 
 To complement our family's active cycling lifestyle, we throw in weights workouts twice a week.    Today's session was a mix of Bulgarian Split Squats and Russian Twists but there are days where we alternate Turkish Get Ups and Romanian Deadlifts into the sessions.    A lot of weight lifting has significant eastern Europe influence.    Have you ever stopped to think why? Maybe it's because they invented it? ;Maybe because they're good at it?    There are tons of things like this.    There's also China and Pingpong.France and their decadent food.USA, politics.Canada and maple syrup.Argentina and football.Spain, salsa.Germany and their beer.Philippines and virtual workers.    I mention this in many of my online videos.;Filipino virtual workers are just better than most other places.    Employers can run a business hands-free, and all you need are qualified virtual assistants to do the work for you. I still stand by it when I say that VAs from the Philippines are not like any other. They're resilient, eager, and diligent learners.    Let me help you find your own perfect-fit Filipino :www.onevaaway.com.    John 
 7 years ago my son started selling dirt bikes.;    He imports them from china (I helped him initially) and sells them locally.    He doesn't do a lot of sales. ;It's small.    But last year it wasn't as small. ;Early this year it wasn't as small.    But then he got distracted. ;He thought writing a book was a great idea. ;He was going to make so much from this other "thing".    Everyone thinks their next idea is going to go HUGE!    Most are having a little success with something, but they have this "OTHER" idea which is way better and is going to make so much!    So they stop focusing on the current system and put all the fun time into the new system.;    It's fun to create something new.It's fun to dream up solutions.It's fun to start a new project.It's fun to build something.It's fun to move on from something that's working to something you think will be HUGE.    You know what's not fun?    Writing the sales copy needed to sell the darn thing.Finishing the project.Pushing through when your dreamed up solution doesn't work.Sticking with something long-term.    And yet, what most people will find is that the longer they stick with something, the better they'll get at it, and the more money they'll make from it. ;    It's not easy. ;It's not always fun.    But sticking with your current small thing is what builds a business.    Don't give in to the bright shiny object. ;Don't give in to the idea that your NEXT project is going to be huge.Don't give up on what's currently working.    My son pushed through all kinds of issues this year with his dirt bikes because I made him.    He stuck with it.;    He's on track to do over $100,000 this year. He's 17.    Stick with what's working. ;Find someone to give you good advice.Good advice like the advice in my book:The Outsourcing Lever    Which I'll ship you free if you'll just pay the shipping.    John 
 When my wife got put on strict bedrest and I was forced into the 1 hour work week I learned that Tim Ferris' 4HWW was reality. ;    Since then (~2008), I've worked about 17 hours/week. ;17 because 4 isn't enough to keep me sane.    My extended family makes fun of me for it:"Oh, John's way too busy for that...""You're probably way too busy at work..."    No...I'm not too busy at work. I make sure of that. ;    So what do I do in my 17 hours?    1. I write these emails. ;About 5 emails per week x 20 minutes each.    2. I'm a guest on a podcast about once per week. ;1 hour.    3. I create ads, record videos, create social media posts. ;A couple hours.    4. I give feedback, training, instructions to my team. ;Usually 1-2 hours/day.    5. I think through and create solutions.    6. I average working 3.5 days in a week. The rest of the time is spent with my wife and kids.     That's about it. ;    When something comes up that requires a bunch of my time, my first thought is "How can I get someone else to do this?"    I find that most entrepreneurs will cut their workload down if they do the hard work of working with someone else to get that other person to do the work. ;Helping someone else do the work is harder than doing it yourself. ;But it's way more efficient.    John 
 When I was 1 year old, I learned how not to pee in my pants.    When I was 5, I could say when I was hungry or thirsty, and I learned how to eat with a spoon and fork, even though it takes an hour to finish a meal. I had a lot of time on my hands.    When I was 15, I discovered video games and played all day until my mom scolds at me at 3am. I had a lot of time on my hands.    When I was 20, I thought I knew what I wanted. Almost finished with my degree. Eager to conquer come what may, though still seen as a child by many. I had some time on my hands.    When I was 30, I knew a little more than when I was 20. Got a little wiser, smarter, more experienced. I knew the career path that I wanted long term. I had little time on my hands.    Every time I got a little older, I was also a little more mature, a little less silly, and moved a step to be a little more responsible. ;I also had less and less time on my hands.    I find aging interesting.;    As a society we try so hard not to show that we're aging. We pretend, we cover up, we have surgery, we primp, we lie about our ages..    But sometimes we forget that growing old means getting a little smarter, wiser, more experienced... often wealthier too.    I find the whole charade silly.    Look at my grandparents. Died at 99 and 100. They look great, fulfilled, full of love, happy, content.      Now in my 40s, I likely make fewer mistakes, make bigger decisions that affect not only me but my wife and 5 kids. Maybe got a little more respectable too. I have a lot more time on my hands than I used to. I work around 17 hours/week...have for the past ~10 years.    With hiring virtual assistants, I got time back. Freed it up to spend doing things I thought I won't have time to do anymore- vacation, spending time with kids, travel, and so on.    Time freedom is amazing. ;Simply by delegating your day-to-day business to skilled yet affordable VAs. And my first advice is to post that hiring ad on;www.onlinejobs.ph;today and watch the applications roll in.    Here's to aging, with time on your hands.     John 
 My mom was always a stickler for vocabulary.;    "It's hhhhwah, not WAT!" (what)"His name is Stephen! Not Steve!""It's ManhaTTan, not Manha'an""Don't say 'moun'en', it's 'mounTain'"    She did it all the time. ;So much so that I say a lot of things poorly just because she did it so much.;    "FebRUary" isn't one of them.    She always corrected us when we said "FebUary".    It's 'Feb-RU-ary' she'd say.    However you say that second month,;right now is time to pay the 13th month to your Filipino VAs.    If you didn't know about the 13th month, it's basically an end of year bonus (not a Christmas bonus) that is required by Philippines law (if you're an employer in the Philippines).    Your VAs are counting on this month.;They depend on it. ;They plan their entire December/Christmas/culture around receiving the 13th month.    Here's the 13th month fully explained.    John 
 I have a VA in the Philippines who writes these emails. ;She does a great job... except the titles were boring and generic.    I wanted it bolder, more controversial, more of how I would say it- exactly as what's in my mind at the time. I'd send her topics and include somewhat of a subject and she would dumb it down thinking that my topic was too controversial or too edgy.    I called her out on it and told her what I wanted her to revise, explained to her not only why I wanted it that way but also why it's more effective to do.    No fluff. No sugarcoating with the titles. No boring.    The same way you should communicate with your VA, straightforward but still professional. It gets the point across, the direction becomes clearer, and the same concern can now be avoided moving forward.    We're still working on it. ;Working on making subjects tell what's in the email rather than being misleading.Working on having subjects be edgy but correct.;Working on refining the process.    This is how working with VAs works (at least for me it is).;    I assign.I refine.I give feedback.I refine.I correct.I refine.I improve.    She does the work.    Hiring the right VA to do tasks for you makes things easy, but for them to understand what you need or how you want things done, it must also be communicated properly.;    Find the VA you need now to run your business :www.onlinejobs.ph    John 
 When I went to the Philippines in 2010 with my family, it was eye opening. ;    It was my first time there.;I had had VAs working for me since 2005. ;Meeting them was AMAZING!But seeing the culture and feeling the warmth of the people was the real win for me. ;    People always assume that I travel there all the time.;    Nope.    I'm a home body. ;Traveling away from my family...I don't like it.    So there's a lot of culture and tradition in the Philippines I only know about because my VAs have told me. ;I haven't personally experienced it.;    In the coming days I'm going to educate you about Christmas and New Years and the time in between and how the Philippines experiences it. ;    It's important because it's different than where you live.    Here's what one of my VAs wrote (un-edited).It's interesting that she feels like "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is overplayed. I think it is...but how does she know that?    -------------    I know in the US, the song that gets overplayed during the season is "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey.    Here in the Philippines, it's Jose Mari Chan's "Christmas In Our Hearts".    Jose Mari Chan's career as a singer/songwriter is actually an interesting one. He's a businessman, first and foremost. He knew what people really liked. So when he started writing songs, they were mainly commercial jingles.    He rose in popularity in the 90s when pop songs and adult contemporary dominated the airwaves. It waned in the 2000's but his career never really died because his songs, his Christmas album especially, was really timeless and classic.    In the past 5 years, his career experienced a resurgence because people started creating memes about him. He started doing commercials and concerts again. Christmas isn't complete without Jose Mari Chan. And you know it's Christmas when you hear a Jose Mari Chan song.     https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/370644/jose-mari-chan-on-his-songs-the-memes-and-why-he-doesnt-think-he-should-be-mr-christmas/     -----------    More to come.    John 
 I asked one of my VAs about Christmas and New Years and the work expectations for the holidays. ;Here's what she wrote.    ------    You want my honest thoughts?    Christmas gives me anxiety.;    The never ending obligations to attend one party after another. The stress of braving the crowds to buy presents. The excessive overeating that I can't seem to avoid over the holidays.    But as bad as the pandemic is, I'm actually okay with it happening over the holidays. Because of the pandemic, I can see people slowing down and celebrating the Christmas for what it actually is, love.    I don't have to go to parties suffering through small talk with strangers and acquaintances. I can just have a small together with the people I love.    I don't need to buy presents for people I barely know. I'm giving my family the best gift, my time. And for friends, I'm giving them gifts that I learned to make myself during quarantine.    We don't need a table overflowing with food to feel the magic of Christmas.;The best way to do that is to show our love for our neighbors and share what we have to those in need.    Yeah, Christmas this year doesn't have the usual sparkle and cheer. But in some ways it's better now. It's more meaningful.    Now, to answer your question.    How Filipinos feel about the holidays at the end of December? Then and now.    If you asked me when I was around 15 years ago (before BPOs existed in the Philippines) how I feel about the holidays, I'd say that they're sacred. You have to be home for the holidays and spend time with them. On Dec 24, 25, Dec 31 and Jan 1. You're hurting your family if you don't spend the holidays with them!    But now, to be honest, my feelings have changed. Same with a lot of Filipinos.    When it was just our family members who are overseas Filipino workers who were away during the holidays, it felt imperative to spend Christmas and New Years together. It was our way of honoring those who can't be there. And it was easier to call our OFW family members when we were all under one roof at the same time.    But now that we have other family members who also work during the holidays (call center employees), the pull of that tradition is isn't as strong anymore. I have friends and family who have no choice but to work over the holidays. What's more important for us now is finding time to be together rather than being together on on exactly Dec 25 or Jan 1.    I guess that's why most Filipinos would prefer to have the week between Christmas and New Years off. So they can spend time with their loved ones who can't be there. Doesn't matter if you open presents on Dec 27 or do the New Year's countdown on Jan 2. What matters we can be together in this magical season.    ------    Her words...not mine.(she's so darn good!)    John 
 If you read my email yesterday you now know that Filipinos consider the time from Christmas Eve to New Years Day "sacred".    It's not as sacred as it used to be (thanks in part because you hiring them keeps them from leaving their families and going and working overseas), but it's still really important to them.    So DON'T hire someone right now!    Right now if you're recruiting someone they're worried you're going to ask them to start work before the new year. ;And they know they need to be with their families during that time.    Over the years I've seen too many people hire a VA in mid December only to have that VA disappear in their second week.    Wait to hire until early January. ;    You'll have a better experience.They'll have a better experience.    And you can hit the ground running in the new year. ;    Spend the next 2 weeks preparing to hire that person. ;Get some training in place. ;Get processes in place. ;Get prepared to offload a task.    Go to;OnlineJobs.ph, scroll down on the homepage, and find this section:        Find a skill you're interested in and then look at a bunch of the resumes of the workers. ;See if anyone stands out to you. If they do, contact them but make sure to tell them you don't expect work to start until January 2021.    Then RUN in 2021 with a new VA.    John 
 "It's not even that slippery!" I said to my girls as we descended the canyon road the other day.     Famous last words.    200 yards down the road, going 20mph, the road turned icy and I got stuck in a tractor tire rut which had an icy lip in the middle.    I knew I was going to hit the lip.     I knew I was going to crash.    One...last...effort...    OOOOOOOUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCHHHHHHHH!!!    I slid 40 feet on rough ice and asphalt.     When my daughter pulled up her first words were "Wait...don't move, I need a picture!"    She learned those words from me rolling up on her crashes over the years.        It hurts.      I have a massive bruise on my left hip.     You can prevent the pain of hiring and losing a good VA when you hire them by understanding that they're scared to start working for you.    They're scared they're not going to understand you.They're scared they're not going to do good work for you.They're scared you're not going to be happy with their work.    They probably won't do great work for you until they begin to trust you.    You can start gaining their trust by1. providing them training (VAsMadeEasy.com)2. giving them feedback.    When I do this on the very first task with someone I like to give them the training with the instruction to go through the training and to summarize what I want them to do.I don't actually ask them to do the task!    I want to give them a way to give me feedback on my training.  If what they tell me is exactly what I want them to do, GREAT! I ask them to get started.    But if what they tell me is different than what I want them to do, I go back and redo my training.    It's an easy way to help them ensure that you're going to be happy with their work before they even start doing the work.    It builds trust.It prevents problems.It keeps you from crashing with your new VA.    John 
 I try to make a difference in the community where I live. ;    It's not always easy, but when something hits you in the face you help out.    The other day I went to meet with the local coordinator of Venezuelan refugees. ;I sat in her house talking with her and her husband about the situation. ;As we got further into the conversation, it became more and more clear that SHE was in need as much as others.    She showed me the 10 boxes in her garage which were full of rice, beans, toiletries, diapers, and clothes that she wanted to send to a Venezuelan orphanage and women's shelter but she had no means of sending any of it. ;At $100/box for shipping...yeah...    Here she was, serving others like crazy, while she herself was struggling under tremendous burdens.    I don't know how she does it.;    So I helped out the best I knew how.;    The biggest reason I helped? ;    Because I know if I help her, she'll turn around and help dozens of others. ;    It's the same with hiring Filipino VAs.    If I help you hire someone, you'll help the person you hire.And you'll help their kids.And you'll help their parents.And they'll help you grow your business.Then you'll pass that along and help someone in need.    It's a big circle of helping.    So I want to give you my book "The Outsourcing Lever" all about hiring Filipino VAs.    I bought 1000 copies 2 weeks ago. ;I'm giving them away free if you'll just pay the shipping.    Get it now so that come Jan 2 you're ready to hit the new year running with a new VA.    www.OutsourcingLever.com    John 
 “Business! Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”    Jacob Marley yells this at Ebenezer Scrooge in the play "A Christmas Carol".;    My wife has seen it every year of her life since she was 4 and she involved me in it the year we met. ;It's quite a tradition for her family.    We saw it last week. Masks were worn.        To be honest, it has changed my life and so much of it rings true for me.    The spirits coming back from the other side and warning him "Hey! you're messing everything up by just seeking money! You need to be helping other people!"    I have a lot to learn about charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, but those are the pieces that matter in life.    It's one of the reasons;we offer a money back guarantee on everything we sell.;    If something doesn't work for you, we want to have mercy. We don't deserve your money if we can't make it work.    Find a way to make mankind your business this Christmas season.    John 
 The Philippines is interesting when looking at it from a western, outsider perspective.    They have a lot of asian culture which is different than a lot of western culture.;    BUT...they have so much western culture that they make amazing employees.    The combination of asian culture + western culture + unique Filipino culture makes them some of the best people in the world.    So much so that my 91 yr old grandma asked me the other day    "If I need in home help, can you help me find someone from the Philippines to come live with me?"    Their culture is warm, loving, caring.They are a pleasing culture (they want to make you happy).They're non confrontational.They're gentile.They're intelligent.They're honest, loyal, and hard working. ;Once they trust you, they're willing to speak up and tell you what they think and what you can do to improve.    When I stumbled into this in 2005 I was amazed at how much I liked working with them.    And the culture didn't create a barrier for doing great work.    So when my VA wrote this about the Filipino Parol and some having Christmas trees, I wasn't surprised.    ---------The "Parol"    Not every Filipino household would have a Christmas tree for the holidays. But every house would probably have a "parol".    A parol is an ornamental lantern, usually star-shaped, hung outside of homes. It can be made of paper and bamboo or seashells. The tradition started when the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards. The name itself actually comes from the Spanish word, "farol" which means lantern.    Parol - Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parol>    Hanging a lantern during Christmas isn't unique to the Philippines but the design of the lantern is. It's usually large, elaborate and very colorful. There are competitions all over the country on who can make the biggest, most creative, unusual, etc. There would be parades in every town to show off these creations. The practice is so ubiquitous and so well loved that Filipinos worldwide continue to practice it.;---------        Ask your Filipino worker what their Christmas traditions are. It will build their trust in you.    John 
 I'm a religious person. ;I go to church every week. ;I read my scriptures every day. I say morning and night prayers.;    But when I asked one of my VAs about Christmas traditions I didn't expect to hear about midnight mass for 9 days in a row!    Here's what she said:    -----Midnight Mass    You're probably used to hearing roosters or dogs when you call your VA. Prepare to hear something new if you call your virtual assistant over the holidays, a Catholic mass.    Simbang Gabi or Night Mass is a devotional nine-day series of Catholic masses practiced by Filipinos in anticipation of Christmas. The masses start on Dec 16 and end on Dec 24.    Simbang Gabi - Wikipedia    The practice started when the Philippines was colonized by Spain. Spanish friars started holding mass at midnight or at dawn so farmers can attend Christmas devotionals before going to work. The practice continues today because of the superstitious belief that if you complete all 9 masses, your wish would be granted.;    This belief is so prevalent, there's even a movie about it:;9 Mornings (2002) - IMDb    Because of the pandemic though, some Filipinos may have to resort to attending masses online. So if you hear a Catholic mass playing in the background, don't be surprised. They're just doing that in the hopes that their wishes would come true for the new year.    ------    Maybe them working for you helps their wishes come true this next year? ;    I guess it might depend on what kind of a boss you are.    John 
 Winter is in full swing here right now.    "And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again" isn't exactly how I feel.;    Yesterday we had an amazing day skiing together.;    I love having my kids home for Christmas break...but only because my VAs are so darn talented that they take care of my business for me while I play with my kids.    But, Christmas and New Years is an interesting time. ;The Philippines culture almost feels like it's sacred time.;    Here's a video of me explaining my experience with this time and how we handle it.         https://youtu.be/KfbN846fMqs     If you haven't already talked to your VAs about how you want to handle this, today's a good day to do it.    Merry Christmas. ;Find someone today to spread some cheer with.    John 
 Nothing business related today.    I understand not everyone celebrates Christmas. ;But in my house it's such a strong holiday and carries strong traditions.    At our house, Christmas traditions start the day after Halloween.;    Halloween decorations come down and Christmas goes up on November 1. My wife always says it's so much work getting Christmas decorations up that she wants to enjoy it for a while.;        Listening to Christmas music starts November 1. ;My 13 year old says she "hates Christmas music!" but we know she secretly likes it.    We don't have strong Christmas eve traditions except the rule that YOU CAN'T GET UP BEFORE 7AM TOMORROW!!!    When the kids get up they have to come straight to our room and not go through the living room where Santa has come.    We turn on the Harry Connick Jr. Christmas album and then open stockings as a free for all. ;Then presents are opened taking turns, youngest to oldest, while everyone watches every one else.;    Breakfast.    The last 2 years we've gone skiing at about 1. ;A tradition I hope to push further today (fingers crossed).    What are your traditions? ;Are traditions important to you?I find they create a sense of identity.    I try to wish my team of VAs Merry Christmas on Christmas Day. They're always so good about emailing me on Christmas.    Merry Christmas.    John 
 People always wonder how Santa gets around to millions of houses all in one night. ;I have a secret...    He uses ELFs    Efficient! ;Loyal! ;Filipinos!    How do I know? ;    He just used my One VA Away program to hire another ELF.    It's amazing how efficient having a loyal worker becomes over time.The short term benefit of hiring someone is fine, but where the real time savings and efficiencies come in is over time as you two work together and you get better and better at automating tasks together.    It creates more and more efficiencies the more you work together.    That's why Filipino workers are so good. ;They're loyal. ;Almost to a fault. ;    And;www.OneVAAway.com;will help you find and hire a great Filipino worker. ;I guarantee it (or I'll give your $49 back).    John 
 My 2 youngest had their first ski day of the year last week.Actually, they had their first 3 days of the year last week...        Oh, they love to complain about skiing. ;    I don't want to go!Nooooo!I want to play with my friends!   AWESOME! ;YOU'RE GOING!    Is it just MY kids who complain about things and then have tons of fun when they do it, but then they complain again next time again?    On the last run my 7yr old said to my wife    Mom, I want some bumps and jumps on this run.   He had fun. ;    When we got to the bottom I asked;Who's going to complain the next time we go skiing?    NOT ME!!!!;they both said.    The "bumps and jumps" made me think of an email one of my VAs wrote me about a "Filipinism":    ------    If you regularly exchange business emails or talk to your Filipino virtual assistants, you may notice that there's something odd about their English that you can't quite put your finger on.    They have these phrases that sound right grammatically but don't quite feel right.    If you've ever encountered that, you've just experienced a;Filipinism.    It's another idiosyncrasy of Filipinos when they use English. It usually happens when something is misheard or as a result of transliteration.    You may have encountered this with customer service. You know you're talking to a Filipino when they're asking you to hold, they'll say, "For a while.."    Or when they ask you to repeat something, they might say, "Can you repeat that for me one more time?";    Or they ask you to "fill up" a form instead of filling out a form.    It's one of the things they know they shouldn't be doing. They learn about it in school. But when everybody talks and writes the same way, it's a really hard habit to break.    ------    My experience is that if you ask them to not say that thing any more (a gentile correction of their english) they'll correct it and get better.    John 
 Let's go!Come on, we're ready.Everyone's waiting in the car for you.   It's not super common...but it definitely happens in my house. ;Probably in yours too.    We're getting ready to leave and someone (usually the wife or the slow daughter) is WAY behind everyone else. ;    It may or may not make you late (we're rarely late), but it's irritating...and it's just...TIME.    It's time sitting around.It's time away from skiing.It's time I coulda...    Speaking of time...let's talk about timezones and the Philippines.    People always want to know about having VAs work on their timezone. ;Is it possible? ;How do you make it work?    Here are Marcella's thoughts:    "Our graphics/video guy pretty much has full schedule flexibility as long as he produces the videos and graphics timely.;Our other Virtual Assistant has to overlap our business hours for at least 4 hours of her shift. It works out for her because she can work around time with her family and pick up the other 4 hours earlier or later in the day depending on her schedule.;She also pushes some of her hours over to the weekend so she has more flexibility during the week, with her children and their school hours. So it works."    Here are my thoughts on making this work:         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka2cImM59SA     The gist is, yes, they can work on your timezone. But make sure that's the expectation when you hire. And, you'll probably find it easier if you hire someone who is already working the night shift.    Of course, if you're in Australia, none of this matters.    John 
 On Christmas day I went for an afternoon bike ride. ;I hadn't been on my bike since my big crash a few weeks ago. ;We've been skiing instead. ;    Skiing is my favorite.;    The mountains.The snow.The clean air.The time with people I love.The flow.    It's so good.    But...I also know that training for the next racing season is about to start happening and my son wanted to ride...so I rode. ;It was a hard ride.    It's similar to how I've created freedom in my life.;    I focus the hard things that need to get done in my business.    The hard things are sometimes creating a video.Sometimes it's working through a sales process. ;Sometimes it's hiring someone else to do a process I'm working on.Sometimes it's just taking the time to train, train, train someone else on a process "only I can do."    Anything that needs to happen in the business which doesn't contribute to growth I get someone else to do.    Similar to what Ryan Smith said:    "If you are lacking the freedom you want, you must change the way you are doing things. Figure out what tasks are going to make huge improvements to your business and concentrate on those tasks. Anything that doesn’t fall within that category, look for a way to hire someone else to do that work."   Most people will tell you to focus on the things you love.    Don't.    Focus on the hard things that grow the business.    Get other people to do the rest.    John 
 From my VA, Julia.    --------Being a godparent is an honor and a serious responsibility. It shows that the parents trust you. And once you become a godparent, you're part of that child's life forever.    It's the same In the Philippines and they have a special name for godparents. The men are called "ninong" and women are called "ninang". In addition to guiding that child, being a ninong or ninang means you are also obligated to give your godchild a present every birthday and Christmas.;    EVERY BIRTHDAY AND CHRISTMAS. Yup, it's a big deal. That's why most people think twice when asked to become a godparent. But it's also considered back luck to refuse to become one when asked.    Giving gifts to your godchildren is a serious responsibility. It's tradition for godchildren to go caroling and visit their godparents during the Christmas break to get their presents. It's a tradition so powerful that even the pandemic hasn't stopped it. It's like Halloween but instead of giving all the neighborhood kids candy, you have to give your godchildren cash and/or gifts. ;    This tradition is so serious that there are songs, entire movies, sitcoms and memes about this tradition. And the running joke is if you have a lot of godchildren, you may want to hide from them over the holidays.;    The generous godparent is the one who gives cash AND gifts every birthday and Christmas. They're the ones who are loved and adored.;        * "Nasan kaya sila?" means Where are they?    Bad godparents go on vacations or hide indoors to avoid giving gifts to their godchildren.        * "Aguinaldo" means Christmas gift    The worst ones are the sadistic godparents. The ones that make you solve math problems, answer trivia questions or sing Christmas carols perfectly to win your present.;        *"Pamasko" means Christmas money    If you were to become a Filipino godparent, which one would you be?---------    I always find it's good to understand the culture of the people you're working with.    John 
 This morning I waxed my kids skis for the first time ever.    It's not that they haven't needed a wax, it's that I'm lazy with things like this.    Taking skis to the shop, dropping them off, waiting 4 days to get them back, going to pick them up. ;For someone who doesn't leave the house very often, that's a pain in the butt.Plus, being without skis for 4 days...out of the question.    So I did it myself.    The second my kids got on their skis today they said    They're so slippery.   Then later    It's easier to turn.Flat sections are so much easier.       Sharpen the saw.    For me, sharpening the saw takes on a few different forms in my business.    One of those is to look at projects my VAs are working on and evaluate how they're going, how they're executing, looking at their work, and then making tweaks.    If I can improve their processes, I'm improving my business.    Another (more important) sharpening I do is to pick out the one thing that will improve my business the most and I don't work on anything else until I get that thing done.    That's what I'm doing now. ;    I need to get a sales process done and video recorded.    I'll block out everything else until I get it done.    Fortunately, my VAs run everything else for me so I can afford to ignore everything else.    If your VAs don't run everything for you that's ok. Make a list of the absolutely critical things that have to happen in your business today. These are things which if you don't do them, business will fail. Do those.    Then with the rest of the time, do the one thing that will grow your business.    Wax your skis.    John 
 My brother texted me yesterday and said;    "Are you in Vegas?"    No. Am I supposed to be?   "No. Just saw your Instagram post"    What post? hahaha. I don't make my instagram posts. I send pics to my VAs and they post it some time in the future. I was in Vegas like a month ago...       This is how good VAs can be for you.    They make social media posts which my brother doesn't know wasn't me.;    They take processes off your plate which you shouldn't be doing.    Make 2021 the year you get something off your plate with a VA.    What's it going to be?;    Social media?Design?Customer support?PHP programming?E-commerce?SEO?...    John 
 Since my kids are off school on Wednesdays because of Covid, we've decided that together we're going to do big things on that day every week.    We're calling it "Wild Wednesdays".    I've been talking it up for weeks now building their expectations.    We'll have a mountain we want to climb, or a really long bike ride, or a new route we want to try, or...we don't know. ;Something wild and crazy that we can do together.    Last week it was exploring up the White Pine drainage in Little Cottonwood Canyon. 3.5 miles up the drainage on skis. ;Further than we had ever been.            We'll see what today brings.    Speaking of expectations, when you hire a new VA it's a really good idea to set some expectations up front.    Things like:    - daily reporting- not disappearing- that you're there to help them- that you'll provide feedback and training- work hours and schedule- ...    Here's my process:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv_eaMoYbno    If you've skipped this step it's hard to change past behavior. But now's a good time. ;Tell them "Hey, it's a new year and I'd like to do something different this year..."    John 
 It's Monday afternoon as I write this and I'm sure gyms across the world were packed this morning with people who've decided to get in shape as their "New Years Resolution".    I spent the day in the mountains backcountry skiing with my wife.        It's not part of any "resolution", it's part of my lifestyle.    Here's why most new years resolutions don't work.    If it's not strong enough for you to decide to do it December 15th, or October 3, or July 22, why is Jan 3 any different? ;    It's not.;    If the desire to change isn't strong enough TODAY, then a new year isn't going to give you that desire. ;    BUT THAT'S NOT YOU!    You're an entrepreneur.;You push through hard things.    That's what we do. ;    We don't make "resolutions", we make lifestyle changes and those things stick for us.;    My wife got back off sugar this year on December 21. Before the holidays. ;That's a winner. ;That's a lifestyle change.    Here's a lifestyle change from;Ryan Smith:    "You don’t have to be an expert in every area of your business. If you aren’t an expert in a specific area or it isn’t the best use of your time, find someone who is.;Hire someone who already is an expert;and pay them to build it for you. You concentrate on the high dollar activities that will move the needle in your business."   So many entrepreneurs think "I'm the only one who can do this". ;    They're wrong.    Make a lifestyle change this year and hire a VA to help you focus on the high dollar activities that move the needle in your business.    My;One VA Away Challenge;is designed to help you- hire the right person- in a short amount of time- with the least amount of effort- so you can move the needle    Get it.    You'll thank me later for the push to make a lifestyle change rather than another "resolution".    John 
 It was "Wild Wednesday" for us (the day my kids are off school so we do something crazy outside).    While climbing a mountain in the backcountry skiing with my older kids, I was filming a video about "What type of VA you should hire first".    Then the notifications started coming in.    "Protestors stormed the capital""Congress has been evacuated""Trumps twitter account has been banned""Shots fired"    Madness.    I couldn't believe it...but on the other hand...I kind of could. ;I mean, given the current state of things I wasn't super surprised.    Disappointed.Ashamed.Sad.    But not surprised.    You know who else wasn't surprised?    Your VAs.    First, they follow US politics. They know what's happening. They have their own opinions and they take sides...just like people in the US do.    Second, the president of the Philippines, Duterte, is similar to Donald Trump. They have experience with a person in power who behaves similarly.;    Ask your VAs about what happened on Wednesday. It might just tell you how human they are and how much they know about American culture.;    My VAs, for how much they know and care, still didn't miss a beat with work. ;I had 29 answers to "what did you do today" in our project management system (Basecamp) this morning.;    I sure do a lot of talking about VAs and how good they are, but you won't know for yourself until you hire someone. ;    www.OneVAAway.com    John 
 The following was written by one of my VAs. She wrote it in first person as if it were me.  As if I had all this knowledge about why the Philippines has tons of holidays.      I don't.    But there are 2 takeaways here:1. they have a lot of holidays.  Not all are required to have time off. You should be aware of of those dates when they won't work. I explain it all (well...ok, one of my VAs explains it all) in this post about holidays in the Philippines and PTO    2. you can find really talented writers in the Philippines.     ------No, you're not imagining it. The Philippines has a LOT of holidays. In fact, they're #4 in countries with most public holidays.    It's intentional. Sometimes, the government even adjusts the holiday calendar to put the holidays closer to the weekends. Because of that, it feels like they have even more holidays than what's listed on the calendar.     So why does the Philippine government allow this? Doesn't it hurt their economy to have  so many public holidays?    Surprisingly, it doesn't. Mainly because when you have a long holiday, you're more likely to travel. This benefits the tourism industry, one of the biggest contributors to their GDP and employs 13% of the population.    And if you look at the Philippines, who wouldn't want to go on vacation as often as possible. I have VA who goes mountain biking on the weekends because he lives so close to the mountains. Some of my VAs have talked about bringing their laptops to the beach on weekdays so they can have a change of scenery while working.         Even during the pandemic, Filipinos continued to travel because it's sometimes safer to stay in the rural and coastal areas where it's less crowded.     At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if they have a lot of holidays. As long as they have good internet connection, they can work. And as long as the work gets done, my business just keeps on growing.------    I told you she's a talented writer!    We maintain a public calendar of holidays in the Philippines which you can access. I subscribe to it on my personal calendar so I have an idea of when nobody is going to work and I'm not expecting it.    John 
 I have a neighbor who just bought a mountain bike. ;    He calls me and says "Hey, we need to go riding! ;I got a bike!"    I'm like,;No...we can't ride right now, the trails are all snowed over or muddy.   He bought it.    But that's not the real reason why I don't want to take him on a ride.    The real reason is he's not ready. ;    It's cold outside. Real cold.If I take him on a ride he's not going to be prepared for the cold, he's going to be miserable, then he'll be hesitant to ever ride again. ;He'll be jaded. ;He'll have a negative feeling in his brain all winter and when it's warm out he won't be excited to ride.;    So I said no. Now's not the right time.    When is the right time to hire a VA?    I've always felt there's a key indicator for most people.    When you have something in your business th:- you know how to do- its repeatable- you feel like you could teach someone else to do it    It's time to hire a VA.    If you- don't know what you're doing in your business- aren't sure why you're hiring a VA- aren't sure what they'll do for you- don't really have something that works    It's probably not time to hire a VA yet.    Here's a more full explanation:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSYrWRPK-Bw&list=PLy9dQLOOfkijNFx97oK2bn4j25bIeVigo&index=2&t=0s     That key indicator doesn't have to be the thing you're going to outsource...but it's a good indicator that you need help.    John 
 As I did yoga this morning I was concentrating on my breathing.;    In...Out...In...Out...    Downward Dog    In...Out...In...Out...    I needed the breathing to get the "fake vacations" out of my head.    Fake vacations?    Yesterday someone replied to my newsletter and said;"You send too many fake emails with fake vacation photos. I am unsubscribing.."    Fake emails?Fake vacation photos?    I mean, I can see how one might think this is fake.;I don't live a "normal" life.I don't work 9-5 (or....8-6 is more like it).I don't constantly find something else to work on.I do have a happy marriage.I do have 5 kids.I do have 7,000+ employers currently subscribed to OnlineJobs.ph.I do go to church each week (well...except with Covid).I do 10-20 minutes of yoga 3-4 times/week.I do ride my bike or ski or run 5-6 times/week.    It's not "normal".It's not fake.Does it seem fake to you? ;If so, please reply and let me know.    It's my dream life.If it doesn't seem fake to you, I want to help you live your dream life...whatever it is.    From what I've seen, the dream life is having- financial independence- time independence- healthy body- healthy mind- healthy relationships    I can't really help you with the last 3, but the first 2 I can.    Reply and let me know what questions I can answer.    Now...I'm going skiing.;        (my, my wife, our neighbors who got us into riding bikes)    John    PS. ;If you reply I'll1. for sure reply to you2. likely write an email answering your questions 
 We treat Sundays different than any other day of the week.For us, it's a day of rest. ;A day of worship. A day where we do different things than we do most days of the week.This Sunday we played a bunch of games together, had a Sunday School lesson, and had family dinner together.    Sunday is my day to water the plants in our house. As I went;to water the plants, I also looked at the kitchen mess.;I had this internal debate;    I need to water the plants...but I should clean the kitchen...but it's the day to water the plants...but the kitchen needs to be cleaned...   In the end, I realized that this is no different than the way your business works.    Watering the plants is an unseen task that's not urgent."The plants can go one more day if I forget to do it today"It's the kind of task that gets pushed to the back seat because of the more visible, in your face tasks.    Like cleaning the kitchen.;    The kitchen is going to get cleaned regardless. The dishes are going to get done. It's visible. ;It's "urgent". ;It's not important.    So often we put the unimportant "urgent" tasks in front of the critical tasks that are needed to push business forward. ;    Every time I do it I get upset with myself.    What's the nagging task in your business that would push you forward if you just made time for it? ;Create a sales process (today that's mine)?Create training so you can hand a process off to a VA?Post the job so you can hire a VA?Make the dreaded phone call?    Marcin says;"When you create business processes with the intention of delegating most of the tasks, you don’t have to worry about your business falling apart when you need to take a step back."    Todays the day to step back and work on that nagging task.    John    PS. I watered the plants.     
 As I climbed the mountain with my kids on Wild Wednesday my mind went back to the podcast interview I did the day before.    The host:"So John, my biggest question is what kind of VA should I hire first? ;Like, who should I be looking for so I have the biggest impact?"    That's such an easy one to answer.    So I pulled out my camera and recorded the video as I skied up the side of this mountain.     https://youtu.be/QYxw86yIGWA     Hire someone to do something you know how to do and something you can teach them.   No, it's not the advice most "gurus" will give you on the internet.But it's the effective way of;1. ensuring you succeed in hiring someone from a different culture2. getting something off your plate so you're better at running the rest of your business3. getting you ready to hire someone to do something you don't know how to do.    Yes, you can hire people to do things you don't know how to do.But that's not who you should hire FIRST.    John 
 The first thing most people want to do when they get a bunch of applicants to their job post is schedule Skype interviews.    Don't do it.    Here's my experience (and thousands of other people's experience).    You have 10 applicants.You ask them to schedule a Skype call.5 of them don't schedule. ;You lose them.5 of them schedule with you.3 of those who schedule don't show up. You lose them.You waste your time waiting for those 3 to show up.2 show up. They're not the best ones for the job, but they're the ones who are most willing to get on a phone call.    You lost 80% of applicants for a position which doesn't require them to be on the phone.    And, it's not that you "weeded out the bad ones" and ended up with the 2 best. ;You very well may have weeded out the best ones.    Why is this the case?    There are a number of reasons.    1. A lot of Filipinos are scared of doing a call with a potential foreign boss.2. They're worried you won't understand their english (even if their english is great!).3. They're worried about their internet connect.4. Dogs and chickens!    Here's what my VA wrote about dogs and chickens:-----Do all Filipinos have dogs and chickens?    No. We don't all have dogs AND chickens. Some of us only have dogs. Some of us only have chickens.    Joking aside, I know it seems like every Filipino VA out there has a loud dog or chicken in the background. It's not true. But I can understand why it seems that way. Our pets are really loud. And there's a reason for that.    Those that have chickens for pets often also raise fighting cocks. Cockfighting is legal in the Philippines and deeply embedded in our culture. If you're going to have fighting cocks, might as well raise chickens for meat and eggs. And what most people don't know is that roosters crow any time of the day or night. Hens cluck non-stop. So the more chickens you have in your yard, the louder things are going to get.    Now, about our dogs. Like in the US, we have dogs for companionship. They're part of the family. But some of us also get them for security. Burglary is a common crime here in the Philippines. A guaranteed deterrent for thieves is when you have a big, loud, angry dog. People would think twice about stealing packages when they know that house has a dog just waiting to attack. Plus, there's the added benefit of being a furry doorbell. So the bigger and louder a pet dog is, the better.;        -----    If you don't need the Skype phone call, skip it.    This is one of the big mistakes people make when hiring that you'll avoid when you use the;One VA Away Challenge.    John 
 I've had it happen to me.    You hire a new VA.    They start out great.    Great work.Fast turn-around times.High quality.    Then something happens and everything slows down.    Quality declines.    You know you hired a good person...you went through the process :www.OneVAAway.com;and followed the steps.    What went wrong?    There are a number of scenarios and usually a simple solution.    Scenarios:1. They took on too much in their life. ;Whether this was a second job or a side thing from being a full-time mom, maybe they took on too much and after a few weeks it just caught up with them.    2. They don't understand something. If they're unsure of something, they'll be extra cautious and hesitant.    3. They have a personal problem. Could be sickness. Could be family issues.    4. Their computer is super slow. (this is easily solvable)    5. They took another job. ;(this is not a good situation)    6. They really hate the work they're doing. You don't want to employ someone who hates their job...do something to try to fix it. ;Change their role. ;Hire someone else to do this role.    7. Some outside situation is making things really difficult. ;It could be the weather. ;Sometimes the heat in the Philippines is unbearable. Maybe if they could afford to turn on the air conditioning sometimes it would help.    Solution:The solution to all of these is to find out.    Ask.   It amazes me how many people just make assumptions about the person they hired and just fire them without ever asking "What's going on?"    Seriously, I can't tell you how many problems I've solved by just asking.    "Hey, what's going on? Your work was so good for a while and then I noticed it slow down. ;What's up?"    "Hey, your work has been slower the past few weeks. ;Have I done something wrong? I think you might need help. ;What can I help you with?"    "Hey, I noticed the quality of your deliverables has gone down. What's affecting your work?"    "Hey, You haven't responded for a few days.;What are you stuck on?"    That last one:    "What are you stuck on?";    has solved so many problems for me. ;I know it's not magical...but it feels that way to me.;    If you do your hiring right, you should be pretty sure you have a good person. Going through the hiring process again is tough. ;    Asking them what they're stuck on is the easiest solution.    If you're having this problem, ask your VA what they're stuck on. ;Then reply to this email and let me know what happens.    If you've done this before, reply and tell me what happened?    John 
 One of my college roommates and I saw things differently.    Me:;I think I can run my own business and make my own schedule and work a lot less.   Him: "Don't you know small business owners work more than anyone else!"    Haha...who's laughing now!    This roommate grew up to be a Radiation Oncologist. ;He treats cancer every day. ;But along with that comes a bunch of procedural work.    He came to me a few weeks ago and said;    "How can a VA help me in my business?"    What do your days look like?   "I review patient notesI see patientsI write notes after seeing the patientsI review patient notesI treat patients"    Tell me more about writing notes?   We get into it. Turns out most of his time isn't spent treating cancer, most of his time is spent at a desk.    I suggested he hire a VA who already has experience in medical transcription. ;Then, record the entire conversation with the patient.After seeing the patient, voice record what you want to write in the note.;Then send the voice recording, along with the entire patient conversation recording to the patient.Have the VA write the note. ;They have the entire conversation plus your thoughts right in front of them.Then review what they wrote and make modifications as necessary.    Even if it takes them 4 hours to do what would have taken you 45 minutes...totally worth it!    "Really? ;You think that would work?"    Yes   "Can I really hire someone who already understand medical language?"    Yes   "And they're talented at writing?"    Yes   I leveled with him: as a doctor, his most precious asset is his time. This is true for any business-owner as well.    Will the notes come out perfect the first time?    No.   Will it take more work to create the first few notes?    Yes.   But one of the great things about a Filipino VA is they're loyal.You can afford to spend the extra time to teach them something.    We figured my friend could save 6 hours/week.    6 HOURS!!!    I don't know if he'll do it or not. ;Some people aren't doers.    But you...you're just;One VA Away!    John    PS. This is your radiation oncologist and his ER doc wife     
 I got bit by the dreaded "red snake" yesterday.    I took my family up skiing.         (good lookin' if I do say so myself)    We were supposed to get like 1 inch of snow but we ended up getting 3!  It was amazing...    ...until we drove home.    There was a red snake of tail lights all the way down the canyon.      It took 2.5 hours to go 6 miles.     Bitten.Painful.    What to do you when you get "bitten" by too many applicants to your job post?    1. pause your job post...now! Once you get past 30 or so job applications, it's hard to sift through them.  If you're getting a lot, pause your job post inside your OnlineJobs.ph account so they don't keep coming in.    2. Here's the response I send to people:-----Thanks for applying. I appreciate it.    Here's where I ask question 1?Here's where I ask question 2?Here's where I ask question 3?------    The questions could be "tell me more about yourself" or "Tell me how you would solve this problem" or "tell me how many years experience you have with X" or...The point is just to ask questions to get a conversation going. The questions change depending on the position I'm hiring for.    3. I send it to everyone who's application looks good. If they didn't follow directions from my job post, I don't reply to them.If they sent me a form letter as an application, I don't reply.If they're clearly not qualified, I don't reply.    4. If I got more than 50 applications, I'll pick the best ~20 or so and reply to them. I'm not super picky about the ones I reply to or not...I just need to narrow it down.    5. Now the weed out process starts.  Some will drop out as you keep asking questions.Some you'll drop out as you get their responses.Some won't do a test task.Some will do a test task poorly.    I cover my exact recruiting process in One VA Away. In it I show you how to weed out 50% of applications before you ever even look at the application. Then the first set of questions usually weeds out another 25%.    John 
 *WARNING* - I don't have a weak stomach...but what my VA wrote made me queezy.;    Unaltered from my VA:-----------You're eating balut wrong (or the wrong balut)    Nothing grosses out the rest of the world like the Filipino delicacy 'balut' or fertilized duck egg. The thought munching on a duckling is so cringe-inducing that some people end up throwing up even before they take a bite.        Of course you'd want to throw up. You guys are eating the wrong kind of balut. And you guys are eating balut wrong. That's why it's gross.    The balut that's often served in shows like "Fear Factor" and in food challenges seem to be older. Balut is often eaten when the fertilized egg is between 14 to 21 days. If you see a lot of feathers and the beak and bones feel crunchier, you've got the one that's closer to 21 days.;    For beginners, we often recommend you start with a 'penoy'. It's an infertile duck egg or a fertile duck egg with a dead embryo. It just looks like a hard boiled egg with hardly any egg white. It tastes gamier compared to a chicken egg and you might see some blood vessels just starting to form. The yolk has a custard-like texture, which makes it a popular treat for kids here.    When you're used to the idea of eating a really tiny duck, you can go for the 14 - 16 day egg. That's when you get the optimal chick-to-yolk ratio without the feathers. You can swallow the chick whole, like an oyster. Or you can bite into it if you really want the crunchier texture.    If you want to show off to (or gross out) your friends, that's when you go for the older eggs.    And don't eat the "bato" or the stone. That's the hard, white part at the bottom of the shell. That part is inedible.    Now, here's how you actually eat the balut. You slurp the liquid part first. That's the duck amniotic fluid. Some people drink it as is, some add a bit of salt. Depends on your preference.    Once you've finished off all the liquid, you slowly peel off the shell and eat it like you would with a hard boiled egg. You can sprinkle salt or dip it in some spiced vinegar (ketchup if you're really crazy) to taste.    If you think balut is gross, wait til you see these    Like our Asian neighbors, Filipino street food;is borne out of necessity. You want to get food for the least amount of money and you want to get as much food from what you can get.    Chicken and pork is eaten worldwide but here in the Philippines, we've found a way to make use of everything. And I mean, everything. The only thing we don't eat are the feathers and they're still used for something.    Once you're done with the breasts, thighs, tenderloins and chops, what do you do with the rest of the chicken and pig? Turn them into street food of course!    Here are just some of the chicken and pork based street food you can get here in the Philippines1. Helmet - Grilled marinated chicken heads on a stick.;2. Adidas;-; Grilled marinated chicken feet on a stick3. Sisig - Grilled pork face, finely chopped and seasoned on a sizzling plate4. Betamax - Pig's blood coagulated with vinegar5. Chicharong bulaklak - cracklings made from pork intestines    Happy eating!-----------------------------------    Maybe this is why your Filipino VAs...hmmm...nope...I've got nothing to say.    I almost threw up just sending this email.    John 
 Look, this is basic management advice...    ...but it's ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT in the Philippines.    Your VAs want to be appreciated.;They want to know that you're happy with their work.They want to make you happy.They want to feel useful.    If they don't, they're not likely to do good work for you.    Johannah Barton nailed this on the head when I did a case study with her recently:     https://youtu.be/mTG68DWUv2A     Tell them they did a good job when they do a good job.Give praise.Tell them what they've done right.    And if they do something wrong, assume it was your fault first. ;Then work with them to correct it. ;Show them how to do it better.    You'll build;- loyalty- trust- creativity- a willingness to solve problems- a rock star VA    John 
 I've only been to the Philippines once.;    ONCE!    It was in 2010.    I took my family there on vacation. We sat on a beach on the island of Boracay for 5 weeks. ;It was amazing. ;        (they're so little! They're 15, 18, and 13 now!)    I'll tell more about the trip another time (including getting robbed).It was amazing. ;Even the robbers were nice.    What I didn't expect was that when I met my team, I had this super strong desire to reward them. ;    To give gifts.To give money.To help them.    I didn't realize how much I loved these people. ;They do such good work, they invest their lives in you and your company.    At some point you're going to want to give them gifts.    How?    Here's what my VA wrote about it.    -----Your VA just got married, had a new baby or had a birthday. You want to send them a gift.    What would be nice? What would they like? What would be appropriate?    A good option would be to choose from their registry.    Because of the pandemic, more Filipinos have embraced online shopping. For major life events like weddings and baby showers, we've embraced the convenience of online gift registries. Just ask your VA where they're registered and you can get them a gift from there.    If they don't have a registry, you can ask about their wishlist. We do most of our online shopping on apps like;Lazada;or;Shoppee. You can ask your VA to share their wishlist through the app.    If they don't have either one, sending them a bit of cash is always appreciated.------    Cash is so easy. ;Add it to their salary and tell them;    I included an extra $30 this month because you're awesome.orHere's a $50 bonus. You did such great work.orHappy Birthday. Here's $20.   Bonuses go a long way in the Philippines.    John 
 First, let me start with what NOT to tell your friends.    Don't tell them the name of your VA.    People are lazy. Nobody wants to do the work of recruiting a VA.If you go raving about your VA to your friends and then you tell them the name of your VA, they're going to go look them up on FB and offer them a job.    Fortunately for you, Filipinos are super loyal, so even if they take a job with your friend they're not going to quit working for you.    But...offering a second job to your VA is never great.    So don't tell the names of your VAs.    So what DO you say?    Rant.Rave.Tell them what they do for you.Tell them about the work they're doing and how good they are.Tell them about the time the VA is saving you.Tell them about OnlineJobs.phTell them about OneVAAway.com    Join the affiliate program for OneVAAway.com;and give them your affiliate link.We pay out a 90% commission.    No, that's not a typo. ;    90%    I didn't create OneVAAway.com to make money. I created it to get the word out.    Filipino VAs are amazing.;You know it.I know it.Your friends don't know it...    Yet.    OneVAAway.com affiliate program.    John    PS. You already have an affiliate link for OnlineJobs.ph. It's in your OnlineJobs.ph account. ;Just login and scroll down. It's in green. 40% commission. 
 Growing up I had 2 male role models: My dad and my uncle.    We were poor. My dad worked hard, but we were poor. He always had a good stable job, and then at night either he went to law school or after graduating, he did legal work to try and make ends meet.;I love my dad.    My uncle was rich. ;He was a lawyer. He had lots of time and lots of money.I wanted to be like him.    I decided early on that I didn't want a job, I wanted to be a lawyer.    Hahahahaha!    It wasn't until college that I realized    I don't want to be a lawyer, I want to run a business.   What I didn't realize at the time was that my uncle ran a business.    Yes, he was a lawyer, he did legal work, but he also had others doing legal work for him. He didn't have to show up to work.He ran a business.    Fast forward...    Today my idea of a business is something that runs itself.;If you HAVE to show up to work or the business doesn't run, you just have a job.    Sure, it might be a high paying job, but it's still a job. It's not passive income.    I want you to become the CEO and run a BUSINESS, not a JOB.    Here's how.         https://youtu.be/NwCEYxAJffc     Hiring skilled workers is the best way I know if to start stepping away from your business and building passive income.    John 
 Most people running a business want help with their website. ;    - Maybe you're running Shopify and you want help with it.- Maybe you're building wordpress sites for clients and need someone to manage plugins.- Maybe you're an insurance agent and want your site to be more functional.    Whatever it is, hiring a "web developer" is one of the least understood roles out there.    Let me shed some light.    1.;a "Webmaster" isn't a role anymore.;;It's not a thing.    2. Most of the time the word "developer" means "programmer". ;Someone writing custom programming code. ;This is not usually someone building a basic website.    3. Most websites today are built using pre-existing software.;WordpressShopifyWixClickfunnels...    4. Usually there isn't a role of "someone who builds a website" anymore. ;It's multiple roles.;    If you're looking for "someone to build a website for you", you want someone "skilled with wordpress" <- search this on OnlineJobs.ph. They're going to put up the site, not necessarily make it look pretty.    If you want someone to make a site look good, you're looking for a "Web Designer".    If you run Shopify, you want someone who is a "shopify expert".    If you want to improve your current website, or you want to change things on your site, look for the skills "HTML and CSS".    If you're running an agency and want someone to build a website, you probably want multiple roles from above.    Here's some advice from Johannah Barton on how she finds "Web Developers"     https://youtu.be/exAOq_y8Rag     If you have no idea what you're doing, my best advice is, before you hire someone, ask a friend who does know what they're doing "What kind of person am I looking for?" and tell them what you're looking for. 
 Do you ever think about buying something but you're not sure what it costs so it makes you hesitate?;    I don't like feeling embarrassed or ripped off, so the combination sometimes makes me not go into a store. If I don't trust them I don't know if I'm going to get ripped off and then later embarrassed because I paid way too much.;    It's the same with talented Filipino workers.    If you don't know how much it should cost, you're hesitant.;You don't want to get ripped off.    We put together this;guide to Filipino VA salaries;so you have a good idea of what different types of skills cost.    Here's how we created this.    We have an algorithm that does a search on OnlineJobs for the specific skill set. Then we sort all the salaries.We throw out the bottom 5% and the top 5%.We find an average salary.Then we figure out low-end and high-end salaries.    Keep in mind that these are what people are asking for on their profiles, not necessarily what they're making (I feel like some of it is higher than what's reality).    Filipino Virtual Assistants Salary Guide    John 
 Communication is critical in skiing in the backcountry.;Talking through the current avalanche situation, talking about terrain, and slopes are a constant part of what we do.Each partner needs to know what's going on at all times both to avoid an avalanche and in case one happens.    I bought these radios to make communication easier when we're skiing in the backcountry. ;They sit on the shoulder strap so that there's nothing to fiddle with. ;Just push the button and talk to each other.        (pic from my backcountry ski tour yesterday)    Working with people on the other side of the world is similar.    Open communication keeps people on their toes.;It can alert you to problems.    Even better, it can foster a relationship where they're willing to tell you when they have better solutions.    If they don't get regular communication from you, they're unlikely to speak up when they have a problem or a solution.    Miles Beckler says:"Encourage open communication, especially about tasks they do day in and day out. So when they have an idea on how to do things easier or do things better, they can tell you."   Here's how I communicate with my VAs.    1. I use Snagit to make videos. ;I do this every day. ;Not to everyone every day (I have 36 full-time people right now), but often enough.    2. We use Basecamp for tracking projects. ;Basecamp has a feature called a "daily check-in". ;It asks everyone on my team "what did you do today" every work day. I can use it to respond easily and quickly.        3. Email.;    I personally don't use chat. ;You can, it's totally fine. ;Most Filipino workers will be good with it. I don't because chat feels like an obligation that can't be ignored while I do something more important.    I don't do phone calls. You might.;    John 
 The plan yesterday was for my wife and I to ski in the backcountry in the morning.;Then my 18yr old son was going to bring all the kids up to Alta in the afternoon and we would ski in the resort until it closed.    Plans went wrong.    In the parking lot before heading into the backcountry my wife's brand new boot broke. ;Buckle: gone.    She sent me on my way climbing the mountain while she went to the ski shop to get a new boot.    Then my son texted:    "I got a flat tire on my bike ride. I'm trying to hitch-hike my way home."    By the time he got home it was too late for them to come up to ski.    So my wife drove back up the canyon to come get me as I finished my backcountry tour.    I had a great day.        Everyone else...didn't.    When you don't have a great day with your VAs what's your reaction?    Is it;"YOU'RE FIRED!"    Not a very good reaction.    Is it"YOU DID THIS WRONG!!!"    Not going to help you build their trust in you.    Is it"hmmm....I wonder what I did wrong here???"    YES! That's the correct reaction.    Or even"Hey, thanks for trying...here's what I need you to do here..."    or (maybe this is the 5th time it's not right)"Hey, this isn't working right. What's keeping you from doing it like 'this'" <-- this is where you give examples of what you're looking for.    The reaction where you look at the training you gave (or didn't give) as the culprit is the one that builds their trust and will create a rock-star worker.    The reaction where you yell will create fear and hesitancy. Few Filipinos will be rock-stars when they worry about being yelled at.    I talk about this and a lot of other cultural variances in my book;The Outsourcing Lever.    John 
 We climbed up into a whiteout today. ;It was too cold and windy to take a pic.;    The day started out nice at the trailhead.;I even recorded a 10 minute long video about how to effectively manage a team of workers in the Philippines (coming soon).    3.5 miles in we got to an old mine.        But the higher we went the stronger the wind blew and the more it snowed.    To the point where something was telling me "Turn around!"Maybe it was the mountains yelling.Maybe it was fear.    Sometimes with your Filipino workers something tells you to "Turn Around!"    Maybe it's red flags.Maybe it's a gut feeling.Maybe things aren't going right.Maybe they're doing things wrong time after time after time.    Whatever it is, sometimes it's ok to part ways.    Here are some tips.    1. Try to make it work out. If you did a good job recruiting, you don't want to fire a good recruit when you could solve the problem.2. Recognize they're probably frustrated too.3. If they haven't been with you long (< 3 months) It's probably fine to say "Hey, this just isn't working out. I'll pay you for the work you've done, but this is a 2 week notice.";Or"Hey, this isn't working out. I'll pay you for the next 2 weeks, but you don't need to continue to work. ;Use the next 2 weeks to find another job."4. If they've been with you a while (6+ months) consider some sort of severance.;    Chances aren't high they'll try to hurt you unless you don't pay them.;    Also, your portion of the 13th month is still a good idea to pay.;    The last time we let someone go we said:    "Hey, this isn't working out. ;Both of us are frustrated with each other.I'd like you to finish up the task you're working on, but then you can be done working. ;We'll pay you for the next 30 days and we'll pay what we owe you for the 13th month.;Use the next 30 days to try and find another job."   It's never fun letting someone go, but sometimes...    John 
 When eating out there are always 2 awkward moments for me:1. When the server asks "Will these be separate checks or together"?2. When they bring the bill and both of you reach for it.    It's weird. ;    Money across relationships is weird.    Filipinos feel the same.    Here's what my content manager said:-----------I don't like talking about money. It makes me really uncomfortable. And I'm not alone. We moderate a Facebook group for Filipinos who are on Onlinejobs.ph and one question that pops up regularly in the community is how to talk about salaries with their employers.    It's not just an issue of inexperience. Even experienced VAs don't like talking about money. Not having to talk about money ever again is one of the things we love about having a full-time job.    But talk about it we must. I know this must be frustrating for employers. But it doesn't have to be. With a bit of prodding, we will talk and negotiate. We just need a bit of help.    If you want to encourage your new hire to talk about salaries, here's what you need to do:    1. You have to initiate the conversation.;In Filipino culture, we think it's impolite to talk about money amongst ourselves. We're afraid it'll make us look greedy. But if someone else (usually foreigners) initiate the conversation, we don't mind because we know that it's normal for American culture to talk about money. So if you start the ball rolling, we'll take it as our cue to participate.    2. Set the starting rate and let us know if you're open to negotiation.;Again, this has something to do with our culture not wanting to appear greedy. It's rare to find a Filipino that would set their rate. Those who do know are experienced freelancers. But most would throw back the question at you, asking you what a fair starting rate would be.;    If you're expecting your new hire to give you their rate, it'll be a really long conversation. You can use our;updated salary guide;to give you an idea on what starting rates you can.    3. Iron out the details as soon as possible.;A lot of the disputes we've encountered at Onlinejobs.ph are the results of simple misunderstandings. We hate talking about money so much we want to end the conversation as soon as possible. Because of that, a lot of details remain unresolved. We've seen VAs work unpaid for months without knowing what salary platform they would be using (PayPal?;EasyPay? Transferwise?) or how often they'd be paid (weekly? twice a month? monthly?) because they're too afraid to ask their employers. And the employers were just waiting for their VAs information so they can start sending salaries.    Don't wait for your VAs.;Tell them right away what platform you'll be using and how often you'll be sending their salaries. Tell them whether they should be sending an invoice or not. If they're serious about working for you, they'll adapt.;    But;if they make excuses about not being able to make an account or that they need to use some else's account, consider these as red flags.;Our verification process at Onlinejobs.ph was designed so that the jobseekers would have the documentation they need to create verified accounts in payment platforms. If they can't (or won't) comply, this means they could be using a rented account or it's a scam operation.    Thankfully, John only asked me to write about this topic instead of talking about it. Still don't like it but at least it's tolerable.---------------    I've even gone farther with this after the relationship has begun.;When someone asks us for a loan, or to receive their salary early this month, I'll often talk with them about their financial situation. ;What are your bills?What's fixed and what's variable?What expenses do you have coming up?Rent?Food?What's the total income situation?    Then I can better gauge how to help.    John 
 The first time it happened I had no idea why.    My Filipino worker didn't show up on a random Friday.    Weird...    Later I learned it was Chinese New Year.    Still weird...    The next year it happened again.    hmmm...ok???    Turns out, Chinese New Year is kind of a big deal in the Philippines.Julia, one of my content writers, wrote:--------Some of you may have encountered VAs who asked if they can take Chinese New Year off. It seems weird right. We're Filipinos. Why would we be celebrating Chinese New Year?    The reason for this is because a lot of us Filipinos actually have strong Chinese ancestry. If you've seen your VAs in video calls or social media, you'll see that some of us look Chinese. Some of us might even have Chinese names. Some of the richest Filipinos can trace their ancestry all the way to mainland China. Even our national hero, Jose Rizal, is Chinese Filipino.    The Chinese have been trading with Filipinos long before the Europeans landed on our shores and a majority of those who emigrated here have assimilated. It's been estimated that 25-30% of Filipinos have Chinese ancestry. And many of them still insist on practicing old traditions for good luck, like Chinese New Year.;        (Julias daughter at the mall on on Chinese New Year)--------    It's this Friday, February 12. ;Expect some people to take the day off.    John 
 Yesterday I went sledding with my older kids. ;    No, not your normal sledding.;    We call this "adult sledding".orSled racing.    We hike up a canyon 1-2 miles, then we sled back down the single-track 1-2 miles.    It's a 1-2 mile long luge where we race each other.First one down wins.Full-contact.    Adult sledding.        Guess what's not full-contact?    The Philippines culture.    Contact usually involves confrontation and they're super non-confrontational.    Yesterday Monaz emailed me and said she didn't have a good experience hiring an online Filipino specialist because they disappeared in the middle of her project leaving her high and dry.    I responded and said;They probably had a problem or got stuck on something or didn't know how to do something.    She said"But then rather than disappearing should he not have communicated that he does not want to do the job any more? "    No, because that's not their culture.   1. he DOES still want the job. ;He's just stuck on something.2. he doesn't want to confront you about him being stuck.    When someone disappears...even for the shortest amount of time (2-3 days is a really good indicator), you should take it as a sign that something is wrong.    It's not that they don't want the job. It's that they're stuck and don't want to confront you.    John    PS. Yesterday we hiked up and raced down 3 times. My 18 yr old son is talented enough that I can't beat him anymore. ;He always wins. ;It stinks. 
 My family and I are pretty healthy. ;    We eat really well.We exercise a lot.We sleep 8+ hours/night.We have low stress.    Generally, we're pretty darn healthy.;    That doesn't mean we don't have our problems.;    - 2 of my kids just had their tonsils out.- After 10 years of stomach problems I figured out about 2 years ago that I'm allergic to dairy.- I have significant mercury poisoning which affects my brain.- My teenagers have a hard time falling asleep.- My wife...nope, she's perfect.    Your Filipino team are likely to have some health issues too.    I got an email yesterday from the sister of one of my workers:    "Hi Sir, this is [MY VAS NAME]'s sister. Today [MY VAS NAME] was rushed to the hospital. Once she got there she was rushed to the ICU. ;She has been having health problems the past few months and was getting better. But she started bleeding last night and seemingly took a turn for the worse..."    At this point, I have no idea really how long she'll be in the hospital, or how long she'll be away from work.    It's just part of having people work for you.;    Some people expect a remote worker to be available 100% of the time.    They're human.(I wish I didn't have to say this...but you'd be surprised...)    They're going to have health and family problems.;    When they do, it's very likely legitimate.;They're not faking it.They're not trying to get out of their job.    At least, most of the time this is the case.    My only advice is to;- Cut them some slack.- If the work you have them doing is mission critical, hire 2 people to do the job. Then you have a backup. ;You can even have the first person train the second person.    John 
 With Valentines coming up, how about a little "love" knowledge.    My VA wrote this piece about "The Bachelor", but what stuck out to me is that there's no divorce in the Philippines.    Maybe this is why they're so darn loyal.;    Why...if you treat them well, they'll never stop working for you.    Why they're so non-confrontational. When they have a problem, they're unlikely to bring it up to you unless they REALLY trust you.    From Julia:-------------Why there's no "The Bachelor - Philippine edition";    We Filipinos enjoy reality TV shows as much as the rest of the world. We even have our own "Big Brother", "Idol", "Got Talent" and "X-Factor".    We've tried to adapt most reality TV shows out there but there's one show we never tried to adapt: "The Bachelor"    It's not that we don't enjoy watching the show. We love it. But there are certain aspects about Filipino culture that would make adapting "The Bachelor" problematic.    1.;We don't have divorce.;The Philippines is one of the few countries in the world that doesn't have divorce. If you want to leave your spouse, the only option is annulment which is costly and takes years to complete. So you'll be hard pressed to find a Filipino willing to join the show, knowing how permanent and expensive things would be if the relationship doesn't work out.    2. The influence of parents and extended family. Even though we do have the freedom to choose who we marry, our families can make it really difficult if we choose someone they don't approve of. The Bachelor's parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles might end up getting more screen time if that happens.    3. We have a mostly conservative dating culture. We date around. But there's still the expectation that you shouldn't be physically intimate with someone unless you're committed to them. And the Catholic Church still has some sway over the media. There's no way they'd allow a show like "The Bachelor" to be made in the Philippines.------------    US culture is so heavily pro-divorce. ;    If you don't like them, get a divorce.You had a fight? ;Get a divorce.   When I got married (20 years ago) my uncle (who is a divorce attorney) said to me:"Congratulations on your marriage. I'll help you with your divorce."    I'm thankful there's a culture where divorce isn't the answer. ;It makes for great insourcing.    Here's a bit about how loyal online Filipino workers are:     https://youtu.be/CmbIpeTt67s     John 
 We skied in Little Cottonwood Canyon the other day. ;It was amazing. ;15" of new snow, a storm, backcountry, being out with my son...all the ingredients for an adventure.    The unexpected piece of the adventure was the traffic.        Oh sure, traffic is super common on a powder day, but we left at 2pm. ;Traffic doesn't usually start until 3 or 4.;    We knew what we were getting in to.;    What we didn't know was they closed the canyon road down so they could do avalanche control work to prevent a future avalanche from coming across and covering the road.;    It was closed until 5:30!    Fortunately for us, we weren't skiing in the resort. We had our backcountry gear with us. ;So rather than sitting in the car we put our skis and skins on again and went out and climbed another mountain and skied again!        The road closure was uncontrollable. There was nothing we could do about it.How we handled the situation was something we COULD control.    How do you handle the uncontrollable situations in the Philippines?    Kevin H asked this week:"My experience hiring virtual assistants has been phenomenal...Do you have any suggestions for managing against the uncontrollables when hiring VAs like weather, electricity, and internet?"    Suggestions, yes.Solutions, not really.    1. Typhoons are random. ;I've seen them hit all different parts of the Philippines. It happens every year. There's nothing I know of that you can do to prevent this. When it happens to your VAs, try to help them rebuild their lives.    2. Internet is tied to electricity. ;If the electricity is down, so is the internet. ;Buying a generator for your VA doesn't solve internet outages.If slow internet is an issue, often they can pay more to upgrade their speed. ;Ask them if this is a possibility, then offer to pay for the upgrade.    3. The Philippines often has options for wireless internet access. ;If your VA is having internet problems at their house, maybe offer to pay for a wireless carrier. It's not that expensive.    4. The infrastructure for power generation in the Philippines isn't keeping up with the demand (they're working on it). ;So the temporary solution is "rolling brown outs". ;They'll schedule time for the power to go out in different areas to deal with the difference between supply and demand. ;I've never seen a pattern for this, and have never seen it go on for more than a few months in a specific location.    5. You're less likely to have power/internet outages in a major city like Metro Manila or Cebu.Wages are also more expensive in those places.    So how do you deal with it if this is happening to you?    First, recognize that it's worse for them than it is for you.Often the power goes out at the hottest times, because that's when everyone is running their air conditioning. And it's HOT in the Philippines.They want to get their work done.  If electricity or internet is preventing it, they're super worried about losing their job because of forces that are out of their control.    Second, most VAs will plan their work schedules around the "brown ;outs". ;If you have timing critical work, considering hiring someone in a different part of the country so they can back each other up when brown outs happen. ;They could be part-time.    Third, talk with your VA about it. ;Make a plan together.    My VAs have always said "I couldn't finish this work today because the power went out. ;I'll make up for it tonight and on Saturday." (Or something like that). ;When this happens, figure out what your policy will be.    My policy is to allow them to make it up, but sometimes I tell them not to make it up.    Your policy might be more strict or more lenient.    John 
 The term VA or Virtual Assistant has bugged me for a long time.    You're not hiring an "assistant".;They're not a nebulous "do anything but don't be particularly good at anything" person.    Yes, I've hired a couple of those over the years.    Actually, the first person I ever hired was like that. ;He knew nothing.    But that was because there was no other way to hire someone back then except through an agency. And...agencies aren't particularly good at finding great people. ;They're just good at bringing in a warm body and marking up their salary.    It worked out for me...but it was frustrating at the same time.    Today, it's so easy to zero in on the exact talent you need, and, for the most part, I don't want an "assistant"...    ...and neither do you.    You want a specialist.From the Philippines.Who works online.    An Online Filipino Specialist. ;OFS.    Someone who is good at something.    You want a;graphic designer,;or a;social media marketer,;or a;PHP programmer,or a;content writer,or someone experienced in lead generation,or an ecommerce specialist,;or an amazon FBA specialist,Or a dedicated sales agent,Or a bookkeeper,Or a data entry specialist,Or a FB ads specialistOr ...Or ......    I could go on and on with this.    -----TIP:;try using quotes around your search term on OnlineJobs.ph. ;like;"Ecommerce specialist"-----    The point is, yes, you can hire a "virtual assistant", and that person can be really good for you.    But you can also hire a specialist. ;An Online Filipino Specialist.    Someone who will be loyal and honest and hard working and have great English and help your business grow.    That's who I hire.    I have;Joven - Data security specialistJulia - Content specialistRaymund - PHP programmerAvery - UI designerJunelo - Backend admin specialistSydney - Data entry specialistBen - Social Media specialistHazel - HR expertPeter, Jocelyn, Bing - Customer support specialistsJessica - Process management expert    ... and about 25 more people, all who are really good at what they do (sorry for not mentioning each of you by name!).    I've had too many people tell me "I'm just not sure if they're capable of doing good work" because they've heard the words "virtual assistant".    The Philippines culture is all about making people happy. ;All about doing good work.All about delivering results to the customer.    Hire an OFS. ;Not a VA.    John 
 "Dad...when are we going to start paying taxes on this?"   My son is super intense.    He's been running businesses since he was 11.;Some made money, some didn't. ;    But the one he has stuck with the longest did about $300k in sales this past year (he just turned 18).    A couple years ago he wrote up a contract between him and his customers. ;He makes them sign it.;    And he has always wanted to pay taxes!    Weird...I know.    What he didn't know was that I was running all his revenue through a business of mine so I was paying the taxes. ;This year, it's going to be on him. ;Then we'll see how anxious he is to pay taxes.    So what about with your online Filipino specialists?    Do you need to pay taxes?What about using a contract?Are they considered an "employee"?    The short answers areNo.I don't.No.    Here's a more full discussion about it:         https://youtu.be/SSMPvaxzROw     We also have a more;full post about taxes with your OFS.    John    PS.;I'm not a CPA or an attorney. ;I'm not qualified to give legal or tax advice. ;You should NOT listen to anything I say. You should talk to a professional.;Under no circumstances should you act based on what I said in the video or in this email. Ask your accountant and attorney. 
 A lot of mornings I do this with my 3rd grade daughter while she's getting ready for school.    "What's 4x8?""What's 7x8?""2x8?""9x8?"    I'll just repeat over and over to help her memorize.    Math is a lot about patterns. ;The more you recognize the patterns, the easier it is.    Learning to read is the same...but more complicated at first.;    When teaching my son to read we would read sentences, do flash cards, sound words out, read different types of stories...    All kinds of exposure to different situations helped him to read.;    Teaching an OFS is SO much easier!    Here's how I teach and train:    1. If it's a skill they already have, I ask for a plan first.How would they implement this?What are the steps?What kind of content will they create?How often?How will they accomplish the task?2. I go over the plan and make modifications according to how it fits my business and my understanding and goals.3. I ask them to do the initial implementation and then show me their work.4. I give feedback.5. Repeat steps 3-5.    Rarely does it happen perfectly the first time. Steps 3-5 happen over and over again.    Usually...I mean, I'd say 98% of the time...the feedback is done in screen recording using Snagit.    Here's a video I made this week for one of my OFS. ;She's one of my Content Specialists. She regularly contributes to this newsletter and I'm ready for her to take a more active role.    I have her posting the emails to a blog. Now I want her to get the URL of the future blog post and add it to the newsletter. ;All of this needs to happen before anything is live.    Here's my actual training:        http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/2021-02-11_10-48-53.mp4    After doing it, I realized I left some things out.;I need to talk about the timing of publishing the posts. Timing of adding the links is also important.;I'll make another video and explain it to her.;    The magic of Snagit is it's super easy to share the video you just made.;It's also super easy to add more: just make another video.    And, if you set it up correctly, you'll never lose a training you create. It amazes me how often training or feedback from years ago gets referenced in our work.    Here's how I set up Snagit.        http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/2021-02-11_11-07-03.mp4    This is so prevalent that my team regularly sends me screenshots or videos now.    John 
 Internet problems at my house entail conversions like"Ugh...what's wrong with the wifi? ;It's so slow!""Dad, your wifi sucks!";<-- teenage kids"John, come fix my computer.";<-- my amazing wife    During COVID, it's especially crappy because these happen more often and interrupt me working.    In the Philippines...it's different.    Julia, my Online Filipino Content Specialist wrote    --------Let me start by saying that I know I am luckier than most. I have a job AND the resources that would make it easy for my child to study from home.    But even with that, homeschooling/online classes are tough. You're never really prepared for it. I'm used to working from home. I'm not used to working from home plus being an unpaid teaching assistant and tech support on school days.    What causes me the most amount of stress is when I'm having problems with my internet connection.    Internet problems are a way of life in the Philippines. I'm used to it. So when it happens, I already have ways to manage it.    Most of the time, I just wait it out or restart my router. I'll use that time to have coffee, do some chores or take a quick nap. Once my internet connection is stable again, I just go back to work.    If waiting things out doesn't solve things, I just bring out my back up internet.    If my back-up internet is also having problems and I have deadlines I need to meet, I go to a coffeeshop or a co-working space and finish working there.    See? Everything is under control.    But when you have a student at home, having internet problems feels like a matter of life or death. My daughter panics every time our internet speed dips or gets cut off. And when she panics, I panic. Funny how it always seems to happen when they're taking tests or in the middle of a very important lecture.;    And I made the mistake of letting my daughter's school know that I'm a virtual assistant. For some reason, for other parents that meant I'm their go-to-gal whenever they have technical problems.    I can't wait for this pandemic to end.---------    Internet outages happen.Kids happen.Pandemics apparently happen (11 months ago...who knew!?!)    John    PS. By reading;The Outsourcing Lever;you'll get a good idea of a lot of situations like this and how to handle them. 
 I'm all about systems. ;It means I don't have to think about something.;It means something happens without me.;    I've found in my life that if I have to think about something over and over again it clutters my brain so I'm not efficient at solving bigger problems. ;    Take chores for a second...    I have 5 kids.    They make tons of messes!!!    It's unbelievable.;    So we've tried differing chore charts over the years (and over the past months). ;Nothing is really working. ;But at least with the current chart there's a system in place. ;Something where I can say;    Have you done your chores?   "What are my chores?"    Go look at your chart!!!   I hate micromanaging. ;        That's why I use basecamp in my business. It allows tons of work to get done without me being involved. ;Maybe I should be using it at home???    Here's what my Content Specialist wrote:----------------We've used a lot of project management platforms over the years and Basecamp is the only one we've stuck with. It's not as fancy or as colorful as other platforms. It doesn't have as many features. But I think the great thing about how we use Basecamp is it helps us get things done without John having to micromanage us.    When John has a project, he creates one task and assigns everybody he needs on it. There he explains his idea and we discuss what we need to get things done. That first task is where we brainstorm. We figure out what works, what doesn't, what we'd need, the timeframe, etc , etc    After that, John just lets us create our own tasks list. Individually, or in teams, we would create our own group lists to get the job done.        We only go back to the task John created if we need anything from him, he tags us, or we need to update the entire team. John closes the tasks only when it's really done.    What I appreciate about this is we're given the freedom to use Basecamp in a way that allows us to get things done. I know for a fact that John doesn't like looking at my task lists because they're really long. I like breaking down projects into bite-sized tasks that I can schedule everyday. I have colleagues who do it differently. They just add tasks in the comments and tag the people involved.;    Either way, things get done in the way that works for us. We're not forced to follow strict protocols. Doesn't matter how we work. What matters is we deliver.-----------------    Find a system that works for you.    Basecamp works for us.;Maybe Asana or Trello or any other other project management systems will work for you.Or maybe just email works for you. ;    Just find something that works and then stick with it so you're not micromanaging.    John 
 2 of my kids had their tonsils out a few weeks ago:            It was a painful 9 days. ;    Lots of popsicles, crying, water, tylenol, ibuprofen, sleep...    When the total bill came for the surgery, it was $500 each.;    I was surprised at how affordable it was. ;Of course...some of it was reduced by our insurance company.    In a lot of the world, health insurance has become standard. ;    We don't take it for granted yet (although, a lot of people do), but it's so easily accessible (or even required, or provided by the government).    For my family, we do a high deductible plan. We're healthy. We've never met our deductible (so dumb!).    But in the Philippines, it's not so simple.;    I've had a number of questions recently about providing benefits to VAs.;Tomorrow I'm going to give more info about it.    Today, here's a bit about health insurance from one of my OFS.-----------------Having health insurance helps me become a better VA!    A few weeks ago, I injured the meniscus of my left knee. As soon as it was clear that the pain wasn't going away, my husband took me to the nearest hospital.    A couple of consultations, an X-ray and 6 physical therapy sessions later, my knee is as good as new. I only missed work once, after my first consultation when the pain was really bad and the meds haven't kicked in yet. And I made up for it that weekend because of deadlines.    I was able to have my knee injury treated as soon as possible because John gave us health insurance. I know this isn't something most employers would consider but it is one of the reasons why we're really loyal to him. The fact that he offered lets us know he has our back. We have one less thing to worry about.    Even though we have some form of socialized medicine here in the Philippines, it doesn't cover everything. Without that health insurance, I would have waited longer to go to the doctor, making my injury worse. Even if I did go to the doctor, I may have opted not to get the physical therapy because it can get too expensive. I wouldn't have been able to work because of the pain.    Another great thing about having health insurance is that I didn't feel the need to get another job just to cover my medical cost. I know a lot of employers complain about VAs getting multiple jobs even when they're hired full-time. But if you look closely, you'll notice that a lot of VAs start looking for another job when they're anticipating a big expense. Like, if their child is about to start school, or they're getting married, having a baby, or when they have a major medical expense.    Since I know I'm covered, I really don't need to have another job. I just need to focus on the one I have. I have job security and work-life balance. I could not ask for more.-------------------    We have "Value Care" insurance in the Philippines for our team.    Providing health insurance generally keeps workers happy, and prevents them from needing to have another job to find it. I'm definitely not saying it's something you need to be providing. ;In fact, we didn't do it for more than 10 years while having Filipino specialists working for us.;    I'll have more info tomorrow.    John 
 I hate the word "benefits" when it comes to work related additions.    In the US, most "benefits" serve to tie someone down to a job they don't like. ;    "I can't quit and start out on my own, what about benefits"?   But, from an employers perspective???    Employee benefits is one of the reasons why a lot of Filipinos prefer long-term employment. It makes them work for you and only you. It's the icing on the cake.;    You have a monthly salary and perks?!;Why would I want to do anything else if I had that with just one job?   What benefits can you give to your Filipino workers?;    Potential "Benefits":    1. The benefit that most Filipinos would want (and look forward to) is the 13th month. https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/13th-month-pay-practical-advice.;    If you're new to outsourcing and you feel like you don't have enough to give a lot of employee perks, this is the easiest option. It's only given out once a year and only costs an extra month's salary.This is the only one that you SHOULD be paying. ;Plan for it.;    The rest of these are optional (I mean...everything is optional...)    2. Social Security System (SSS) - this is the Philippines version of social security. That's where Filipinos can draw their pension once we've completed 10 years of payments. This is also where they can get unemployment, disability, maternity and retirement benefits. <$50/month.    3. Pag-Ibig Fund (Home Development Mutual Fund) ;- It's an investment and savings fund owned and controlled by the government to help Filipinos buy their own homes. Even if they don't plan to buy a home, they contribute to it because it also offers a lot of loan programs and benefits. <$10/month.    4. Philhealth - it's their form of socialized medicine. They're all pretty much required to pay into it, one way or another. It's not much but it does help reduce medical bills and is recognized by all Philippines hospitals. <$10/month.    5. HMO - Private health insurance - This is trickier than the others...but most of the work is done by your OFS. Unless you have an official business set up in the Philippines (almost nobody does...including us!), your OFS will need to sign up for this on their own. ;You can either pre-pay them for their monthly payment or reimburse them for the monthly payment (they'll prefer the pre-payment). Either way, you should require a receipt as proof of payment.A decent HMO plan in the Philippines is a "Private Room" plan with top hospitals and will cost between $400-550 per member per year. <$50/month.    Here are 10 providers you can tell your OFS to look into if you want to do this:1. ;Medicard - https://www.medicardphils.com/;2. ;Maxicare - https://www.maxicare.com.ph/3. ;Intellicare - https://www.intellicare.net.ph/4. ;ValueCare - https://www.valucarehealth.com/5. ;Pacific Cross - https://www.pacificcross.com.ph/#home6. ;EastWest health Care - http://eastwest-healthcare.com/7. ;Insular health care - https://shop.insularhealthcare.com.ph/8. ;Caritas health - https://www.caritashealthshield.com.ph/9. ;PhilCrae - https://www.philcare.com.ph/10. Avega - https://www.avega.com.ph/    We used ValueCare.    Here's a lot more detail:https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/how-to-compute-for-filipino-va-benefits    Look...none of this is required. ;You SHOULD pay the 13th month.We paid that from the beginning.    Here's the approximate timeline for when we started paying for these:1. 13th month - right from the start2. SSS/PhilHealth - I started adding to their salary in the 2nd year of having OFS work for me (2006). It was just a salary increase one time. From there we never dealt with it again.;If I had to give advice for when to pay this, pay it when your OFS is contributing more to your business than you're paying them.3. Pag-Ibig is so small I never worried about it, but we've helped people with loans quite a few times over the years.4. HMO - We didn't start this until about 2014. Our team was asking for it. Now we provide it to everyone who joins our team.;    If you have questions, just reply.    John    PS. Sledding with my 9yr old girl who is gutsy and giggles loudly the entire time is so fun!     
 My kids laughed at me.    Are you serious?   "$5???"    Ok, fine, you're right. ;No incentive for getting your chores done. You're a part of this house and we expect you to get them done.   That's how our chore conversation went. ;The incentive didn't work. ;The punishment didn't work.;    In the end, it just came down to duty and responsibility.    I get this email regularly:    "Hey John, I want to hire an OFS and have a set of bonuses and incentives for them rather than just paying a salary.;    Thoughts?"    DON'T DO IT!    My kids just laughed at the incentive up front.;The incentive didn't help.    With an OFS, it often makes things worse.    What I've seen is that the OFS starts to worry that if they don't hit the targets that they're going to get demoted or they're going to let the employer down.    Julia, my OF Content Specialist says:-------------This is understandable because this is what happens around most sales/quota/target oriented jobs in the Philippines.    This is especially prevalent in the BPO industry. If you have an underperforming team (you're not hitting the desired metrics consistently), you'll get penalized. The most common penalty is you'll be given the shift that no one wants (no incentives, high volume of irate calls). Each mistake counts as a strike and the strikes are cumulative. Do it often enough the team manager or team members do get demoted or fired. There's a culture in BPOs where you have to hit the metrics at all costs. So the employees take fewer risks. They're less likely to think critically or be creative because they're worried that if they deviate from the script, it can affect their targets.    That's why we have a lot of online workers from the BPO industry. The stress of shift work PLUS the pressure to hit targets (or else) gets to them. That's why Jam got hypertension which eventually encouraged him to stop working for BPOs.    When you work in sales, as soon as you hit your target they'll increase your target for the next sales cycle. At first, you're motivated because the incentives are also bigger. But once you fail to hit that higher target, you'll be demoted. So it makes more sense to just stick to the bare minimum. Because when you go above and beyond, you're penalized as soon as you make a mistake.    Doesn't matter if you did an excellent job prior to not hitting your current targets. The quality of the work doesn't matter. This standard in the Philippine corporate culture is the reason why a lot of VAs are afraid to take risks.;    But back when I still had a corporate job, I also experienced something that actually encouraged the employees to do better.    In the company I worked for before I started working online, we did indexing and analyzing scientific and academic journals for Elsevier. We had a daily quota of covering 40 journals per day. We always hit that quota and always managed to exceed that quota. There were even days where we ran out of things to do. We were able to do this because:    1. After the training period, we gave newbies time to gradually hit the target. We all started with 10 journals per day for a week. Then 15, 20, so on and so forth.2. Once we hit the target, that's when we're shown the incentive ladder. It shows us how much more we can get if we hit 45, 50, 60, etc. We're not forced to exceed the targets. But it really encouraged us to go beyond our 40 limit because we knew that 40 is something we can easily achieve in a day.3. The 40 target is easy enough to hit on a regular basis. But on the rare occasion that we didn't hit the target (we had to index a full book instead of a journal or we ran out of things to do) we're not penalized for those days. We can make up for it the following day and have our excess work cover and shortages in the previous days.4. We had flexible hours. The company allowed us to work when we were most productive. The business I worked for can afford to do this because we did have a department that had round the clock operations. So allowing people to set their own hours made sense. In my case, I knew I was most productive in the mornings. I would start working at 6am and I would hit my target before noon. Any work I did after lunch was in excess.;-------------    What I recommend is to give them unannounced bonuses. ;Add $25-$50 to their salary and say "Thank you for doing great work."    John    PS. I talk about this and so many more things in The Outsourcing Lever 
 As we summited the peak for the 2nd time today I looked south and saw thick clouds rolling in.    I turned to the north and a pit formed in my stomach.;    Clouds converging from all sides.    Slowly, but thick.;    Visibility was about to become zero. Not a good thing when you're skiing in unfamiliar territory.    I said to Addie    We need to hurry and transition to ski mode and get down.   When we got to the bottom of the run, I looked, and miraculously winds had shifted and the clouds were receding. ;In a matter of 5 minutes!    We turned around and climbed the mountain the 3rd time. ;It was beautiful!    What do you do when clouds appear to be converging around your relationship with your OFS?    Miya J asked me this week:"Our VA we hired has not been working on any if the tasks I’ve asked her to complete this week. She also has not replied to any of my emails or text messages, despite the fact that I see she’s been online every day this week. My first course of action is to do a formal warning... but curious if there is a particular protocol that you recommend? We liked her in the beginning but I think now she’s not really being efficient. I’m thinking it’s time to replace her."    Yes, I have a protocol.    First, try to solve the problem. Ask them"I've noticed your productivity has dropped;[or You're not showing up to work][or Your attention to detail has gone downhill]I have a feeling you're stuck on something. ;What are you stuck on? ;What's going on with your work? What can I do to make this easier for you?"    Second, try to work it out with them.Think about this...    It's hard to find a job in the Philippines.When they get a stable job (consistent, not project work, preferably not being paid hourly), they want to keep it.They don't want to jeopardize their employment.    Most often, it's not that they don't want the job.;They're not lazy.    Most often, something is going on with them.    They don't understand something.Their sister died and they need some time.Their computer isn't working right.They're worried you're not going to be happy with their work.Your instructions aren't clear to them.    Try to figure it out. ;It's easier than firing them and finding someone else.    Third, If they don't respond, or don't offer something which allows you to work it out, then is the time to let them go and find someone else.;    John    PS. When we got to the car after the third run, I looked back up and the clouds were converging again. ;Now I felt safe enough to take a photo.     
 People are always surprised to hear that I work 17 hours/week.;    They're even more surprised to hear I've done it since about 2007.;    It seems impossible.;    I mean, everyone has read the 4HWW.    But...nobody seems to know anyone actually living it.    Do you?    Why not? ;    Why don't people accomplish this goal of having time freedom?    Because, I'm telling you it's real. It's possible. ;I've done it.    Here comes my 2nd secret.    You already know my first:    OFS    The second?    NO.    That's it.    The problem with No is that we live in a culture of more.More house.More cars.More consuming.More debt.More photos.More divisiveness.More opinion.More "friends".More, More, More.    Are FB and Insta pushing this culture of more? ;Yes.So is TV.All advertising is geared towards more.    To all of it I say NO.    And that's the secret.    When another business opportunity comes.;NO."Can we connect on the phone this week?"NO."Dad, buy a Tesla."NO.FB, Insta.NO."Dude, you should totally join Clubhouse"NO."We should do THIS!!!"NO.    I say NO to everything.;    Here's the question I ask before we take on any work project:"Who has to do the work on this? ;Is it me? Or is it someone else?"And then"Who is ultimately going to make this work?"If either of those fall on me, I say no. ;It adds more time.    Now, I'm not saying I don't have cars or house or work projects or ...    But I say no to more.;    More projects.More websites.More clients.More hours.More hobbies.More partners (or partnerships).More fast growth.More money.    NO!    Time is precious.    More takes time.;    Obviously I don't say no to everything. ;You can't. ;But generally I say no to things that are going to take my time.;    John    PS. There are some things I feel more is good.RelationshipsGodFamily timeKidsBikes (ok...ok...this one is a problem)     
 This isn't the best content we've ever written, but it's beautifully written.    My OFS Julia is amazing.      In the almost 10 years I have worked for John, we've pretty much survived all the possible natural and man-made disasters outside of Chernobyl together.     Typhoons ;Flooding ;Earthquakes ;Government coups ;Volcanic eruptions ;Medical emergencies ;Rolling blackouts ;Internet outages ;A worldwide pandemic    We're just one check mark away from winning Apocalypse bingo.    Through all that, I have never experienced a time when none of us were working. There was never a time when the entire Philippine team was out.    One reason we've been able to manage through disasters is even though we're all in the Philippines, we're not all in the same place. We're spread all over the Philippines. If Metro Manila was affected, John's other VAs from the Visayas and Mindanao can pick up the slack.;    Another reason we've been able to manage is because of training. We've been trained to do a variety of tasks but we focus on the jobs we do best. We're aware of all the ongoing projects even if we're not working on all of them. Since we communicate regularly over Basecamp and Slack, we know where all the necessary files and information are stored. If one of us can't work, we can just jump in and take over if needed.    And as much as possible, there's always a back-up VA for every job. Here at Onlinejobs.ph, we have contingencies for our customer service team. There's always going to be somebody online to respond to emails.    Also, over the years we've also developed a communication channel to reach out to each other. Mobile cellular networks are more reliable than our internet connection. We know each other's cell phone numbers. So if we can't contact them online, we can always text or call them if needed.    Last but not the least, we always back up our work. John has access to everything and he can share access if another VA needs to take over. Projects may slow down a bit because of the transition but we always manage to get things done.      team spread outtrainingcommunicationbackups    Thoughts?    I'm interested in hearing your contingency plan with your team.;I can improve.    John 
 My daughter just got braces        Braces suck!!!    They're painful, eating hurts, gums hurt, they look and feel awkward.    Now, instead of every 6 months, you have to go to the dentist every month!What could be worse?    Even worse, it's like everyone is staring at you all the time.    That's kind-of like time tracking.    Jairo R writes:"How do I clock or keep track of my assistant´s working time. I have had some difficulties knowing which apps would make a good tool to register this info and keep a close watch on your money at the end of every week."    Before I tell you why you shouldn't do it, let me answer the question.    1. TimeProof is free at OnlineJobs.ph. ;It tracks working time. It takes screenshots so you can verify. ;It uploads to your OnlineJobs.ph account. ;You don't have to have a subscription for this, it works with the free account.;    2. I think Hubstaff is probably the best time tracker out there. ;I don't really know because I haven't used it. It's the most popular.    I don't use time tracking with my team.    1. Filipino workers don't like it.I mean, who would???    2. It builds distrust.;If your employer was forcing you to track every second of your time and taking screenshots, how would you feel? ;Would you have good feelings towards your employer?Would you trust them?    Probably not.    3. It's pretty reasonable to figure out if someone is working or not. After you've worked together for a few weeks you have a really good idea of how productive they should be. You know if they're working or not.;    This is another reason I don't pay hourly wages. ;I pay a salary. ;It's one less thing to worry about.    If they're working 34 or 40 hours/week, does it really matter?;The real question is, are they productive for you?;Is it working out? ;Are they contributing more value to your business than you're paying them?    If not, maybe it's time to make some changes.;    I tried using time tracking in my business.;    I didn't like it.My team hated it.    You're more than welcome to use TimeProof (or HubStaff).There's just a better way based on trust and productivity and daily reporting.    John 
 Meeting my team in the Philippines was amazing.;    It only happened once, in 2010.I took my family to the Philippines on vacation for a month with the intent of meeting my team while I was there.;    If you get a chance to meet the people who work for you, do it. ;    I always feel like I should go back and meet with my current team (about 6 times larger than it was then)...but I'm such a home body. The thought of being away from my wife and kids for 2 weeks...yuck.    In 2010, Joven was one of those I met. ;He was the first OFS I ever hired. ;Actually, at the time he was a VA. ;An assistant. ;He didn't know much.    Today, I'd trust him with my life. ;Actually...I did once. ;But that story is for another time.;    Today is about Joven.Joven life is different.;He's a stay at home dad.;He raises his kid, does the chores, laundry, dishes.He takes his kid to school and "teaches him good manners."    The best part?    He can watch his baby grow.;    A couple years after meeting him I hired a videographer to film Joven and tell a story.We wanted it for marketing purposes in the Philippines. ;I had no idea how personal it would become.        If you want some insight into the life of your Online Filipino Specialist, watch this video.    Maybe you should ask your people what hobbies they have. How they care for their kids (if they have kids). What chores they do...    John    PS. I'm looking for different perspectives on data security. How do you handle data security with your OFS team? ;How do you handle passwords? What about sensitive info they have on their computers?Respond and let me know. ;I'm likely to feature you. You might also get a link to your website from mine. 
 Some of you think I never work.    You think I only ski and ride my bike and occasionally write an email.    I do all of those things...I just do them in equal amounts to how much I work.    Here's proof.        It's just that when I work I'm ultra efficient.;    I delegate everything.I purposefully won't touch any moving parts.Even if I can do it myself faster, I never do. ;I always assign it to someone else.;    When I started with VAs (I didn't start with specialists) I only had 1.Then I needed someone else.Then 3.Over time I built a team.    Cyrill asked me recently:Could you talk and explain a bit how do you manage a team of more than 20 VAs? How much time should you spend with each VA at that stage? How do you put structure and systems in your virtual organization? How do you build an efficient reporting structure so that you don't have to spend hours with everybody but you still have a system in place to detect quickly if there are any problems or the work stops?    Here are my thoughts on managing a large team of Online Filipino Specialists.        John    PS. What tips do you have for managing a large team? Reply and let me know. 
 My Content Specialist, Julia, sent this to me:    The whole world has fallen in love with K-pop groups like BTS and BlackPink. But you know what other Korean cultural export that we Filipinos love and highly recommend to our bosses overseas? Korean TV shows.    We have been watching Korean TV shows and we have been hooked since the early 2000s. ;We still enjoy Filipino and American TV shows but there's something about Korean TV that's just so good.    One reason why Korean shows have mass appeal is because most of them are G rated (thanks to Korea's strict censorship board). You can watch with the whole family AND not worry about graphic scenes.    They also put a lot of thought into their choice of music. If you're looking to get into KPop but you don't want to go for the mainstream groups, the official soundtracks of most Korean TV shows are great sources.    And the stories are so creative and unexpected. They have storylines I haven't seen anywhere else.;    The portal between life and death as a hotel? That's a K-Drama Hotel De Luna.;You prefer a pop-up restaurant? That's Mystic Pop-up Bar.;Ancient Zombies in medieval Korea? That's The Kingdom.A game developer with super powers moonlighting as a bodyguard? That's Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.;They also have "realistic" dramas and comedies where everyone is gorgeous and wearing designer clothes (What's Wrong With Secretary Kim).;    Yes, some of them can be completely ridiculous but they're so good at world building you just can't help but be drawn into these make believe worlds.;    And the plotlines are often unpredictable. ;Sure, they drop clues in each episode. But KDramas have this amazing ability to merge their subplots into the main plot in the last 2 - 3 episodes of the show. The pieces just drop into place the more episodes you watch.    Last but not the least, most Korean shows are structured more like mini-series. The series is done in 12-20 episodes of an hour each. Shows rarely have a second season unless the story was actually long and epic (which happens with historical dramas). So there are no bad seasons. No boring episodes. No need to lose weeks of your life just to catch up. You can binge watch an entire show in one weekend. Then start a completely new series next weekend.    Julia 
 The worst advice I ever heard?    "Fake it till you make it."    Why? ;    You'll never make it if you're faking it.    If you're faking it, you're deceiving people.;    The best business advice I ever got?    Add value.    Look at what you're doing and think:    Am I honestly adding value to people?    If you are, you're on a good track. ;    If you're not, you might be making money, but it will be short-term, and eventually people find out and things come crashing down around you.    I've never done the "fake it till you make it" thing. ;I don't like fake.    But I have done business without adding value. ;    It didn't last.    John Lee Dumas (host of Entrepreneurs on Fire) says:"Become a person of value"    I dug in more in this 15 minute interview with him where we talk about;- adding value- consistency    2 keys to succeeding in online business.        His book is excellent    John 
 "How do I know if I can trust them?" <-- the #1 question I get asked    "How do I trust them with sensitive information" <-- The #4 question I get asked    Last week at the end of an email I asked how other people handle sensitive data.Everyone responded about passwords.I got the same answer over and over again:    Lastpass and Google drive    Lastpass stores your passwords and lets you share them securely with others, where they don't actually get your password. You can easily revoke access laster if you need to.    Thanks Jay, Chris D, Shirley T    Hanna said:"I use Google Drive to manage my staff. It allows me to share login credentials securely and I can manage who see can see what document or folder.    I can then remove the staff member when they no longer need access easily. I also track what they have access to so I can modify passwords at the root source if required.    This is the only thing I have been able to make work so far. I have had to change staff and been effective in removing access and changing passwords (if required) without any issues to date."    Kase said:"My current assistants have been with my long enough that I trust them with my personal passwords, quickbook access, and sometimes even banking info. I'd trust them with my children. No hesitation with sharing protected systems and financials with our most valuable employees."    When everyone is doing the same thing usually I say "do something different".   In this case, I've used Lastpass for about 15 years.  It's wonderful.    The one answer I got that was different than Lastpass or Google drive for passwords was about Dashlane. Jamie B says:    “I’ve hired 5/6 staff members through Onlinejobs.ph over the last 3 years and I’ve been using a premium version of Dashlane for password protection. I have all the passwords on my main account and then simply share this with my teams own Dashlane account. It means that I can securely share passwords. Dashlane also has a built in VPN if staff can’t access websites due to their location.     My staff don’t keep documents on their computers, all worksheets are on Google sheets and so I can revoke access if required.”    I know some of you wanted a better "data security" answer here. I don't have one.  I've never dealt with HIPPA laws or financial industry scrutiny.    But Thursday I'll tell you what my Online Filipino Content Specialist has to say about it.    John 
 Julia, my OFCS (Online Filipino Content Specialist):    As I was checking John's emails for him, I see a lot of questions like:    "How can you trust your VA with personal information?""How can you trust your VA with financial information?""How can you trust your VA with your client information?"    As someone who has access to all three, I want to give you my perspective on it, as John's assistant. I want to explain why there's this level of trust between us. Why I don't feel the need to take all that information and use it for nefarious purposes.    Mostly I think it's because I'm a good person. I don't do it because I know it's bad. And karma is real.    John trusts us, his VAs, because we both had to work on that trust on both sides. In my case, he didn't give me access to everything when I first started out. I was hired as a writer. So what I had access to was limited to what I needed to get the job done. As John gave me more responsibilities, he gave me more access. I had to prove myself to be trustworthy to get that trust. And maintaining that trust (where I get to keep my job with benefits, bonuses and yearly raise) is worth so more than a one time big payday and the loss of my reputation.    And speaking of karma, when we do get reports of Filipinos scamming clients, they're banned not just on Onlinejobs.ph. They'll be banned everywhere. What most people don't know is that we Filipino workers talk to each other. A Filipino worker who scams will get banned in our communities and smaller platforms.;    We don't want these people because they hurt our reputation. We Filipinos have worked so hard over the decades to be known for more than doing domestic work. We've worked so hard over the years to be treated with respect. So these scammers, they might get away with it once. But we're watching…;    Now that you've seen their perspective, here's what I've seen over the years.    Generally, the Philippines is a very compliant culture.;    They're obedient.The law is serious to them.They don't want to commit a crime.Punishment is serious in the Philippines.    They're also very proud of being from the Philippines. ;Their reputation is important. ;When they find someone harming their reputation, they're not happy about it.    My opinion:You're more likely to have data security problems with someone in your office than you are with your OFS.    John 
 I knew I had covid within an hour of the symptoms coming on. ;    No idea where I got it.    But the immediate fever and chills were obvious.    I don't get sick very often. ;I haven't had a fever in years.I live a pretty healthy life.    So of course I expected the fever to go away on day 2 when it broke in the middle of the night.    What I didn't expect was for that to repeat itself 11 times.    It just kept breaking and returning.    12 days of terrible.;        I sweat through my clothes every night and lay on the couch all day every day.Fever.Chills.Pain.Headache.Weird smells.    The worst part?    No, it's not that I couldn't work. I didn't mind that. ;My OFS team is so reliable I knew things were still getting taken care of. ;I didn't check my email for 9 days.    The worst part was not being able to go outside.    My body craves snow. It fills my soul.    So when it snowed and I'm laying on the couch it was so painful.;Painful enough that I endured the chills and went out with a big puffy on and stood looking up letting the snow hit my face.    Oh, I paid for it...but snow!    Today I'm feeling better.;Still super tired...but sitting in front of the computer doesn't take much.;    Fortunately Julia sent me this today:---------------When John announced that he had Covid, we (his Filipino team) were concerned. We know how scary Covid could be. And here in the Philippines, the number of Covid cases are still rising. We have the vaccine but it's limited to our frontliners. And we were worried for John's family because we know he still has little kids. It's hard to be a parent when you're really sick.    So, what do we do to make things easier for John? We just keep working. Which isn't really different from what we're already doing. We don't need John's input for most of our tasks. The only difference is that we limit the number of emails we send so John won't be overwhelmed when he opens his inbox.    I'm not just saying this to flex on how awesome we are. I have friends who are also Filipino VAs who encountered the same thing. Their boss told them they got Covid. Asked for help because they needed to focus on recovery. The virtual assistants just kept on working. The boss didn't have to worry about a thing.;    I hope John and his entire family gets well soon. And I hope we all get vaccinated soon so we don't have to worry about this pandemic anymore.-----------------    My wife had it with me. ;Hers only lasted 9 days.    Stay safe.    John 
 My favorite movie of all time is Home Alone.    I know...    I was in 7th grade and saw it in the theatre. I remember my stomach hurting from laughing so hard. ;The pain was so bad I didn't know what to do, but I also couldn't stop laughing. ;    As an adult, it's not as funny, but there are so many great one liners I still see it every year and quote it all the time. ;Here goes...    If you get a chance to meet your OFS, do it. ;For 3 reasons:    A. You'll fall in love with them.;    2. You'll get even better work done by them and you'll strengthen your relationship with them.    D. The Philippines is a great place. I've been a lot of places, and the Philippines is the one I really long to go back to. ;The people are just so good.    Travis met his Online Filipino Specialist in 2019. He filmed it.         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldJ5npY9Srs     I'm not saying you need to travel to the Philippines. ;I've only done it once (in 2010). But if you get the chance...    John     
 Over the years I've used a lot of different ways to pay my OFS team.    I started with Xoom.com. Then they freaked out and started telling people they couldn't use Xoom for business transactions. ;I can't even tell you how many people I know got stranded because they relied on Xoom. ;Never again!    I've used Paypal. It's slow and fees are high. If you're paying someone one time, fine, but for long-term use, everyone involved is getting ripped off (except for Paypal).    I used Western Union for a while. ;It was surprisingly good. Fast, low fees. Just...more complicated than I wanted.    moneygram.com was fine.;Transferwise...about the same.    When we started building EasyPay the goal was to take all the things we liked about each different payment system and create the one we wanted to use. ;    And that's what we did.    Super fast transfers (this matters in the Philippines)Highest exchange rate (nobody likes exchange rate profit)Easy to use.    EasyPay is a partnership with Payoneer.com. ;    Because we had such high volume, we were able to push them on a couple points.    Let me explain:    1. With EasyPay, there are no fees. Payoneer usually charges a 1% fee, but not when you use EasyPay to pay.    2. They use the actual mid-market exchange rate.;    3. The only "fee" with EasyPay is when the payment gets withdrawn to the bank account. Payoneer adds a 2% fee. This is their exchange rate fee. Most (including Paypal) charge a 5% - 7% fee here.    4. The initial transfer will take 5-7 days. ;After that transfers happen in 24 hours. This was another push we made with them. They've done a great job fulfilling.    5. We don't add any fees or take a cut.    6. It's built-in to your OnlineJobs.ph account. It doesn't require a subscription. You can always use it with your free account.    Sending money with USD, GBP, and EUR is super simple with EasyPay.;It goes straight into your OFS bank account. It's easy for them.    Now if we can just get Payoneer to add AUD...we're working on it.    John     
 Every once in a while something happens that changes your perspective.    It gives you insight into something unexpected and it changes your behavior moving forward.    Covid was that way for me.    12 days of sick after years of not being sick.    I missed the mountains. ;My skis. My bike.;I gained some empathy for people who are sick.    Tuesdays email about the best way to pay was another one of those perspective changes.    I got a bunch of emails of people wanting more.    Here are 8 payment tips.    1. Never pre-pay. If someone new asks you to pre-pay, it's likely a scam.;Always pay after the pay period. After someone has worked for me for 6 months or so, I'll be more lenient with this.    2. I pay monthly or bi-monthly. When you get started, you should probably pay weekly for the first 2 months. Filipinos are really scared of doing a bunch of work and not getting paid. ;At first, they don't trust you. ;Paying weekly is a good way to gain their trust. ;After a couple months, it's ok to go to bi-weekly or monthly payments.    3. I pay a fixed salary. ;Every person on my team knows exactly how much they're going to get paid every month. ;It's a lot easier to budget and plan when you know.;    4. Hourly pay is almost always equated with part-time work. If they're working hourly for you, they're probably looking for salaried work somewhere else.;    5. I don't pay based off of tracked time. It's a bad idea.    6. I don't track people's time. I expect them to do good work. ;If they're not, I can almost always tell. ;Usually an exploratory email about low work performance lets me solve any problems that arise.    7. I pay the 13th month at the end of the year.    8. I pay with EasyPay    John 
 I have mercury poisoning.    Oh, I'm doing a lot better right now than I was.    When I was first tested I was in the 99th percentile of people who get tested (yeah, the 99th percentile of people who think they have mercury poisoning.    It was bad.    I couldn't remember anything.    "Hey, remember when we went here and did X"No."Have you seen X movie?"I don't know."Dad, remember when Lila said "blah blah blah""No.    It got so bad that it was normal for me to walk to the other room to do something and by the time I got there I had no idea why I was there. ;In order to accomplish anything, I had to repeat my task in my mind the entire way there...and even that was a struggle.    As soon as I figured it out I was able to start taking care of it.;    I had all my silver fillings removed (I had 5) and I stopped eating tuna (I was eating a lot because fish is "healthy").    Today I'd say I'm about 95% better, but sometimes I still need reminders.    Like, a reminder about how to onboard a new Online Filipino Specialist.    Here are my 4 things when onboarding:    1. Tell them they're hired2. Finalize the terms...in writing3. Set daily reporting expectations4. The first task. Create the expectation that they'll come to you when they have a problem.         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hykHlkl-BOQ     Of these, creating the expectation that they'll come to you when they have a problem is the most important. You still have to do things to gain their trust (or else they won't come to you), but it's the beginning.    John 
 My first grader is obsessed with wall ball.    "Wall ball" is a game involving throwing a ball against a wall with a bunch of kids and making up all kinds of silly rules to get people "out". ;    He walks around with a "wall ball" (racquetball) all the time.He throws it against the walls in our house.;He throws it at people."Dad, come play wall ball"    How was school today?   "So good. ;No wall balls got roofed!"    Getting roofed is the worst thing ever for a first grader.    If someone throws the ball onto the roof (which I guess happens almost every day), the ball is gone. ;Poof. ;Done. You're not getting it back until next Wednesday when the Janitor goes up onto the roof and throws all the balls down. ;But then...someone else is probably going to get your ball.    One day he came home crying because his ball got roofed.Stranded. ;No ball.;    This week is Holy Week in the Philippines. ;I don't want you to get roofed.    You should expect that your OFS are going to take at least Friday - Sunday off. ;Maybe more.;    This gets long, but here's Julias telling of what goes on during Holy Week in the Philippines.    ---------    What do Filipinos do during the Holy Week    The next long holiday in the Philippines you have to watch out for is Holy Week. This year, the start of the regular holiday and observance of Holy Week traditions will start on Maundy Thursday (April 1) up until Easter Sunday (April 4).    Yes, some of us do go on vacation during this time. But like any other Catholic country, Holy Week is a somber and serious affair. It's also steeped in tradition that dates back to when we were colonized by the Spaniards back in the 1500's. That's why even though it's considered a holiday, for some of us it's actually going to be a busy week starting with:    1. Palm Sunday Mass. On Palm Sunday, we go to mass and bring woven palm fronds or "palaspas" for the priest to bless. It's believed that these blessed palm fronds would protect our homes from evil spirits. ;Next year, the palaspas would be burned and that's what we use for Ash Wednesday.    2. Fasting and Abstinence. One way to show your devotion is to sacrifice. That's why most abstain from meat during Holy Week. But if giving up meat isn't possible, we also abstain from other things that give us pleasure like TV or social media.;    3. ;Pabasa ng Pasyon ;(Reading of the Passion). Some parishes and homes have a "pabasa" which involves the round the clock reading of "Pasyong Mahal", an epic 16th-century poem narrating the life and death of Jesus.;    4. The 13 Stations of the Cross. The 13 Stations are basically prayers that commemorate the passion of Jesus Christ as he walked to his death. But instead of just praying in one place, we walk to different stations, as though we're following the crucifixion as it happens. And depending on where you're celebrating Holy Week, that walk could be a simple stroll around the church or a serious hike that would take you to different parts of your hometown.    5. Visita Iglesia. Another tradition handed to us by the Spaniards. Visiting 7 churches on Maundy Thursday to Good Friday is a way of showing devotion.    6. Washing of the Feet. This is a special Maundy Thursday Mass where the priest and members of the community re-create the washing of the apostles' feet during the Last Supper.        7. Senakulo. The Senakulo is a play that tells the story of Jesus' life and death, usually done in public places like in parks or on the street. In some places, the performers perform self flagellation and crucifixion as a form of penance and sacrifice.    8. Salubong. The Salubong is usually done really early on Easter Sunday. It starts with a play where we reenact Jesus and Mary meeting after His resurrection. The play would involve actors and statues representing Jesus and Mary. After the reenactment, there would be a mass to officially start the Easter celebrations.    --------    It's on my calendar from Thursday - Sunday. ;I won't expect much output.    John     
 Sometimes when you have a bad habit you just need something to snap you out of it.    I tried it today with my daughter.    She has chores, homework, and other responsibilities...    Yet she sat in front of the TV.    We had a little chat.    In the middle of the chat, when I said "TV is never an option" I also clapped my hands ;(quickly yet gently) to both sides of her head and I said "GONG!"    I just wanted to interrupt her pattern of defaulting to TV.I want her to think about something else when that's what she defaults to.    I see so many people who default to tracking their OFS to see if they're working.    To me, it's a lazy habit that should be broken.    There are a few reasons:    1. It's easy to tell if someone is being productive...just look at the output.Has it gone up?Has it gone down?If it has gone down, say something. ;See if there's a reason.    "Hey, I noticed your productivity has gone down. ;Is something wrong?Have I don't something? ;Is something not clear? Is your work hard?Have you found another job?What can I do to help you?"    My experience is that if you notice a drop in productivity, asking them if something is wrong is very effective.    2. Time tracking is based on distrust. ;Not a good way to run a relationship.    3. Imagine it from their perspective...    Here are more details.         https://youtu.be/U0AglNji3nw     Build trust.Let them do their work.Verify by asking if something is wrong if you notice a productivity drop.    John    PS. I've tried using time trackers before.;They hated it. "It feels like Big Brother."I hated it. 
 I have a friend (like a brother) who was born on April fools day.    I'm not a real fan of April fools day, but...    Growing up we thought it was super funny to give him rocks and dirt in a present.    He was never super disappointed, he knew what we were doing.    But by the time he was 8 or so...he didn't want to open our presents anymore.    It took a leap of faith.    Kind of like hiring your first online Filipino specialist (OFS).    It takes a leap of faith.    But NOT like hiring your second OFS.    The second is easy...because you already know.    You know- how well it works- slight cultural differences- what it's like to get work done while you sleep- how it feels to finally get help- how to pay them- what bringing them onboard entails- what kind of work output to expect- how to train them- how to find someone good- ...- ...    The second time is always easier than the first.    Take the leap.    If you've already hired someone, what would (or do) you say to someone who is thinking about it but hasn't done it yet? ;    Reply and let me know.    If you haven't taken the leap yet, why not?    Reply and let me know.    John 
 My kids had a bike race last week.    We have to travel to almost all bike races, so messing up is a big deal.;    We made 4 mistakes:1. I forgot my race day bag. ;Duh!2. We didn't bring any race day nutrition.;3. We forgot chamois cream. It lubricates between your bike seat and your bum. Ouch.4. We didn't bring the bike stand. ;Fortunately we didn't have any bike issues so we didn't need it.    In the end, it all turned out great.    - Addie won the Varsity Girls race.- Bailey took 2nd in the JV Girls race.- Austin was 15th in the Elite Men (Pro) race.    Nate has made 5 big mistakes when hiring online Filipino specialists (he's been doing it since;    1. He hired a freelancer (like Upwork or Fiverr).A much better way is to create systems and hire a long-term person.    2. Paying up front. ;Don't do it. ;If they've worked for you for more than 6 months and you trust them, this can change.    3. Not doing quality control.;His online Filipino specialist (OFS) got lazy (or bored) and started copy/pasting parts of other articles as she wrote his articles. Because she had been doing well Nate also got lazy and he stopped reading any of her articles.;Trust but verify.    4. Hiring Dain.If you're going to hire someone your OFS recommends, you should still interview them. Dain made up a brother and Nate hired him. Dan was double dipping. This wouldn't have happened if Nate had interviewed Dains brother.    5. Waiting 10 years to visit his people.;The team building you'll do will be so fun!        Nate has been a customer of mine since 2008. ;I've watched him grow different businesses from being very small, to doing mid 7 figures/year. ;I've watched him grow his team in the Philippines from 1 VA to 15 OFS.    If you've been putting it off, nows the time. ;    Hire your first OFS today.;    Start here.    John 
 What?;    There's another stray cat hanging around our house?    Are you serious?    No you can't keep it!    She did what? ;She gave it a rotisserie chicken?    And it puked all over the back porch?    No you can't keep it!    DO NOT GIVE IT A NAME!    Get it out of the house right now!    No, you can't keep it!    That thing is still here??? Are you serious?    No, you can't keep it!        This isn't one of my fears, it's the actual conversation between me and my kids over the past few days. ;    And here's one of the actual (slightly condensed because it's really long) conversations with one of my OFS from the past few days.    Is there anything you think we could provide in a background check on OnlineJobs.ph that we're not providing right now?    "Hi sir, Actually I have listed that in my To-Dos."    Great. Let me know your thoughts.    "Hi sir, Here is a draft of my suggestions for the background check pages.[he gave 8 suggestions, some of which work, some don't]I think that's all. Whoo... this email is too long already. :)"    Is there something in the Philippines that exists to see if someone has committed a crime in the past, or is wanted by the police, or has defaulted on a loan?    "All those questions can only be answered by an NBI clearance.The hiring process here in the Philippines does not do a background check. NBI, Police and Barangay clearances are required upon submission of job application."    Could we ask for an NBI clearance from workers?;    "Yes sir. ;Actually, we're already requesting them from workers when we do our address verification on new profiles. We built this in when we built the address verification system.But I don't think we should show these clearances to employers. It could be used to steal other people's identity."    Great. Can you please create tasks in Basecamp for the [suggestions we talked about which make sense to add to the background checks]. Tag me and Dan. Then we can have a discussion and involve the right people to implement.    ----    I often have conversations like this with my OFS. ;I ask for their input. ;We have a discussion. I find sometimes they've thought through things with the business that I hadn't thought through. Other times I have insight they don't have and their suggestions won't work (we had both of these situations in his 8 suggestions).    What I learned here was the NBI clearance basically IS the background check in the Philippines. That and calling references. They don't have companies collecting tons and tons of data on every citizen of the Philippines like we do in the US.;    The background data checks we do on OnlineJobs.ph are very effective at detecting suspicious behavior. ;A lot of ensuring they're legitimate happens during our address and ID verification process. The rest happens during your interview.    This is just one way we try to make hiring safer for you.    John 
 Writes Julia, my online Filipino content specialist:    Summer (more accurately known as the dry and hot season) here in the Philippines usually starts around March and continues up until June or July.    Here's to give you some perspective on how hot it can get here in the Philippines:        That's normal in most areas of the Philippines. In Cagayan Valley, they can reach temperatures as high as 107 degrees. You need to go to a hospital when you get a ;fever that high.;    And I've been to Cagayan Valley during the dry season. It's not fun. It's the kind of heat that gives you sunburn if you stand under the sun for more than 5 minutes. Even when you're in the shade, the air is so dry you can have windburn because of the hot winds.    The dry and hot season is also the time when most power outages usually happen. Mainly due to the increased energy usage from air conditioning. But fans and air conditioning are "must haves", especially for us who work from home.;    Computers expel a lot of heat, especially when working on things like 3D and video rendering. It can't expel that hot air efficiently when working in an already heated room. And when it gets too hot, it can affect the computer's performance. ;    So you can imagine, without air conditioning or fans, it can get really uncomfortable. This is my set up right now. I have the air conditioning on, a fan directed at me (under the table), and another fan directed at my computer (the stand fan).;        If it gets too hot, I may consider working earlier in the morning (5am) or later at night (after 10pm) to escape the heat.    If I get bored with this set up, I can just bring my laptop and my mobile wifi to the nearby beach. The heat's easier to bear and work is more fun when I'm close to the beach.    You might consider asking your OFS what their situation is like. Can you make it more comfortable for them? ;    Julia (and John)    PS. What questions do you have? ;We're looking to answer them. 
 It's spring.Everything is blooming.;Animals are out.Flowers are out.    It's warm (at least…sometimes).    My wife is in heaven. ;She thrives on the warm. ;I thrive on the cold. ;Snow does something magical to my body and soul.    Heat does it to hers.    Right now is my wife's time.;    It feels like everything is coming back to life.;    Unless…it isn't.    I got an email this week from Patricia W. who's OFS sister died.    What do they do?    For starters, Patricia did the right thing and gave her OFS a week off with pay.    Death is hard.;    Dealing with death in the Philippines, when you work for a foreign boss, and you live far away from family, is very uncertain.    Here's their thought process.    Family is super important in the PhilippinesYou live far away from them, because that's where you got your last job (before becoming an OFS)Getting home to be at the funeral entails a 14 hour boat ride and then a 3 hour bus ride. ;That means getting back to your house after the funeral also takes 2 days.The funeral is going to take you 3-5 days to sort-out/help/attend/grieve.That's 7-10 days away from work.You're scared about letting your boss down.You're also scared about losing your job.You just lost a loved one.   It's hard.    Often, it leads to an OFS disappearing. ;They're worried about asking you for 10 days off. ;You might be disappointed.;    But they HAVE to go to the funeral.    Hopefully you've already established trust with them before this happens. It will prevent them from disappearing and hopefully they ask you for the time off.;    Give it to them.    One time this happened with a new recruit of mine. ;She was too afraid to email me. ;She had her sister do it.    "Sir, This is Mayas sister.;Maya is sorry but she can't work for you. ;Our mother died and she must go to the funeral.";    I'm sorry about your loss. I'm willing to wait until she's back. I still want her to work for me.    Silence.    She was new. ;She didn't trust me. We didn't have a relationship yet.    At least…this is what I think happened.    The second thing you might do is send some money.    $25 - $200. ;Just say you're thinking of them and hope this helps with funeral expenses.    Not required. ;Just nice.;    Let them know you care. ;    Their work may not be perfect for a while.Let them have time to grieve. ;    They'll come back from it. If you've treated them well, they'll come back a rock star.    John 
 Sunday dinner is a big thing at our house.    Has been since I got married.    My wife's family all lives close.;We get together for family dinner almost every Sunday.    It's great.    We talk.We play games.We ignore the kids.The kids run wild.We share food responsibilities.We laugh.We clean up together.    Every week my 7 yr old comes to me to ask for dessert.    Did you eat your dinner?   "ummm...not all of it"    Ok, let's go eat your dinner.   But this week was different.    Did you eat your dinner?   "Yes!"    Where is it?   "In my belly!"    Wheres your plate?   "In the trash."    Ok, you can have dessert...   ...but then I spotted it.;    His plate was on a different table. ;I recognized it because it had the single green bean and single zucchini on it that I put there originally.    He lied to me!    Trust...    It can be an issue with kids...    And the first time you hire an online Filipino specialist.    But not the second time...    Why?    I recently got an email from Katie Thies. She's a copywriter and was hiring her second OFS. She's good with words.    She had asked about using TimeProof because she was used to tracking workers from Upwork. Then she realized...    ---"I had been sold by past mentors on the whole Upwork big brother time tracking feature as a selling point, but...    I used to freelance on Upwork. I should have known better. That time tracking BS is insulting.    I’m guessing most of your customers may be hiring their first ever freelancer...    So “trust” feels like a big deal. Passwords, hours worked, and ...what if they read my personal emails???    OH MY!    …Until you’ve hired your first couple freelancers. And you realize you had hyped up something in your head that didn’t matter.    I remember when I hired my first Filipino VA (on Upwork, unfortunately) and I was tracking her time, the difficulty I had was actually getting her to track all her hours.    Yes: convincing her to get paid for the hours she had worked.    My (American) mind nearly exploded.    She kept making mistakes (reasonable) and then to make up for it she would try to work free hours (devastating). I kept begging her to track those hours, and she wouldn’t. So I had to give her a bonus for that extra time so she got paid.    From my experience as a copywriter (I’m so used to using words to get people to do what I want), my thought is that stories like that might help some folks...    Because what they don’t know yet is that: Filipino workers aren’t just cheaper. They’re actually better, too. They’re more reliable, hard-working, and loyal.    Time tracking is the wrong way to get productivity from people.-----    John    PS. I talk through time tracking, and TONS of other better ways to outsource in my book The Outsourcing Lever 
 Every year in February/March we get a warm spell.    My wife always tells me "How about you put your pants away and pull out your shorts?    Because I know better. ;It's going to get cold again.   Every year during that warm week all the people with Jeeps take the tops off their cars, only to complain a week later "Can you believe it's cold again!"    Yes, it's going to get cold again.   After skiing today we went into a restaurant. ;    "You skied today?!?!"    Yes, there's still lots of snow in the mountains.;   And yes, it's going to get cold again.    Every year it repeats itself. ;    It's kind-of like the repetitive question I get from people:    "Are there actually talented people in the Philippines?"    Yes, there are talented people.   "I mean, like, can I really find someone good?"    Yes, there are really talented people.   "I don't think the talent is actually legit, is it?"    Yes, there are legit talented people.   If you haven't hired someone yet because you're worried you're not going to find someone talented, consider this.;    You've probably seen a video I created.;I filmed it and uploaded it.    Someone in the Philippines- edited it- uploaded it- transcribed it- created sub-titles for it- posted it on youtube- wrote the description for it- wrote the blog post for it- wrote the social media post for it- posted it on social media- created a PPC ad for it- set up and ran a PPC campaign for it- added it to our list of videos to promote- added links to it from other blog posts of ours    The list goes on and on.;The detail gets deeper.;The talent gets better.    Yes, there are really, actually, legit talented people in the Philippines.    Hire one of them. ;An Online Filipino Specialist.    John    PS. If you want my help to walk you through the process, head over to www.OneVAAway.com 
 My son butt dialed me today.    A butt dial!!!    Who knew that was still a thing in 2021.     Don't we all have passwords on our phones?    Apparently his is glitching.  While he rides his bike with his phone in his sweaty jersey pocket, I guess it unlocks and makes phone calls.     Ugh...technology issues we have to deal with.     At least the internet is really good.  Reliable.  Fast.    Unlike sometimes in the Philippines.    I hired my first OFS (actually, he was more of a VA, he wasn't a specialist at anything) in 2005.  Internet in the Philippines was like 256k still.     Really slow.    Things have changed a lot.  Internet is much faster there.     More reliable.    More options.    Here's generally how it works (from Julia, my online Filipino content specialist)    -------------------------------    *Information below updated as of December 2022 In the Philippines, we have three types of internet connection. - Fiber ( Includes VDSL, FTTH, Cable Broadband)- Direct Service Line (DSL – currently being phased out by Fiber)  - Wireless broadband. (Using mobile networks 3G, 4G, and 5G)When working from home, land-based connections like Fiber and DSL are preferable. They’re more stable, faster, and provide more value.Unfortunately, the Fiber and DSL connection for some areas is limited. In our neighborhood, for example, we had a limited number of Fiber connections allocated for our area. You have to apply early if you want to get one. The rest have to settle for wireless internet.Or they’d have to wait for someone to end/cancel their subscription. Or wait for more lines to be made available.But since the pandemic, more Fiber lines have been built all over the country. It is somewhat easier to get a land-based connection now, but it still depends on where you live. It’s easier if you live in the major metropolitan areas and harder in the provinces. For those who can’t get DSL or Fiber internet, wireless broadband is available everywhere as long as there’s a cellular connection. Most of us use wireless internet as our backup internet when the land-based network is down. We can buy this anywhere, from convenience stores to malls.You have the option of - getting a data-only SIM card and using your phone as a router or - get a wireless internet router like this one for a stronger signal.Wireless internet is not good enough for some online work, though. In my experience, while download speeds are faster now (up to 50mbps), the upload speeds are much to be desired. It’s also not as stable or as reliable as Fiber. A strong enough storm is enough to slow down most wireless internet connections. You can feel the connection slowing down when a lot of users are on the network at the same time. But despite these disadvantages, wireless internet is a popular option because we can easily get prepaid plans. The lowest offering is 5GB of data for three days at $1. For $4, you can get up to 30GB of data for one week. Other packages offer higher data allowances, longer package expiration, or special packages depending on the apps used. PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company)PLDT is the Philippines’ first telecommunications company. A lot of our internet infrastructure uses the phone network established by this company. That’s why a lot of their plans come bundled with a landline. These are their basic plans. The cheapest plan here (25Mbps) is around $23/month.  Their highest plan at 1Gbps requires those interested in contacting their sales. The 400Mbps plan is the one we’re using here at home. So far, it’s been able to support me, my husband (who also works at home), and our daughter’s online classes.Globe Communications Globe is PLDT's main competitor in providing wired and wireless internet. Below are their Fiber plans. Like PLDT, they also provide landline services, but only for subscriptions Php 2499 ($45) and higher. SkyCable They’re a cable company that also offers Fiber over Cable Broadband. You can get it with or without a cable subscription. The ones shown below are the plans without cable.ConvergeConverge used to be a small player providing home and business Fiber connections in Metro Manila but has slowly grown and expanded to many places in the Philippines. Their speed offerings are comparable to what the bigger players have and are offered at a slightly cheaper rate.  They also offer special rates based on time and usage. If your OFS exclusively works nights, they can get “Night Plan” which has double the speed at night.I can’t recommend which internet service provider is the best because the availability and strength of connection of these ISPs depend on the area. To find the best ISP, you really need to do your research and ask a lot of questions.All over the Philippines are smaller ISPs like Rise, Infinivan, and DCTech. These smaller broadband ISPs used to only service businesses but have recently started creating plans for homes and individual users. Their service coverage is localized. You have to check their websites to see what cities they offer coverage.    -------------------------------------    If your OFS is having internet problems, ask them what their options are.  Usually they already know because their livelihood depends on it.    I don't recommend you pay for their internet, but you might increase their salary a similar amount to how much upgraded internet costs.    John 
 I remember the first time I saw the culture of loyalty in the Philippines.    I had this amazing programmer working for me.I'd put him up against anyone.    He sent me an email:    "Sir,    This is a hard email to write.    I got offered my dream job. ;I'll be going to Singapore working for a company making $2500/month!    I need to take this job. It has been my dream to work overseas.    But don't worry sir. ;I'm not quitting. I'll continue to work for you part time at the rate you are paying me.;    Kates"    I was shocked.    I was paying him $500/month (this was 2006).He was going to make 5x that much yet he was still willing to work for me?    Loyalty.    The second time I really realized it was when I friended one of my OFS on Facebook. ;I did it just so I could get to know them better.    Within a few days I started noticing public comments offering them jobs.;    Jobs making quite a bit more.    She never skipped a beat. ;Her work just continued, great as always.    When I unfriended her and told her why, she just said;    "Oh yeah, I got lots of job offers. I'm not leaving you."    The third time I wasn't surprised.The fourth time it was normal.    Filipinos are loyal. ;    It's one of the great qualities that makes them such good employees.;    Especially if you're running a small business. ;They're not going to jump ship when they get a better offer.    Of course...all of this is conditioned on you treating them well.    Hire an Online Filipino Specialist.    John 
 "I'm sorry it's taking so long Sir. ;I had to learn a new programming language to accomplish what you wanted. ;The way you asked me to do it was impossible."    I was shocked.    I'm a programmer.;    I thought the task I had given him was pretty reasonable.;    It should have taken a couple weeks.;    But after about a week I stopped hearing from him.;    No daily reports.No emails.    I was frustrated.;    After a few months of me being too busy to check on the project, I'd check in.    "Yes Sir, I'm working on it. ;It's just harder than we thought."    He had done good work for me in the past, so I trusted him.    After 6 months he finally started communicating with me.    "Sir, the project is done.    The data wasn't being delivered in HTML like you thought, it was being delivered via Javascript/Ajax.The way you asked me to do it was impossible. ;I had to learn a new programming language to be able to interact with the data.    But I learned it and got it done.    Check it out!    Nino"    He was right.;The software worked.    He was also right.;What I had asked him to do was impossible.;    Yet he wanted so badly to make me happy that he learned a new programming language so he could create the software.;    2 lessons:    1. Filipinos want to make you happy. ;If they can't, they often disappear. ;If they disappear, ask them.;    2. It's possible that what you're asking them to do is impossible, even if you think it's simple. ;I've done it. ;I've seen lots of others do it.It's also possible that your instructions aren't as good as you think they are. ;I've done it. ;I've seen lots of others do it.    This was 2007. ;He still works for me today.    John    PS. My book The Outsourcing Lever covers so many more situations like this one.Get it.Don't make the same mistakes I have.(You'll probably still make some of them, you'll just recognize them faster than I did.) 
 Since 2009 we've provided hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Philippines.    It's something we're proud of.    Here's why (from Julia, my Online Filipino Content Specialist):    -----When I was growing up, coming from a single parent home was actually pretty common. But it's not because our parents are divorced. There's no divorce in the Philippines. The reason why a lot of us come from single parent homes is because one parent usually had to work abroad.    When I got pregnant, this was actually an option presented to me and my husband. We knew we wanted to have a family but we weren't sure if we could afford it. The best option at that time was for me to work abroad, since I had the best prospects.    Imagine telling a new mother that? That in order for me to provide for my family, I had to be ready to leave them.    I threw a tantrum. I'm not proud of it. I blame my pregnancy hormones for that. But if I'm being completely honest, I probably would have thrown a tantrum even without the hormones. Having a family of my own was something I have always wanted. Breaking up my family for the sake of money just didn't make sense. I didn't care if this was the norm. Doesn't matter that this option was supported by friends, family, and generations of overseas Filipino workers before me. ;I really didn't want to do it.    So when the option of working from home was presented to me, it was a godsend. I had to take a significant pay cut but it meant I could stay at home. We'd save on childcare and the expenses associated with my commute. Our combined salary barely covered all our living expenses. It was hard for the first couple of years but we made it work. Eventually I started making enough for us to be comfortable and start saving for the future.    Now, our daughter is the odd kid at school. She's one of the few kids where both of parents attend all the school events. Unlike other kids in her class, she's never experienced that lingering sadness of knowing that your family isn't complete for the major milestones in your life. She can count on the fact that both Mama and Papa are going to be there, even if it embarrasses her sometimes.    Do I envy my peers who make more money or have more lucrative careers working abroad? A bit. But I also know for the fact that they're just as jealous of all the birthdays, Christmases, family vacations, and major milestones that we're able to celebrate as a family.;        - Halloween event we attended as a family. Not seen here is the laptop my husband was carrying so he could work while our daughter played with the other kids.        - An ordinary day. My husband taught our daughter to make muffins. She was so proud of the fact that she did it all by herself.-------------    I love that families get to stay together because we provide work at home jobs.;    Legitimate work at home jobs.Julia has worked for me for more than 10 years.;Her husband has worked for me for more than 5 years.Their daughter lives a different life than most of her peers.    John 
 When my wife had our third child it was rough.    She had spent 3 weeks on bed rest before having the baby. The doctor told us that was necessary.    What I didn't expect was how rough it would be for her after she had the baby.        For 2 months my wife really struggled.;    It was hard to get out of bed.It was hard to make food.It was hard to get up with the baby.It was hard to take care of our other kids.    Everything was hard.    Fortunately, I worked from home and was there to fill in the gaps. I'll always be thankful for that time. ;It's what propelled me from working 40-50 hours/week to the 17 that I've worked since then (2008).    For your OFS...things might be different.;    I asked one of my OFS about maternity leave. Here's what she said:    -----I recommend it. Here in the Philippines, employers are required to offer maternity and paternity leave. ;The maternity leave period is to one hundred and five (105) days for female workers with pay and an option to extend for an additional thirty (30) days without pay. ;Paternity leave is seven (7) ;days for the 1st four (4) children. If the worker is paying into the SSS (social security), the employer doesn't actually have to pay salary during those leaves. SSS would cover it.-----    Yes, that's right. ;It's a paid maternity leave, but the Philippines government pays it...    ...IF they worker has been paying into SSS.;    Most (all) should be paying SSS, so this should apply to your OFS.    Whether or not you give this maternity/paternity leave is up to you but I'd definitely recommend it. You're not in the Philippines so Philippines law doesn't bind you.I understand how difficult it can be to go without someone you depend on. ;It's terrible. ;Maybe when they're pregnant would be a good time to hire someone else...double down on your outsourcing.    Just trying to make you aware of their customs.    John    The Outsourcing Lever will make you aware of a lot more of their customs. ;There are so many things I've learned over the years which will save you so much time and headache. 
 I exercise almost every day. ;    Not every day is a big adventure...but often they turn into adventures. 4, 5, 6 hours in the backcountry skiing or riding our mountain bikes to the mountains, up over the mountains, and then back over to get back home.    We do lots of fun stuff. ;    When you work 17 hours/week you still have to fill your time. I fill it with my wife and kids usually.    Today I wanted to add to the videos we've been making from these adventures so I created instructions for my online Filipino video editor specialist.    They're not super complex.;They don't instruct on anything you'd want to teach your OFS to do.They're not even interesting.    But this is how I create instructions for my OFS.This is how I give feedback to my OFS.    I record on my computer using Snagit. ;Then Snagit uploads it to a server.    My instructions to my OFS said:    "Here's an easy way to add content to adventure videos.Here's how to download the gpx file.http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/2021-04-13_10-33-02.mp4    And here's how to use the relive app to create their video filehttp://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/RPReplay_Final1618336278.MP4    Let me know if you have questions."    A couple things to note:    1. I used the iPhone screen recorder to take the video of my phone. ;Simple.2. I used airdrop to get the video from my phone onto my MBP.3. To share the iPhone video which was too big for email, I imported it into Snagit and had Snagit upload it. ;Super simple. ;File -> open. Find the video. Click Share.4. I customized Snagit to upload my trainings to my own hosting account. That way I never lose anything.    If you want to know how I set up Snagit, it's in the 2nd video on this page:/how-to-easily-train-your-ofs/    I almost always use screen recordings to teach processes. It's so easy. It's so fast. It's so easy for them to follow since they can watch it over and over again if they need to.    John    PS. I use Snagit. It's $50 one time.Others like the subscription ($10/month) of loom 
 "Sir, I'm coming to Utah in 2 weeks."    And then...he actually came!    Kiel had worked for me for 9 years when this happened. ;    He and his family came to the US to tour (he comes from a family of doctors).;    They drove from Vegas to Salt Lake in the afternoon, stayed the night at my house, spent the day with me, then drove down to the Grand Canyon in the evening. ;Lots of driving.    But it was important for him to come see me.    And it was awesome for me to see him.    I learned a bunch of things:    1. How to pronounce his name. ;I had said it wrong for 9 years.    2. He wasn't comfortable having his boss drive him around. The Philippines is very high on the Power Distance Index.    3. I learned that they don't always understand my Snagit videos...or...actually...it's my business partner Dan they don't understand because he speaks really fast.But the videos are good because they can watch them multiple times to make sure they understand.    4. Working online 9 years ago was super uncommon in the Philippines.Today it's rather common.(OnlineJobs.ph has been a big part of this change)    I pulled out my phone to record video a number of times while with him.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzQHr5Y2GQE&t=506s     If you get a chance to meet your OFS, take it. It's an amazing experience.    John 
 One of my kids chores (on Wednesday specifically) is to ask mom for a chore.    "Mom, what can I do for you."    Ummm…you can wipe the counter down.Ummm…you can break down all the boxes and put them in recycling.Ummm…you can help Brigg find his shoes.    We're constantly making things up.    What would happen if they came up with the chore themselves?    "Ummm…I could eat some chocolate chips.""Ummm…I could watch some Minecraft videos on YouTube."    What about with your Online Filipino Specialist?    The conversation would be totally different.    Branda Albano did a case study with us this week (to be released soon).;In it she said that she regularly asks her OFS what they can do for her:    “I continually asked [my VA], ‘give me some ideas; what kinds of things have you done for other people?’ I think that’s the key. ‘What have you seen other [VAs] do for other people that you think you could bring to my business? Please help me.’ And letting them know that you’re not just looking for them to just follow you step by step, but you’re looking for initiative.” - Brenda Albano    I've done this a number of times over the years. ;It's always interesting what they come up with:    "I could build you a social media presence." (I didn't have one at all)"I could find influencers who might be interested in using OnlineJobs.ph" (lead generation)"I've been studying Wordpress and working with it. I could work on our Wordpress site."    Part of the Philippines culture is progress. ;They want to learn more and they want to progress. Most of them are studying something new. If you ask them what else they can do for you, it might surprise you.    Just ask.    John 
 "What are your goals?"    I ask it regularly. ;    My teenager asks "Should I go with friends and do this or should I do my bike training ride?"    What are your goals?   Do you want to win? Training ride.Do you want to relax? ;Social.    You can't always have both.    My wife asks "Should I shower now or wait until the kids are gone?"    What are your goals?   Do you want to have a peaceful shower alone? Wait.Do you want to just get it done at the cost of having little kids screaming for you or walk in on you? ;Now.    Answering a question by looking at the motivation behind it often makes the answer much clearer.    Could this help you figure out tasks to have your OFS do for you?    Ashwin S. emailed me the other day and said"Your email gave me an idea. I will be asking my OFS her goals and how she wants her life to be in a couple of years from now. ;I will work towards getting her there."    Does your OFS have goals? ;    Maybe.    If you ask them their goals what happens?    1. They instantly know you care about them.;They know you're interested in their life.;They trust you more.    2. You find things they want to work on. What they're good at. What they're interested in.    3. You might just find they have other skills.    4. You might find nothing. But hey, you still gained more of their trust, which goes a long way towards having a rock star worker.    Ask your OFS if they have any goals.- If they have any employment goals- If they have any financial goals- If they have any family goals- If they have any skill related goals    John 
 My OFS Julia writes:    Years ago, John wrote this post about how you can determine your VAs English skills based on what they watched when they were kids.     /philippines-outsourcing-tip-sesame-street-vs-batibot-determining-english-skills/     This technique worked 10 years ago when most Filipino VAs looking for work were exposed to shows like Batibot and Sesame Street as kids.;        However, that won't work because Batibot has been off the air for years. And we don't get Sesame Street on free TV anymore.;    Even though these shows are long gone on the Philippine airwaves, we've noticed that there is still a correlation between English skills to the kind of children's television Filipinos were exposed to. Our kids are still exposed to Western children's media. The difference lies in whether they were exposed to 'Tagalized' (translated) shows or the ones in the original English.    When a foreign TV show is really popular, the TV networks would invest in localizing it so it would reach a broader audience. If you watch anime or K-dramas in the Philippines, the biggest hits are usually the ones that came with Filipino dubs.    Having Filipino dubs for children's television was encouraged. It was seen as a way to help kids learn educational concepts easier because there's no need to translate from English to Filipino.    This was a great idea on paper but didn't really work for a lot of Filipinos. What most people don't know is that the Philippines has around 120-187 languages. For most of us, Filipino isn't our native language. Growing up, I learned my native tongue first (Cebuano), then English, then Filipino in grade school.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Philippines    For some parents, exposing their kids to "Tagalized" children's television actually made it harder for them to learn. ;Instead, they'd go out of their way to find children's television in English.;    Don't get me wrong. Filipino is a beautiful language. It's very poetic. Very descriptive. It really lends itself well to literature and poetry. But it has a lot of compound words. So many prefixes and suffixes that determine tone and tense. And so many words with the same spelling but have different meanings.;        Kind of hard to use when you need relay information quickly.    So the next time you interview a Filipino worker, ask them what shows they watched as a kid. You'll see that they watched the same TV shows as you did growing up. Dora the Explorer. Yo Gaba Gaba, Peppa Pig, etc. Then ask them if they watched it in the original English or the 'Tagalized' version. Trust me, you'll see a difference with how they write and speak.    John 

 I know, I know…You want to hire someone and pay them hourly.     It's just so much simpler that way.      Paying hourly is low commitment.Paying hourly is an easy out for you.Paying hourly means if they're not working, you're not paying for it.    But paying hourly kinda says that you’re not that interested in growing your business.    Paying a salary is the opposite.     It's a commitment to yourself that you will work ON your business.It's a commitment to yourself that you will grow your business.It's a commitment to the person you hire.    Tamara R. recently got more than just help, because she made the commitment:    "I just hired and am working with two Philippa moms. They both have two kids under age 5. (Found them on your site.)    I’m really excited about this aspect of employing them. I never had biological children, although I wanted to.     It made me really happy when one of my workers said she might have gaps in her time screen - which I explained to her I won’t use - because she’s breast feeding her 8 month old!    I thanked her for being a good mom and told her that I value what she’s doing for her children.    That they are both moms supporting their children from home motivates me to make sure I have enough for them to do. It also motivates me to grow my business so I can change the one who is starting part-time to full time.    Thank you for what you do, John!    So happy to be supporting my families overseas!!!"    You're making a difference in other people's lives.It's a big deal.    John 
 My kids are just not good at performing arts.    It's uncanny how similar they all are with this.In elementary school when they do their singing performances or dance performances, my kids were always half a step behind.    Every one of my kids!    How is that possible?;    We ride bikes probably because we're good at it. My kids, as soon as they got on their bikes, were always half a step ahead of other kids. ;    Interesting.    What are online Filipino specialists not good at?Are there limitations?    Here's my experience. ;These aren't hard and fast rules. ;They're just what I've noticed over the years. ;Some of you are going to email me and tell me you have a great project manager or that you have had great experience doing X, Y, or Z. ;    Great. ;Please do. ;I always hope to find better answers than those I already have.    On with it.    Filipinos are not great at    - Project management. ;At least, not up front. ;I have people doing project management on my team, they're darn good at it. ;But they started doing the work, not managing the work.    - Creating sales information. I've hired great copywriters from the Philippines. But even with them their understanding of the market wasn't the same as someone from the US would have been. ;    I've had pretty good success with everything else I've tried.    I talk in more detail here:         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghhKrs5hMB8     If you've had a good experience hiring a project manager in the Philippines, or have had them create good sales information, I'd love to hear from you.    John 
 It's the last day of the Alta ski season for us and my family is skiing.    I had a minor setback so I'm not skiing. Just sitting in the parking lot enjoying the sun and snow and mountains.         I didn't have to come, but I came to help.To help them get packed.To help them get ready.To help them pack up.     Plus, I love being with my family and I love the mountains and the snow.    When is the right time to help an OFS?    Ben G. Said:    -----I got this message from an editor that I've been working with since January now:    "By the way Sir, can I ask for your help, just $60? I just really don't have enough money to pay for my medical bill. Maybe a cash advance if it is okay? :)"    I did pay him an extra $100 to help him out - did I do the right thing?    It's been a good few months working together now, and he's done really great so far.    how do you judge when the right time is to help out with that sort of stuff?-----    It's a good question, and Ben used the right word: judge.    You have to use your judgement.    I'll give you a couple thoughts of mine.    1. If this happens right off the bat when someone is new, say NO.A brand new OFS asking for money or for a new computer is likely a scam.    2. We've helped lots of OFS over the years.  And with a lot more than $60. But when I did it I had a relationship with them. They had worked for me for a long time.  I knew them.    3. If someone is newer (like a few months) you need to use your judgment. How much are they asking for?  How good have they been for you?    Sending money when they're down can really buy you more loyalty.Plus, $50 to you is different than $50 to them.    4. Just be careful that this doesn't get out of hand. If they start asking for more and more money maybe have a conversation with them about their financial situation.  I've done this a number of times with my people.  Things like, "Why are you struggling so much financially?" or "Can I look at your income/expenses?  I want to make sure I'm taking care of you."    I've reviewed their entire finances with them.  I've found usually that they're budgeting pretty well....sometimes they just need a little extra help.  One time I found that I just wasn't paying them enough.     You don't always have to help.  We haven't always.    John 
 I'm currently an hour into seeing the 9th Star Wars movie for the first time.    I watched the original 3 when I was young. Then I hadn't seen any of the newer ones until a few months ago when my youngest son wanted Star Wars Legos. ;I figured he should actually know where this cultural icon comes from.    We started watching them. ;Slowly.    I watched an hour of the 9th one with my 7yr old last Saturday. ;Then we had stuff to do (bikes to ride, soccer to play...)    I almost never get all the way through a movie in one sitting. ;I have 5 kids. ;3 teenagers. They always want something or we have something going on. Other things are more important than television.    I'm so glad it's my kids and wife pulling me away and not work.;    If you're considering hiring an Online Filipino Specialist, consider this:    1. You're too busy to spend the time hiring someone right now.    2. Work will always be there. ;It never ends. Projects never end. Opportunities never end.YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE NOT BUSY!    3. If you ever "have the time"to hire that OFS you've been meaning to, email will be there to make sure to stop you. ;Email is the great equalizer. It sucks everyones time equally. It endlessly requires responses. Endlessly pings you. Endlessly has a number in the red bubble on your phone.Endlessly forces you to work IN your business rather than ON your business.    4. If email doesn't, Farcebook will. It's such a joke.    When I finally decided to take the leap and hire someone I had to get to the point where I said "This is madness! ;I'll never get ahead if I keep working like this."    My life has never been the same.    Nows the time for you to do it.    Block off the next 30 minutes to get started.    Start here.    Then it will take you 2 hours over the next week.    Then you'll be buying time...    May the force be with you.    John    PS. My wife has never watched a single Star Wars movie. ;She's too "cool" to watch such a nerdy movie. 
 My best friends sister died last week from Covid.    35 years old, mother of 5.;    It has been terrible.Her kids have been swimming at my house multiple times in an effort just to occupy them. ;Crying.;    At least I got to go to the funeral.    About the same time, Julia (my OFS) sent me this:      One of my friends, 'Cathy', lost her father to Covid earlier this year. That in itself is a heartbreaking loss. What made matters worse is that she's based in Singapore for work. Cathy's sister was working in a different city in the Philippines.;    They couldn't go home when their father was in the hospital dying.    Cathy's sister almost didn't make it for the funeral.    Cathy's father dying reminded me of how different our experience was, simply because we're able to work from home. And how the pandemic just made it even harder.    For the longest time, she took it for granted that she could always come home anytime. Singapore isn't that far. It's only 4 hours away by plane.;    But it didn't matter because she couldn't leave.    I've attended more funerals than I can count. I don't like this fact. But I'm thankful that I've had those moments to say goodbye to my loved ones. I just wish Cathy had the chance to do the same.      Death is hard.;Cut them some slack if they have a death in the family. ;They're stressed about it.    John 
 Training doesn't have to be that hard. Just putting a little effort in makes a big difference.    Julia:-----------Homeschooling my daughter has forced me to teach her a lot of things I know nothing about. One of the things she learned how to do, even though I had absolutely no talent for it, was music.    My daughter is musically inclined but she's not a genius. She's just really interested. But interest can only get her so far. I think what allowed her to keep going was how invested we were in her training.    I think it's the same with training your Filipino virtual assistant. ;Whether or not it's a task you know how to do, it's not enough to just throw resources at them. They might learn on their own if they're interested, but what if they're not? If you want them to acquire skills that you can use, you need to do a bit more.    1. You need to follow up on them. I could have easily just let my daughter study music theory on her own. But I wanted to make sure she was learning. So every once in a while I would ask her how she's doing. Can she show me what exercises she's done? Can she show me why her answers there are correct? I still can't tell you the difference between chromatic and pentatonic scales. But I know my daughter can because she's shown me her work. She knows how to play those scales. And she will go out of her way to correct me if I say something wrong about them.    It's the same with your VA. They'll know you're invested in their training when you ask about their progress. You'll know that they understand the resources you sent them when they can explain what they learned.    2. You need to give them opportunities to practice what they have learned. We have a small house and a trumpet can be really intense. But she can't really develop her skills if she can't practice them. So whenever she can, she'll play our national anthem for online class. She'll play "Happy Birthday" on Zoom for friends and family. She played Christmas Carols. Played along to music videos of her favorite bands.;    These little exercises did help her to gain more confidence. Same thing when training your VA. Like, when John had me learn ebook marketing years ago, he gave me small tasks that I could manage everyday. And if I made a mistake, it was okay. Since they were small tasks, ;it's something I could easily fix. That gave me the confidence to keep working on it and eventually explore other things to learn on my own.    3. Give them room to learn on their own, if they want to. As I mentioned, my daughter has expressed wanting to learn to play the trombone. That means I'm going to have to go through it all over again. Months of listening to her:;;* play out of tune;;* playing her scales again and again and again,;;* play too loud or too soft;* learn to play a song and get frustrated when she doesn't get it.But the good thing about this is I don't have to be as involved anymore. I know she's interested. She knows I'm invested. The challenge doesn't scare her anymore. She knows she's going to rock it.    That's what I felt when John sent me stuff to learn on my own over the years. When I first started, I was so afraid of making mistakes. I emailed John a lot. But now, he just sends me stuff and I learn on my own. He gives me room to try stuff out. People make mistakes. ;John forgives. I guess that's why, years later, he has a team that can do practically anything.----------    Next week I'm going to have tips from my OFS team for how to better manage them.    John 
 Over the past few months my copywriter has been really slow with doing work.;I finally said to him    Hey, are you able to do this work or do I need to get someone else?   He replied and let me know    "I'm dealing with some really serious health stuff. ;I can't do it. Let me refer you to someone else."    He referred me to a couple people and I also posted a job on OnlineJobs.ph    I found someone really great (from OnlineJobs.ph, not from his referrals).    She did a couple copy projects (she wanted to work on a per-project basis) but then she insisted on getting paid a specific way, something we don't do.    Sorry...that doesn't work for us.    So I'm now hiring my second choice. I hope he's as good...but I don't know.    People often come into this thinking    "I just want to hire the BEST person!"    But sometimes you can't hire the "BEST" person. ;Sometimes you have to hire the best AVAILABLE person. Sometimes the BEST person isn't the best person for your company. Sometimes the effort required to find the "BEST" person isn't in the cards.    Hire the best available person.    Getting the work done is more important than getting the work done perfectly.    John 
 Sometimes I wear knee pads when I ride my mountain bike.    Crashing is just part of riding a mountain bike.;    So, I wear protection (sometimes).    This week I got an email asking about how to protect yourself with your sensitive information and your OFS:    "I'd like to hire a bookkeeper but am concerned about how to make sure I protect myself from providing too much financial information, but also making sure the VA is enabled to get the job done."    When I started, this was how I felt too. ;    What if they steal my credit card info?What if they steal my hosting account?What if they steal my domain?   I got over it when I realized it was holding me back and making life harder by not giving them access.;    Here's my take:    1. How can they do this job without having sensitive information? They can't.   2. If you hired someone locally, would you give them the information? ;You would.   3. If someone locally does something bad, you have to find them and go through the lawsuit process.    4. If someone in the Philippines does something bad, you have to find them and go through the lawsuit process.;    Here's the good and the bad.    THE BADThere's nothing I know of you can do to withhold required info from them and still let them get their job done. You really are at risk here. ;But...that risk is no different than if you hire someone locally.    THE GOODLaws in the Philippines are stricter than laws in the USA.Enforcement in the Philippines is stricter than in the USA.The culture of the Philippines makes them LESS likely to steal your info than someone in the USA.    At some point, if you want to get the right help for your business, you have to trust someone.;You can trust someone locally.;You can trust someone in the Philippines.You can trust someone somewhere else (Just probably not if they tell you they're a Nigerian prince).    One of the reasons we hire from the Philippines is because we've seen over and over again that the trust factor is easier there than almost anywhere else in the world.    Ask anyone who has someone in the Philippines working for them:    "Do you trust your OFS?"    But you won't know for yourself until you do it.    John    PS. In my www.OneVAAway.com framework I show you how to start building trust during the interview process. ;Trust is really important here (for both sides). It's a lot easier if you start building it before you hire them.     
 On Tuesday my email was about protecting yourself from your OFS.    What if your OFS needs protecting from themselves?    I have someone who runs our advertising.;    She has done it for a few years for us.;    Facebook adsInsta adsGoogle adsLinkedin ads    She sticks to budgets.She gives reports.Generally she does a pretty good job (I think...I don't really know anything about FB type advertising so I have no idea how to evaluate what she's doing. ;At least it's getting done.)    On Thursday she made a typo.    The budget was supposed to be $18,500    She typed $185,000.        Accidentally adding that extra zero made FB go crazy with the ads.    $58,000 in 2 days before we caught it and shut it down.;    Most of it was unprofitable. ;Facebook increased our CPM a LOT and showed the ads to less relevant people.;    Monday morning she resigned.;    It was an accident. ;A typo.    I told her I didn't want her to resign, I just wanted her to be better.;Try to get some of the money back from FB since it was so obviously out of our normal patterns and obviously a typo.Anyone could have made the mistake (someone in the US included).    She's still with us.;    I hope I did the right thing.    John 
 Recently, I had a Jr. High kid in my neighborhood text me to ask if he can interview me for his Entrepreneurship class.;    Ok. Sure.    He comes over. And then asks me questions.Questions that you would expect from someone with an academic background in Entrepreneurship.    What do you sell.Where did you get the idea for it.How did you start your business.Who are you primary customers.What was important when you started your business.What mistakes did you make.What was your biggest challenge so far.What was your pivot point.How did you grow it.    The list goes on.    As I answered, I knew it wasn't what he expected. His replies were in the range of "oh..." to "oh.... kay....";    For a successful entrepreneur, all those things are irrelevant.    So I asked:    Are you writing a paper or do you want to learn... then I would have different answers for you.   "I want to learn, what advice would you give me?"    So I gave him three.    Sales is the only thing that matters.Learn to sell. Whatever it is.    Sell your product before you make your product.The first time I talked about outsourcing, I taught people what I knew to help them outsource better. I sold it, and a lot of people bought it... and that time, I thought well... I guess now I have to make a product. I got the assurance that there was a market for it.    Same with my son who sold bikes. He posted ads, and when he got a bunch of guys interested, that was when he knew he had a market and he proceeded with the purchase of those products.    Typically people would do it the other way. Set up the inventory only to realize later on that no one wants to buy it.    Everything you learn in the academic world about entrepreneurship won't matter.Accounting is silly. What they'll teach you in marketing is silly. The terminologies they teach you is silly. How to start your business is silly. I mean...don't get me wrong. ;Those things are fine.    There's a lot more you can learn...    But...    The only thing that matters is making sales.    Learn to sell.Hire a great OFS to take care of the other details of your business.I'll walk you through the process.    John 
 You never know when you're having an affect on someone more than you can see.    Yesterday I got a letter (yes, a snail-mail letter) from a 17 yr old boy who is using OnlineJobs.ph to hire OFS.;He has struggled with depression. Something I wrote caused him to change his path.Thanks Milo.    It wasn't something I intended.;    As you work with OFS, you'll likely affect their kids. And probably their kids' kids.    From Julia    ------------One of the best pieces of advice John gave me was to start teaching my kid practical skills that she can use for online work. Doesn't matter what career she pursues. These skills will be useful anywhere. And once people know you have them, they'll come to you.    Well, I followed John's advice. I taught her everything I knew and gave her resources to learn more. Now, my daughter regularly complains about how she's always the one assigned to do technical stuff for her online classes. Because she knows this stuff. Because she has a VA mom.    A video project needs editing? The kid with the VA mom can do it.    Nobody knows how to use Photoshop? The kid with the VA mom can do it.    Transcribe and clean up an audio recording? The kid with the VA mom can do it.    She was doing all this on my old crappy computer. And she's doing it faster and better than I could ever do it.        Eventually, that computer gave up. So in the meantime she's using my laptop while we're in the process of fixing up our back up PC.;    She's not old enough to work yet. But knowing that she has these skills reassures me as a parent. I know she'll always have these skills to fall back on. Even now it's opening a lot of doors for her and she's still in school. I can just imagine what it would be like in the future when she is old enough to start working.    So if you want to get amazing VAs in the future, encourage your current VAs who have kids to start training them while they're young.;-------------    Offer free advice to your OFS.Buy them a book that has affected you.Help their kids.    John 
 My daughter got her drivers license last week.;This week she thinks everything in life has changed.;        She doesn't have to come home from school.She doesn't have to tell us where she's going.She doesn't have to check in.    We just had a good conversation about it.    Not dissimilar from the conversation I had with the 6 programmers/server admins who work for us.    Most people know I'm big on daily reporting.;I require it. ;Every day.    But sometimes I get relaxed and some OFS get relaxed and they stop doing it. I don't think about it because I'm thinking about how to grow the business.    This time it caused a problem.    We're trying to significantly improve the messaging system on OnlineJobs.ph.    Complex, but not super hard...    The issue is when I stop getting reports and the project drags out for months.    In an attempt to figure out why it's dragging on, this week we sent an email to all 6 of our OFS programmers saying basically    We need a daily report from each of you.If you don't have something to work on, please tell us. ;It's not your fault, it's ours.This is non negotiable at this point.   Then all the issues came out.    One of the server admins is struggling with his diabetes.;We thought they were all working on different parts of this upgrade, but it turns out the whole thing is bottlenecked with him right now.    The other programmers aren't sending reports because they're not working! They all;started emailing us saying;    "Yeah, I don't have something to work on right now until this upgrade gets completed."    Problem solved.    All it took was an email from us saying;    I need a daily email, and your employment is conditional on me getting it.   My business partner Dan added    You're supposed to work 8 hours/day. It seems to me a 10 second email should be pretty easy to incorporate into those 8 hours.   We'll still be lenient (not going to fire someone over not sending a daily report) but for me, I can't emphasize enough how important the daily report is.    John    PS. I talk about the daily report in my book The Outsourcing Lever. 
 A couple years ago I had an OFS who was super productive. ;She's really smart, perfect English, willing to come to me with suggestions. Just really great.    Then over a couple month period I noticed her productivity dropped.;    I didn't say anything for a while, but I wondered "did she get another job?"   One day I got an email from her which was intended for her other employer.    She was really embarrassed.    I was grateful to finally know.    Her and I talked through it.    Why she got the other job.Her financial situation.Her work with me.What we're going to do moving forward.    She still works for me. ;She makes more now. Her productivity is back up.    I've found out my OFS have other jobs 3 ways over the years:    1. I get an accidental email intended for their other boss2. TimeProof. Screenshots show work for someone else;(I don't use TimeProof but did years ago...I just don't like it)3. I asked and they told me.    To me someone getting another job is an indication of one (or a combination) of the following:- I'm not paying enough;- I'm not keeping them busy enough- I'm not a good enough boss and they're worried about losing their job- They're more ambitious- They're bored with my job (I've created a dead end)    I've always been able to work it out with them and keep them working for me.Sometimes their other job fizzles.Sometimes I incentivize them to just work for me.Sometimes they maintain both and keep their productivity up (this usually doesn't last super long).    Again...asking them is key to me.    John 
 Yesterday my son went to mow a neighbors lawn who can't do it themself.;    When he got there, our lawn mower died and wouldn't start.    I stopped what I was doing and went and helped. We got it working.    5 minutes after I got home the lawn mower ran out of gas.;    I stopped what I was doing and brought him gas.;    Talk about a productivity killer. ;    A couple weeks ago I got a text from a friend Lanny:    "My OFS productivity dropped...a lot. ;What do I do?"    He caught the OFS working for someone else on his time.He knows the OFS has overcharged him for hours.    But...he also knows the OFS is a really good designer and he wants to keep him.    My advice was    Confront him about it. ;Tell him the evidence.   a. You know he hasn't been honestb. You know he's working elsewhere on your time    Ask What and Why and How.   - Why are you cheating me?- What do you want to do about it? ;Keep working for me and be honest? Me let you go and I find someone else?- How do you propose we move forward?    Yesterday I texted Lanny to follow up.    "He has gotten better! Thanks for the advice."    They worked it out. ;Lanny didn't have to recruit someone new. The OFS is being honest and his productivity is back up to normal.;    If your OFS productivity has dropped, ask What and Why and How.    - I noticed your productivity is down. ;Why?- What can I do to help you?;- How do you propose we move forward?    Let them know you need them to be productive. You're unlikely to offend them. ;You're more likely to build trust.    John 
 We're about to release a new product:    Fundamental Training for Virtual Assistants    It's a training that you hand off to your VA (probably not to a specialist) to get them up to speed with VA tasks and get them started.    It helps you not have to teach them every single little thing.    Here's my process for building out the website:    1. Copywriter OFS writes the sales copyI have to be involved here. ;Direction, market, angle...    2. Editor OFS (another writer) edits the sales copy    3. I proof read and make suggestions    4. UI Designer OFS lays out a design for the page based on the copy.    5. Graphic designer OFS creates graphics for the page    6. Front-end developer OFS takes the design and creates a page from it    7. I read it. ;There are things I don't like. ;I ask for changes.    I really wish all of this was one person.;I want a;    Copywriter-Designer-Developer OFS    But I don't think that person exists. ;    Or, if they do they're really difficult to find.    The point is people want "someone to build my website" but there is so much that goes in to building something functional (at least...into something that converts prospects into buyers).    These are separate roles. ;    No, you don't have to have all of them. ;I started with a front-end developer and hired a designer on a contract basis. ;I hire a copywriter on a per-project basis.;It's just easier when people work for you rather than having to go out and find them every time you need something.    John    PS. If you're looking to fill one of these roles, my www.OneVAAway.com challenge will make it easy to find the right person. 
 I don't like the term VA.    People think a virtual assistant is a secretary.    They're not skilled.;They can only follow basic directions.They can't really help my business grow.    That's why I hire OFS.    An OFS is skilled.They want to, and are capable of, helping your business grow.They work hard and they're good at what they do.They deliver high quality work.They show up. They want to work.They're loyal, honest, hard working, and well educated.    OFS = Online Filipino Specialist.;    For years I've had OFS working in my business, yet I still called them VAs.    About a year ago I realized the damage I was doing.    Both in the Philippines and around the world.;    Filipino workers don't want to be "assistants". ;They want a career. They want to be skilled. ;They want to grow.    Employers don't want an assistant (well...some do).They want someone who is good at their role.    Hire an OFS.    John 
 Nature is close to my heart.;Mountain biking, hiking, trail running, backcountry skiing, camping…    But since I live in a desert, trees don't grow naturally. ;They require a lot of work.    At my home I have a big cherry tree in front.    Two years ago, we noticed its condition deteriorating. We had to cut off dead branches, monitor it, prune it, and generally take better care of it hoping it gets better.    Unfortunately, last year we lost more of it…    And this year, it had to come down.    As I was mourning over the loss of our tree, I remembered Shel Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree.    Through the years my kids grew up with this cherry tree, climbing it, using it as a playground, building forts in its branches. We also use it as shade, even firewood on occasion.    My kids love to eat it's cherries.    I have deep feelings for this tree. And now it's gone.    I feel the same with my team of virtual assistants.;They give and give and give.;I hope I'm giving to them too. I try.    I also hope to be able to give to entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world. If I can give the gift of finding a great OFS, an entrepreneurs life is never the same again.    https://www.OneVAAway.com    John 
 My wife is in Zion National Park today, riding her bike through the park and then hiking the famous Angels Landing.        With her gone, I'm in charge at home.    Make breakfast.Make lunches.Get the kids to school.;Work.Work out.Get the kids home from school.After school snacks.;Soccer practice.Make dinner."Drive me to Aunis house?""Pick me up from Aunis house""No, don't pick me up, it's too soon!"Family scriptures.Family prayers.Put the kids to bed.    I wish I could say "aaahhhh...it's finally quiet", but I have teenagers who want to stay up later than I do. It's only quiet while they're at school.    Fortunately for me, most of this isn't different from what my normal days are like. ;I already know what happens at home.    That's different for me than running Facebook ads, where I know nothing.    Here's how I have online Filipino Specialists (OFS) run FB ads for me    - I create video ads. ;Super simple. ;Hold my iPhone up and talk.- Upload the video to Basecamp. Assign it to people.- My video editor edits out my stumbles and ums and pauses. He creates a graphic image for the first slide (I'm not exactly sure how this works...but I know he creates them because I see the images)- My social media specialist writes a caption and uploads it to FB. ;I don't actually know if she uploads it as a post or as an ad or what...- My ads specialist creates the ad campaign and decides on targeting and budget.I don't really know how this works...but we've had conversations about who we should and shouldn't be targeting. I know she's letting poor performing ads die and boosting ads that perform well.    This isn't how it has always been. ;    At first I hired an online Filipino ads specialist.;She created the ads and ran them. ;I didn't do anything.No editor.No social media specialist.No me.    It's more effective with me creating ads and it doesn't really take much time.;    You can start your process with just one person. ;As you find you need more, hire another.;Too many people feel like they need to hire a team all at once and it keeps them from doing anything.    Start with one person. ;An Online Filipino Ads Specialist.    John 
 Ben works on our social media team.;He helps with the social media schedule, with posting, and with engagement.;    He was hired by Julia (one of my OFS) who needed more help.    Ben is also a volunteer firefighter.;    Here's what he says---------------Hi! My name is Ben! I'm a volunteer firefighter with the Knighthawk Rescue Team. I've always wanted to do volunteer work, even when I was a child.;    During my stint as a senior scout one of our merit badges is Fire Fighting. With that I was introduced to the world of fire, at a very young age I got myself into it and made it a passion of mine. Then we have this Emergency Service Corps and the Emergency Service Auxiliary Corps which is a special group with special skills under the Boy Scout program. With this group we were taught how to do radio communication, cordoning and crowd control, traffic, First aid, evacuate, fire fighting, etc.;    From there, I humbly say we were the first 911 group since back in the day we only had the emergency number 110 which is under the Bureau Fire Protection Davao.;    That's how the KRT which was known before as Knighthawk Foundation Inc. (KFI) was found and eventually we became Rescue 110 which is compose of 3 groups, (KFI, Kabalikat Radio Com, and ESC-BSP)    At the early age of 13, I was molded to volunteerism with the help of other volunteer groups. It was a very risky thing but eventually it paid well seeing those people who I have helped smiling back at you and a simple thank you that made my day.;    Having that experienced, surely made our days as a volunteer glorious. That's why from that moment, I told myself I will never think twice to help out or do volunteer work once they need my services or called by chance.;    Many people called themselves as volunteers but in their hearts they never will be one. Being a volunteer is not an easy task, it requires a lot of sacrifices, dedication, discipline, and responsibility. Some they called themselves volunteer but men without actions.    As I grow old now, the spirit of volunteerism still burns inside of me and I hope someday I will be able to pass on to my son and to his son's and son of his son's and so on.;    But it's hard to support a family (my wife and son) doing volunteer work.    For years I worked in the call center industry. I tried to volunteer while working there but it was really difficult. You need to be physically present and make sure to attend all of your incoming calls and assist them properly. This is hard especially when there's a fire and we're called to respond to it.    But since I started working online two years ago, it made it easier for me to provide for my family and help those in need. I just make sure to take note of my deadlines and work whenever I can. As long there is an internet connection I can do my work anytime of the day or any place. I can pause my work when there is a fire. Once I get back to base, I just need to get my laptop and ;get back to work again.    -----------There are a lot of pictures because Ben REALLY loves talking about this- 2 pictures of Ben and his team bringing goods to those affected by fire;- 2 pictures of Ben in his firefighting gear with his team, doing drills- 2 pictures of Ben and his team before and after they responded to a fire- 1 picture of Ben with his fire station logo? ( I don't know the correct term)                                I'm glad I could provide Ben a job that also allows him to do what he loves.    John 
When the pandemic started, my team donated and distributed groceries to people who couldn’t leave their homes, mainly seniors and families with babies. They started this project on their own, with their own money. When we saw in the news how dire the situation was in the early days of the pandemic, we sent them funds so they could help more people.  But even before that and until now, there’s this sense of camaraderie. They check on each other. They send help to one another and help other people. Some volunteer regularly. I even have an OFS who is a volunteer firefighter. 
 Letting an OFS go is never fun.Having one quit is just as bad.    I've rarely let someone go.;And I've only ever had one quit.    Holly's OFS had worked for her for a couple years. ;She had suspicions of him not being honest for a while.    I like how she handled the situation.      I discovered my OSF was stealing time last month. Not only was he not working, he was not even available to respond on slack when he was clocked in but simply not there.    I realized that I should have been giving him training to do in the down time and I told him that. I also told him that he should have simply been straight with me and let me know he didn't have enough work to fill the hours.    He quit yesterday. We did a video zoom call and he told me he had taken two other VA jobs. This was disappointing but not shocking. I had hoped he could at least continue working part time.    I asked him how much he was being paid - $8 per hour by one employer - I didn't get the rate of the second.    I reiterated to him how disappointed I was in how it had turned out. ;I told him that I would like to know how he had gamed Time Doctor so it did not show poor time use on the report. He said that he had his cousin suppress one of the keys on his computer so all he had to do was move the mouse. On the day that I caught him doing it, he had his cousin moving the mouse while he left the house to go shopping.    I repeated that he needs to be honest in the future because what he did is criminal and even if his employer does not catch him and fire him the universe will catch him and something bad will happen.;    I also told him that I had not put any black mark on his record in OnLinejobs.ph because I believe in giving people a second chance. I let him know that I had emailed the founder of OnLineJobs.ph and shared the situation - so if it happens again with another employer it will be on record that it is the second time at least, not the first. He expressed concern about the fact that I emailed you about the situation since he depends on OnLineJobs.ph for his livelihood. I told him that I was sure that it would not present a problem for him as long as he didn't do that with his future employers.    I advised him to do something good in the world to make up for his dishonesty - help train some of his friends to be VAs, pick up garbage, volunteer in some way whatever. He said that he had already trained 4 of his friends to be VAs and he even offered to volunteer for an international group I am involved with - World Creativity and Innovation Week/Day (https://wciw.org/). That was nice and unexpected.    At the end of the call we discussed the transition - I have a lot of documents shared with him that we would need to sort out and some that are owned by him. I let him know that it would be helpful to communicate from time to time as I transition and find his replacement. He agreed.    After our call he slacked this message:    "Thank you for everything Holly, I will keep close to my heart the learning and everything you said. It is painful to be associated with the word criminal. I will do better and be a much better person after this. I appreciate you in everything and the years we work together. I wish all you the best and your beautiful family. I will always be here ready to response for you. Thank you again. I am sorry that it ended this way."    In response to that, I let him know that I could really use his help this month while I find a replacement. He responded that he would help me off the clock - again, something that I had not expected. It won't be a lot of work each day, less than 30 minutes for the critical things I need, but it will lift a load. I hope that he does it.    Anyway, that is where the story is for now. I will do things differently moving forward. For one thing, I will check screen shots more closely. In my business, it is really important to know how long things take to do so I can gauge what we promise our clients - so honesty is critical. For another, I will have a nice training program that my new VA can work on to increase their skills once they finish their tasks.      Being nice and respectable is always a good way to go.    I don't use a time tracker, but that doesn't mean a time tracker is bad. Holly uses one because it fits her personality and her business needs.    John 
 School is out. ;    I have 5 kids.;    Without school they think staying up late is a right.Getting up late is just part of it.Hanging out with friend is a must!    I've worked from home for 15+ years, so this isn't my first summer…but I feel like I've lost my freedom.    It's not quite the same as losing face which is part of the Philippines culture.    When I explain why OFS disappear, I often equate it to losing face.;    I recently asked one of my OFS if this was a good analogy. Here's what she said:      Yes, losing face would be the closest thing to it. When something goes wrong, there's this strong fight or flight response that we just can't shake. Even when it's not our fault or something we can't control. I think it's a cultural thing. We know it doesn't make sense. We just feel it. Not just in work but in everyday life.    Like, just today. Jam ordered lunch for us and had it delivered. The food wasn't what we expected. It wasn't good. For other people, the first response would be to be upset at the restaurant because it wasn't good. Jam's first response was to feel bad because my daughter and I didn't like the lunch that he ordered.    Does it make sense?      There's a social and a relationship component to it.;Filipino culture doesn't like to disappoint.;Letting them know you're disappointed generally doesn't help your relationship.    John 
 In 2010 I went to the Philippines and spent a month on the beach with my family.;I also met my team. ;    On the second day with them I lined them all up and had them give tips to employers.;They were so embarrassed.The video quality is poor, but it's worth watching just to understand what's important to them.         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUKTv9zQjds     The one who thought he was going to drown was the first person I hired (in 2005) and who still works for me.;    Tip 1: Communication - maintain constant communication with your employee. ;FYI - this comes from one of my worst communicating employees (he's still with me today)    Tip 2: Correct them nicely when they make mistakes    Tip 3: Training - They really value training. ;A lot.    Tip 4: Video/audio instructions    Tip 5: Be patient with them. It takes time.Tip 5a: Pay regardless of results.    Tip 6: Provide feedback. Comments.    You'll notice the theme. ;Communicate with them. Train them. Talk with them.    They're human.    John    PS. At the end I talk about ReplaceMyself.com. Ignore that.;Go to https://www.OneVAAway.com. ;That's the best place to start. 
 When my OFS "Twinkle" got sick last year, our first reaction was to encourage her to get better.    Her first reaction was;    "OH no! I'm going to lose my job!"   I had no idea that was her big worry...she's just now telling us.    Here's what she says---------One of the downsides of working online is that a job can be easily taken from you, and this was a big fear for me.;    Last year, in the midst of a lockdown in our city because of COVID-19, I started feeling sick. Being sick in a pandemic is the worst. Going to the doctor is not easy -- I had to get a clearance from our barangay (village) before any doctor would agree to see you, and if you have a fever (which I did because I had an infection), they would cancel your appointment. It was because of this that I wasn’t able to get the treatment that I should have.    Early this year, my infection grew so much worse that my body had gone into septic shock. I was brought into the ICU and had a very scary two weeks in the hospital. But what’s scarier was being not able to work and knowing that I won’t be able to work for a couple of weeks more. It was a huge possibility that I’ll be out of a job.        But it wasn’t the case. John and Dan reached out as soon as they found out what happened and assured me that I can take my time to heal and get my strength back. They reassured me that I just have to focus on getting better and that I still have a job waiting for me when I’m ready.    This was a big deal. Especially when I’ve never ever met them personally. It was a testament to how John cares for us, his OFSs. And his care is a guarantee that he won’t just give up on us just because we’re not in a good place, he trusts us enough to pick ourselves back together and come back.    I’ve always thought that working from home is great, but having a boss who cares and trusts you is the best.;-----------    We don't have deadlines of mission critical work that HAS to get done right now.It's fine if she misses a month of work. ;We're just happy to have her working for us.    If YOU have mission critical work, deadlines, tasks that MUST get done on time:;How do you handle if an OFS doesn't show up?   Please respond and let me know.    John     
 When I started college at BYU I wanted to go to law school.    My 3rd semester in I took the pre-law class and decided "what the heck am I doing??? Attorneys all hate their jobs!"    I graduated in computer science.;    I don't do programming anymore (I hire developers in the Philippines) but I still use the knowledge I gained in computer science classes as I run a software based business.    In hiring developers, I have a major knowledge advantage which I can't transfer to other people simply because I understand programming.    Here's MY best advice.In hiring a programmer/developer (they both mean the same thing these days):    - The more experienced they are, the better they are. This also means they're more expensive.This isn't always the case...but if you don't know what you're doing hiring someone newer is a major risk.    - Someone who says they can do everything isn't likely to be very good.    - Programmers aren't designers. ;Stuff they make looks crappy. Hire a designer.    - Tests are usually helpful in weeding out bad programmers. Here's a test we've used over the years:https://www.onlinejobs.ph/phptest/phptest.phpBut it's really only useful if you're going to look at someone's code.I never got into more advanced tests.    - If you don't know what you're looking for, ask a friend who is techie. ;Or, preferably 3-4 friends. They're all likely to give you different answers. ;Find a commonality.;    ---------What I'm really looking for here is your advice about hiring a programmer/developer.How do you know if someone is good?;How do you test people?;What's your process?I'm offering a free month at OnlineJobs.ph for really good answers.Reply to this email. It comes to me.---------    John    Dan (my business partner) and I in 2005 still doing the programming work ourselves. We thought we were so cool!     
 Pay raises...the first time I did it I had no clue what I was doing. ;    I just thought my OFS was doing such a great job with work that I randomly gave him a $50/month raise.    Actually...before that raise happened I had given him a $50 bonus one time because of something great he did that month.    To be honest, I still don't know what I'm doing.    I just try to treat people fairly.;    If I think someone does really well, I give a bigger raise.    I've never done a "performance evaluation" with someone. Maybe I should? It's not my personality or management style.;    I talk through it in full detail in this video:        https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/pay-raises-work-practical-advice    In the end, there isn't a standard for pay raises with OFS.    Do what you think is fair.Be generous.    John 
 You know how sometimes you just need a little nudge...    For months now I've been meaning to hire someone but I've just been stuck in this loop procrastinating it because hiring is hard.    Then the other day I got this email from Dan S.    "I’ve been thinking about outsourcing, or retrying outsourcing, for a long time and your emails are nudging me a little. I’m still stuck in the loop of needing help and trying to find time to articulate the requests and do a little training!"    His email nudged me a little.;    So today I finally just went onto OnlineJobs.ph and posted the job and it was like...instantly there was a light at the end of the project tunnel. ;Just posting the job, starting the ball rolling towards getting help alleviated the mental burden I've been carrying of knowing I need help but I don't have time to find it (not that I'm SUPER busy...but...)    If you've been putting it off, go to OnlineJobs.ph and post a job. ;It's free and will lift a burden off you.;If you do, I'd be willing to bet you're excited to check your email Monday morning.    If you don't know what to post or who you're looking to hire, head to www.OneVAAway.com where I'll walk you through the process. My steps aren't long...they're designed to be quick because I know you're busy and you've been putting this off.    https://www.OneVAAway.com    John 
 We're a pretty adventurous family. ;Not that we skydive or bungee jump or do crazy things...We just like to get out and we're willing to take our kids.    Now...take our kids needs an explanation. ;    I have 3 big kids (college freshman, HS junior, HS freshman) who are super easy to take on an adventure. ;They're strong, they're in shape, they're skilled bike riders or skiers. I can take them bike packing easily.    Then I have 2 littles. ;2nd and 4th grade.;    They're not so easy to take just because they're little. So I'm figuring it out.    How do you take a 2nd and 4th grader bike packing? You buy tiny Ebikes.;    Yesterday I took the 2nd grader and his friend on a test ride.    We rode 12 miles on a paved trail near our house. ;I wasn't sure how it would go, if they'd be able to keep up, if they'd get worn out too quickly.    It almost killed me!    They immediately got it. They were WAY faster than me. It was so easy for them.        (me taking a photo from way behind)    The test worked!    This week we did a case study with Matt Leitz. He had some great advice on testing someone's English skills:    If you're hiring for a position that requires proficient English writing skills (customer service tickets, copywriting etc...), do a live typing "chat" interview with your candidate. Then you really get to see their raw skill/timing/grammar with typed English.    So smart. ;Especially considering the Filipino hesitation towards doing a live video interview. ;    John 
Julia (my OFS - Online Filipino Specialist) writes:       In the past few years, there's been an increase in the number of virtual assistant (VA) training programs provided by the government and private individuals/groups. They're being advertised here in the Philippines as intensive, skills development programs that can make anyone work ready as long as they finish the course.    Some jobseekers even showcase their certificates of completion on their jobseeker profiles. Seeing them, you might start thinking that jobseekers who have undergone these programs might be the best people to hire.;    If they've undergone these training programmes, that means you're automatically getting skilled workers, right? Maybe you can even forgo training them yourself!    Do VA training programmes really work? Is this something you should include as a job requirement?    The short answer is, it depends.    Not all VA training programs are alike. Some programs are more intensive while others just offer an overview of what they need to do. And like school, the people who take these training programs vary. Some take it seriously. Some just managed to finish the course by doing the bare minimum. You still need to listen to your gut and check whether this person has the right attitude for the job.    You also have to consider the fact that most of those who take these VA training programs are people with little or no work experience. They did the exercises in a controlled environment with little or no context. You still have to check whether or not they really understand what they're doing.    And just because a virtual assistant didn't go through a training program doesn't mean they're not skilled. A lot of experienced VAs are self taught or started learning on the job.;    Even if you got the VA who was the top of the class of the best VA training program out there, it doesn't mean you don't need to train them.;    Why?;    Because your process is unique to your business. They way you do things and the quality of work you want to see is specific to your standards.    Having some training prior to being hired just makes things easier. They can be onboarded faster. They'll make fewer mistakes compared to someone who's starting from scratch. And if they're really good, they can even help improve the training you already have. Or they can train any new VAs you want to hire in the future.     Having that training allows the VA a head start, it's a shortcut. It doesn't replace training. Having your VA to handle the tasks without your input can get frustrating, especially when you don't get the result you want. You have your own style, methods, and quirks, you'll still need to train your VA the way you want things handled.       I agree with her.    John 
 All growing up (and into adulthood) I remember seeing ads from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about families.;    The ads always show families spending time together. ;It's not always happy time. It's not always productive time, but they're together.    The tagline at the end of the ad was always:    Family: Isn't it about...TIME?    Time...it's been a driving force in my life. I try really hard to get others (OFS) to do my work for me so I can spend my time with my wife and kids. ;    But I wasn't always there.I didn't always have Online Filipino Specialists.    I was probably about where you are now.;    And where James M is right now.    James (a college roommate of mine) and I had lunch recently. ;He said:    "I want to have someone do this marketing for me and I have someone, but she's only really good at following instructions and I don't have the time to teach her how to do it. ;I just want to hire someone who already knows how to do it."    I thought 2 things:    1. You can probably find someone with those skills so it will take a lot less instruction from you to get them doing it for you.;    James wants her to do lead generation marketing. ;Not that hard.    2. This is the best time you can spend. ;The time that creates a multiplier.    He doesn't realize in saying "I'm too busy to train her" he's saying "I'm too busy working IN my business to work ON my business and make it grow."   Almost any time you spend working ON your business creates a multiple. It multiplies your efforts and your time.    That's where your time is best spent.    John 
 One of the reasons I encourage my kids to ride and race their bikes is that it doesn't have a dead end.;    When you finish high school, your cycling just continues. It doesn't matter at what level. ;Recreational, just for exercise, racing, competitive racing...    There's no dead end.    In a case study we did with Brenda Albano, she talks about not creating a dead end for her OFS.        As Brenda trains and gets to know her VAs, she loves “spotting” what they really want to do (in contrast to what they were hired to do). ;If they show promise, she encourages them to grow in those new areas and she finds ways to implement their new skills.;    For example, Hazel (her SEO OFS) started out doing SEO and blogging. But her passion is design. So Brenda paid for Hazel to take the time to learn design basics. Now Hazel is also teaching herself how to do video and infographics. She’s contributing in new ways to the business and she’s so happy to be doing what she loves.    I have someone who I hired to build websites and do marketing, who now manages my social media.    I have someone I hired to do content writing who now manages multiple projects.    I have people who have learned programming, SEO, social media marketing, quality assurance testing, customer support, ... All while working for me. ;Their roles have changed significantly since I hired them. They're now working on things they like better than what I originally hired them to do.    A good question to ask your OFS might be:    What else are you good at?What else do you like to do or would you like to do?    You might find they have other skills and interests.    Don't create a dead-end job.    John 
 When I was engaged to my future wife (we've now been married for 20 years!) both she and her father made it clear that they wanted someone with a good stable job with good "benefits". Someone who would go to work every day, work hard, and bring home a stable paycheck.    Yeah...that's not me.;    When I told my wife (about 3 years into marriage...we were still quite poor) I wanted to quit my job, she supported me, but she said "You have 6 months! ;If it's not working in 6 months, you have to go get a job!"   Being an employee just didn't work for me.;The incentive structure. The stable paycheck. Leaving my little kids at home all day and feeling like I was missing them grow up.    But...this isn't the case for a lot of people. A lot of people really like the stability of a job and a paycheck.    Including most Filipinos.;    In fact, most people in the Philippines will work better with a stable job.    Scott Marlow says to give your VAs the security of a good paycheck and adequate rest and they will perform at their best and be happier employees.    I agree.    Paying per hour where their hours go up and down is a rough way for them to live.Constantly working per project, where you constantly have to find new work is also a rough way to live.    Most Filipinos prefer a stable, long-term job.;    Scott has some really good advice for hiring and managing Filipino workers. His company, Themeco, has a really great product.        We do case studies to give you a different perspective. ;Something other than just mine. ;There are hundreds of thousands of people successfully working with OFS. If you're not, I hope you're next.    John 
 Before learning about disappearing traditions...Covid has been really rough on the Philippines. ;Parts of the country are still in lockdown.;Might be good to ask your OFS how they're doing.    Julia (my OFS) writes:---------------Now that more people are getting vaccinated, we're starting to see some things come back to normal.;    But sadly, there are some things that I fear are going to be lost forever. The pandemic just accelerated the process. One of the things we've seen slowly disappearing in Philippine culture is the traditional Filipino greeting of "Mano Po".    'Mano Po' is a distinct Filipino greeting. You won't see it anywhere else in the world. It's usually done within families. The younger members of the family lightly bow in front of an elder, take their hand and press it against their forehead. This is what it looks like.        This greeting is packed with meaning. And we've been doing this greeting long before we were colonized by Spain. ;It's a gesture that shows deference to your elders. It's a blessing from the older generation to the younger generation.;    And it's very intimate. You don't do this greeting with anyone. You only do this greeting with people you consider as family.    Sadly, this tradition has been going out of fashion for several generations now. Some people don't want to do it because it makes them feel old. Some see this gesture as a symbol of the overreach of the older generation on the lives of their children and grandchildren.    And in the time of Covid-19, it's also a really effective way to spread the virus.----------------    Did you know that the #1 export of the Philippines is People?Around 10% of the population of the Philippines lives abroad working and sending money home. ;The government calls them OFW - Overseas Filipino Workers.    We're slowly changing this tradition also. ;More and more Filipinos are choosing to be OFS rather than OFW.    Online Filipino Specialists get to stay home with their families.Overseas Filipino Worker are gone...often for years at a time.    You're helping change this tradition for the better.    John    PS - If you want help jumping in, get my book for free:www.OutsourcingLever.com 
 Yesterday was the summer solstice (and Fathers day...Happy Fathers day to the dads).Days are long. Nights are short. ;Kids are home from school.    When I was in the Philippines I was surprised at how different the days were from home (I'm in Utah, USA).    Their days were long. The sun came up early. And it was hot.    In March!    The Philippines is close to the equator. ;The sun comes up early. ;At home in Utah I don't like to get up before 7am. When I was in the Philippines it wasn't uncommon for me to get up in the 5's. ;I never do that at home.    As you work with people, you may find they're morning people and get up in the 4's to start work. They probably overlap with your afternoon.    Heat is also an issue. It's hot in the Philippines.;Ask your OFS what the temps are like and what their working conditions are like.    Bob H. just bought air coolers for 3 of his OFS:        In fact, because it's so hot, and air coolers use so much electricity to run, in different parts of the Philippines they plan for this electricity usage...by shutting off the power.;They call it "rolling brown-outs". ;Their electricity infrastructure can't handle the demand so they plan to shut off the power to certain parts of cities at specific times. They publish a schedule so people know ahead of time when their power is going to go out.;    When we asked our people a few years ago if they wanted us to buy these they said no because running another one was so expensive (electricity is expensive in the Philippines).    We haven't asked about buying air coolers in a few years...it's time to ask again.    John 
 Nicknames...in the Philippines they're more than just nicknames. ;    Julia says:--------------One of the odd things you might discover once you hire a Filipino workers is how some of them have nicknames that are completely different from their legal or given name. Like there's no relationship at all between the legal name and the nickname,    Most people have nicknames that are shortened or simplified versions of their first names. Like Chris for Christopher or Kate for Katherine. Or they would sound similar, like Bill and William. Or there's a historical connection like Hank for Henry and Becky for Elizabeth.    When I was just starting out at Onlinejobs.ph, sometimes I would use my nickname as my email signature. I remember John and Dan would get confused because my nickname was a guy's name and I'm not a guy.    And we have a few more employees here at Onlinejobs.ph with nicknames that don't make sense. Nicknames like Sweet and Ding Dong.    Here in the Philippines, we don't just see nicknames as a quick way of calling someone. For some families, the nickname sometimes serves as an extension of your name. It's a way of giving people more information about who you are in addition to what they can gather from your name.    Sometimes our parents just wanted to have fun with our names. And unfortunately, the nickname stuck.    That's why in the Philippines, you'll see people using adjectives as nicknames like "Pretty" or "Happy". My husband has cousins named "Tiny" and "Jumbo". Long story about how they got it. And no, those nicknames didn't fit anymore.    Sometimes, nicknames are used to honor family members. Like if you're named after your paternal grandfather, your nickname would be from your maternal grandfather.    In my case, my dad wanted boys but he got girls instead. So he gave us boys' names for nicknames. That's the short version of that story. The whole story is going to need a separate email.    If you have the time, ask your OFS what their nickname is and how they got it. There's going to be a good story behind it.----------    She left out a couple of others nicknames our team has:Twinkle (Charlyne)Nino (Paolo)Jamie (Julia)    There are a lot of other cultural things I talk about in my book:The Outsourcing LeverWhich is free if you'll pay the shipping cost.    John 
 I remember the first time someone ever called me "Sir".    "Sir,    Here's what I worked on today1. ...2. ...3. ...    Thanks and God bless you,    Joven"    It was the first daily report I ever got from someone in the Philippines.    I remember my stomach turning over. ;    I was 27. I had never been called anything but John. I was shocked.    I immediately started an email back that said    "Please don't call me Sir. ;Call me..."    But I didn't send it. I thought about it for a bit, and realized that if this is what they want to call me, that's fine. ;I'm glad I didn't send it. ;I've been called "Sir" every day of my life since. In the Philippines it's a sign of respect or courtesy, not a sign of subservience.    When I took my family to the Philippines in 2010 I learned a new term.    They called my wife "Sir Ma'am".    I don't know why. I don't know the story behind it. I don't know why they don't just use "Ma'am", but I know I've had a number of female employers email me and tell me they call her Sir or Sir Ma'am and they generally don't like it.    It's part of their culture. Over time some of your OFS may change and call you by your first name. ;Some of mine do. ;But Joven, my first ever hire (in 2005), still calls me Sir.    John    Here's the earliest one I can find, from April 2006     
 My family went to Glacier National Park a few weeks ago.    Glacier is amazing. We rode our bikes on the "Going To The Sun" road. The road is closed to cars so it's just bicycles until they can clear all the snow off.    In the late spring the snow is melting like crazy and there are waterfalls all over the place. ;Waterfalls that are full on rivers flowing onto or under the road.;        Even in June there are still walls of snow 20 feet high on the side of the road.        To get there, it's a 10 hour drive. We spent 3 days there, then 2 hours to Missoula Montana for a bike race. 2 days there. Then 8 hours back home.    6 days away from work and I didn't tell anyone on my team I was leaving.;And I didn't bring a laptop (I never do anymore).    Not one person on my team knew I was going to be gone for 6 days, and nothing changed in my business. ;    Customer support still got done.The OnlineJobs.ph software was improved.New jobseeker profiles were approved or rejected.Social media posts were made.Ads were created and posted.Leads were generated and followed up with.    Nothing changed while I was gone. ;Everyone still did their work.    People are always shocked to hear I could leave my business for a week, not tell anyone I'm leaving, and have things run smoothly.    Now, I'm not saying your business can do this. ;Maybe your business depends on you.;But I'm saying I've never seen a business that couldn't benefit from a little human automation to free up the owners time.    Whatever help you need, you can find a Specialist who will work Online from the Philippines (OFS = Online Filipino Specialist).    Head to OnlineJobs.ph and search for the skill you need. It's free. You can post a job free. You can see job applications free. ;You just can't see contact info until you pay.    John    PS. I rarely tell people I'm leaving. It never affects my business. Although...I probably should just to be courteous. 
My family loves to ride our bikes. We do it daily for exercise and also to hang out and spend time together.;    A while back, my daughter, Addie, and I were riding our bikes as usual and came to an area with a broken trail. I went ahead to cross that section but saw my daughter getting off her bike ready to walk it off in fear she couldn't make it through on her bike.    I didn't mind that, but I also knew that if she doesn't do it now, she'll just get off her bike and walk every single time she's in the same situation.    I nudged her with some encouragement. She also knows that I won't push her to do anything that I know she couldn't do. And more importantly, that I was there for her when she does it. That made her get back on her bike to try... failing and crashing, only to get back up, crashing, and trying again. She crashed at least 4 times, but that didn't stop her. And she managed to ride through. It was a feat. It was a good day.                Thinking about it now, I realized that this may be a common scenario for some employers with their OFS. When the OFS encounter a problem, there are instances where they either stop trying (and disappear) or they take the easy way like asking us what exactly they should do next. And that's not a bad thing.;    But I don't want my VAs to stop trying, let alone not try at all. No employer wants that. But it's also our job as the employer to be the support system for them when they're stuck. You want to trust them just as much as they trust you to maintain a relationship. And when you do that, they become more loyal and go beyond expectations.;    All my current OFS know that they have access to me when they really need support. I look at their daily reports. I don't always respond, but I often do. I provide feedback on their work. I nudge them to do better and try new things.    If you want my help finding an OFS, look at www.OneVAAway.com    John 
 Yesterday was the 4th of July, which in the US is Independence Day. It's the day we celebrate our freedom.;    But this isn't about "our freedom", it's about their freedom. ;    I often talk about how hiring OFS has given me freedom.;Financial freedom.Time freedom.    I don't talk enough about how you hiring an OFS gives them freedom too.    Freedom from 2 hour commutes.Freedom from needing to go overseas to support their family.Freedom to raise their own kids.Freedom to travel.    Elijah works for us. ;He's my Online Filipino Video Editor Specialist.    He created this video about the freedom online work has given him.        With OFS, you don't just change your life. You change theirs.And their kids lives.And their parents lives.    John 
 Last week I told you about Elijah who dubbed himself the "Hip, new, young" OFS.    Today I want to tell you a different kind of story.;    Meet Danny.        He struggled with life.;    Finding a job through OnlineJobs.ph changed everything for him.    He doesn't work for us, but he came to us wanting to tell his story in hopes that he might help another fellow Filipino find hope with OnlineJobs.ph.    He's now helping others find jobs through OnlineJobs.ph    At 1:55 of the video you find out how hiring OFS really makes a difference.    John 
 When I hired my first OFS I knew exactly what I wanted them to do.    Write and post articles.    That was it.    I didn't know there were other things I could get them to do and I didn't really have other ideas. ;I had no idea that 16 years later I'd think there's almost nothing I can't have them do for me.    Here are my "off the top of my head" thoughts:        And here's a list of ideas which we have search results for:    Virtual Assistant ;;Data Entry Specialist ;Project Manager ;;Researcher ; ;Appointment Setter ;;Excel Expert ;;Recruitment Assistant ;;Personal Assistant ;;Web Developers ;;Web Design ;;WordPress Developer ;;Joomla Developer ;;HTML / CSS Expert;Optimizepress Developer ;;Webmaster ; ;SEO – Search Engine OptimizationSales Representative ;;Marketing Specialist ;;Social Media Marketing ;Facebook Marketing ;;Lead Generation ;;Google Adwords ;;PPC Expert ;;Affiliate Marketing ;;Email Marketing ;;Instagram Marketing ;;ClickFunnels Expert ;;Internet Marketing ;;Craigslist Expert ;;YouTube Marketer ;;CPA Marketing Experts ;Link Building Specialist ;Private Blog Network ;Digital Marketing ;;Online Marketing ;;LinkedIn Marketing ;;Graphic Design ;;Video Editor ;;Photoshop Expert ;;Illustrator ; ;Graphic Artist ;;Animation Specialist ;;Multimedia Artist ;;UI / UX Designer;Autocad Expert ;;Adobe Indesign Expert ;Real Estate Virtual Assistant;English Teacher ;;Spanish Language Expert ;Architect ; ;Shopify Developer ;;Infusionsoft Specialist ;;Ecommerce Expert ;;Amazon Expert ;;Ebay Listing ;;Woocommerce Expert ;;Customer Service ;;Call Center Agent ;Customer Support ;;Accountant ; ;Quickbooks Expert ;;Bookkeeper ; ;Xero Expert ;;Project Manager ;;    Hiring the right person isn't hard and doesn't take a lot of time when you follow my hiring process:https://OneVAAway.com    John 
 I spent this weekend with my brothers and their sons.;    One of my brothers has an 11yr old son who is notorious for doing funny stuff without meaning to.    My brother says "Things I never thought I'd have to say"    "Josh, why would you stick your head in the toilet!?!?""Josh, why would you touch your own poo!?!?"    He regularly calls my 18yr old son and says "Sup Bro?"He disagrees with his dad and says to me "Parents! Am I right?"    Today I got a question about taxes with OFS.    "Death and Taxes. Am I right?"    Here's the thing about taxes.    The OFS you hire is an independent contractor. Every country has their own laws about what an independent contractor is, and I've never seen anything that would put an OFS in any category except an independent contractor.;    And, since they're not in your country you don't have to give either government a notice of how much you paid them.;    Here's our full treatment of taxes with online Filipino specialists.    Should your OFS pay taxes on their earnings? ;Yes.;    I don't know how you would make sure of it any more than you make sure an independent contractor in your country is paying taxes. ;    But, you can send them our full tutorial on how OFS deal with taxes in the Philippines.    John 
It's always interesting to me to see what Julia writes about for my newsletter. I rarely give her a topic. ;I just ask that she does it once a week. ;    I had no idea she's using a learning journal. ;It's an interesting idea.    From Julia, my OFS:--------------A daily report is something you should require when you hire an online Filipino worker. Being able to see what they've done day after day makes it easier to keep track of their productivity and progress.    But what if you just hired your Filipino worker and they're still undergoing training? How would you know if they're really going through the training resources you've given them? Do they understand it? How would you know if they're stuck?;    I recommend that you have your OFS send you their learning journal as part of their report.    What's a learning journal?    A learning journal is a diary where you write down your thoughts about what you've learned for the day and how you feel about it. It's a studying hack some teachers use to help their students engage with subjects better.    I have a simplified version of it with my daughter for her summer classes.;        She shows me her journal at the end of the day. She tells me what she's learned in her summer classes and her feelings about what she's learned. And to motivate her, I give her a sticker for doing well.    This is how I make mine. I take notes on what I'm learning. I highlight the questions I have about a topic and I research the answer until I get it.        I prefer handwriting my learning journal but to make it easier for them to submit it through email, making a doc file might be better.    This is also going to help your OFS because it forces them to think about what they've learned. They're not just watching a video or following examples. Asking them what they're feeling about what they're learned and how much of it they understand makes the learning process more active.;-------------    I think I'll try it with my team. ;    John 
 After I sent Julias message yesterday, I decided I'd implement it.;    Here's how.    I posted the following message in our Basecamp Message Board--------------------    @Julia ;made an interesting suggestion yesterday as she wrote an email for my newsletter.    She suggested using a learning journal as part of a daily report.Here's part of what she wrote:----A learning journal is a diary where you write down your thoughts about what you've learned for the day and how you feel about it. It's a studying hack some teachers use to help their students engage with subjects better.This is how I make mine. I take notes on what I'm learning. I highlight the questions I have about a topic and I research the answer until I get it.        I prefer handwriting my learning journal but to make it easier for them to submit it through email, making a doc file might be better.This is also going to help your OFS because it forces them to think about what they've learned. They're not just watching a video or following examples. Asking them what they're feeling about what they're learned and how much of it they understand makes the learning process more active.;-----    I like this for 2 reasons:1. Thinking about what you learned throughout the day is a good brain exercise. You guys know I've struggled with my brain. Remembering what I did is tough. Journaling has been something I've done to help.    2. I would love to know what you're learning. I don't care if it's about work or hobbies or kids or school or...;Me knowing what you're learning would be good for me to know you better, and good for me to be able to help you grow in your career.    I don't think you all need to start a learning journal. ;I also don't think you need to include something every day about what you learned. ;But, I'd love to have "What I learned today" be a part of your daily reports sometimes. It would be great for me to know if you're studying something for work, or if you're learning about cars, or if you learned a new skill in badminton...    I'll start it with me right now.;This morning I learned that saying "I like that dress!" to my wife is a lot better for me than saying (snarkily) "What are you wearing?" ;Now it's just a matter of implementing this in future conversations...------------------    I don't know if this will work or not...but I'm trying it.    John    PS. I have a lot more suggestions for things like this in The Outsourcing Lever. Including the 3 questions I ask my people to answer in their daily reports. 
I get emailed almost every day by people telling me how they got more free time by hiring an Online Filipino Specialist from OnlineJobs.ph.Super often they say "I just wish I had done this sooner!" or "Why didn't someone tell me this would be so good!".   I've tried!!!    One notable email and success story I remember clearly.    Starting a business is difficult. Running a successful agency that runs the social media for Nike, Rosetta Stone, and the Golden State Warriors (among a bunch of others) doesn't happen overnight and isn't easy.    Dennis Yu has had a lot of successes. His process for finding and hiring through OnlineJobs.ph is one of them.It includes;# Did they include the correct keyword in the subject line?# Did they include a one minute video?# How good is their English?# How strong is their portfolio and profile?# Do they have a cheerful, positive personality?    Read Dennis' full post >;    Getting an OFS (or lots of OFS/VAs) to help you with your business will make your schedule more flexible, give you extra hours to spend with your family, and lets you focus on the more important things.;    I'd like to help you make that time for yourself.;https://OneVAAway.com    John 
From Julia      Yesterday, I was chatting with one of my VA friends. She casually mentioned that she just received her salary from her employer.    That salary was already 3 WEEKS late. That means in a week, she'll be invoicing her boss for the next month's salary. She's been working with that guy for several years now.    She's lucky she's not the sole breadwinner. And she was making enough that she had a bit saved up. She doesn't have to worry whenever her salary came late. But because her boss has this habit of paying late, the turnover in that business is really bad. He's always hiring someone new every few months to replace someone. Even though he gives all his employees a generous salary, the inconsistency has driven a lot of them away. I even know one of her former co-workers who now works for a smaller company. They don't pay her as much but at least they always pay her on time.    This was one of the biggest fears I had before I started working online. I don't mind making less than what I was making working in an office. I just wanted to make sure I made enough to cover my expenses and that I'd be able to pay everything on time. I can't delay buying groceries for my family. I can't work if I can't pay for electricity, internet, water or rent.    That's why a lot of VAs are demotivated when their salaries are late. It's hard to focus on work when: *  you have to worry about stretching out the food that's left in the refrigerator, or  * thinking about where you can borrow money quickly to pay for tuition, or  * worrying whether you have extra money hidden somewhere to cover for your maintenance meds.     And the thing about us Filipinos is that we won't complain. We'll tolerate it as much as we can. We don't want to seem like we're complaining too much because we're worried it might cost us our jobs.        If attention to details like this isn't your thing I suggest you set a date on which you pay people. If payday is the 1st, on the 30th of each month set a reminder on your calendar and do it right then.    John 
In building an online business there are 2 kinds of people who are going to struggle:    "I don't really know what to sell and I'm not sure what to have my OFS do"   Yeah…if you don't know what to have someone do, you probably shouldn't be hiring an OFS. ;They're not going to run your business for you unless you know what you're doing first.    "John, I have the best idea for a product…listen to this…"   Stop.    I don't care.    I don't care what your product is until you show me how you're going to sell it.    Because selling is the only thing that matters.    My second best advice for someone hoping to start a business is to sell the product first. ;Then create the product.    Once you've proven that it will sell (the hard part), you can do the fun work of creating the product (the easy part).    Here's a couple examples of how we've done this over the years.    Set up a simple website describing what you have to offer.Run google ads to it (or FB ads).When someone checks out ask for their name/email to start the checkout process.Once they've entered their name/email, on the next page tell them;"Sorry, the product isn't quite ready yet, we're still working on it. For being early we'll give you a discount when it comes out. ;BTW, what's your biggest question about this?"   You prove people are willing to buy.You get instant customers when the product is done.You get your sales info given to you as they tell you their questions.    Find your product and create a listing on the marketplace where you will sell (FB, craigslist…). If you get interest, it will sell. Go source the product.We've found this second method super effective with classifieds.;   Obviously these aren't the only path to success…but I see so many people fail at the selling part. Most people are willing to find the product. Most are unwilling to do the hard work of selling.    John    PS. An OFS won't do the hard work of selling it for you.;PPS. Where do you see this 'sell first, build next' principle in action? ;Kickstarter! 
 I love when people share their processes with me. Getting a different perspective on how others manage OFS is so helpful.    Maximilian F. sent this to me a few weeks ago about how they handle pay raises.Its different than how we do it, but works well for them.    -------------------I thought about sharing how we do raises and why we do it this way.    Goals:- Our OFS really appreciate openness, transparency and security in their work and life.- We on top like to ensure clarity on costs and a long term perspective for our OSFs within the company.    - Lastly, we want to minimize competition in the group, where unfairness in pay (or the perception of it) is a major problem.    Process:So we decided to decouple individual performance (which is overrated anyways) from pay. Some jobs are just more visible or impactful. That does not mean that it has less value. Instead everyone progresses every year by a published chart with payment. There are different roles that are mapped on these salaries, but everyone has clarity and security. It might be a bit boring and too predictable for very ambitious people, but works well for us. At the end of the year we evaluate the whole company performance and everyone gets their share depending on role and time-with-the-company - so we went from individual to team performance. Combined with regular retrospectives to foster efficiency and learning, this enables us to meet the goals of everyone.    --------------------    John    PS. Is there something you do well that you'd like to share? ;I'd love to hear it. For example...I'm gathering a list of tests employers give to workers during their recruiting. Putting them into a guide. I have some really creative ones.;Do you have tests you give when recruiting? I'd love to hear it. Just reply to this email.If I use yours in the guide I'll give you the guide free. 
From Julia:------------------Maternity leave is a long established employee benefit here in the Philippines. Lately, we've been getting questions on how this system works and how it's applied to their VAs.;    How long does maternity leave in the Philippines last?    Under Philippine law, women are entitled to up to 105 days of maternity leave with the option to extend that maternity leave for an additional 30 days without pay.    Where is the pay going to come from? Does the employer pay for that?    No. The maternity leave with pay is covered by the SSS or our social security system. Women are entitled to this maternity benefit IF they have contributed (or paid into) the system for 3 consecutive months in the past 12 months.;    The amount they receive would depend on how much they contributed. We have a table here that shows how much VAs should continue to their SSS depending on their salary: https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/comprehensive-guide-to-virtual-assistant-salaries-in-the-philippines    The bigger their salary, the bigger their contributions should be.;    What if they're a new employee and haven't started making their contributions yet, does that mean they can't avail for this benefit?    They can still get SSS maternity benefits if they pay for the 3 months worth of contributions in one go. Once they do that, they can start applying for the process of getting their maternity leave benefits. When they're done with the filing, they'd receive a check or direct bank transfer from the SSS.    What else does a female employee get with their maternity leave?    If the worker also paid into our socialized health care system (Philhealth), they would be entitled to the Maternity Care Package (MCP).;    To avail for the MCP, they need to:- pay into Philhealth for at least 9 months straight within a 12 month period AND;- give birth in a Philhealth accredited hospital (most hospitals in the Philippines are).;    The MCP would cover the costs of standard natural or C-section birth procedures and up to 45 days hospital confinement.;    What if the employee hasn't may 9 contributions yet? Are they still entitled to the Philhealth benefit?    Like the SSS, they can choose to pay all 9 contributions in one go. But it's strongly encouraged that women start contributing to the fund as soon as they find out they're pregnant to make the payments easier.    What about paternity leave? Is that a thing in the Philippines?    Yes, it is. Men are entitled to 7 days paternity leave. Women can opt to allocate 7 days of their maternity leave to their partners, giving men up to 14 days leave.    How to file for maternity leave?    The SSS and Philhealth recommend that women start processing their maternity leave paperwork 30 days before their expected due dates to avoid delays in receiving their benefits.;    For the most part, all they need to do here is to:- update their SSS and Philhealth records to show that they have paid their contributions- start filing up the SSS and Philhealth paper to apply for these benefits- for Philhealth medical benefits, make sure that the hospital and their doctors are Philhealth accredited.;-------------------    Here's what usually happens (in my experience)- You worker will tell you they're about to have a baby, so they'll need some time off- They'll estimate how much time off they'll need. ;It's unlikely to be 3 months.- They'll try to come back to work asap for 2 reasons:; 1. they want to double dip. They get paid by the government for maternity leave, and they get paid by you for working.; 2. They care about you and your business. They care about their job. They want to make you happy.    John 
Covid is super polarizing...I get it.    Volunteering and helping is not.    Here's what Julia says:---------------The good thing about working at home, unlike other workers, we've been able to minimize our exposure to the virus. We still have to go out from time to time for our necessities. But compared to most, we've been lucky that we can forgo going out as much as we could.    Despite that, we still know that there's a risk. Which is why my husband and I volunteered to be part of our city government's vaccination drive.;    We could have opted not to volunteer and continued our hermit lifestyle. But recognizing our privilege, we know volunteering was the least we could do. It's one more thing we could do to end the pandemic.    Because we volunteered, we also got vaccinated earlier than most people working from home.    What most people don't know is you don't need to be in the medical field to help with the vaccination drive. We were able to use the skills we have as virtual assistants in the admin, logistics and organizational tasks needed to undertake a huge project like this. We were able to vaccinate around 1,500 people in 3 days. And if everything goes well, if the vaccine supplies keep coming in, we expect to vaccinate more people.        ---------------    Where I live (in Utah), it feels like life is back to normal.I was in Colorado this weekend and it felt like life was pretty normal too.    But the Philippines isn't there yet.;Ask your OFS what restrictions they still have.    John    PS. This is my daughter after crashing hard in her national championship race last week in Colorado. Still has a smile.     
I just spent the last 6 weeks on vacation.    Yes.    6 weeks in a row on 6 different vacations back to back.    1. Glacier national parkHome for 1 day2. Camping with my brothers in St George.Home for a few days3. Boating at Lake PowellHome for 2 days4. Rafting the Colorado river helping at "Girls Camp"Home for 2 days5. Boat at Lake PowellHome for half a day6. Mountain bike national championships in Colorado    Here's our 2nd Lake Powell group:        Families, left to right: Jonas, Jolley, Goggins, Brunson    I have 2 weeks at home then more trips.    This is what we do during the summer.    There are lots of reasons to run an online business. ;Time freedom is one of them.    It's the same with OFS.    There are lots of reasons why people in the Philippines get online jobs.- Time freedom- Pregnancy- Health;- Loss of another job- ...    For Gabby, it was pregnancy.    Here's her story. ;It shows some of how things work in the Philippines.        https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/finding-happiness-big-changes-gabby-found-security-onlinejobs-ph    John    PS. Does your OFS have a story they'd like to share? ;Let me know. 
Tropical Storm Fabian entered the Philippines yesterday.    The storm intensified as it entered the Philippines…there was little warning.    I got this warning late, so this email is a little late to let you know.    Winds were expected to uproot trees, but not tear down buildings. ;50-60mph (85kph) winds. It doesn't have a lot of moisture, so hopefully no flooding.    It's supposed to be leaving the Philippines late today.    Ask your OFS if they're ok.    John     
 I have 5 kids ages 7-18. ;They're very social kids. ;They have friends at my house every. single. day.    I make a lot of small talk with them.    It's not super easy to do small talk with 7 year olds...except for one of my 7 yr olds friends. ;James. ;That kid LOVES to talk.;    What about small talk in interviews?    While I personally do not do live interviews there are plenty of people who do.    If you're going to do it, here are some suggestions from Jam, an OFS who used to train call center agents.    In the addition to the usual interview questions like:- what are your plans in 5 years, or- what are your strengths and weaknesses    Jam recommends that you start and end the interview with a bit of small talk. Ask about the shows they like to watch or what their neighborhood is like.    He writes:------------Small talk during an interview does the following:- It puts the person you're interviewing at ease, inviting candor and encouraging them to give more honest answers- These are questions they don't really prepare for. How they talk when answering these questions are closer to what your customers would likely hear when they're answering calls.- Even if you have training materials and standard scripts ready, it's important that your customer service VA would know how to react when things go off script.;------------    I've usually found that it wasn't a "tell me about your skills" type of question that makes the difference when interviewing.;    There's way more to hiring than skills.    John    PS. My hiring process includes 6 specifics to look for when interviewing OFS: OneVAAway.comWhy would you not use it when it has a 100% money back guarantee? ;Find someone great or I give your $49 back. 
There wasn't a ton of business talk while we were at Lake Powell a few weeks ago.    Sure, my son, who is super obsessed wanted to talk about it non stop. ;But how can you blame him? ;If you had a super successful entrepreneur available to talk for 8 days and you were a budding entrepreneur what would you do?    But for the most part, we kept it on vacation mode.        (my 10yr old learning to carve on a surf board)    Except...this conversation about hiring.;    My friend who was with us, Russell Brunson, has a unique take on hiring.    The first thing he looks at for any applicant is their DISC profile!    That's right.    He doesn't look at their resume or their skills. ;In order for someone to submit an application to him, he requires them to take a DiSC test and submit it as the subject of their application.    Then he'll look at their resume.    Why?    Because the people he used to hire always sucked.    Why?    Because he'd get a big stack of applications and would go through them with a Russell filter. ;    We all do it. ;We look at other people through the filter of our personalities.    He was doing it when hiring.    He'd get all excited about the people who were just like him. They were driven, motivated, and good at selling. ;"YES! That's the guy I want on my team!"    Except, when he hired them they most of them didn't work out.    He didn't know why until he learned all about DiSC.    Russell is a high D personality.    He was hiring a bunch of high D personality people.;    But high D personalities often don't make good employees.    High S and high C make good employees.    As soon as he figured out how to use DiSC his hiring success shot through the roof.    Now, before hiring someone, he figures out the correct DiSC profile for the role and then filters from there.    Genius.    I interviewed the girl who taught him all about DiSC.;It's long, but it will change the way you look at hiring forever:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4kFsQrJszo     John 
 One of my favorite adventures is canyoneering.        The land becomes different when you're forced to touch it and roll around with it and push against it and use it to move your body.It's hard to explain until you've done it. ;But those of you who have done it know what I'm talking about.    Last week I had a friend borrow some of my canyoneering gear. ;We started talking about some techniques we use and he showed me a different way of rigging a rappel that gives you more options. ;I really liked his method.    Just like how talking with Shepard H. gave me a new idea for how to keep a new OFS busy, while also gaining their trust.    Shepard said right after he hired his OFS, they collaborated on a doc where they made a huge list of things she could do for him (he listed tasks that he wanted her to do, she listed all of her skills, some he didn't know about...)    Then he had his OFS go through the ;list (he said it was pretty extensive) and categorize everything into three columns: things she would be excited to do for him, things she felt fine about doing/was willing to learn, and things she really didn't want to do or disliked.;    He's conscientious to assign her things in the first two columns, focusing on the things she loves to do. If he needs something done that she hates doing, he tries to find other ways to get it done.    I thought that was a great idea to establish trust/rapport at the beginning of a relationship. It would help you get to know your OFS better and understand what they can do for you.    I also thought I should do it with a bunch of people on my team right now. People who have been with me for years.;    John    PS. Over 37,000 Filipino workers signed up at OnlineJobs.ph last month. They're looking for work. You can find almost any skill set! 
 Last week I told you about tropical storm Fabian. It wasn't supposed to be a big storm...and it wasn't...    ...except that it stuck around all week (which was totally unexpected) and caused flooding all over the main island of Luzon (which is where Manila, Quezon City, Pasig...most of the big cities are).    It wasn't suppose to bring a lot of rain and it wasn't supposed to last long. ;It managed the worst case scenario and did both.    Check with your OFS and make sure they're ok. ;If they've experienced flooding, maybe offer to help them.        John 
When I started hiring people in the Philippines I didn't have the ability to specify a location. It was hard enough just finding talent, I had to take people wherever I could find them.    Over the years I considered having an office where all my team would be able to work together. ;I decided against it because my team is all over the country and I couldn't ask them to move just to work in an office somewhere.;    Today it's way easier to find talent because of OnlineJobs.ph. ;If you want to be picky about their location, you can.;    But, just how big is the Philippines?    Here's what Julia wrote:---------------While tropical storm Fabian was raining down on Metro Manila, here in Mindanao it's been scorching hot.        (Flooding in Manila, dry and hot in Davao)    Doesn't make sense right? We're a small country. If there's a typhoon in Manila, we should have felt that everywhere.;    In terms of land area, the Philippines isn't that big. We're only 3% of the size of the US. To put things into perspective, we're around the same size as New Mexico or Arizona.    But because our islands are spread out, we actually occupy the same amount of space as Texas. So even though we're a small country, we can have different climates. We have areas that are practically deserts (La Paz Sand Dunes) to cold temperate provinces with daily temperatures similar to a New England town (Baguio and Lake Sebu).    At least in Texas you can drive all the way from one point to the next. In the Philippines, if you want to drive from the North to South or East to West, your car would have to ride a boat almost half the way. Great if you enjoy island hopping. Not so great if you hate plane travel and you often get seasick.    And, the islands aren't as close as you might think. ;It's not uncommon for a boat ride between islands to take 6-18 hours (depending on which 2 islands).;------------------    I've only been to the Philippines once (in 2010). ;I was surprised at how far apart their 7000 islands are. ;From the island we stayed (Boracay) you couldn't see other islands that I thought weren't that far away.;    It would be uncommon for a tropical storm or typhoon to affect every part of the Philippines at once.    John [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]    [/et_pb_row]   [/et_pb_section]
 When I started hiring people in the Philippines I didn't have the ability to specify a location. It was hard enough just finding talent, I had to take people wherever I could find them.    Over the years I considered having an office where all my team would be able to work together. ;I decided against it because my team is all over the country and I couldn't ask them to move just to work in an office somewhere.;    Today it's way easier to find talent because of OnlineJobs.ph. ;If you want to be picky about their location, you can.;    But, just how big is the Philippines?    Here's what Julia wrote:---------------While tropical storm Fabian was raining down on Metro Manila, here in Mindanao it's been scorching hot.        (Flooding in Manila, dry and hot in Davao)    Doesn't make sense right? We're a small country. If there's a typhoon in Manila, we should have felt that everywhere.;    In terms of land area, the Philippines isn't that big. We're only 3% of the size of the US. To put things into perspective, we're around the same size as New Mexico or Arizona.    But because our islands are spread out, we actually occupy the same amount of space as Texas. So even though we're a small country, we can have different climates. We have areas that are practically deserts (La Paz Sand Dunes) to cold temperate provinces with daily temperatures similar to a New England town (Baguio and Lake Sebu).    At least in Texas you can drive all the way from one point to the next. In the Philippines, if you want to drive from the North to South or East to West, your car would have to ride a boat almost half the way. Great if you enjoy island hopping. Not so great if you hate plane travel and you often get seasick.    And, the islands aren't as close as you might think. ;It's not uncommon for a boat ride between islands to take 6-18 hours (depending on which 2 islands).;------------------    I've only been to the Philippines once (in 2010). ;I was surprised at how far apart their 7000 islands are. ;From the island we stayed (Boracay) you couldn't see other islands that I thought weren't that far away.;    It would be uncommon for a tropical storm or typhoon to affect every part of the Philippines at once.    John 
When I started hiring people in the Philippines I didn't have the ability to specify a location. It was hard enough just finding talent, I had to take people wherever I could find them. Over the years I considered having an office where all my team would be able to work together. ;I decided against it because my team is all over the country and I couldn't ask them to move just to work in an office somewhere.; Today it's way easier to find talent because of OnlineJobs.ph. ;If you want to be picky about their location, you can.; But, just how big is the Philippines? Here's what Julia wrote:—————While tropical storm Fabian was raining down on Metro Manila, here in Mindanao it's been scorching hot. (Flooding in Manila, dry and hot in Davao) Doesn't make sense right? We're a small country. If there's a typhoon in Manila, we should have felt that everywhere.; In terms of land area, the Philippines isn't that big. We're only 3% of the size of the US. To put things into perspective, we're around the same size as New Mexico or Arizona. But because our islands are spread out, we actually occupy the same amount of space as Texas. So even though we're a small country, we can have different climates. We have areas that are practically deserts (La Paz Sand Dunes) to cold temperate provinces with daily temperatures similar to a New England town (Baguio and Lake Sebu). At least in Texas you can drive all the way from one point to the next. In the Philippines, if you want to drive from the North to South or East to West, your car would have to ride a boat almost half the way. Great if you enjoy island hopping. Not so great if you hate plane travel and you often get seasick. And, the islands aren't as close as you might think. ;It's not uncommon for a boat ride between islands to take 6-18 hours (depending on which 2 islands).;—————— I've only been to the Philippines once (in 2010). ;I was surprised at how far apart their 7000 islands are. ;From the island we stayed (Boracay) you couldn't see other islands that I thought weren't that far away.; It would be uncommon for a tropical storm or typhoon to affect every part of the Philippines at once. John   
 Sara was drowning with life. ;    An OFS changed that.    Here's what Sara wrote to me a few days ago:    ---------I purchased One VA Away back in March and didn’t watch it until about 2 weeks ago when I was just drowning balancing life and trying to grow a few businesses. ;    So I finally watched the videos, posted a job and had 286 applications. ;I was completely overwhelmed. ;But I kept watching your videos and used your guidance to go through each one. ;Eliminating first based on budget, then just started asking questions to see which ones would write back in a timely manner. ;    Then, there was one that just stood out. ;Not because of her experience, but because of how she communicated via email, how responsive she was and more importantly how she used bullet points and answered EVERY question! ;I hired her and we have been working together for only 3 business days so far, but she is absolutely a perfect fit! ;I am so thankful for you, your process and onlinejobs.ph to have given me the structure and platform to find the most amazing person to add to my team!    So kudos to you for a job well done. ;Your experience shows and thank you for sharing it!    Best,Sara        -----------    In my experience, if you don't have time to hire it's likely 1 of 2 situations:    1. You're already managing a bunch of people2. You're working IN your business.;    #1 is an acceptable reason to put off hiring.#2 isn't. ;Spend some time working ON your business. Few people ever regret this.    Johnhttps://OneVAAway.com 
 We remodeled our kitchen 3 years ago and it turned out amazing. ;We love it!        This story is specifically about the cabinets.;    Installing the cabinets and finish work went super smoothly because the cabinet company had a guy who's job was to install, but also to make customers happy.;He spent time at our house doing tiny things we wanted done. He made sure things were perfect. ;He came back over and over again.;    We made him smoothies while he worked. When he was done done done with the work, I gave him $100 as a tip. ;He started crying because it was the first "tip" he had ever gotten.    Well...we've lived in the kitchen for 3 years now and the cabinets aren't perfect anymore so I texted this guy and asked if he's still around and if he could come over and adjust some things for me.    And...he's still around. ;Working for the same company. Doing amazing things.    Today he came over and made a plan with me to get our cabinets back to perfect.;    I learned 2 lessons:    1. When you treat people well they stick around. Someone being at the same job, in the construction industry, 3 years later??? ;That's not normal. I know the owner of the company. He treats his people well and promises this guy he'll always have a job.    2. When you treat people well, they want to do work for you. ;The smoothies. The conversations. The $100 tip. I treated him like he was a person. When I texted him, he came back.;    In the Philippines, this is especially true.    If you treat your OFS well (starting when you recruit them) they'll want to do work for you. ;They'll stick around. They'll do great work.    But you have to treat them well.;- give feedback- give training- pay them on time- have realistic expectations- ask them how they're doing    I had an employer complain to me today saying that "the people" on OnlineJobs.ph are crappy because he had 3 different people ghost him. ;But "the people" on Upwork are "better" he said. ;    (hint...they're the same people on both sites. Upwork just charges you more when you pay them)    I told him it's because the Upwork system allows you to treat people like crap and they can't do anything because they're dependent on getting a review from you. ;    So, if you're a crappy employer, go to Upwork and hire someone. ;Their system allows for it. ;    But if you're a good person. Kind. Treats people like people. Understand that people make mistakes. Willing to help your OFS do a great job at their job...then go hire someone at OnlineJobs.ph. ;Your cost will be 20-50% less, and the Filipino will make more overall. ;It's a win-win.    John 
 On our ride yesterday my two teenage daughters kicked my butt.        (as they start to pull away from me)    2 hours of amazing riding with 30 minutes of butt kicking mixed in as I tried to keep up with them during their 10 minute hard intervals. ;    I can't, they're just too fast.    If we were riding on dirt trails it might be slightly different just because I'm a better technical rider than they are. ;I practice my skills. ;    But we weren't on dirt trails because it was raining! ;We rode up American Fork canyon instead. ;It's a beautiful ride...just not as beautiful if your heart rate is through the roof and your legs are screaming at you to stop and you're still falling behind. ;    In business I sometimes feel like this too.;    I just can't keep up with social media. ;Fortunately I have people on my team who do.    I'm not very good at programming anymore. ;But I have programmers who are good.    I'm terrible with design...but designers aren't that hard to find in the Philippines.;    Doing customer support or data entry I feel like I'm drowning. Amazing OFS take care of these things for me.;    At least in business I can manage other people doing the work...unlike on my bike.    You can manage people doing the work in your business too. ;My book The Outsourcing Lever will help you be a better manager.    John        Aaaaand...they're gone 
 I'm writing this sitting on the beach at Pineview Reservoir in Huntsville, UT.    I just taught 4 littles to water ski. ;        I mean...not that I taught them. ;We have these learner skis where the rope is attached to the skis and to the handle so the boat (or jet ski...it's a bit easier behind a jet ski) pulls directly on the skis. ;It makes balancing easy.    Except...they kid still has to keep the ski tips up. ;Often they start to roll sideways before the jet ski even starts going so I get in the water with them and hold them straight until they're ready to take off.    When are you ready to hire your first OFS?    Easy.    When you have something in your business that- you know how to do- you know it's effective- you feel like you could teach it to someone else    You're ready.    It could be something you're doing and now you get it off your plate.It could be something you're not doing because you don't have time to do it or because you don't like doing it.;    Hire your first OFS!    When are you ready to hire your second OFS?    Easier.    When you get the taste from your first OFS being productive you'll know when.When your first OFS is too busy to take on more work, it's time.When your first OFS is productive and you need something done that is a completely different skill set, it's time.    John     
 My brother-in-law set up Crossnet on the grass overlooking the lake last night.    I hadn't played before and it was very nuanced.;    It takes anticipation, reaction, touch, skill, height (boy this is easier if you're tall). ;There were a lot of things which weren't productive (slamming the ball) and others which were very productive (blocking the ball). There was also some good kid fun.    It took a while to figure out the strategy behind what's productive and what's not.    Then it was super fun.        It took me a while to figure out what was productive with my OFS.Here are some thoughts.There isn't magic here. ;I'm not "the expert" about this...these are just things I've done and seen others do.    1. Keep them busy. ;If they have idle time, they'll fill it with something else. Another job. A hobby. Their family. Once someone is used to working less, it's hard to get them to drop the other responsibilities they picked up while they were idle.    2. Give them responsibilities. If someone is in charge of a project, they're more likely to take initiative. With this there's always the caveat: They have to trust you first.    3. Give recurring tasks. Things that can always be done. SEO. Data entry. Research...    4. Ask them how busy they are.    5. Ask them what they think they can do or what they would like to do for you.    6. Be available. Give feedback. Follow up on projects.;    It's not rocket science.    Johnhttps://OnlineJobs.ph     
 This story from Julia doesn't make sense until you understand that having a college degree in the Philippines is a BIG deal.;    Like, people in the Philippines say that without a college degree you're only fit to work as a nanny or something equivalent (I think nannies are super important...but that's a different story).;Normal earnings (without a college degree) are somewhere around $100-$200/month for full-time work. ;    Now, with some context, you'll better understand why Julia wrote this:----------------As I was browsing through social media, I came across this story on my newsfeed because it involved my alma mater.    UP Manila, Cavite State University dismiss claims of a fake alumna (msn.com)    Apparently, a woman faked her college credentials when she was invited by her former high school to be a graduation guest speaker. She was outed by everyone on social media because:1. The schools she claimed to graduate from (College of Law in the University of the Philippines-Manila) doesn't exist.2. The grades she claimed;to have (equivalent to straight A in all her law school subjects) are unbelievable3. The graduates of these schools know each other. Nobody remembered her. And it's so easy to request for alumni records which proved she never went there.    Why did she do this? In the Philippines, most businesses put a lot of value on what school you came from. What school you came from is so important, making fake diplomas is its own cottage industry.    What does this mean when you're hiring an OFS? Does this mean you can't trust a Filipino worker who says they come from a good school? You still can. Most Filipinos are honest about what school they came from.;    And if you look at our jobseeker profiles, we don't actually ask them what school they came from. ;A newbie jobseeker that came from a good school might have a slight advantage over other inexperienced workers. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what school you came from. What matters most is whether or not that jobseeker has the right skills, experience and attitude.;---------------    Personally...I've never looked at what school someone graduated from.;I care about your attitude, fit, skills, and personality.    I teach how you identify these things at OneVAAway.com    John 
 There's all kinds of discussion among the coaches of my kids mountain bike team about whether or not to cancel practice because of poor air quality.    When California (or Oregon) has fires it always seem to attract the right weather pattern to blow the smoke directly over us.        (smoke in Salt Lake City blown in from California)    There are 200+ kids on the mountain bike team, so the decision is not taken lightly, especially since it concerns the kids health.    "I think we should do the responsible thing and cancel"    "I think we should hold practice and let parents and kids decide if they want to come"    "I don't think we'll have enough adult ride leaders"    It's a good discussion with good intelligent people.    We have a similar discussion going right now about how we handle Facebook logins for ID Proof on OnlineJobs.ph.    Years ago we started requiring new workers to authenticate their Facebook account so we could use the FB API to verify them on social media. ;We used this to add to their ID Proof score. ;It worked really really well. ;    But recently FB changed their policies and we can't do it how we used to so we have to change.    There's a lively discussion going on among 4 of my OFS about how we should handle the situation. Different OFS think different things. ;They're vocal about it.;    "We can't automate checking accounts anymore, it just won't work"    "We should do it manually"    "Manually? ;With 1000+ new accounts created every day?!"    ......    Here's how I handle this.    I read the discussion.I input my questions or opinions.I let them talk through it.I think through the solutions they're coming up with.I try to provide extra info they may not have because they don't always understand they whole picture (I'm the business owner, they're not. I have 15 years experience with this, they don't.)    I try to let them make a decision. ;If I see the decision has problems or isn't going to work like they think, I'll step in.;Otherwise I leave them alone.    How could you let your OFS be more involved in growing your business?    John 
 I’m at Lake Powell with just adults this week. ;    Usually we come with our kids but it has been so fun to have just adults…        …except this one guy keeps making accounting analogies. ;    “…eventually there’s going to be a true-up for that”(A true-up I like a reconciliation)    “It’s kind of like filing form XYZ…”    Some accountants can’t help themselves. Taxes are part of their every day.    Worrying about taxes with your OFS shouldn’t be part of YOUR every day.    Https://OnlineJobs.ph/taxes    It’s pretty simple.    And if your OFS wants to know how they handle their own taxes:    https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/updated-filipino-online-workers-guide-to-paying-taxes-2020    John 
 Where I live in Utah, things are basically back to normal.;    School is starting next week...back to normal.Businesses are open...back to normal.We're at Lake Powell this week...back to normal.        The Philippines however, is not back to normal. They're still masked up and with restrictions in a lot of places.    If your OFS gets Covid, Julia did the research on how they pay if they end up in the hospital.    ------------Philhealth (our socialized health system), despite its flaws, can be useful if your VA contributes to it regularly. And if your VA catches COVID -19, Philhealth actually has health packages that can help reduce their medical bill.    I'm going to explain here the Philhealth benefits that your VA can get if they contract COVID-19. Please note though that their regulations have been changing every few months. If there are significant changes to the regulation, we'll let you know once we have more information on it.    So, how can Filipinos avail of the COVID 19 benefit? They have to be:1. A Philhealth member. If they were diagnosed and confined for COVID-19 before becoming a member, they can still avail of the benefit as long as they become a member before they're discharged from the hospital.2. They have to be diagnosed for COVID-19 by an accredited facility using RT-PCR3. If they were initially diagnosed for COVID but had a negative RT-PCR test, they would still be covered by the intermediate package.    Those who tested positive for COVID-19 and are confined in a Philhealth accredited hospital can avail of the following packages.    Coverage of up to (Php)Php 43,997 - Mild pneumonia in the elderly or with co-morbiditiesPhp 143,267 - Moderate pneumoniaPhp 333,519 - Severe pneumoniaPhp 786,384 - Critical pneumonia    If they were initially treated for COVID-19 and are confined in a Philhealth accredited hospital but tested negative, they can avail for the following packages:    Coverage of up to (Php)Php 18,000 - Moderate pneumoniaPhp 38,000 - Severe/Critical pneumonia    For more information, they can check the links below or go to the Philhealth website directly: philhealth.giv.phhttps://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2020/circ2020-0009.pdfhttps://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2021/circ2021-0008.pdfhttps://www.philhealth.gov.ph/advisories/2021/adv2021-013.pdf------------    John 
 In 2007 when I found the right screen recording software, it changed OFSs for me.    See, with screen recording software, there are a couple small things which make all the difference on how much you'll use it.    1. It needs to do both video captures and image captures2. It needs to always be open on your computer so that capturing is one click (or...preferably just a keyboard shortcut)3. It needs to have the ability to annotate images (add arrows, lines, and text to the image)4. It needs to upload the images and videos automatically and give you the URL automatically.;    For me, none of these are negotiable at this point.;    Why?;    Because in 2006 and 2005 (the two years I had OFS's working for me before finding the magic software) I was using Camtasia Studio to make video trainings for my OFS. ;It always entailed recording the video, rendering the video, using FTP to upload it to a server, and figuring out the URL of the video.;    It took so much work I would only do it for really important things. ;    Then, it all changed with Snagit.    Snagit meets all the criteria listed above...but it's just easier to show you exactly how it works.http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/snagit-demo.mp4    You can't see the snagit controls in the video because the screen recording didn't record the screen recording controls. ;But...it just works.    And it's amazing!    I create training, feedback, SOPs, corrections, ...anything! ;This is how I manage my VAs. ;When I found the right software I went from being able to manage 5 VAs to being able to manage 20 VAs. ;It saves that much time.    Snagit is the best. ;It's $49.Free alternatives include- Techsmith Capture- Tinytake- there are lots of others (a super popular one is Loom)...but I don't bother with them. ;Snagit is better.    I'm thankful for amazing pieces of software which increase my abilities and make my life so much easier. ;Snagit is my #1.    John 
 As we sat at lunch the other day I was getting wet. It was weird.    After the driest winter/spring/summer in a long time in the western US, Utah is finally getting rain. ;    And by rain, I mean 2 days of non-stop rain…which is super weird.    As we sat eating the skies opened and the whole restaurant turned their heads towards the windows. Pouring rain. ;Inside, where it was previously dry (after 1.5 days of rain), now water was streaming down. I was getting wet!    No matter…the conversation was good.    My companion and I have had similar health problems. ;We talked about it.    I've worked through my early onset dementia and am doing really well.;He's still working through it.    But the real reason we went to lunch was because of his Filipino workers.    "They're amazing!" He said.    But he's still struggling to get things done that he doesn't know how to do.    Or so he thought.    In the end, as we talked through it, it appears his struggle was actually due to not managing the process. ;He's so overworked (even with his team in the Philippines) that he's not managing certain people/processes…at all. ;    If you're looking to hire someone to do something you don't know how to do, consider a couple things:    It's definitely doable. ;I've done it. Lots of others have done it.Generally, more experienced people are more expensive.If you don't manage the process, you're unlikely to see results.Managing the process for something you don't know how to do takes either:; ;A. Accepting any outcome; ;B. A lot of time; ;C. Bringing in outsiders to help   There are a couple exceptions to this.    design - you don't have to know how to design to recognize good/bad designsales copy - you can hire someone to write sales copy. Pretty straight forwardI'm sure there are more…    If you have other advice for getting things done which you have no idea about, I'd love to hear them!    John     
 I hate writing.;    It's the worst thing I have to do.;    I don't know why…but asking me to write an article about something I know a lot about…yuck!    I'm happy to dictate it. ;Happy to talk through it. Happy to make corrections to someone elses writing.    But asking me to write something from scratch…    And, something I know little about? ;Forget it.    This is why I hire Filipino writers.;    But even they have their struggles sometimes. This was Julia trying to figure out what to write about for todays newsletter.      One misconception I think most people have when outsourcing creative work (writers, graphic designers, etc) is that we're always inspired. Give us a task, the light bulb above our head turns on instantly, and we get to work.    Most days, it does feel like that. The more you practice your trade, the better you get at it. The easier it becomes.    But there are days when it doesn't really happen. Writer's block is a real thing. It's something that everyone who does creative work suffers from. There are days where I stare at my outline doing nothing. I know what I have to do. It's just that my brain is refusing to cooperate and I've forgotten to do something I've done a hundred times before.    That was the case with this email. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to write but the idea refuses to take shape. I knew staring at it wasn't going to change things so I did something else. I had other tasks from John to give me something else to focus on. I did a few chores to give my brain a break. And when I got back to my computer, that's where I got the idea to write about how I was having a hard time finding something to write.    My advice, if you're going to hire an OFS who does creative work, give them a small extra task that's slightly unrelated to what they're doing. Something that doesn't require creativity, like checking for spam email/comments. Just to give our brains a break every once in a while.      How do you overcome a creative block? Any advice for me?    John 
 Sometimes you just need some inspiration.    For those of you with clients, here's how Monica H. had her OFS design their client onboarding process. ;It's inspiring.    Monicas words in an email to me:-----------------Hey John,    I always enjoy your emails - and getting the perspective from your OFSs. :-)    It’s taken several tries over the years but I finally have 2 awesome OFSs in place (plus a full-time employee here in the US). They take care of a wide range of things for my digital marketing agency.    Once they were comfortable with their work, I asked the 3 of them to develop the onboarding process for our new clients. They had access to all of the process docs and resources we currently use, and they know what it looks like after a client has been onboarded. But beyond that, they had free rein to figure out how the overall process should look, how to document that, and how to communicate it to clients. As part of the process, they could interview me to get answers to any questions they had.    They had many, many discussions about how to accomplish the project, what the outcome should look like, who would do what, what was missing, what needed to be created, etc.    I made sure they had the resources they needed and then got out of their way.    Guess what? They blew me away!!    They gave me a formal presentation to show what they’d done, what they recommended and why, and the resources they’d developed to support the onboarding process. They came up with things I would never have thought of (and I’ve been doing this for a LONG time!).    They now feel ownership for the process and are experts in how to bring a new client onboard. And they’re already working on developing the next part of our process!    It just goes to show how valuable an OFS can be when you trust them to do great work.    I’m now looking for my next OFS hire :-)    Thanks for the great service you provide,Monica----------------    Speaking of inspiration, here's my daughters new bike, inspired by Trek's paint jobs on their olympic bikes.    John     
 Here's an interesting distinction on work you don't know how to do.    Thomas R. separates work he wants to understand before having his team do it, from work he doesn't want to know anything about and doesn't want his team to do.    Here are his two descriptions of these two different types of work and how he accomplishes them with his OFS.      I have found that Imust test a new set of instructions to ensure it gets the result before I can pass it on to others.    A lot of the time I think the instructions should give the result but they do not - a step is out of place or missing etc.    It takes a fair amount of work, but once the system is done, it is an asset for the business and I am not dependent on particular people that "know" how to do the work. Its all documented.    In regards to work I don't want to know how to do and don't want my team to do - I think I still need to be clear on what the purpose of the work is and some kind of vision for what the final product is like. A description of the problem the work is meant to address would probably be helpful.    For example, my optin rate is currently sucking on my funnel - I could give this as the problem, the purpose of the work is to create a working optin page with at least a 20% conversion from ad traffic and for it to look professional and like modern business webdesigns.    With that data, I could then seek who could do this work and they would have a reasonable chance of completing the work.      Thomas is doing both insourcing (the first type of task he describes) and outsourcing (the second type).    I've also found that testing out instructions myself is really valuable.After my OFS worked for me for a few years I stopped testing things myself. ;I let them do the testing. ;They trust me enough to come to me with problems.    John 
 From Julia, my OFcS (Online Filipino Content Specialist):    --------------------I was reading the news this morning and I came across this sad local news story: ;Rizal town slammed for offering low pay to registered nurses (msn.com)        This town is offering their registered nurses P13,000/month. To give you an idea of how much P13,000 is, that's $260/month for a full-time registered nurse.    It's no surprise why a lot of nurses and college graduates are opting to work online instead of working in a hospital.    At $260/month, not only are you exposing yourself to illnesses, you also have to commute to work. We haven't taken into account the other expenses like food, clothing for work, etc.;    Even we at Onlinejobs.ph don't endorse that starting salary anymore. It's just too low. That number may have worked around 10 years ago. But in our latest salary guide (https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/filipino-virtual-assistants-salary-guide) , we've started recommending a starting salary for new employees at $350/month. That's for new, inexperienced workers. They don't even have to be registered nurses.    This news frustrates me because it just reminds me how underappreciated our doctors and nurses are during this pandemic. They're in the frontlines. They should be paid fairly for the work that they do and the risk they undertake.;    As much as I am happy to have more nurses working online and from home, we still need nurses in the field. If our government continues to undervalue the people who risk their lives to save others, I worry about our future.----------------    We laid out a guide to salaries. ;How do you determine salaries? ;What about raises?    John    PS. I had 3 people ask me this past week if it's possible to hire someone with perfect English. ;The above from Julia is unedited. ;Yes, it's possible, and it's not that hard. 
 He's not Batman...but he thinks he is:        He's wearing one piece Batman pajamas and flip flops riding this demo bike I got.;The bike weighs just 16 pounds and rolls like a dream.It's like Batman trying out a new high tech device.    The bike has made riding his default activity. ;When he's free, he goes to the bike rather than to the TV.    Sometimes I feel like Batman with the way my OFS make things easier for me.    Lance W. asked if I could write about how my OFS help with my email campaigns. The process isn't as good as I want it to be...but that should change soon. ;    Here's how it works for me.    Any integration stuff with Mailchimp my OFS takes care of (programmer).This includes using the API to add people who sign up via OnlineJobs.ph to Mailchimp, as well as using Zapier with Clickfunnels and Mailchimp. It also includes any time we build an opt-in form. Anything technical, they hook it up.    I figured out how to set up Mailchimp so things would work right for us.One of my OFS created a custom template for me so emails get sent as plain text the way I want them formatted.    For sending out emails, here's how it works for me1. I write the email and post it in Mailchimp.This is the part I haven't figured out how to outsource well yet. Julia sometimes writes emails and I make comments on them.;I tried having someone else write emails based off what I dictated but it didn't work great. Maybe it was the wrong person. I need to try it again.    2. My OFS schedules them correctly    3. My OFS makes sure everything is done correctly within MailChimp. This includes images, grammar, spelling...    4. My OFS takes the email content and puts it onto my website JohnJonas.com. She schedules it to publish the night before the email is set to go out.;This allows me to double dip on content. It serves as an email newsletter and also as a permanent blog post.;I can't tell you how many times people ask me a question and I do a duckduckgo.com search for:site:johnjonas.com insurance(Try it, it will give you my best newsletters about insurance for your OFS)    Unfortunately for me, this newsletter is the part of my business I have LEAST automated.    I'm going to try again with getting someone else to write the content based off what I dictate. If it changes, I'll let you know how I did it.;    What task have you struggled to outsource that maybe you just need to give it another try tweaking the process slightly?    John    PS. Maybe using my process at www.OneVAAway.com would help you hire the right person this next time? 
 As I write this I'm in pain.    My mouth is swollen. My sinuses are swollen. My tongue is swollen.        I had a bone graft done in my mouth because I had 2 root canals next to each other both of which failed.;    When I was a kid I didn't take care of my teeth.;    My parents weren't super functional to be able to help. They were overwhelmed with life.Dentists told me to brush and floss.  I didn't see the point.    I wish I would have listened to people who knew more than me...people who could see farther down the road than I could.    Here's a great case study we did with John Abbas. He's been down the road.He runs a podcast where his OFS help manage it and keep him on track.His OFS built the website for his podcast and does banners, forms, graphics for it.When she's not busy doing design for the podcast, she does SEO and manages the YouTube channel.    It's a classic example of an OFS helping to grow a business.        https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-vas-podcasting-mentor-nation-podcast-john-abbas    John 
 You should at least understand what the Philippine SSS is.    Julia explains:-----------------The Philippine SSS (Social Security System) is a social insurance program created by the government to cover every Filipino over the age of 15. It was intended to be a safety net that anyone can use as long as they contribute to the fund.    To be an SSS member, all we need to do is to register through any of the SSS branches scattered all over the Philippines or apply online (https://member.sss.gov.ph/members/rcsmi/newApplication.html). Once the registration process is complete, that's when we can apply for an SSS UM(Unified Multipurpose) ID. Within the SSS ID is a unique SSS number, which is used to track contributions and benefits.        Like in the US, once you become an SSS member, you're given a social security number that you use for the rest of your life. Your contributions, loans and benefits would be associated with that number. This is also the reason why SSS IDs are one of the most accepted government issued IDs in the Philippines. Each ID is unique and there's little incentive or benefit in faking an SSS ID. If your number isn't in the system or doesn't match their records, you won't receive any benefits.        Anyone can contribute to the SSS. In fact, they take contributions as low as P10 ($0.20) per month. This was done so anyone can take advantage of SSS benefits, even the unemployed.;    But most Filipinos wait until they are employed to become an SSS member so their employer would share in the payments. Under Philippine Law, legally registered businesses must share in the SSS contributions of their employees, which can range from 30% to 50% of the contribution. The more you pay into the fund, the more you get in terms of benefits. So even if you can get away with paying 20 cents a month, you'd want to contribute as much to the fund as you can.;    Why is it important for workers AND businesses to contribute to SSS? Because the SSS provides benefits that employers and employees would otherwise have to shoulder on their own.    The biggest benefit most people get from SSS is the maternity benefit. SSS covers the salary during maternity leave. SSS also covers sickness, disability and calamity benefits. And when a worker completes 120 contributions, they're eligible for pension when they turn 60 years old.        The SSS also has loan instruments that contribute to the Philippine version of a credit score. Most Filipinos take out their first loan through the SSS so they can slowly build credit. When you establish a good credit record within the SSS, it's easier to get a credit card or apply for home or car loans in the future.----------------    Consider paying your OFS SSS contributions    John 
 Let's go!   Come on, we're ready.   Everyone's waiting in the car for you.   It's not super common...but it definitely happens in my house. ;Probably in yours too.    We're getting ready to leave and someone (usually my daughter) is WAY behind everyone else. ;    It may or may not make you late (we're rarely late), but it's irritating...and it's just...TIME.    It's time sitting around.It's time away from doing something I want to do.It's time I coulda...    Speaking of time...let's talk about timezones and the Philippines.    People always want to know about having VAs work on their timezone. ;Is it possible? ;How do you make it work?    Here are Marcella's thoughts:    "Our graphics/video guy pretty much has full schedule flexibility as long as he produces the videos and graphics timely.;Our other Virtual Assistant has to overlap our business hours for at least 4 hours of her shift. It works out for her because she can work around time with her family and pick up the other 4 hours earlier or later in the day depending on her schedule.;She also pushes some of her hours over to the weekend so she has more flexibility during the week, with her children and their school hours. So it works."    Here are my thoughts on making this work:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka2cImM59SA     The gist is, yes, they can work on your timezone. But make sure that's the expectation when you hire. And, you'll probably find it easier if you hire someone who is already working the night shift.    Of course, if you're in Australia, none of this matters.    John 
 One of my OFS, Kiel (the one who visited me in 2019), emailed me this morning asking to take the week off. His mother died.    Our answer to that is, "Of course! Take as much time off as you want."    I gave him paid leave so he can focus on grieving and settle whatever needs to be settled. He can come back whenever he’s ready.    I know you guys might think it’s too generous. But I’m not worried. I trust Kiel because:    He has worked for me for YEARS. In fact, he’s one of the first people I hired.He has NEVER taken advantage of our generous leave policyWhen his mom was in the hospital, he sent me a photo to let me know what was happening.        He’s going through a lot right now. The least I can do is to give him the support he needs.    This is normal. Bad things happen. What’s not normal is when an OFS completely disappears after a family emergency.    So, years ago I recruited someone and I emailed her her first task. She had her sister reply to me and say, “I’m sorry she can’t work. Our mom died. So she won’t be able to work for you.”    And I was like, “No, I’ll just wait. You can go take care of your mom. That’s fine. I’ll just wait,”    And the sister replied and said, “No, sorry sir. She’s not going to be able to work for you at all.”    And I was like, that’s super duper weird.;    I was frustrated because I spent the time recruiting and I thought I found a good person.;    And I don’t know what happened. But I’ve seen this happen a number of times where someone has an emergency right after the job begins.    I started to think that maybe they feel like they’re not qualified for the job after all. It wasn’t what they thought. So they made up an excuse for why they’re going to quit.    In that case, in the beginning of a work relationship, if you feel that you recruited well, try and keep the person. But if the family emergency happens right at the beginning of the relationship, they might be using it as an excuse to get out of what they just agreed to. Maybe they found out that the job wasn’t what they thought it was. ;    Consider this a blessing that you haven't gone months down the road with someone who then realizes and disappears.    John 
 As we gathered for Sunday dinner the other night, everybody in the family was there. This is my wife's extended family. And there are like, 20 grandkids from 6 kids, all of whom are married.    The dinner was partly to celebrate my son, Austin, going away to college, which is a BIG change.    It’s a change for everyone because he’s the first of the grandkids to move away and move to college. He’s the oldest grandkid.;    Change is hard. Sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s just different.;    Anna M. emailed me about change. ;She asks:;    “Do you have any tips about transitioning an hourly VA to salary?”    And then she continues:    “I have never paid salary before. I’m not sure what the expectations are. What is included? What are the extras? For example, are holidays included? What about vacation time? What happens if she asks for a few extra days off. How do you manage productivity without knowing the hours as measurement?”    Here’s my answer to this.    The reality is nothing has to change except you’re going to pay her the same amount every month from now on regardless of what happens.;    Are holidays included? Yes, holidays are now included.    Vacation time? Well, you can give a specific number of vacation days per year. Or you can do what we do and just say, “You can take whatever days off you want, just let me know ahead of time.” I’ve never had someone take advantage of this.;    What if she asks for a few extra days off? Then, fine. Good for you for making her life better.    Measuring productivity without the number of hours as a measurement? Doesn’t seem to be an issue for me. You can usually tell just by the daily report. Like, what’s going on in the report. Has their productivity dropped? Has it increased? Has it changed? You should be able to tell just from what’s going on in your business without needing to say exactly how many hours were worked.;    You don’t have to do any tax changes for this. You don’t have to include insurance or SSS or anything like that. They are options but you don’t have to add anything else.;    Most (but not all) Filipino workers will prefer a fixed salary over an hourly wage.    John 
 This week I needed to make some changes in my business for a number of reasons:;    We need better content editing.;The OFS doing my social media is getting burned out with social media.;I need help writing this newsletter.;   So I turned to one of my most trusted OFS, Julia, to help me define the roles that we need. Actually, I turned to her because she’s involved in all these things. And she has helped me come up with some ideas.    So here’s what happened.    She said promoting from within would be a good idea, for the social media role . We already have someone working on social media. We can promote them and give them more responsibility. That takes some responsibility off of her (Julia).She (Julia) really prefers to write and edit. So she can not do social media. She can help write the newsletter and help edit the content.    So, before I go changing people’s responsibilities, I thought it would be good to define some roles.;    Content manager:    Writing newslettersWriting blog postsUpdating old blog postsEditing social mediaPlans and creates a schedule for releasing the blog posts    Social media manager:    Planning social media posts in advancedPosting and scheduling postsCreates social media engagement guidelinesMonitors the analytics    Content creators    Writes the captions for social mediaWrites the updates for old blog postsMakes the videos and imagesResponds to comments and DMs on social media    Content Editor    Edits the newsletters and blog postsGives feedback to the content creators    I don't think it's necessary for you to define roles for your OFS. ;I didn't for a long time and it has worked out just fine. Don't stress about this.    Have you defined any roles for your OFS? What role titles do you have?    John 
 We’re trying to build an exterior detached garage right now.    We met with a designer today and he said, “Well, what do you want with this?”    “Well, we want this much space. We want *this thing*. We want *this thing*.”    And he said, “Well, what are your needs here?”    I said, “Well, I don’t NEED any of this. I don’t need this particular thing in it. I don't NEED the garage at all. I don’t know. Life changes. “    And he said “NEED. Isn’t that a funny word? What do we need?"    So I got an email the other day from Jared H. who gave me a bunch of questions that he asks when determining salary for a potential team member that involves their "need".    -----What's the bare minimum you need to survive and pay the bills each month?;Most people don't want to be in survival mode and want to have some extra for doing fun things and going out to eat and such, what is that number for you each month?;Do you own a house or rent? Do you travel? What kind of hobbies do you have and do you feel like you are able to spend money on those hobbies?------    Might be interesting to look at asking your OFS what they need each month and what they want each month towards determining salary. This applies to current and future hires.    Let me know what answers you come up with.    John 
 We have chickens at my house for 3 reasons:1. I like the eggs they produce. Definitely not cheaper than store bought, but much higher quality.2. I like the feeling of producing something at home.3. I like that it gives my kids a responsibility.        At first it was hard for us. ;Having the kids take care of them was painful because they were bad at it. When I realized how bad they were at it, I did some research on my own, figured some things out, then I taught them how to better care for them.    Now it's super easy. Every day kids go out and eggs come in.    When you have;effective training, the limits to what your OFS can do are pretty small.;    Nina H. sent me this email where she talks about all the different things her OFS does for her business.    She does research for my content and does almost all of my graphics now, she does proofreading and transcription for my contracts (policies and procedures and other documents). She is now doing social media content and posting. She helps me with my schedule, she develops articles and makes slide decks for all of my presentations and courses. She created my entire course workbook and did an absolutely stunning job that required minimal revisions. She has been helping me revamp my website and course cards.   She can do anything by providing her with a short how-to/training video.;   And there's the key to Nina's "magic" OFS. ;    Training.    When her OFS was just starting out, she could only do a couple of things. But with the training Nina provided, she's now a rockstar.;    With video, it's easier to explain complicated tasks. There's no room for confusion because you're showing them exactly how you want things done. Sending a video is just as easy as sending an email.    I use Snagit.    John    PS. Figuring out Snagit;is what changed my ability to manage 5 people into being able to manage 20 people.; 
 From my OFS, Julia.      Close family ties are a good thing. But it has caused us problems in some cases.    In the Philippines, family takes precedence over everything. The family has influence over every important life decision. Even deeply personal decisions.    Deciding what course to take in college, for example. That should be a personal decision. But not in the Philippines. The entire family has a say on this. You’re lucky if what the family wants and what you want match. Or your family understands your decision.;But if they don’t and you insist on taking the course you want, they’re going to talk about it for YEARS.;    Your parents aren’t happy with the fact that your boss can’t extend your time off? It’s easier to just quit your job and give in to familial pressure. At least when you quit, your boss stops contacting you. Your parents are never going to let you forget about that ONE TIME you put your job over your family.    Online Filipino workers have it worse because the older generation still can’t wrap their heads around the idea that you can have a real job working from home.;    Let me give you an example. I have a neighbor who’s a single parent (husband works abroad) juggling 2 full-time jobs. She’s the designated caregiver for her sick mother-in-law. She’s also responsible for running all the errands related to her in-law's medical needs. On top of running errands for her own parents who can't go out due to the pandemic.    Doesn’t matter that she’s juggling 2 full-time jobs and she’s also taking care of her son. Doesn't matter that she has siblings and siblings-in-law who can share in the responsibilities. Working from home isn’t “real” work. Her siblings and in-laws work;in an office. They have 'real jobs'.;    If she has time to stay at home, she can take on one more responsibility. And another one. And another.;    That's why some of us just quit. At some it point, it's just too much work.;    I agree, it is;frustrating to have an OFS quit because their grandmother/cousin/uncle got sick and they have to take care of them. It doesn’t make sense. Why should we shoulder that responsibility? We have jobs too and they're just as important.    Because in the eyes of the family, we’re the ones who can. We work from home so we can afford to take one one more responsibility. It's easier to just give in.      Be nice to your people.;    Diego emailed me this week and said;"I have been too hard on my VAs for too many years and it has backfired on me."    Cut them some slack.    John 
 Jon D. emailed me this question.    I've noticed many Filipinos are at about 90-95% with their grammar, which is usually great.The customers of one of my businesses can be a bit ... jingoistic (they tend to be older and more conservative). I'm wondering if you have any recommendations for helping your team to improve their grammar or sound "more American"?   My answer to that was:    You're right, most are 90-95%.   I have a couple thoughts.    1. I've seen multiple people who work for me improve their grammar over the years. They weren't perfect. Now they are. I'm not sure what happened.    2. I've hired a number of people over the years with perfect English. ;100%. ;If you recruit well and are careful with it, it's not that hard to find these people.    I asked my OFS’ how they improved their grammar over the years. They all gave me the same answer: assimilation.    I send them a lot of training videos and emails. They all got used to the way I write and the way I talk. That influenced their grammar.    Another OFS added that having a comfortable salary also helped. She subscribes to Netflix and Amazon which gives her access to so many American TV shows and movies. She also reads a lot of books written by American authors.    Last but not least, I think feedback also helps. I tell my writers when I notice their phrasing is a bit off. It doesn’t sound weird to them so I have to point it out so they know what to avoid.    Things like - "Fill up the form" - we say "Fill OUT the form"- "You can avail of this..." - we say "You can take advantage of this..." or "you can get this..."  I finally just said "don't use the word 'avail'. It's technically correct, but we just don't use it."    Small corrections like these can go a long ways toward helping them sound more like you.    Do you have tips or things you've done to help your OFS improve? ;Please reply.    John 
 I got an email the other day from an expat in the Philippines who had a conversation on a forum about personal trainers.    Someone is asking about how to find a personal trainer but she’s moving. And someone else suggests that she find a virtual personal trainer at Onlinejobs.ph. And he seconds, “Find them at Onlinejobs.ph”.;        He sends it to me and I didn’t know what kind of trainer they were talking about.;    “Is it a language trainer? A marketing trainer or what? “    “No. Like a personal fitness trainer.”    So people are hiring on Onlinejobs.ph a personal fitness coach in the Philippines.;    It’s amazing the variety of talent you can find, especially in this new, virtual, quarantine, socially distanced world.    Is there something you need help with in your business but thought you couldn't find that before?    Or, something in your personal life that you need help with?    Just look at OnlineJobs.ph and see if you can find someone who can help.    John 
 So everyday, it's the same thing with my kids.    They get home and I ask, “How was school today?”. And they say, “Good.”    So instead of asking, “How was school today?” I started asking them, “What did you do at recess today?”.;    Or, “Who did you eat lunch with?”;    “What funny thing happened at school today?”    I just want a daily report from them of what’s going on. And mostly, I just want to interact with them.;    With my people in the Philippines, it’s not that different. I want a daily report to know what they’re working on.I want to know what's going on in the business and what got done and what didn't. ;    But also, I just want an excuse to interact with them. A reason for them to tell me what they’re doing so that I can give feedback and provide direction.;    So, here’s what daily reports look like. I ask people to answer 3 questions:- What did you work on today- What problems did you run into?- What can I help you with?    Some reports are super simple. Some are long. ;Depends on the person and the type of work they're doing.                I rarely get answers to all 3 questions. ;Usually, I just get "What did you work on today." But, occasionally I do get problems they ran into. Often they'll also propose a solution.    And then, because they know those are the questions, every once in a while people come to me with what I can help them with.;    To me, the daily report keeps the working relationship working.;    What questions do you ask your OFS in their daily reports?;    John 
 Growing up in Southern California, we always bought our pumpkins in the grocery store because it was cheaper. But we always wanted to go to a pumpkin patch cuz it was super cool. At least, we thought it was super cool.;    Well, my wife just told me she’s on her way to a pumpkin patch right now which has a whole bunch of unique, specialty pumpkins. I laughed at it because she’s really just looking for pumpkins that have warts on them and are really, really ugly.;        One of the things about the Philippines is it’s a different experience than elsewhere but without the ugly.    Filipinos are super duper loyal which is different from anywhere else that I’ve ever seen right now. Especially in Western countries where loyalty towards an employer has completely gone out the window.;    It used to be you would get a job and you work there for 40, 50 years and retire and they’d pay you a pension. Now, the average person stays in their job for like 2-3 years and they move on to something else. There’s no loyalty left.;    Yet in the Philippines, that loyalty still exists and it’s really amazing. Like the first person I ever hired in 2005, Joven, still works for me today. And Julia who I hired in 2011 still works for me today.    It’s super common that if you give people a job, as long as you’re willing to treat them well and employ them, they’ll work for you for a really long time. Which is really, really nice for a small business owner. It means you don’t have to get every single standard operating procedure right the first time because they’re still going to work for you. They’re going to work for you for a very long time and you can teach them. Fix mistakes and correct. And that loyalty will pay off over and over again.;    And that’s one of the reasons we stick with the Philippines. ; ; ; ;    John    PS. Want to know more cultural reasons we hire in the Philippines rather than elsewhere? Check out my book at www.OutsourcingLever.com 
 When my daughter first started learning to solve the 3 x 3 Rubik's cube, she asked a lot of questions and watched a lot of YouTube videos. It took her 2 weeks to figure things out. It frustrated her that it took so much time to understand how it worked.    Fast forward several months later, her 6 x 6 cube finally arrived over the weekend. This time, she solved the cube in less than 30 minutes. When I asked how she managed to do it so quickly, she responded, “it’s just like the 3 x 3, with a bit more.”        That’s the same explanation she gave me when she learned how to solve her 4 x 4 and 5 x 5.;        And when I got her the 2 x 2 and the pyramid, her explanation was “it’s like the 3 x 3, only a little different”.        My daughter didn’t automatically learn how to solve these puzzles as soon as she learned how to solve the 3 x 3. It took a lot of work and a lot of practice. She learned to solve all of them because she focused on the puzzle she had first before she asked for something more challenging.        This is why teaching and training your OFS one task at a time works. When they’ve mastered a task, it’s easier to see how one task relates to another. You’re building on something you already know. It’s easier to learn something when you’re confident about the skills that you already have.    And yeah, I already ordered the gear cube. It’s like a Rubik's cube but you also have to line up the gears and not just the colors. Let’s see how long it’s going to take her to solve that one!    John    PS. This email was written by my OFS (all except this PS part...which I'm adding after). She came up with the concept, wrote it, added the photos, and the teaching part.;If you're questioning whether you can hire good talent or not, go look again on OnlineJobs.ph.; 
 Charlie P sent me an email asking what an OFS can use if they can’t access certain sites or tools because of their IP addresses.    Years ago I used to love solving problems like this. I'd research it, try things myself, then have my OFS try things. ;I loved solving technical problems.    But the further along I got in my business the more I valued my time.;    Technical research takes time. And mental energy.;I want to spend that time and energy with my family.    So now, I ask;2 of my OFS, Jam and Dhec, for their opinions. They’re the guys who solve technical issues for me. Julia gathered their answers below    It can easily be resolved using 2 things.;    VPNWith a good VPN, your OFS can mask their IP to show that they are accessing online tools from your country, or sometimes, even your state! This is also the same way some people are able to watch Netflix shows not meant to be shown in their own country.;While many tools can work with VPNs, there are some who are able to detect VPNs and will block any attempts by your OFS to use them. For this, another way employers were able to resolve this is using a Remote Desktop connection.;Remote Connection Tool/Remote Desktop.;The simplest setup for this is to have a second computer in your location set to receive a remote desktop request. The OFS will then connect to that computer and use that computer as if it is their own. Since that computer is already in your location using your own internet connection, this allows the OFS to navigate and use the tools without issues.;;Another advantage of this is even if your OFS loses connection, the remote desktop will still have most of the tools available once they reconnect.;Remote desktop also has the advantage for employers with Static IP connections to have their OFS use the remote desktop with the static IP address. This is useful for tools that require IP address registration for access.;A remote desktop can also be done with an on-site server or using a cloud server (https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/) if you have the infrastructure or budget for it. The good thing about this set up is the security. It can also be cost effective if you have a lot of processes that you need to run online. However, if your or your OFS internet connection is bad, you will experience lag or have repeated disconnections.;;;If you have other solutions (or questions about this), I'd love to hear them.   John;; 
 When I hired my first VA it was through an agency. They asked:    "Do you want him to work on your timezone?"    I was like, "Sure!"    I didn't know any better.;    A few weeks in he emailed me and said:    "Sir, working at night is really affecting my health. I'm not sleeping during the day, I'm always grumpy, and I'm not productive. ;Would it be possible for me to work during the day my time?"    I was like, "Of course!"    When I asked for the night shift I didn't even think about how it might affect him. The company just offered it to me so I said yes.    Now, I know better. ;People on my team can work whenever they want, except for the few for which we have a schedule (so that we can cover 24/7 customer service).    Can you get people to work on your time zone?    Yes, it is possible to get an OFS to work the night shift. In your time zone. In fact, some people prefer it!        Take Harold, he's part of our customer service team. He prefers to work at night because he's used to it and he can stay awake for his newborn through the night.    Ben from our social media team also prefers to work nights so he can take care of his son early in the morning. His mother-in-law takes over the rest of the day.    Drew, also from our social team, is a call center veteran. She works nights because it's cooler and her internet's faster at night .    The key to finding an OFS who can work the night shift starts in the recruitment process. In the job post, you can specify that the person must have call center experience or have worked in the call center. They're used to shift work so asking them to work in your time zone would be easier.    Another way to figure out if an OFS can work nights is to ask whether they're early birds or night owls in the email interview. There are a lot of Filipino workers who prefer to work nights because it's cooler, there are fewer distractions, and the internet is faster here at night.    John 
 A lot of Filipino workers are great at customer service. But the problem with doing customer service at home is that you'll always hear something noisy in the background.    I’m talking about the unholy trio of chickens, dogs, motorcycles.    These noises used to stop a lot of qualified OFS from going for customer service positions.;    But now that a lot of Filipinos are working from home, noise cancelling headphones and applications have become cheaper and more accessible.;    A good pair of noise cancelling headphones used to cost more than P3,000 (around $60) which is a lot for them. Now you can get a good one for half that price.    And now there’s also Krisp.ai, an active noise cancelling app that works with most online meeting and VOIP software.    So if you’re looking for someone to do customer service, you now have more options for clear audio in the Philippines!    John 
 I spent most of last week bikepacking in Wisconsin with a couple of friends. It was amazing.;        (my bike fully loaded)    Then when I came home, I just had overnight. And we immediately left for Moab, which is an amazing biking destination here in Utah. My kids had a high school mountain bike race. Which again, was amazing.;        (my 14yr old on top of the podium. Her first race win!)    We got back Sunday and my wife left early this morning on a trip for herself. And after she left I was overwhelmed.;    Like, she did so much work while I was gone in the house. The house looked great. But then we came home and it was like a tornado hit our house.;    From unpacking from my bike trip, from the second bike trip, from the race, from taking care of all the food. It was like a tornado hit our house. The place is a disaster.;    And then my wife’s gone all week. And I haven’t worked in a week.;    And I’m overwhelmed. And I’m frustrated. And I yelled at my kids this morning when I shouldn’t have. *sigh*    And then I sat down to work. I got through my primary email in 20 minutes after having not really been at a computer in a week and a half. I'm not sure how...    And then...    I realize how grateful I am for the team, the people I have in the Philippines who work for me. I read through multiple conversations where just really good things are happening. They’re communicating with each other. My email is reasonable.    Things are just going really well.;    I was thankful that I had built this team as I had built it. I am thankful for the talent that I have on my team, the talented people in the Philippines.;    It’s not an overnight thing. It doesn’t happen quickly. It takes time. But you just have to start with one person.;    And starting with one person will open the door to bringing in another person. And another person. And eventually building a team of people that will take care of things for you. So that when you’re overwhelmed, work is still going really well. ;    If you're overwhelmed, try this.;Go to www.OneVAAway.com. ;Buy it. It's $49. Take 1 hour and follow the steps to learn what to do and get your job posted. Seriously, it's not a long process.;    This is the first step towards not being overwhelmed is posting your job.    John 
 I remember the first time I learned to write with block letters. It was the beginning of my 9th grade year. I drew my name in big block letters on the front of my notebook.    Today I was reminded of that as my 9th grader drew her sister’s name on her lunch bag in block letters.        I was also reminded that my 9th grader drew in block letters when she was in 1st grade. And I felt really dumb that she figured it out in 1st grade and it took me until 9th grade.;    But it was also amazing to me that she was so much better than me at something like this.    Then, I thought about the first time I realized that one of my OFS was better than me at something. It was a programmer and it was very early on.    I thought I was a really good programmer.I hired this guy and he was much better than me. ;    And it was super cool to realize, 'I thought they were just going to be okay. And it turns out, they were actually better than me at it.'    Over the years I've realized, quite a few times, that my team members are better than me at things. It may not always be the thing I hired them to do, but they’re better than me at something. Whatever that thing is, oftentimes it’s useful in my business. Sometimes it’s not.;    Right now in my business I know they're better than me at- writing- social media- programming- design- all paid advertising- video/audio editing    The interesting thing is, I used to be good at all of these except for design and social media.;    What are your OFS better than you at?    John 
 This is just a different take on hiring overseas.    A while back we did a case study with Matt Leitz.        He said something interesting.    Some people want to hire the lowest rate they can find. Matt doesn’t do that.    In fact, Matt doesn't hire in the Philippines to save money. He hires there because the pool of talent is vast and gifted.    He said: “We always look for the most expensive people on OnlineJobs.ph because it usually means they’re the most experienced.”;    So far, that strategy hasn’t let him down. He’s happy with every OFS he’s hired.    He adds, “I can say that it’s not only given me some of the best team members that I’ve ever had, but dear friends and I would go so far as to say practically family.”    What do you think about Matt’s strategy?What's your salary strategy?    John    PS. I'm somewhere in between. ;Sometimes I go high, sometimes low. Depends on the position and the feeling I have for the people I'm interviewing. 
 The first time I had an OFS ask me for a Certificate of Employment (COE) I was hesitant.      I wasn't sure if I should give it.What liabilities would it pose for me?They're technically independent contractors, not employees.Would this put me on the hook for something?    This is weird.    Or...that's what I thought.    The weird reason behind this is because the Philippine government and most Philippine businesses can’t wrap their head around the idea that a Filipino worker can have a stable job working online.    That's just me ranting. The short answer is having a COE allows them to take out loans.    Here's what my OFS says about it:    Remember a few emails ago I talked about SSS and how taking an SSS loan helps Filipinos establish credit (/what-sss-is-and-why-its-important-to-your-ofs/).    Let’s say I now have enough credit to take out an even bigger loan, say a car loan. I can only take out a car loan through a bank. And in order to take out a bank loan, I need to offer proof of income. That means I have to show the bank I'm:    1. employed or 2. a business owner.    Showing employment is easier. All we need to do is show payslips and a COE.     But most OFS don't have that. Even if we show the banks that we have a salary that comes in regularly, it’s not considered proof of income.    BUT the banks will recognize it as proof of income IF we can also present a COE. Their rationale for this is they want to make sure that the money that’s going into our account is coming from an employer and not from illegal activities.    But what if we just register as a sole proprietor/independent contractor business? Won’t that make it easier to take a loan?    Ironically, in order for us to register as an independent contractor, we would still need a COE.     The first step of the business registration process requires us to go to our barangay (town) hall and declare ourselves as independent contractors. We have to make this declaration so we can be exempted from most business requirements like renting out an office and getting the paperwork to use that office (fire clearance, health clearance, utilities permit, garbage permit, etc).    If we can show that we’re working from home, they’ll issue a certificate that we can take to the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and our local government. This would waive most of these requirements.    And to prove that we work from home, most barangays require that we show a COE.    Why do we need a COE? The explanation they gave us is that a COE is proof that our online work is our primary source of income.    However, in recent years, some banks and government offices have started changing their policies. Instead of asking for a COE, they’ve started accepting certificates of engagement instead.    A certificate of engagement is essentially a COE, the only difference is that you’re simply acknowledging that your OFS is an independent contractor and that you’re currently using their services. This offers proof of income for the OFS without tying down the business with a legally binding document.    What does a COE look like?      Super simple, download my template.    John 
 We recently did a case study with Drew Grimm from “The Schoolhouse Life.” He shared his experience with the disappearing VA phenomenon.        “Unfortunately, a little while ago, I had to let go of the lady who was doing the blog posts for us. All of the sudden she just kind of disappeared.”    He didn’t hear from her for two months, and when he reviewed her most recent work, it was not up to standard.    When she emailed Drew after two months, she told him she had “been out of town.”    Maybe she “got stuck,” because she ;felt overwhelmed or confused about a project and she was too embarrassed to ask for help. <<<a VERY common cause of the disappearing VAMaybe she was dealing with a difficult family situation or death of a loved one.;Maybe she was hit hard by natural disaster and didn’t want to disclose the details.    I’ve seen examples of all of the above situations that resulted in the disappearing VA. I’ve even had to work through some of them with my own VAs.    The disappearing VA is the number one problem business owners face with Online Filipino Specialists. And almost 100% of the time, the root of the problem is bad communication and embarrassment on the part of your VA. With good, consistent communication, it can usually be avoided or resolved. But you have to navigate situations with patience and, as Drew puts it, a lot of “over-communication.”    Drew discovered and shared a great tip that he uses to stay on top of communication with his VAs now:    “I keep everything in WhatsApp because I feel like that’s an easy way to communicate internationally. And you can have that feature where you can see if they read [your messages] or not so you know [if they’re getting your] messages. Where email...can be ‘iffy.’”    This kind of regular “checking-in” can keep you in-the-know with your VAs and help you spot issues before they develop into a disappearing VA disaster.    Here's another piece of advice Drew shares about good communication with your OFS:    “My suggestion is really vet people. How much do you want them to communicate with you? If you want it to be daily or within a reasonable amount of time, then communicate that like with someone a bunch at the beginning and see if they’re going to reciprocate that level of communication. And if they’re not, it’s not a good fit. Once they get going, [their communication] is not going to get better in my experience.”    https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-ofs-network-marketing-coaching-case-study-drew-grimm    John 
 For a long time, I had a 100 Mbps connection through Comcast at my house.     It was good, but one day I was talking to them to try and sort out some billing issues and they suggested that I could upgrade my internet.    The support person said, “It’s actually cheaper if you upgrade your internet. Your monthly bill will go down.”    Yep! Do it.    So, they put me at 200 Mbps and there was an instant difference. I didn't think there would be. I was surprised.    After a couple of months, I decided to upgrade it again and see if I notice another difference,    I called back and it was just a little more to go 400 Mbps. Like, an additional $10 from $80 a month.    Yep, another noticeable speed bump.    So, after another couple of months, I called them back and they said, ”Actually if you upgrade to gigabit internet and add a phone line, it gets cheaper. It goes from, $90 to $80 a month.”    Do it!    Internet in the Philippines is not the same as it is in the US.;    Just how different is it? My OFS wrote about it a couple of months ago: /what-internet-options-exist-in-the-philippines/    When reading through these internet prices, figure out how much their internet costs as a percentage of their salary.;Then think about how much your internet costs as a percentage of YOUR income.;    It's quite different.    John 
 I got quite a bit of feedback about the email about how to improve OFS English. And they were really good. So good that I decided to implement one of them.    One of the most popular tips you guys gave me is to use Grammarly. Some of you have mentioned that you have your guys use Grammarly for everything.; So I had my writers download it and start using it. I’m going to let you guys know how it goes and if I see any improvement.    Another thing you guys suggested is italki.com. Ziv R. paid for his OFS to have one on one lessons. They cost him $13/lesson and he saw significant improvement after 3 lessons.    And it turns out that my OFS has an Office 360 account. So, she installed Microsoft Editor. It works like Grammarly and comes free with her Office 360 account.    She also mentioned that she also uses https://hemingwayapp.com/. She found this useful for blog writing and it’s completely free!    I really appreciate the feedback. And if you guys have more tips to share, I’d love to hear them.    John    PS. it's fall here, and the riding is fantastic!;        (my wife on the coyote hollow trail in Heber, UT) 
 Karina messaged me on my Facebook page, telling me about the amazing things her OFS (Juvy) has been working on.;        So in 2 weeks, Juvy has:- given Karina a bunch of ideas on how to manage her social media- create social media posts every day- makes videos for social media twice a week- responds to messages- created a TikTok account for her business- strategizing how they can market her affiliated links on social media.    That's just 2 weeks. Imagine how much more Juvy and Karina can achieve in 2 months or 2 years.    Gain your OFS trust. ;Then trust your OFS.    John    PS. In my book (available free at www.OutsourcingLever.com) I talk about ways to gain your OFS trust. 
 Setting up an LLC in the USA is so easy. ;Anyone can pay a lawyer $500 and have an LLC up and running in a week (including a minor or a foreign citizen or...whoever).Or you can do it yourself and pay the local state fee of $20-$100.So simple my kids have their own LLCs for businesses they run.    Not so in the Philippines.    I got an interesting email recently asking whether you need to set up a company in the Philippines. Like, you apply for a business permit and set up shop there.    The reason they're asking is that they want to grow their team. A Filipino entity would show that the business is stable and serious. It might help with recruiting new OFS. Setting up shop in the country shows you’re committed to hiring in the Philippines.    I’ve seen other people do it but we don’t.    Here's my experience:    1. In order to own a business in the Philippines you have to be a Philippines citizen. It's not like in the US where you just set up an LLC and have to have a registered agent. ;You actually have to have a Filipino citizen be part owner.    2. We tried for a year and a half to set up a business there. It was really hard. So much red tape. So many hoops to jump through. ;Really difficult.    3. About 10 years ago I had a friend who successfully did it. Here's how.- he traveled to the Philippines- he got $15,000 (USD) cash- he had a team member he trusted to be the citizen owner- he had a connection with someone in the local government- he paid $15,000 to get his business set up in 1 week. Basically, it was bribe money for multiple people to get them to look the other way and put him at the front of the list.- he got an office and outfitted it (like $10k USD)- he got pictures of his whole team set up in this nice office space- 2 years later his business completely changed and he shut it all down.    Kudos to those who managed to do it. We never pushed through with it. The process was just so long and problematic and opened up our business to a lot of new/different liabilities. In the end, we gave up.;    But that doesn’t mean you can’t show stability and commitment in other ways.;    Offering them a full-time, salaried job with paid leave is a good start. You can also offer your OFS benefits like healthcare or share in their SSS and Philhealth payments. Giving them a yearly raise and bonuses also shows that your business is stable, and you’re committed to your employees.;    Don't over-complicate things.    John    PS. Want a simple way to find a great OFS? www.OneVAAway.com. ;My system attempts to make the fastest, simplest, and most sure way to find and hire a great OFS. 
 Health insurance in the USA is so prevalent that often employers are scared to hire because they don't know how to do "benefits".    In the Philippines, you can't pay for insurance directly unless you have an entity, and in my last email I explained how difficult having an entity is, so that's not really a good option.    What we do instead is that I send my employees the money to have them pay for their own insurance.;    “John, how do you know they’re actually paying their SSS and their health insurance? How do you know they’re not using that money elsewhere?”   That's simple. I only send them the money AFTER they’ve shown me receipts.    I’m willing to pay for a lot of things that make my OFS’ lives better.I want to help them. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to trust them blindly.I'm not just going to give them the money, no questions asked.;    And this is where some of the problems come in when working with an OFS. Filipinos are trustworthy people. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn't exercise some common sense.;    We also have a computer upgrade program. ;We set aside $250/year for them to buy a new computer. We don't send them the money until they show us the receipt for the new computer (and the new computer).    Ask for receipts!    John    PS. I have a full discussion about benefits you can pay for on my blog/5-benefits-you-might-pay-for-your-ofs/ 
 I got a lot of great feedback from you guys about the 'I hire the most expensive OFS' email.    Tola O. said that he doesn't hire the most expensive VA. He doesn't believe that the salary set on a jobseeker's profile proves anything. What he does instead is to offer $0.50 - $1 lower than their asking price. After 3 months, after they've proven themselves, he gives them $1-$2 more than their asking price.    Guiseppe doesn't automatically hire the most expensive OFS either. How much he offers depends on two things:    "1) How well defined are the roles and responsibilities. If I need someone to jump in and figure it out or if I need them to tell me how we're going to do it, I set the rate higher because I need someone who can bring experience and independent thought to the table. If there's an exact process doc and instructions that they can follow to the letter, the rate is lower. ;2) Sensitivity of continuity. If this person were to leave, how much would it affect our operation? As a result, I pay VERY well for salespeople (about 2-3X what BPOs offer) because losing a sales rep would cost me over $10,000 in lost revenue during the time it would take to replace them.;Also, FWIW, I've learned that I can get way more mileage out of benefits than I can get out of salary. Health insurance, 2 weeks of vacation, 2 weeks off for Christmas, 14 bank holidays, reimbursements for going to a hotel during typhoons, and a family leave policy in case if they need to prioritize their family over work. My main sales guy just took two weeks of paternity leave and his wife said to him "you can't quit this job".;   Do you do the same thing as Tola and Guiseppe? Or do you do things differently? I'd love to hear about it.    John 
 This is going to be controversial...    I hate Halloween.    There. ;I said it.    Of all days of the year it's my least favorite. In fact, the only costume I've had since I was 13 is my current costume. ;The Halloween Grinch!            In the US it's a day where we teach our kids to disguise themselves as something evil and dark, then go from house to house begging, and if the people don't give you sugar for your begging you're allowed to do something mean to them ("Trick or treat!").    Then afterwards my kids and I have a battle about how much of the candy they "worked so hard for" that they get to keep. I say none. They say all.;    And one more thing...It's not a "holiday" (schools don't have it off...banks don't have it off...)!    Ok...my rant over...on to the Philippines...    Halloween is on October 31.All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are on November 1st and 2nd.    Here's what Julia wrote:--------------------Quick trivia. Did you know that the Philippines celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day around the same time Mexicans celebrate Dia de Los Muertos? And there are a lot of similarities to how we celebrate it. We both go to cemeteries. And we both offer food and drink to our loved ones. We also have altars. We don’t do the parades and costumes like Halloween. But in some places around the country, there would be parties in the cemeteries. ;    The reason is because the tradition came from Mexico. Back when Spain colonized the Philippines, Mexico and the Philippines had strong trade relations through the Galleon Trade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_galleon). Our celebrations aren’t as elaborate as the Mexican Day of the Dead, but it’s still a beloved tradition nevertheless.    Typically, your OFS might ask to take November 1 and 2 off to celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day (we call it “Undas”) with their families at the cemetery. But since 2020, cemeteries have been closed during the week of Undas to discourage people from celebrating at the same time and avoid crowding the cemeteries.;    Even though a lot of places are slowly opening up for vaccinated people, most local governments have deemed it necessary to continue with the closure of cemeteries during that week.;    What does this mean for you and your OFS?    Even though most can’t go to the cemeteries, there’s a chance that your worker might still ask to take holiday leave. So if they open up the conversation, you’ll have to talk to them about it.    Because of the ongoing restrictions, some of your workers might opt to ask for leave before or after the first week of November. If they’re already vaccinated, and their city allows cemetery visits, they might want to go and continue with their traditions even if it’s not on the exact day.    Some might still ask to take a holiday leave on November 1 or 2. They might opt instead to celebrate at home and participate in online Mass or remembrance events.    Some might opt not to take their holiday leave at all. Even though local travel is now allowed, the quarantine requirements might discourage them from going.----------------    Now that's the kind of holiday I can get behind. ;Gather with family. Celebrate your ancestors and those who have gone before to make you who you are.    It's no wonder why Disney's Coco is one of my favorite movies.    John    PS. there are a lot more cultural things I talk about in my book The Outsourcing Lever. ;It's free. 
 Someone asked me the other day about enforcing contracts with workers.    Here’s my answer.;    First, I am not an attorney so I can give you no legal advice on how to write a contract or what is legal. I don’t have any understanding at all. You should not listen to anything I say on this subject.    I’m just going to tell you what we’ve done.    In my opinion, you can’t do this. You can’t write a contract and enforce it.;    Actually...you could...It’s just not worth it.    THIS IS JUST MY OPINION!    I mean, you can write a contract. I’m sure it will be binding in the Philippines. The Philippines is a very law abiding country, generally. Their laws are strict. But if someone were to do something to you, what would you do? Would you fly there and take them to court?;    There are so few things that would be worth this amount of trouble that it's just not worth it. ;    You can have a contract. Most Filipinos want to sign a contract. So that part about it is completely reasonable. They expect it because they want the formality.;    But typically, we don’t do it because I know I can’t enforce it. ;It’s not something I would ever go there to enforce.;    I've never seen someone else enforce it either.    This doesn't mean you shouldn't do a contract. ;I think contracts are a good idea. ;They put expectations in place. ;They give you an agreement to look back on. They provide some security to the person that you hired that you're serious about hiring them and providing work for them.;Filipinos like contracts.    If it does ever come to having to enforce something in court, I would probably hire a Filipino lawyer...which would not be hard on Onlinejobs.ph.    You could also hire someone to help you with a contract.;    John 
 I bought some bamboo toilet paper the other day to try and do something good for the Earth. Just testing.When they showed up, I assigned my 8-year-old son to go and distribute them throughout the house and then to put the extras in the closet.    He actually did a pretty good job of distributing them throughout the house. Although he put them on top of the toilets rather than underneath the sinks where they belong.;        But then in my closet, he didn’t know what to do with them. So, he just filled in every empty space in a cupboard which is where towels go. And it’s completely non-functional...    ...But he did what I asked him to do.        Which is kind of like an OFS in the Philippines if you don’t give good instructions.    I thought my instructions were pretty good. But clearly, they were not what I wanted. So, he didn’t do it how I wanted it done. He did what he thought was right given the circumstances and given what he knew.    When something doesn’t go right with your OFS, consider that maybe they did what they thought was right given the circumstances and what you have given them.    I can't tell you how many times I've done this over the years. ;I create some instructions. ;I think they're complete and good. ;I send it to one of my OFS.;    What they do is completely different than what I imagine.    I go back through my instructions and find "Oh...yeah...my instructions were super crappy!"    And I've seen this tons of times from other employers. ;    They're not purposefully doing it wrong. ;There's a reason they're doing it wrong.    John 
 Just a reminder that today is a holiday in the Philippines.    All Saints' Day    Tomorrow is too.    All Souls' Day    Not everyone will take it off, but many will.;    If your OFS doesn't show up today, that's why.    Want to know about holidays ahead of time? ;We created (and maintain) a calendar of holidays for you.https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=lcvk4qcjgj299mlqs7b02b7pmk@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Asia/Manila    Add this URL to your calendar, or click it and then click the "+Google Calendar" link in the bottom right corner.    We also have a full explanation of holidays and PTO.    John 
 I remember the first time I hired someone from the Philippines. ;    "Jake". ;(I changed his name to protect myself from you trying to hire him...although he's super loyal to me).    I wanted him to do some website work for me but I didn't want to give him access to my hosting account. I was scared he would steal something or mess something up.    After a week of him not being able to do his job because I wouldn't give him access, I finally gave in and gave it to him.    Guess what happened?    NOTHING!    Or...well...EVERYTHING!    He didn't steal anything or mess anything up. He didn't take my domain or my website or my idea.    He just did his job. Everything I had hoped he would/could do was now happening.    It just took me giving him access to what he needed.    It made my life so much easier.    So when other people send me the same question, like the one Jim B. emailed me:    Hi John I’m considering hiring someone overseas to manage my quickbooks accounting work.; Any tips on how to secure myself?; Obviously I don’t think I would give them my bank feed information (I would scan/email those) but access to credit card accounts, etc I think is safe.;What is your experience with this?   Here's my answer.    Start small and then grow from there.    Give them access to whatever is necessary for them to do their job. ;Then as you gain trust in them, give them more.;    If this were me, at this point I'd give them my bank feed info. I want them to do everything. My opinion is that having an OFS is no different than a local employee. ;Theft risk is about the same.    John 
 This morning, before school, Brigg (my 8yr old) comes to my wife with her phone in his hand and says "You need to buy me this."    Ummmmm...I'm pretty sure that's not how it works!   In the end, he was on Amazon and wanted us to buy him a book.Ok, yes. I'll buy it. ;I always buy books.;    I’m not sure how this is in the UK, Canada or Australia. But in the US, if I want to buy something, it’s never a question of whether or not I can get it or it’s cheaper somewhere else.    Like, I want a new iPhone. I just buy a new iPhone. And I’m pretty dang confident I'm not going to find it cheaper somewhere else. It’s super easy.;    But in the Philippines, this is not the case.;    People often want to know how to buy their OFS a laptop. Or how to buy them some other equipment. Maybe an air conditioner or headphones. It hasn’t always been very easy.    IN THE PAST...So, in the past, I have bought things in the US and shipped them. Which is super sketchy. You can't send it postal (which is by far the cheapest), you have to ship DHL. Shipping a laptop was like $250.I’ve bought things in the US and sent it home with a relative, who was in the US, who was going back soon.;    TODAY...One of the reasons I did this was because in the past, it wasn’t always easy for someone to buy a laptop or a MacBook Air in the Philippines. It’s still, today, more expensive in the Philippines than in is in the US. A lot of consumer electronics are more expensive in the Philippines even though wages are lower. This is due to import taxes.    For example, a MacBook Air in the USA costs $999.;In the Philippines it's 54,990php which is about $1082.    So how do you send stuff to your people in the Philippines? Well, it turns out, with shipping, with how difficult it is, it’s still just easier and cheaper to have them buy it on their own.;    Most places where they can buy electronics now are offering installment plans. It used to be really difficult. If you didn’t have cash to go into the store, you had to have a credit card. Most people don’t have credit cards. Without a credit card you couldn’t buy stuff online, so they were forced to go into a store and deal with whatever inventory there was.;    That is changing now. Most people can buy things online. They have installment plans. They have ways to make payments. So, your OFS can go buy things on their own. And if you want to pay for it, that’s great. Have them show you the receipts and send them the money as a reimbursement.    At least, that’s what we do.    John 
 We're a big cycling family...My kids are competitive with racing their bikes.    We were at the Utah Mountain Bike State Championships a couple weekends ago where my two teenage daughters raced. Because it's the State Championships not everyone gets to race. Only the top 100 kids in each category qualify. There were about 25 categories; so there's 2,500 kids.    Here’s a picture of the tent city that gets set up just for people to come congregate. It's about a 5 minute brisk walk from one end of the tents to the other. ;Nobody’s sleeping in any of this. This is just to hang out during the day because it’s a 2-day event with races going on all day long.;        On Friday, my daughter Bailey finished 4th in the freshmen girls category which is pretty amazing. She’s super thrilled about it. She put in a lot of hard work this year. She’s gone through a lot of adversity. In the end, she came out on top. Fourth place out of a hundred who qualified for this race. She’s super happy.        I feel like often with virtual assistants there can be some adversity and if you push through it there’s a lot of good to be had on the other side. Obviously, most of it is good but there definitely going to be some adversity with hiring a VA.;    There’s gonna be a time where they disappear. It happens to almost everybody. ;    There’s going to be a time where they’re not doing things right.;    There’s going to be a time where they’re frustrating you. It’s all going to happen.    If you push through those difficult times, which I’ve done a lot of times over the years, there’s so much good work that will come out of having VAs work for you.    My daughter pushed through. ;She has and is battling depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, not sleeping well, friends betraying her...    Push through. ;It's worth it.    John    PS. Tomorrow I'll tell you about my disappointment with something my OFS did and how I fixed it. 
 So I talked about the State Mountain Bike Championship Race yesterday in my email. I told you about my younger daughter, who took 4th place in her race.    My older daughter also took 4th place in the varsity girl’s race, which is a different accomplishment in itself.;        The varsity girl’s race is so unbelievably competitive. Yet even taking 4th place out of the top 100 girls in the state who qualified (the winner of her race is the current national champion), she’s disappointed because she thought she could win the race. She had hoped to win the race. All the girls who beat her she has beaten them before. She just didn’t have a great race, and she’s disappointed.;    Today I got something back from my team that I was pretty disappointed in.    Here's what happened.    I let them take the lead on adding some clarity to IDProof on Onlinejobs.ph. They pushed it live, and I checked it, and I was pretty disappointed.Don't get me wrong...most of what they did was great...but the piece that explains IDProof links to a page intended for workers yet it's on a page clearly intended for employers.    It just needed more thought put into it.    The more I thought about it, the more I kind of realized that they did what they thought was right here from their perspective. Because their perspective is different from mine. Your OFS perspective is different than yours.;    They actually did a really great job with the rest of this project. It was that one link that wasn’t right, and it was super easy for me to correct. I just hoped they had the whole thing correct without me being involved at all. It didn’t happen.    I sent an email saying, “Hey guys. No, this is an employer-focused page. It needs to link to an employer-focused page. “, and they’ll fix it.;    Just be aware that you will have times where your team, they’re trying their best, and they still have a mistake. You’re going to need to correct that mistake. Just recognize they’re trying their best, and their perspective is different than yours. That’s my point in this whole thing.    John 
 A couple weeks ago at the bike race, I got a text from the race director. Keep in mind there are thousands of people at the race. The text that I got says:    “If you cause any more grief in the feed zone, you’ll be permanently banned from the feed zone.”    ;(The feed zone is the area where we’re allowed to hand a bottle to the racers.)        I was furious.Out of my mind.    There are thousands of people at the race.There were hundreds of different people in the feed zone.I didn’t do anything different than any other person and I got singled out for causing grief, which I didn’t do.;    My initial reaction was to lash out. I just wanted to tell her the whole story. I wanted to tell her what did and didn’t happen in the feed zone. I had this whole conversation in my mind about what I was going to say to her the next day if I saw her.;    When I saw her the next day, I didn’t say anything. I was just nice and I let it go. The race ended and we’re fine. This will never happen again. ;    At the same time this was going on, Julia (who manages a team for our social media presence), is dealing with one of the people on my OFS team who is lashing out at her and lashing out at other team members. It’s making the team just not work well. It’s causing problems.;    So Julia came to me for advice.My advice was the lashing out just doesn’t work for our team.You have to treat people well. We’ve tried really hard to treat this person well. This person is not treating others correctly. So it’s time to let her go.;    We’re in the process of letting her go. She's actually a really great worker. Skilled, reliable, shows up, talented. Her personality is just clashing.    I think part of the reason Julia came to me was because I’ve managed a lot of people. I’ve learned that people need to feel good about themselves. If someone is causing people not to feel good, work suffers. Having work suffer...well....    In managing your OFS, think about how they feel about themselves based off the way you're treating them.;Thinking about this will help you prevent the disappearing Filipino problem.    John 
 I get lots of questions about how to narrow the field of candidates who respond to a job post on OnlineJobs.ph. I've heard from several of you that the number of responses can feel overwhelming.     We recently did an interview with Paul Staten, who runs the successful internet marketing company SEOWerkz.com; he offered some great advice on the issue.        Paul employs over 90 online Filipino specialists, which is pretty remarkable.     While some of his Filipino workers are managed by a partner SEO company based in the Philippines, Paul does much of the specialized OFS hiring himself. He's got a hiring/training/managing system set up that runs like a well-oiled machine.     Paul's initial interview tactic is brilliant. After he posts a job, he invites the most qualified candidates to do a TYPED chat interview with him on Skype. The typed interview gives him a good sense of their English skills and doesn't risk scaring potential talent away (face-to-face interviews can be very intimidating for OFSs).    Here's the kicker- Paul conducts all of his chat interviews at the same time, so he can weigh and consider the responses against one another (and save himself time).    Before the interview, Paul prepares his questions. They are pre-typed, ready to cut-and-paste into the chat boxes. Then he opens all of the chat windows at the same time and asks the candidates identical sequential questions. His preparation allows him to focus his time on each candidate's responses.    Paul dedicates about an hour to the interview process and notes that the best response time is around 6 am MST (about 7:00 pm in the Philippines).     You can learn more about Paul's favorite questions to ask in these mass-chat interviews, SEO Werkz, and view the entire case study.     What kinds of questions do you ask to narrow the field when you receive enthusiastic responses to a job post? Respond to this email and educate me!    John 
 Oh good...now that all that mushy gratitude is out of the way, we can focus on more important things like...    ...PRESENTS!    Actually...wait...no.      Gratitude.    Gratitude.    Gratitude.    From Julia, my content OFS----------------------------------Bonifacio Day in the Philippines (November 30) is close to Thanksgiving and is a regular holiday to commemorate the life and work of Andres Bonifacio. Bonifacio is one of the heroes in the struggle for Philippine independence from the Spaniards. He is also considered by some as the first President of the Philippines.    I thought it was a nice coincidence that Bonifacio Day is so close to Thanksgiving. One of Bonifacio’s best-known written works is a poem about his love and gratitude for being a Filipino.    English translation here: https://pinas.activeboard.com/t18879167/pag-ibig-sa-tinubuang-lupa-andres-bonifacio/    The past 2 years have been difficult. It’s hard to imagine being thankful, given what’s still happening around the world. But I found Bonifacio’s words inspiring because he found many things to love and be grateful for despite the circumstances. He talks about the beauty of the Philippines and how loving your country even when all hope seems lost can help us rise above anything.    I’m really thankful we have this day to celebrate Andres Bonifacio. If you want to greet your OFS a happy Bonifacio Day, you can include this quote from the man himself:    "Serenity, constancy, reason, and faith in whatever act or endeavor, crown with success every desire."    Happy Bonifacio Day!--------------------------    FYI, you're receiving this on the 29th your time. As you read it, recognize that the 30th (Bonaficio day) is probably starting in the Philippines right about now.     Your OFS isn't going to work today.    John 
It’s that time of the year when I get a LOT of questions about the 13th month. I’ll try to answer as many as I can fit into this email. But if you want more information, we have a detailed blog post explaining the 13 month at Onlinejobs.ph  “Very basic question. Is there any specific time when the 13th month should be paid? I was thinking of paying it at the end of January but perhaps it can be more useful for them before the Christmas Celebration? When is the best time to pay the 13th month? Dec 1? Dec 31? Right before Christmas?” The 13th month is to be paid in December.  The earlier in the month the better.  Also, it's not considered a Christmas bonus.  It's just part of their annual salary (they budget for it).  If you want to give a Christmas bonus that's separate and always very much appreciated.  “How do you compute for 13th month?”  The 13th month is 1 month’s salary divided by 12 multiplied by the number of months they have worked for you that year.  If your OFS has been working for you for at least a year, their 13th month is 1 month’s salary. If your OFS has been working for you for less than a year (let’s say 6 months), their 13th month would be half her salary.  To make things easier, add up the total you paid them through the year and divide by 12.  “I hired my VA a couple of months ago (September) and she just finished her training period. Do I start counting the months to compute her 13th month? When I hired her or when she finished her training?”  It’s mostly up to you. You can start when you hired her or when the training period has ended.  The important thing is both of you know when you started counting. Typically though, it starts when training is finished.  “I had to let go of my VA this year. Should I still give her a 13th month bonus?”  If they've worked for you for more than 6 months, yes. In the Philippines, that's the practice for most companies.  Otherwise, you don’t need to.  “I pay my VA by the hour or on a per project basis, do I need to give them a 13th month?”  You don't have to but it's still a good idea.  For us, we: 1. always pay the 13th month 2. also give a Christmas bonus.  $25-$50.  John
I just got an email from Rosalee asking about holiday pay for her OFS  “I've hired an OFS to edit one video a week. She works about 7-10 hours a week for me.  I'm wondering about the holiday pay that is often expected/appreciated for this time of year.  How does that apply to someone working part-time? When is that best sent?” My answer to that is, it depends.  First, about general holidays (in the Philippines it's called "Regular Holidays" ie. Christmas, New Years, Independence Day...)  If your part-time worker is paid hourly and they set their own hours, you don’t need to pay them extra if they work on holidays.  If your part-time worker is required to follow a work schedule and one of the days coincides with a holiday, then you can give them holiday pay (typically 1.5x normal pay), or paid time off.  https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/holidays-and-pto  Either way, it's your choice if you want to give them holiday pay.  Second, if you want to give them bonuses around the holidays (the 13th month especially), it’s best to send it a few days early. Bank holidays in the Philippines can sometimes delay cash transfers. So if you want to give your OFS something for the holidays, it’s best to send them out early.  John
My nieces got a hold of my phone during Sunday dinner.  They thought it was so funny to take pictures:   Not very private!  VPN's are usually marketed towards giving you more privacy, but there's more use to a VPN than privacy.  I recently wanted to watch an event being broadcast on the internet but it was blacklisted from the US. So I had to get a VPN in order to watch it.  I subscribed to NordVPN for 1 month. I installed the VPN on my phone. I connected to their VPN location in Switzerland. Once I was connected to Switzerland I connected to the event. The filter thought I was in Switzerland.  I was able to watch it and that was that. Super simple.  If you run into a problem where a VA can’t access a service you want them to use, you can get a VPN for them. There are lots of different VPNs you can use:    Mozilla VPN   CyberGhost   Nord VPN   Mullvad VPN   TunnelBear VPN   Proton VPN   IVPN   Private Internet Access   Hotspot Shield   ExpressVPN   Surfshark VPN   Windscribe   Strong VPN   HMA VPN   VyperVPN  Having your OFS connect to a USA IP address will almost always solve the issue of them not being able to access the service you want them to use.  Are you currently using a VPN? Have you done it in the past? What have you used?   John
My youngest child just had a birthday.  Since we were traveling over his birthday he didn't get a party (we're not big on parties anyhow), but he did get some Legos, clothes, other toys and a new bike!  He double dipped because the bike wasn't going to be delivered on time. (it did get delivered...)   Please don't consider the 13th month as double dipping.  Here's what Moazam asked:  My VA will be turning 1 year old working with me next week.  I wanted to ask you a few things. What is typically expected around this landmark from a VA perspective?  Salary negotiations? Bonus? Evaluation? What are your experiences?  Also my VA kind of suggested if I could get him a tablet or something. He will be getting 13th month bonus should that suffice and he can then purchase what he likes? Also I remember seeing a post from you a while back where you had mentioned some website where you could buy some electronics and send to the VA’s address or something? Here's my perspective.  1. Nothing is expected. 2. The 13th month bonus is a part of their lives.  It's expected and needed by them to take care of their family needs at Christmas time. 3. If you want to do something nice for them, pay the 13th month AND do the nice thing.  Don't count the 13th month as the nice thing.  If you haven't done a raise yet, the year mark is a good time to do it. January is too.  If it were me, I wouldn't buy a tablet unless it's going to help them with their work.  I might contribute to a laptop (if that's going to help them with their work).  Or, if you just want to do something nice, yes, do it.  Two sites where you can buy things are lazada.com and shopee.ph  John
One of the things I really like about having an OFS work for me is getting rid of the small things off my plate.  Today, I got this email from WordPress.   WordPress is notifying me when someone follows my blog. And I’m like, “I don’t want this notification.” So I immediately went to WordPress.com and looked at it. I was like, “Oh, I have no idea how to get rid of this.”  So I just came back to the email and forwarded it to one of my OFS and let them undo it for me. I didn't have to figure it out. Didn't have to look through menus. Didn't have to get frustrated by not finding what I wanted.  Outsourcing a bunch of small things make a really big difference on your productivity throughout the day.  The next time you have something annoying you, send it to your OFS and see what happens.  John
Julia, my OFCS (Online Filipina Content Specialist) wrote this today: ------------------ I’m proud that we have a culture here at Onlinejobs.ph where we find ways to help people.  We help Filipinos find work. We help employers find team members.  But some of us go beyond.  We have co-workers who do charity work and volunteer regularly. John even gets involved sometimes and sends us money to help out the causes that matter to us. Like last year when he helped us give groceries to families who struggled in the early days of the pandemic.  One of our social media team, Ben, is a volunteer firefighter. For the past few days, he’s been helping evacuate people affected by the Davao River’s flooding. He even got featured on the local news.  (He's the one holding the baby)   I wouldn’t have known he was doing this if someone hadn’t pointed it out to me on Facebook. He was still working while helping out in the rescue operations. He’d be evacuating people during the day and get his work done at night. -------------------  What do your OFS do to volunteer? What do they do outside work? Have you asked?  John
On this Thanksgiving day (at least...in the USA it's our "Thanksgiving" holiday) I'm thankful for a lot of things.  My family. My country. My business. Jesus Christ. My home. Snow. My bike. My OFS team. ... ...   Are you thankful for your OFS? Have you told them?  Letting them know you appreciate their work goes a long way.  John  PS. These pumpkins will end up as decorations on our table today. They've been "stored" in my coat closet for the past few weeks so my wife has exactly what she wants to decorate the table for her favorite holiday. Happy wife, happy life! 
A while back I emailed about my son doing a pretty good job following instructions with the information he was given.  He put the toilet paper in the closet.  Here’s a picture of his recent failure to follow instructions, where the instructions were pretty clear.    I asked him to pick up his stuff from the kitchen three different times. He didn’t do it any of the three times.  Every time he just migrated back to the television.  I took his stuff and put it where he wouldn't get it back until I was ready. This time it was NOT my poor instructions causing the problem.  I really love what Giuseppe said here about how he handles teaching people to do something new. If I would have done this with my son, the problem would have been solved the first time.  “Years ago, I developed a method with my interns (had over 40 interns work for me in my career) that has served me well.  When having them do something new, I have them follow a 1-2-4-8 pattern.  After training, I have them do the work for one hour and then review the work. Then, I have them work for two more hours and do a review of the work. Then, 4 hours and a review, then 8 hours of work and a review.  The thing I learned along the way of my career is that details would always be missing from the training and it wouldn't be until they do the work that they see what's missing. Each time we sit down to review the work, I find that I give fewer and fewer corrections, so I can have them go longer between each review. When we start a new project, we first schedule the review sessions so that we don't allow too much time go by between work sessions.”  1-2-4-8. Review.  Give it a try the next time you teach something to your OFS.  John
I got this great question from Jared:  “Thanks again for your emails with all of the tips and tricks!  I'm curious how you deal with things or services that need paid for like a service for your company or an item for your company online.  Do you pay all of those yourself with a credit card?  Do you get a prepaid card to your team member?  Do they have a corporate card with a limit?  Would love to know how you handle this.”   No, we don’t have a corporate card.  I remember years ago giving my credit card to people, and it wouldn't work...probably because they're in the Philippines so it gets declined.  For years I would do the sign up process and give my team the username and password. This always bugged me because I don't like being involved in small things that they should be able to take care of.  Recently I've been giving my credit card again, and it's working. I think because some of my team remember to use a VPN when purchasing. So when they buy something using my card, it doesn't raise any red flags.  Sometimes when using my card, we coordinate schedules so we’re both online at the same time. If I need to send them a security code, they receive it right away. We do this with text (iMessage) or Voxer.  I know some services are now used to having VAs subscribe for their clients. This happens often enough that they make their check-out process easier.  For one time services where my OFS is having problems using my card (it happens sometimes), they sometimes use their credit card (not on subscriptions). They just send me the receipt, and I reimburse them.  Even if they don’t have a credit card, some services take online payments through PayPal or Payoneer. PayPal and Payoneer now have solid relationships with local banks and cash apps, so some Filipinos use this if they don’t have a credit card.  There are lots of options.  Ask your OFS how they'd like to handle it.  John
A while back I sent a newsletter about what you can do when there’s a death in your OFS’ family. I got a great response to it from Dylan:  “Today, my graphic designer Danice's aunt died.  Here's what I told her: "Dan, I'm so sorry. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers. I'm here for you and you can share as much or as little as you want.  Take a paid week off. We'll be here for you when you're ready.  I'm gonna send $100. I hope it helps with the funeral costs."  One of her first replies was "Please don't fire me." I was surprised because I have no intention of firing her but you did warn me that it happens.  Danice then told me her sister was fired last week because she couldn't work as much. She was running errand, driving people around and doing other tasks when lots of relatives come in town when someone is close to dying.  I couldn't believe they'd fire her!  I told Dan to take her time and her job is safe.  I know Dan will stick with me for a long time and it's just the human thing to do!”  A death in the family is hard enough. Firing your OFS because they’re helping their family grieve is just horrible.  I showed this email to my OFS Julia and she just explained to me how long and complicated a Filipino funeral actually is. I’ll show you what she wrote in the next email.  John
What Julia (my OFS) writes below is super interesting and explains a lot.  -------------------- Funerals in the Philippines are a family affair. The process from start to finish is so long, complicated, and time-consuming. When this happens, everybody pitches in as much as they can.  For most, it starts with dealing with the hospital to have the body released to a funeral home. Someone in the family handles the payment and paperwork. This usually takes a couple of days. The paperwork takes even longer. Unless it’s a covid-related death. Then the body would be released to an accredited funeral home and cremated within 24 hours.  At the same time, those at home would start arranging the religious traditions, like calling for a priest or spiritual leader and buying things for the ceremonies.  Another group would be responsible for picking up the clothes and personal items buried with the dead. They would also help get clothes for other family members to wear for the wake/funeral according to tradition.  Some families opt to be at the funeral home when the body is being processed. This is to ensure that the deceased is prepared according to religious practice.  Once the loved one has been released to the family, that’s when the wake begins. This can happen either at home or at a chapel, so another group within the family would be responsible for preparing the place to make it presentable for guests.  Different family members then sign up for shifts to cover the 24-hour vigils.  In the Philippines, it’s a tradition that there always should be someone awake at a wake. The length of the wake can range between a few days to a few weeks, depending on tradition and family requests (like family coming home for the funeral). So someone has to be there all the time.  It’s also expected that you should be able to receive visitors anytime until the funeral. The ones on vigil would also act as hosts and are expected to serve the guest with food and drink. This is why, if you attend a Filipino wake, you’ll sometimes see karaoke machines or card tables. It’s mainly to keep the ones on vigil duty awake.  While this is happening, you have a logistics team that ensures there’s always food and drink at the wake. It’s bad luck to run out. This continues until the funeral actually happens and the body is buried or ashes are taken home.  If the loved one is going to be buried in a cemetery, another team has to handle that. They talk to the cemetery and the local government to make arrangements for the funeral procession. That means talking to the police to provide an escort, renting vehicles to transport the family, getting the tent and the chairs, preparing the food at the cemetery and after the funeral.  I have helped out with several funerals over the years. Not kidding about how complicated it is. We started using a free task management system to keep track of what needed to be done.  That is why the entire extended family asks for leave when there’s a death in the family.  ------------------  So when your OFS seems like they're making an excuse saying "My aunt died so I couldn't work for a week" it's legit.  One time I had a brand new VA quit even before they started working for me.  Their relative died and asking for a few weeks time off was too daunting to them. They quit instead.  Have you dealt with this?  John
Todays a good day to send the 13th month payment to your OFS.  They always appreciate it the earlier in the month they get it. The later it gets the more and more worried they get that you're not going to send it.  They count on it. They budget for it. They need it for the holidays.  Send the money the same way you normally send payments.  If you need more info:  https://www.OnlineJobs.ph/13thmonth  John  PS. If you're planning on also sending a Christmas bonus, now is good. So is in a few weeks. Typically we send the 13th month and the Christmas bonus at the same time. $25-$50 for Christmas...depending on how good our year was.
I got an interesting email from a woman who is having some issues with her 2nd OFS.  "I have concerns that she is working for someone else and it is interfering with her performance.  She gets her basic work done but when I try to add more she is resistant and reluctant. Things that should take 2 hours to do take all day long. She was able to make calls but not answer with our Ooma call system. Do you have any advice on that?"  My advice?  Ask her. That's a critical piece of communication with the Philippines. You think there's a problem?  Ask. Ask "what other jobs do you have" Ask "You seem hesitant to do phone calls. Is it something you're uncomfortable with? Is there something else wrong?"  Asking solves a lot of problems.  Let me give you an example.  A few years back, I hired an OFS, "Manny," to help with customer support via social media. He was doing great but couldn't seem to do more. Like he only did the bare minimum. Even with training, it looked like he couldn't do more than what I initially asked him to do.  So I asked him, "Hey, is there a problem? Do you have another job?"  It turned out he didn't have another job. He's just not that into social media. What he's good at is customer support (he worked in a call center for years before I hired him). He helped start our social media customer support. But beyond that, he doesn't know what to do. He's afraid to do anything else.  So I gave him a shot at doing more customer support. He's what he's done since: - Helped us set up a team schedule, so we have 24/7 email support. - Improved the knowledge database for our customer support team, making it easier to use. - Helped our U/X team by giving feedback taken from customer emails. - Assisted in improving backend processes (e.g., jobseeker account verification). - Helped strengthen our data privacy protocols.  It turns out; this is the job he loves. I don't need to ask him to do more. He's the one who comes up with ideas of what he can do to improve our customer experience.  I wouldn't have gotten all that if I didn't bother to ask and just gave up on him 5 years ago.  Ask.  John  My nieces didn't ask when they found my phone at Sunday dinner...again. They just took pictures.     
As I lay here on the ground, completely exhausted from the workout I just did, I’m thinking about the SEO crisis we had yesterday.  I searched on DuckDuckGo to see how search results were looking only to find that Onlinejobs.ph wasn’t showing up.  That freaked me out so I went to Google. I haven’t used Google in years. DuckDuckGo is my search engine but I know most people still use Google so I need to check what the results are like on Google.  I went to Google and searched: hire Filipino VA. I found Onlinejobs.ph it the 10th spot but only as the URL: Onlinejobs.ph.  No title. No description. There was nothing there. Yet still, Onlinejobs.ph is on the first page on Google.  So I sent an email to 3 of my guys in the Philippines and said, “Hey guys, what’s going on?”  Within the day they had figured out the problem, fixed webmaster tools. Google had completely un-indexed our site, I don’t know why. They have re-indexed the site within the day and Onlinejobs.ph was back on top of the search engines with the title, description, and everything back to normal.  I don’t know what happened to cause it. I don’t know what happened to fix it. But an SEO crisis was averted by having my specialists, guys who have been with me for 10,12, and 15 years, fix it instantly.  Loyalty in the Philippines is a big deal. These guys know our business.  They know what's going on. Their job isn't SEO, but they instantly knew what to do to fix it and they fixed it.  Hire good people. Treat them well. Make your life easier.  John
It’s not that Filipinos don’t want to have their own business. It’s because setting up (and closing) a legitimate business in the Philippines is complicated.  It has been made easier in the past few years. In World Bank’s 2019 Doing Business Report, the Philippines ranked 124th out of 190 countries. In 2020, we jumped to 95th place. But compared to our ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors, we’re still lagging (7th out of 10 nations).  Starting a business in the Philippines means you have to contend with:    the local government,   the Bureau of Internal Revenue (our version of the IRS), and   the Department of Trade and Industry.  The problem with these agencies is that their policies can be inconsistent. An example of this is the BIR. When we interviewed 2 employees from the BIR to help us write a blog post (for Filipino workers who want to pay taxes), they couldn’t agree on how to implement the same policies. Same with the local government. They have different business requirements depending on where you live.  To make things worse, sometimes these three agencies don’t coordinate with each other. This makes it hard for business owners to start and register their businesses quickly.  Depending on the type of business, you may also have to deal with other government agencies. If you have a food business, you would need sanitary licenses with the Department of Health. If you have employees, you work with the Department of Labor. This adds to the red tape and cost of starting a business.  Let's say you're done with all that and you’re lucky enough to have a profitable business. Yearly, you'll have to pay up to 40 different types of taxes per year depending on the type of business (local taxes, national taxes, employment taxes, license renewals, etc). The cost is manageable for the most part. It’s the paperwork that complicates the process and takes so much time.  If you’re unlucky, the process of closing a business is even more convoluted. You can muddle through if you’re organized, and you managed to keep all your original paperwork. But if you lost your original paperwork, there’s the additional step of filing an affidavit of loss for all of them.  Let’s say you started a business but didn’t register with the government to avoid all the paperwork. It’s okay if you have a really small business. But as your business grows, you’ll have no choice but to register your business because you can’t do business with big companies without registration.  Here's another complication.  Years ago we tried to get some office space for some of our OFS to come and work together.  No way.  We were told that in order to get an office you have to have a full, legitimate business set up.  If you don't, you can't rent space.  If you do manage to rent space, the local government is going to come check on the space and if you're not legit you get in trouble.  We asked our OFS "what about just renting a house and putting computers and offices in bedrooms?"  No way.  Local government will find out and will shut you down.  With all these obstacles, it’s no wonder why Filipinos prefer employment.  John
One of the things everyone looks forward to during the Christmas season is the food.  Not me.  As my wife says...I don't have an emotional relationship with food. For me, food is to fuel my body.  Oh sure, I want it to taste good. I don't like eating brussel sprouts.  They're gross.  But I still eat them.  I don't eat sugar...and I don't ever have a "cheat" day.  If something isn't good for me, why cheat?  Anyway...I'm not normal...I know.  For the rest of you, here are some Filipino foods that get served around the holidays.  Yes, you can get most of these foods year round; they just taste better during the holidays (at least, that's what my OFS says).  Queso de Bola: This literally translates to “cheese ball.” Usually made of Edam, cheddar, or processed cheese, and covered with red wax. They open it just before the midnight feasts and serve with ham, bread, and fruits.   Ham: The most popular one served during the holidays is pork ham with pineapple glaze. The glaze is what makes it extra special when you use the leftovers to make ham and cheese (from the Queso de Bola) sandwiches.   Castañas: Wok-roasted chestnuts that are sold everywhere during Christmas. Best eaten while it’s still warm and sweet.   Puto bumbong: These are cylindrical purple rice cakes steamed in bamboo tubes. It’s usually served on a banana leaf and topped with margarine, shaved coconut, and brown sugar. They get it fresh and hot after midnight mass. It pairs really well with Kapeng Barako(a strong coffee varietal that grows only in the Philippines) if you’re having it for breakfast. If you’re having it for midnight snack, you can pair it with tsokolate, hot chocolate made from roasted chocolate bean paste and brown sugar or sugarcane molasses.   Bibingka: Another type of rice cake. This one is flat and usually has a salted egg topping. Unlike the puto bumbong, this one is baked/broiled over charcoal while wrapped in banana leaves. Traditionally served with margarine and shaved coconut on top. Also pairs perfectly with coffee or chocolate.   Julia my OFS says "I got a Queso de Bola early hoping to avoid the Christmas rush. But sadly, my daughter found it and I think there's only half of it left. I'll need to get another one. Hopefully, this one will last us until the New Year."  John  PS. If you're thinking about hiring someone, now's not a great time. Wait until the new year. I'll explain in my next email.
 A couple months back as I rode with Lila the wind was howling from the north. It was a cross wind (which is better than a head wind) that makes riding no handed really hard. As soon as you take your hands off the bars the wind grabs the front tire and turns it sideways.I kept trying anyway. Lila (10) keeps wanting to try it too."No!" She hasn't yet ridden no handed on other rides.Then we had a stretch of the trail which turned south and the wind blew at our backs.  Free speed.  Free stability."Now's a good time to try riding no handed."She's scared, but takes her hands off the bars.Look ma, no hands!This is kind-of what it's like when you hand a process off to an OFS the first time.The wind blows sideways.It's scary.Things don't go as you want them to."What if I crash?!?"All these things happen.Then you have the personal fears.What if it's not done how I would do it?What if it's done totally wrong?What if they mess something up?There are all kinds of things that could go wrong.And sometimes things do go wrong. Projects don't get done right. Work isn't perfect and it gets published.But when you get it right with your new OFS, it's like riding no handed.  "Look ma! No hands!"It's one of the most liberating feelings.  Work getting done without you having to do it.And the next time it's easier. And easier.If you start by outsourcing a task that you know how to do, the whole thing is easier.- You know what skills to look for when hiring- You know how to fix mistakes- You know how to train- You know how to give feedback- You know what to expect- You can help them get it right = You get time back and are then more effective at everything else.It just works really well.It's a new year. The wind is blowing at your back right now.  What task are you scared of letting go of?  Now's a good time to try.OneVAAway.com will help you find the right person if you want my help.John/letting-go-of-a-difficult-task-give-it-another-shot-2/ 
 This picture is from last August from the first bike race of the season.(this is relevant...I promise)Addie won the Varsity Girls race.  No surprise. She's won every high school race she's been in except for State Championships. She works her butt off.(At the finish line. Top 3 finishers)This week she starts her training so she can win races for next August. Hard work.Cold rides.Long days.In 2005 I hired my first Filipino VA.(They weren't an OFS, they were just a VA. They didn't know anything!)It was hard. It was scary."I don't know if they can actually do good work.""I don't know if I can keep them busy full-time.""I don't know if I can afford it."When I took the leap it was the most liberating experience of my life.  Today I have 35+ full-time people in the Philippines. It's not always easy. Hiring someone isn't easy. It's not fun.But it's the hard work that makes the difference between working 50 hours/week and working 17 hours/week. If you're putting off hiring someone because it's hard, todays the day. Do the hard work. It won't cut your work load down today, but in 8 months from now it will. That's hard work. If you want to know the system I figured out to make hiring quick and easy:www.OneVAAway.comJohn/do-the-hard-work-today-stop-putting-it-off/ 
What Julia wrote will make you smile.  ------------------ We Filipinos are more excited about Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve rather than Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Christmas and New Year’s Day are when we sleep in. The real celebration happens the day before.  Both celebrations start the same way. Early in the morning, families start cooking for the midnight feasts (Noche Buena for Christmas, Media Noche for New Year). This is when the big family gathering happens so we all come together in one house. It’s usually a massive feast with enough food to last to the New Year. I’m not exaggerating. A lot of the things we make (if it’s not easily perishable) get served again for New Year’s Day. Everybody brings food. Everybody eats while cooking.  Throughout the day, people will party harder and make a lot of noise. Videoke machines at every corner. People playing with noisemakers and firecrackers. The party (and noise) builds as the sun goes down.  Then, at midnight, that’s when everything happens. Everybody starts feasting. Fireworks, firecrackers, and noisemakers are in full blast.  When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was my favorite holiday.  We don’t wait for Christmas morning. As soon as the clock strikes 12, it’s morning. That’s when we open our presents.  It’s the same for New Year’s Eve. We stay up until midnight to do different traditions like:    Switching on all the lights and making a lot of noise (to ward off the evil spirits)   Jump as high as we can (to grow taller)   Put on polka dot clothes (to be richer)   Serve 13 round fruits (to be richer, again)  But there’s a bad side to all this partying. Christmas and New Year’s Eve are also some of the busiest times for hospitals. So many people are rushed into the ER for fireworks injuries, fights, and heart attacks.  Another thing I don’t like about the parties is the noise. Working while the entire country is making enough noise to trigger an earthquake is hard. Trust me, I’ve tried.  There’s also the clean-up to contend with. When everybody cooks, nobody wants to do the dishes.  Happy Holidays everybody! --------------------  Almost makes me want to be in the Philippines for this week... ...but then I'd miss the snow and skiing.  I'll stick with Utah.  John
In preparation for next year, we just updated our online Philippine Holiday calendar to include the holidays for 2022.  In addition to updating the calendar, we also changed the way we labeled the holidays. Now they start with the letters:  RH - for Regular holidays SNW - for Special Non-working Holidays SW - for Special Working Holidays  Regular holidays (RH) are the ones most Filipino observe. These are the holidays where you offer paid time off. These are days where banks are closed. If you need to make them work over the holidays, you’ll want/need to pay them more.  Special working (SW) holidays are regular workdays; Filipinos just mark it in their calendar to commemorate an event. This is not a day off work.  Special non-working (SNW) holidays follow the “no work, no pay” principle. They are entitled to time off but you don't need to pay them for that day. Most of my team don't take these days off, but some do. We don't deduct from their salary if they don't work...we still pay them.  These holiday benefits don’t apply to all. If you want to know more about Philippine holidays, paid time off, and benefits, we have a blog post about it here: https://www.onlinejobs.ph/holidays  John
Julia (my content OFS) offered me this:  ------------- When people find out that I work for Onlinejobs.ph, they immediately ask me whether we have job openings. They ask because it’s known throughout the Philippine outsourcing industry that Onlinejobs.ph employees get 13th month pay.  Not to brag, but we’re the envy of freelancers all over the country.  It’s such a big deal that some workers are willing to lower their asking salary if the job also offers 13th month. To be completely honest, it’s one of the reasons why most of us continue working for Onlinejobs.ph all these years.  Why is 13th month such a big deal in the Philippines?  1. 13th month equals job stability. We know you have it made when the job offers 13th month. It tells us that the business we're working for is profitable. It means we have a job all year round. If there’s no 13th month, it implies that we could lose our job anytime.  2. No need to hustle harder over the holidays. Freelancers can flex about how much they make because they’re handling multiple clients at the same time.  But you know what they don’t have? Rest over the holidays.  To afford the added holiday expenses, they have to work harder and find more clients. That kind of defeats the purpose of enjoying the holidays with your family.  With the 13th month pay, we keep working as we normally would and still make more money.  3. 13th month allows us to budget for big expenses. Christmas and New Year’s are when many Filipinos make big purchases, like appliances and furniture. This is when businesses clear out their inventory and sell at a huge discount.  If you’re a freelancer, you can work harder over the holidays, but there’s no guarantee you’ll meet your earning target. There’s usually a hiring slump over the holidays (even pre-pandemic) so looking for work around this time is more challenging.  It’s easier to just find a job that offers 13th month and budget your expenses around that.  This is why we’d always choose a job that offers this benefit. Even freelancers who work by the hour would prioritize clients who provide this benefit. So if you want your OFS to stay for a long time, offer the 13th month.  -----------------  I know I've talked about this a number of times now.  Now you see why it's important.  If you haven't sent it, it's not too late.  John
My daughter usually plugs her AirPods in the kitchen so she doesn't forget them in the morning when she leaves for school.  This morning: "Where are my AirPods?"  I didn't take them, but I was glad they weren't where she expected them. I hate those things.  Hate that they're in her ears all the time. And...she's not even bad with them. She's pretty respectful and good about taking them out when she's around people. We live in a different world...  Speaking of different worlds, it's amazing how Christmas gifts have changed.  When people ask me what they can send their OFS as a Christmas or birthday gift, I always say cash.  It’s easy. It’s convenient. I know it’s something your OFS will appreciate.  I also know that giving cash feels impersonal. Personal gifts have more meaning. If shipping things to the Philippines were easy, this wouldn’t be a problem.  You can also use Lazada.com.ph or Shopee.ph to buy them things...but at this point it may be too late for Christmas.  So, what can you do? Is there another way?  If you know your OFS enough (you know their likes and interests), you can give them digital gifts instead.  Is your OFS a gamer? You can give them gift cards from Epic or Steam.  If your OFS is a booklover, ask what book they have on their Amazon wishlist and get them a digital copy.  Or if they have a favorite artist, why not give them a copy of the album through iTunes?  If you don’t know their taste in music, but you know they love music, a 1-year Spotify subscription might make more sense.  So if you want to give your OFS something for the holidays, take the time to know what they like. This makes your gift personal and memorable.  By the way...NONE of this is required or expected.  I just keep getting questions about it...  John  PS. Now's not a great time to hire someone. Wait until the first of January to post your job.
In the US, there’s this long-standing friendly debate among family about when Christmas is allowed to start.  In my family, we start the day after Halloween. That’s when it’s acceptable to play Christmas music. Often my wife puts up her Christmas decorations in early November. This year has been a steady stream of decorating from November 3 up until about 2 weeks ago.    Other family members insist that you cannot start Christmas anything until December first. Christmas lights don’t go up. Christmas music doesn’t play. Nothing until December first.  I have a sister-in-law though who feels like she can listen to Christmas music any time of the year, and she does, sometimes.  In the Philippines, Christmas started in September.  Here are some cultural things around Christmas in the Philippines.  I like that the Christmas season in the Philippines starts early. As early as September. This is where the term 'Ber months' comes in. As soon as September 1 hits, you can expect Christmas songs playing on the radio and Christmas decorations being prepared for display. I’m a Halloween Grinch, so I don’t mind celebrating Christmas early.  I also like the solemnity of 'Simbang Gabi,’ the night masses that Filipinos go to from December 16 to 24.  Filipinos put family first, so they ALWAYS spend Christmas and New Year with the family. It's considered rude to spend it with friends. You can often tell there’s a family reunion nearby when you see a bunch of people wearing the same t-shirt. This is especially common on New Years Day.    Christmas is also when Filipinos visit their godparents (or their godchildren). There’s no guarantee you can get a gift from Santa, but you can always expect something from your godparents.  /filipino-godparents/  Employees from the Philippines are looking forward to receiving their extra salaries in the form of '13th Month' (as per the law in the Philippines) and 'Christmas Bonus' (this, in particular, would depend on the company's prerogative). They would usually use these earnings to purchase or buy gifts or food for the upcoming Christmas Season.  With all the lead up, a number of things happen. - Filipinos are super hesitant to start a new job from mid December through January 2.  they're worried their new boss won't let them spend Christmas/New Years with their family. - They want to take time off.  Not that different than you, but for them there's probably more family pressure. - They're a bit hesitant to tell you all of this because they don't know your holiday traditions.  John
Hopefully you're reading this on Christmas Eve, December 24.  If so, recognize that it's Christmas Day in the Philippines because they're ahead of you (Except if you live in Australia...then you don't do any conversion...).  Today is a good day to send them an email wishing them Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever you want to say to them.  Tell them you're thankful for them and for the work they do. Remind them they have the day off.  Depending on your business needs, remind them of your work policy for the next week. For us, we let them have the whole week off but I ask that they check their email in case something goes wrong.  Merry Christmas.  John
Where I live in the US (I live in Utah), the week between Christmas and New Years is relaxed. People are off work. People get together with family. People stay home. I go skiing.  Generally, traffic is less because offices are closed.  Unless of course, you're going to a Mall (who does that anymore???) or to Walmart (who doesn't do that?!?!).  In the Philippines, it's different. Something weird happens in the Philippines between Christmas and New Year. Julia says: We experience something that we call ‘Carmageddon Christmas’.  Traffic is not unique to Manila or the Philippines. It seems to get worse though around the week between Christmas and New Year. I think it’s because almost everybody is out and about. That week is when we catch up on everything we couldn’t do for Christmas and weren’t able to schedule in by the New Year.  Things like:    Visiting extended family (go or risk the wrath of family)   Last-minute Christmas parties   Last-minute Christmas shopping   Visiting Christmas displays for photos   Grocery shopping for what you need to cook for Media Noche (New Year’s Eve feast)   Going to the malls to take advantage of the ‘Buy Now, Pay Next Year’ shopping deals. The deals you can get during this time are really good. We actually mentioned it in our laptop buying guide for Filipino virtual assistants.   Cleaning up the Christmas mess and prepping up the house for the New Year.  These are just some of the things I know most of us do. I haven’t even taken into account the local traditions that would cause traffic during this time.  Like in Bulacan, the traffic would be caused by people going to Bocaue to buy fireworks. Here in Davao, the traffic would be caused by people going to the beach. There are cities in the Philippines that have festivals around this time too. I’m sure the festival parades would be back now that many of us have been vaccinated.  The week between Christmas and New Year is when you visit extended family. Either you have one big reunion where everybody comes together or visit/meet up with aunt/uncles/cousins individually. I had to mention this twice because visiting extended family is probably the main reason I had to endure Carmageddon almost every year (except the past 2 years).  Oh well, everything for family.  John
Have you ever noticed how we name things after landmarks?  Where I live there are mountains all around. Mt. Timpanogos Lone Peak Mount Olympus Twin Peaks  There are tons of businesses, parks, traditions, cemeteries...named after these mountains.  Does that happen where you live also?  In the Philippines, it's Rizal.  Julia (my OFS) writes: ----------------- Every December 30th, we celebrate our national hero, Dr. Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. We celebrate it on December 30th to commemorate his death when he was executed by firing squad in 1896.  The holiday is just before New Year’s Eve, so many Filipinos start their holiday celebrations on this day. Because Rizal was such an important figure in Philippine history, there are activities around the country that we participate in as part of our holiday celebrations.  One tradition is laying down flowers and wreaths to shrines set for Rizal. Going on a picnic in Rizal Park (almost every town has a Rizal Park) is also a popular pastime. For those of us who prefer to spend our holidays at home, we’d watch movies, documentaries, and government programs about Rizal.   We’re all required to study his life in school. But even if you find history boring, studying Rizal’s life is fun because it was fascinating. He was a polymath. He lived the bohemian lifestyle, so he had a lot of lovers and enemies. He traveled to so many countries and wrote a lot of books, essays, and poetry.  How amazing was Rizal? On the night before his execution, he wrote Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell). The poetry moved former US Congressman Henery A. Cooper so much he read it in Congress in 1902 to lobby for Philippine independence. Indonesian soldiers would recite it before going to battle when they struggled for freedom in the 1940s.  I tried to memorize it in college because the original text (in Spanish) was so beautiful. I never made it past the 1st stanza. There are 14 stanzas. At least I didn’t attempt to memorize the Filipino translation. That one is 28 stanzas long. --------------------  The point is...December 30 is a regular holiday in the Philippines.  Everyone is going to take the day off.  December 31 is also a regular holiday, as is January 1.  Don't expect anything to get
When I was in high school, I made a new group of friends. The first time we hung out we were going out to dinner. This is right after school and I didn’t have any money.  So, they decide they were going out to dinner and I told them, “I can’t go with you guys, I’m sorry.  I don’t have any money.”  One of them said, “That’s okay. I’ll pay for you.”  I grew up pretty poor. We didn’t have much. My parents didn’t have a way to give me money. Between my workload in school (which was really heavy) and sports, there was no way I could work. There wasn’t time.  The next time I went out with them, I said I didn’t have money for dinner tonight. They were like, “It’s okay, we’ll pay for you.”  That became a thing. At some point, I asked that friend, “why do you pay for me?”  He said, “Well, my parents spoil me so I want to spoil my friends.”  Recently I had a conversation with my daughter because keeps billing this friend in Venmo for small things. Like, “Pay me $4 on Venmo.”  So I told my daughter my story about my friends in high school and I said, “Stop doing this to your friends. Stop billing your friends.”   Here’s a question about billing and OFS from Anjali:  Does your OFS handle billing? I have a consulting business, and charge high ticket prices for large packages. I’m very hesitant to have my OFS get involved with the billing or even know how much I am charging because I feel that if they do, the discrepancy between their salary and these fees will be shocking for them and awkward for me. We don't have billing in our business.  However, yes, I would definitely have them handle it. They have no idea what other expenses go into the business.  They don't know what's involved.  Even if they do, it doesn't really matter. They know they're an employee. It won't be awkward for them and it shouldn't be awkward for you. In fact, it may give them some security. If they know your business is profitable they'll feel like their job is secure.  If you trust them, let them do it.  Also, with very little going on right now (in most businesses), now's a good time to get your OFS started working on a.new project for you. Start creating training (a video with Snagit is a great start), think through what they'll need and what they'll need to do.  Get an early jump on your New Years resolutions.  John
The first time I hired someone in the Philippines it was "easy".  I told the agency who I wanted and they came back a few days later with my VA.  He lasted a couple days before he said "Sorry Sir, I don't know anything and can't do this job." He quit.  The agency apologized profusely and then provided me someone else.  He lasted about a week and quit saying "Sorry Sir, I can't handle the office politics at this agency."  The agency repeated the process.  They found me someone who knew nothing.  "Here's your webmaster! He's all trained and everything!"  Nothing.  He knew nothing.  But...at least he was willing to try.  That was 2005.  He still works for me today, only today, he's amazing.  I can ask him to do anything and he'll get it done.  My hiring process (through the agency) was not smooth or efficient.  If one of your New Years Resolutions is to get some time back in your life, I want to help.  My One VA Away Challenge was created to make hiring an OFS easy, smooth, and efficient.  - It shouldn't take you hours and hours - You should never have to schedule an interview (unless you really want to) - You won't make mistake after mistake like I did - I guarantee you'll find someone great or I give your $49 back.  If you're worried about hiring, worried you'll make mistakes, worried you won't find a good person, or worried you just won't get it right, try my OneVAAway.com program today.  John
Short email just to update you.  Typhoon Rai is pounding the Philippines right now.  https://duckduckgo.com/?q=typhoon+rai    Ask your OFS if they're ok.  If they don't respond, assume they don't have power or internet. Give them a break.  If your OFS is affected, you might offer to help them.  John
If you didn't know, the Philippines just had a super typhoon come through.  Here's what I know.  In the US we call it Typhoon Rai. In the Philippines it's called Typhoon Odette.  They call it a typhoon. We call it a hurricane.  This was like a category 5 hurricane.  The death toll is 200+.  There are cities where there's not a roof left on a single building.  A couple quotes from my workers:  "Most of the areas here do not have electricity and water and as per the local government, it will take two to three months to get it back. We are one of the affected families but lucky enough, my family is safe.”  "We are badly hit with the recent typhoon. No internet, no data, no electricty, drinking water is getting scarce. Currently, i am looking for atms/banks for us to withdraw cash. Most banks are also down. It has been the 4th day already in this situation. I am able to get data since we borrowed motorcycle to go to the cebu city (im from mactan island). Only 2 wheels are able to pass in out area since posts and trees are on the road.  If i get a hold of cash then me and my family will go to our province since we heard its in a better situation than here. We will go there asap since we also have a baby and its super hard with no electricty and scarce drinking water.  Please bear with me sir this coming days. I will cover up for the time whenever im already in a stable situation, hopefully within the week."  "Our area here in Cebu is badly hit by typhoon. If this email reaches you it is still impossible to work right now. There is no water, electricity, cell signal is spotty and no internet as of now. And my family is safe."  "...we're expecting it to take months for electricity to come back on..."  I've gotten numerous photos like this:    Here's what you can do:  - Show compassion - Expect they won't be able to work for a while - Send money to help them relocate or rebuild (or both)  I've been working with the Philippines since 2005.  This is the worst typhoon I've seen.  John
It depends on where your OFS lives. To be more specific, it depends on who runs the power distribution center.  Here’s some context. Back in the 1990’s, the Philippines experienced a power crisis. To address it, their government started privatizing the power industry to introduce investments and upgrade the country’s infrastructure. So businesses began popping up to help generate more power and improve power distribution. This allowed the government to focus on building infrastructure in hard-to-reach places like rural areas, mountains, and island towns.  For metropolitan areas like Manila, Cebu, and Davao, this system worked. Private businesses took over distribution. They upgraded the power grid and made it more resilient to natural disasters. They have an organized system that manages problems, so those cities have been experienced fewer blackouts.  But in smaller towns and cities, the system didn’t work as well. These places continue to suffer regular blackouts because the private businesses who took over the power distribution failed to:    Invest in updating the distribution infrastructure   Build more grids to serve their growing number of customers   Anticipate the rising demand for power, so they didn’t buy enough from power generators  These are the places most affected by blackouts when there’s a natural disaster.  There is greater demand for power during the hot and dry months in the Philippines. When this happens, the industrial and commercial zones are prioritized.  This is why rural areas would experience rotational blackouts from March to June. If their power distribution company is well managed, these blackouts are kept at a minimum, like 1-2 hours every few days. If not, they can experience 4-6 hour rotational blackouts every day.  If the summer is really dry (El Niño), the whole country does experience power shortage due to:    Increased demand for power   Low  water levels in the 12 hydroelectric power plants and   Reduced efficiency of the 20 geothermal power plants  That’s when most of the Philippines would have to go through rotational blackouts to manage supply. But thankfully, more renewable power plants are being built. So hopefully, there would be no more rotational blackouts in the future.  Progress is being made. Just in the time since I've had OFS working for me the situation has greatly improved.  You might never be affected because of this depending on where your OFS lives.  My advice is don't try to hire in a specific location to try to avoid power outages.  Just hire the right talent wherever they are.  You'll be better off.  John
When I was just starting my business, I didn’t have time to hire someone to help me.  I just bought a house. I had a brand new baby. I had a fledgling business.  I needed the business to grow because I didn’t want to go back to working for someone else.  I also knew that I could do more if I just had someone to help me with this one task. If I can get this task off my plate, it would make things easier. I’d be more productive. I could grow my business, and I’d have more time for my family.  So I made time for finding someone. It wasn’t a lot of time. I was still working 40 hours a week at that point. But taking that first couple of hours away to just find my first VA, Joven, was so worth it.  Sure, I lost a couple of hours’ worth of work finding him. But I gained thousands (hundreds of thousands?) since. Every minute I spent training him gave me hundreds of work hours and productivity I couldn’t do alone. That was 2005, he still works for me today.  Then when my business started growing and I needed more help, I just repeated the process. The more people I hired, the more time I got. That’s what led me to my 17 hour work weeks.  If you’re worried that you don’t have time to hire an OFS, think about what happens if you don't.  NOTHING!  Unless you take action to make a change, everything stays the same.  It’ll only take you 2-3 hours (total) to go through the recruiting process I outlined in OneVAAway.com and find that one OFS that can change your life.  Isn’t that time well spent?  It's likely the best ROI you'll ever get.  John
My "New Years Resolution" started last August. I needed to be more understanding of my teenage daughters.  I started working on it. Started praying for help. Started reading a book about it.  It's working!   We all start the year with the best intentions. We want to be better versions of ourselves. But studies show that 80% of Americans fail to keep their New Year’s Resolutions. Only 8% manage to keep them the entire year.  I think this is because people have unrealistic expectations about themselves and the results they want to achieve. Like losing weight or quitting a bad habit. They’re good resolutions, but they’re tough to accomplish when you:    Don’t start early   Don’t keep things simple   Don’t do things consistently.  It’s the same with outsourcing. Most people hesitate to outsource because they think they have to hire a team of 20 people to take over entire business processes right away. I’d be intimidated if you told me this was what I had to do when I was just starting. I’d never get anything done in my business if I was always hiring to build a team.  Outsourcing doesn’t have to be like that. It shouldn’t be like that. That’s why I always tell people that they should always start by:    Hiring just one person,   To do just 1 task, and   Train them to do one job you already know how to do.  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  Hiring just one person takes less time than hiring a team.  Looking for a person who has 1-2 skills that they’re good at is easier than finding a person who’s an expert at everything.  Training your worker on a job you already know how to do makes it easier. You already know what to teach them. You can answer their questions and give them feedback right away. You’re not just guessing on whether they’re working or not; you can see it in their work.  This is what I teach at OneVAAway.com. This is how I get Filipino rockstar workers. That’s why my recruiting process won’t take you 100+ hours. I start with people who do one thing really well and build them from there.  That’s how I started. That’s how I got things done. I’m reaping the benefits now because I started outsourcing in 2005. For you, 2005 is NOW!  When are you going to start?  John
"I'd just feel more comfortable hiring someone you or your team recommends" Yes...yes you would...  But...I can’t recommend someone for you.  Nothing personal. I don’t give recommendations to anybody.  If you ask other business owners, they’re not giving referrals either.  Why?  Because once we find a great OFS, we hire them. We’re not going to spend our time finding a great worker and then recommending that person to someone else.  Smart business owners don't.  Even though it only takes me 2-3 hours to find a worker, that’s still 2-3 hours of my life that I’m not going to get back.  Think about it this way. If you take my course at OneVAAway.com, you’ll find a great worker in 2-3 hours. That’s faster than waiting for a referral, and it’s basically a sure thing.  Even better, it’s a Filipino worker you know who’s going to be good for your business because:    You know them   You know how to communicate with them   You know you’re going to work well together, and   You know they have the skills for the job because you interviewed them yourself.  Want to know if there are actually talented people? Or how timezones work? Or tax implications? I answer all these questions at OFSGuide.com  John  Family ski day! 
In December, Typhoon Odette decimated the central Philippines.  I've seen dozens of typhoons affect my workers since 2005.  I've never seen anything like Odette. Destruction like this doesn't happen that often...but it does happen.  The Philippines is visited by an average of around 20 typhoons per year. They also get at least one alert from any of the 27 active volcanoes spread all over the country.  What is it about the Philippines that makes it a magnet for natural disasters?  It's the location.  The Philippines lies along the Pacific Typhoon belt. Every time a typhoon forms around that area, it's almost guaranteed that they'll be affected by it.   In the past, most typhoons don't affect them that much or happen as often. But with climate change, like here in the US, they've had more destructive storms in recent years.  They're also located in what's known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. That's why they have a lot of active volcanoes on land and underwater.  Because they're in the Typhoon Belt and the Ring of Fire, they're also more susceptible to other disasters brought about by typhoons and volcanoes like tsunamis, landslides, storm surges, and flooding.  But they are working to make themselves more resilient. In 2012, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act institutionalized disaster reduction and management in all government and the private sector. This requires every institution, no matter how big or small, to plan what to do during a disaster.  They also have a more robust disaster reporting system. Like here in the US, they get weather or flooding alerts on their phones. It tells them whether they need to evacuate or prepare for a storm.  The Philippines is also part of the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, which has helped improve its disaster planning and management. It's a group where different Asian countries share best practices and technology to help them with disaster management and response. The US serves as an advisor country in this group.  At some point one of your OFS will be affected by a typhoon, volcano, flood.  You know what's surprising?  How quickly they recover!  Quite a few of my OFS lost their houses in Odette. Obliterated. They're all back to work.  I can't tell you how many times I've gotten emails from OFS saying "Sir, we're having flooding here in my town. My house has 1.2m of water in it, I had to climb on the roof to escape. But don't worry sir, I brought my laptop with me so I saved all my files and can get back to work soon."  They're resilient. They're smart. They work hard. They recover.  It's what they do.  John
We’re finally at that point where things are somewhat going back to normal. Yes, Omicron is raging, but we’re close to getting back to the lives we had before we ever heard of Covid.  Kids are in school. Travel is opening up (depending on the day...) We've all realized remote work is good.  Now’s the best time to hire an OFS (online Filipino specialist).  Yes, you're busy. Hopefully your business is growing or recovering. As you build your momentum, there’s going to be more work ahead.  Want to build your business differently?  Build it based around having other people do the work.  Here's how to start.  Pick one task you think you can get someone else to do. Hire an OFS to do that one task.  Since it's something you know how to do hiring that person is easy!  Go to OnlineJobs.ph and search for the skill you need.  Look at some profiles.  Then post a job. You'll find the process super simple.  It won't work out perfectly the first time (well...it might, but often it doesn't). Work with them to get it right. It won't take long.  Then...when they're getting that one task done, ask if they can take another task.  Without needing to hire someone else, go through the process again.  What happens next is AMAZING!  The next time you sit to do something you don't want to do, you'll think "hmmm...I wonder if I could get someone else to do this for me?"  From that point on, your business is different. You'll work less, be more effective, and be better at creating growth. ------------  Want my help through the hiring process?  www.OneVAAway.com  Ready to jump in? www.OnlineJobs.ph  If your business is drowning you, grab the lifeline!  John
I love to ski.  My wife...not so much.  Part of it for her is just fear.  What if I'm cold? What if I get hurt? What if it's not fun?  At some point she has made mistakes (we all do) and each of those things have happened to her.  On occasion, it has stopped her from going with me.  Like this day:   Which was a day with no mistakes, and everything was beautiful.  In hiring OFS, I see the same story from you.  Fear. Fear of making mistakes. Fear of everything not going perfectly. Fear of spending time and having it go down the drain.  When I started I had that fear too.  The first thing I did was a mistake.  I went to India.  I know they have a lot of fantastic workers there, but the culture just didn’t fit with how I ran my business.  Now I know to go to the Philippines.  The whole experience is better.  My second mistake was hiring freelancers.  The freelancer I hired was great. He did an excellent job writing. But it was the only thing he could do, write. I couldn’t ask him to do more because that’s not part of the deal we had. I still had to do everything else with what he wrote and I hated it. The more work I gave him, the more work I had to do myself.  Now I know to hire long-term people. The business starts to automate itself when you have stable people working for you.  Next I tried the agency route.  It was fine until both me and the VA realized I was paying $750 and he was getting $250 (today this is more like you pay $2000 and he gets $500).  He quit. That stinks.  Today I know that going direct is a lot more efficient both in terms of money and time. The OFS gets the full amount I pay him. Finding someone myself is faster and easier and more reliable than going through an agency (I went through 3 workers at the agency because they just kept pulling people off the streets and telling me "they're super qualified").  I've made mistakes since, but they're a lot less consequential. Most of my mistakes since don't flush my time down the toilet like these first 3 did.  Here are the 9 biggest questions people ask me about hiring OFS (and their answers).  OFSGuide.com  John  PS. If you never take the leap and get over the fear, you never get the reward! Today I have ~40 OFS working for me building my business every day.
When Filipinos talk about their neighborhood, they often refer to the barangay, the Philippines' smallest political and administrative unit.  Barangay comes from the Malay word balangay, a boat used by the Austronesian people when they migrated to the Philippines.  They travel in groups like the boats at the end of the movie 'Moana' because like in that movie, those who traveled in the same group settled in the same place. That community formed the first barangay.   There are 42,046 barangays all over the country. The barangays are governed by their respective cities and municipalities.  In order to be a barangay, there has to be at least 2,000 inhabitants. Each barangay would have its executive, legislature, and judiciary branch. The chief executive is called the Barangay Kapitan (barangay captain). Councilors or 'kagawad' form the legislative branch. The judiciary comprises a group of people called Lupon Tagapamayapa(Justice of the peace). The barangay even has its police system called tanod (neighborhood watch).  The local government empowers all barangays to provide essential services to their residents. Within a barangay hall, you would often see a health center or small clinic where people can come in for free healthcare and essential vaccines.  Voting is also done in the barangays. Small claims and disputes are mediated with the Lupon Tagapamayapa. Most barangays would also have a daycare and an elementary school.  This is why every Filipino is required to register with the barangay. It's a big part of their day-to-day life.  The Philippines doesn't have "background checks" like we do in the USA.  But a Barangay Clearance is pretty close.  It's a government-issued document used to certify a person with good moral character and a law-abiding citizen of a certain barangay. You can ask potential OFS for their Barangay Clearance when hiring from OnlineJobs.ph  John
I HATE when I solve a problem and the problem keeps coming up over and over again.  Like passwords with my kids.  "Dad, what's my password?"  ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!  We've saved this password to LastPass. I've told you to get LastPass on your phone. Why? Just why!?!?  This is what they look like when this happens:    Passwords with my kids is one thing. With OFS it's another.  Although...is it really that different?  For me it's not.  When I was first starting this was totally an issue for me. I did not want to give them passwords because I didn’t know what would happen. I didn’t know if I gave them the password to my hosting account, they would take over my hosting account, destroy everything and leave. I didn’t know if they would not leave, make a mistake, and ruin something.  I just didn’t know so I didn’t give them passwords.  Then I realized a little bit in that it was making my life harder. They couldn’t do the job because they couldn’t access the site they needed. I quickly realized I had to give them access to my stuff.  Well back then, there wasn’t a great solution. Today, there’s a really good solution to this. You’re still going to give them access to your accounts but if you use LastPass for this, you don’t have to give your passwords. They never see your passwords.  Anjali had the same problem so she wrote to me about it.  I also am having difficulty handing over my passwords for things like email and contract software. Although I feel comfortable having my OFS onboard clients and follow up with clients, I don’t feel comfortable yet about the OFS having my passwords as they started about 2 months ago. For Google, it turns out that as an admin I can always lock the person out if there’s ever a problem. But for some other things, like Adobe DocuSign, I don’t think that’s possible. Use Lastpass. It lets you share a password with their LastPass account.  Then it lets them login to the website, but doesn't give them the password.  You can revoke the sharing anytime you want.  For things where LastPass won't work, give them the password if you trust them.  If something goes wrong, you can change the password.  Keep a list of passwords you give them.  For some reason, my OFS don't seem to have problems keeping track of passwords like my kids do!  John
Last week after an amazing day of skiing, my 8yr old had a rough last run down the mountain:    He wasn't even going very fast.  He just got tangled up and fell flat on his face with his legs spread as wide as they could be.  He couldn't get himself up.  I had to scoot over and help him.  Frustrated and helpless.  Then, I felt the same way yesterday with my OFS.  Last year I started a podcast:  The Secret Sauce of Outsourcing Podcast  where I talk about outsourcing to the Philippines and OFS and culture and lifestyle and...It's really just a parallel to this newsletter.  Then, a few weeks ago I decided to start recording podcast episodes as video episodes. It requires almost no extra work from me and my team publishes the podcast and also publishes the content to YouTube! Extra distribution for no extra work from me.  Except...as they published episode 54 (which was like the 20th video episode) they told me it was completed and sent me the YouTube link.  I looked at it.  I was horrified.  The video started mid sentence. It referenced how I reacted to a feeling I hadn't described. It was a terrible edit of the video I had recorded which was meant for something else but got published as a video episode of my podcast.  I immediately sent the message:  DO NOT PUBLISH THIS!  and asked why it got published, why it wasn't checked, what would make you publish something that makes me look so dumb...  I was frustrated.  About 3 hours later the video was down and a new, correct video was published.  I thanked them.  We're now having 2 people (that are not me!) look at everything before it gets published. I told them I want them to look at everything and say "Is this right?  Does this make us/John look good?  Or is there a problem here?"  We'll see if it works.  John  PS. I send this so you know outsourcing isn't all roses for me. It takes work. I have my frustrations. But overall it allows me to do so many things there's no way I'd do otherwise. In fact, all of this newsletter, my entire YouTube account, and the podcast would never happen if not for them. All 3 of these take me like 2 hours/week.
I understand why many business owners prefer to have their OFS work in their timezone. It's just more convenient. You don't have to worry about things like scheduling meetings and whatnot. There's also the added benefit of monitoring your OFS work hours.  The first time I hired someone the agency said  "Do you want them to work on your hours?"  I didn't know that's an option.  Yeah, let's do it!  A few weeks in he came to me and said:  "Sir, working at night is really hard. It's affecting my family. I'm not sleeping well which is also affecting my work.  Can I work during the day my time?"  The problem with having an OFS work in your timezone (if they're not used to working nights) is that it affects their health and productivity. Usually it ends up affecting the quality of their work.  There is a way to use this time difference to your advantage. Here's the current (daylight savings) time difference between the Philippines and the timezones we have here in the US.  EDT - 13 hours behind - USA Monday: 9pm - Philippines Tuesday: 10am CDT - 14 hours behind - USA Monday: 9pm - Philippines Tuesday: 11am MDT - 15 hours behind - USA Monday: 9pm - Philippines Tuesday: 12 noon PDT - 16 hours behind - USA Monday: 9pm - Philippines Tuesday:  1pm  And for those in the UK GMT - 8 hours behind - UK Monday: 9pm - Philippines Tuesday: 5am  Depending on where you live, most of your OFS work hours would happen while you're sleeping.  So what I do during the day is: Respond to their daily reports if needed Give feedback on the projects they're already working on Give them new/additional tasks Give instructions Give training What I don't do is touch the things they're supposed to be doing.  It took me a long time to realize that if something didn't get done while they were working, I DIDN'T NEED TO DO IT MYSELF!  I work on other important tasks. I work on improving systems. I work on giving better training and feedback.  What's great about the time difference is there's nobody there to distract me from getting actual work done.  Now...if you find that you need to talk with them, figure out when your work schedule overlaps with theirs.  You'll find that some of your work schedule overlaps with some of theirs in almost every case because they rarely work 9-5 Philippines time.  Want someone to work on your time?  ;  https://youtu.be/xOnJpydKGyU  John
I'm not a big holiday person. Halloween...my least favorite day of the year. Valentines day?  Thursday. St Patricks day?  Huh?  I'm just not a big celebration kind of guy. I just can't get into it.  For me, the only reason I even know Chinese New Year is happening is because of my team in the Philippines.  It's a big deal for a lot of them.  Chinese New Year falls on February 1, a Tuesday this year. It's a "special holiday" in the Philippines, so people will still work. Some might take it off...but most won't.  If you have workers who are Filipino Chinese or of Chinese descent, you can wish them a Happy New Year.    This year it’s the Year of the Water Tiger. The weird thing about Chinese Horoscopes is your sign is considered your unlucky year. Like, if you’re born in the Year of the Tiger (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 or 2010), 2022 will be a tough year for you. But for everybody, this could be their best year ever.  Again...something I really can't get into...  Plus...what about everyone else in 2020?  That wasn't everyones birth year and wasn't it the worst year in history...for almost everybody?  The best way to have a good year, regardless of when you’re born, is to do what you can to make it possible.  Like making a change in your business. If you’re tired that your business isn’t growing, stop working in your business and start running it. If you’re tired of doing everything, get help and hire an OFS.  If you've never done it before, spend 4 minutes and read this: https://OFSGuide.com  If you've done it and you're procrastinating hiring the next person, please respond and tell me why.  John
People ask me regularly who writes this email.  2 people: - Julia, my OFS:  - and Me (my wife gets me a formal picture every year when we take family photos):   The next question is  What did you look for when hiring her?  Simple.  English skills.  That's it.  Although, when I hired her I wasn't hiring her to write my newsletter.  I hired her like 12 years ago to write other things.  Over the years she has written countless pieces for me including my personal blog, my personal social media, articles we've published...  So how do you find someone to write for you?  Obviously English skills. That’s a given.  Here are a few questions I think would be great to ask when you’re interviewing an OFS for a writing position.  1. Do you like reading for fun? If yes, what do you like to read?  If they don’t like to read, that could be a problem. Because to write, you have to read, A LOT. That’s where the ideas come from. If they don’t like reading, how will they keep writing?  If they like to read, ask them what they want to read. What they read for fun is going to influence how they write. Most Filipinos are exposed to American culture. If your potential writer reads a lot of American literature, that’s good. It means their writing would be close to a native English speaker.  2. Do you write every day? Do you journal, or do you have a blog?  Writing is a skill. The more you practice, the easier it is to write on cue. A ‘writer’ who doesn’t write every day will struggle if you ask them to write something quickly.  3. Do you know how to create an outline?  Writing every day requires a lot of creativity AND organization. When doing research, you need to know how to organize the information you’ve gathered. This makes the writing process faster and more efficient. That doesn’t mean that disorganized writers aren’t good. But if you need your writer to create newsletters, articles, and blog posts regularly, having a system helps.  4. Go read these 4 articles I wrote, then write an intro paragraph about X in my voice.  This let's them hear my voice (reading what I've written) and then write something short to see how well they pick up on my voice.  Finding a great writer isn't exactly a science...but it's not that far from it. Follow my steps at www.OneVAAway.com.  I'll give you like 50 more questions I ask people. I guarantee you'll find someone great.  John
Well...I was going to talk about background checks, but then I read what my OFS wrote for this email:  "No background check beats doing the work yourself."  I laughed. Out loud.  My OFS gets it!  We’re so used to background checks here in the US it’s impossible to think that there are places in the world that don’t do it.  We go through background checks to get a job, rent an apartment, do business, volunteer, establish credit. It’s so ingrained in our culture that we think nothing of it and expect it from everybody else.  So it surprises people when I tell them that there’s no way to do a background check on a Filipino VA. At least, not in the way that we’re used to.  When Filipinos look for jobs, a typical job requirement is the NBI clearance. It’s a document that states whether or not they have a police record. It’s the closest thing they have to a background check and something you could ask for. It could be a deterrent, but it won’t make much sense because you could get a record in the Philippines for littering or jaywalking.  The Philippines has started rolling out a National ID System similar to our Social Security. But it’s going to be years we can use it due to COVID delays.  I understand why background checks are important for many people. It gives them a sense of security. But I think the best way to really know the person you’re hiring is really to do the recruiting yourself and exercise some common sense.  That’s why in OneVAAway.com, I emphasize the importance of doing multiple email interviews. Really get to know the person you’re talking to. Ask for references and check them.  Aside from the NBI Clearance (or the Barangay Clearance I talked about recently), the Background Data Check at OnlineJobs.ph is the closest thing you'll get.  We have all kinds of data on people. We noticed patterns for people who are problems.  In the end, Julia is correct: No background check beats doing the work yourself.  JUST HIRE SOMEONE! Get someone else doing the work. Stop procrastinating because you're worried about their background.  John
OFS = Online Filipino Specialist.  I invented it because I don't like the term VA.  People think a VA is a secretary. Someone who can only do mundane tasks. Someone who doesn't really have skills. Someone who can do data entry. Someone who can only follow step by step instruction and nothing else.  ...that's not who you're hiring.  ...that's not who I hire.  You want someone who is an independent thinker.  Someone who will read between the lines of your instructions and solve problems when you leave something out.  That's an OFS.  You want someone who is skilled at Ecommerce, writing, programming, social media management, CAD, design, eBay, or whatever it is you're going to have them do for you. That person exists.  Highly skilled. Talented. Knowledgeable.  That's an OFS  You want someone who is honest, loyal, hard working, not entrepreneurial, and who is a good stable employee.  That's an...well..that could be anyone from the Philippines. It's just part of their culture.  This is Avery.  He's a UI/UX designer. He works on OnlineJobs.ph. He's not a graphic designer. He's not a web designer. He's not a logo designer. (I've tried to have him do all those things and he wasn't very good at it). He's a user interface and user experience designer.  He shows up every day. He speaks his mind. He solves problems. He proposes solutions.  He's an OFS.  Online. Filipino. Specialist. That's who you want to hire to help your business.  John  PS. Today is Chinese New Years. Recognize your OFS might not be as productive today.
It seems like there’s news about another hack or data breach every other week. Big companies have their security breached, and information from millions of users or employees is leaked online.  I used to worry about it with my team.  But then I realized that worry was making me less money because I was less good at pushing the business forward while I was worrying about something out of my control.  Today, I’ve worked with much of my team for years. I’ve never had a problem with them. But, my business isn't your business and you probably have legitimate things to worry about.  What can your small business do?  You can do some common sense things to protect your data when working with an OFS. Things like:    Hire an OFS who have their own computers and internet access as much as possible. If your OFS has to share their computer with other people, there’s a possibility that strangers can log in to their profile.   Emphasize and enforce data security and awareness with your OFS. Most data breaches are due to negligence, not malice. Remind your OFS that data security and protection help keep the business running. Without your business, they won’t get paid.   Use apps like LastPass so you can give your OFS access to your accounts without access to your passwords.   Have them sign a contract.  Contracts carry a lot of weight in the Philippines. Last but not least, don’t give your OFS access to your accounts right away! Make sure there’s trust on both sides before you share anything. Nothing beats common sense when it comes to protecting yourself.  John  PS. I spent the weekend in St George, Utah riding bikes with my kids.  Some stuff there is otherworldly.   
In 2004 I figured something out I hoped the rest of the world would never figure out.  I had quit my job (the only job I ever had, I worked there for 8 months right out of college) and was working from home.  I worked my butt off.  My wife was also at home with our little child and she started inviting me to go on walks with them in the middle of the day. Like, 10am.  It was amazing.  I could get a little exercise in right in the middle of the workday and still get my work done before and after.  Over the years this turned into more and more, longer and longer daytime activities. Hiking, biking, skiing...  The best part, nobody else knew so wherever we went we were almost all alone.  Then 2020 happened.  People worked from home and discovered my secret world. Then people started resigning from their jobs because they had this new freedom.  The Great Resignation isn’t just happening here in the US. It’s happening in the Philippines too. Filipino workers are resigning from their office jobs and companies are having a hard time keeping their employees.  Lately, we’ve noticed a weird silver lining to it.  In the past 2 years, we’ve noticed a significant spike in jobseeker profiles at Onlinejobs.ph. Our database has been growing steadily over the years. But what made the recent spike interesting was the greater number of highly experienced workers signing up.  These are workers who have years of practical work experience. Some of them even have advanced degrees. Some even have management experience. These are people who normally wouldn’t work online or have never considered working from home until the pandemic happened.  So what does this mean for you?  If you’re looking for an OFS with specific technical skills, now’s the best time to find them in our database.  If you’re scaling up your business and you’re looking for an OFS with corporate experience, now’s the best time to look for them.  If you're short on time, use my OneVAAway.com system. It shortens the process for finding a great OFS you can trust.  John  I always do my work at home and then go play. Here's the one time I took my laptop out with me.  I was post surgery but my family still wanted to play. I sat and worked while they skied.  It was beautiful.  
My OFS Julia writes: ----------------------- In the Philippines, there’s this custom called “Bayanihan” (pronounced as buy-uh-nee-hun), where people come together to lend a helping hand. It’s more than just people helping each other out. It’s about working together as a community.  Bayanihan is what makes the Philippines a resilient country despite natural disasters.    I was reminded of this because of an email from one of my team mate OFS  “Good day!  Hope all is well with you guys. I would like to ask permission to go on a 1 day leave this coming January 21, 2022, due to the fact that I was tapped to be one of the leaders of the 2nd wave of relief operations for the Typhoon Odette victims in Surigao City.  I will be leading our team in terms of the preparation, distribution, and security of the said relief packs up until we are done distributing to an estimated 420 families.  I apologize for the short notice, rest assured all my tasks for the following date, Jan. 21, 2022, will be properly endorsed and properly coordinated with our team.  Looking forward to your understanding. “  To get to Surigao City, he and the other volunteers must travel for 8 hours straight by land. It will take them the entire day to provide aid to those affected. Then he’d have to travel back home for another 8 hours.  It would have been easier for my teammate to keep working and let someone else do it. Instead, he made sure he finished his work to go and help. The work these volunteers are doing may seem like a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. But efforts like these help places affected by Typhoon Odette recover faster. ---------------------  You'll notice your OFS wants to help. They want to help you. They want to help those around them.  John
On Facebook, I (and by "I" I mean my OFS) get occasional comments from business owners who say they’ve tried outsourcing who insist that there aren’t any talented workers in the Philippines.  “I’ve been outsourcing for years. Workers in the Philippines are crap! They’re only good for data entry jobs.”  At the same time, I see many people who say they’ve found lawyers, accountants, nurses, programmers, designers... at Onlinejobs.ph.  In fact, I'm contacted every single day by people saying they love their OFS.  So what is it really? Are there good, talented workers in the Philippines or not?  There are! The fact that I and hundreds of thousands of others like me have found these people is proof enough that Filipinos are a great workforce.  But why is it that some people can’t seem to find good workers?  The problem primarily lies in the recruitment process.  I see it all the time.  When complainers tell me what they did to find someone I can almost always see the mistakes they made.  You will attract the right people when you have a good recruitment process. That’s what I teach at OneVAAway.com. It’s a process I’ve worked to perfect over the years. I and many others grew our businesses this way. I know it works because I’ve taught it to friends, family, and thousands of other business owners, and it’s worked for them too!  The problem also lies with the person doing the hiring.  You’ll never find the best person if you're not doing the hiring yourself. You’re the one who knows your business best. If you delegate this task to an agency, they don’t have the insight into your business and your personality to make the right hire so they’re not going to take the time to find the best person. They’ll take the first person who’s just “good enough” (barely qualified).  This is why some people will never find good workers in the Philippines.  Finding a great OFS starts with posting a job. Get the ball rolling.  John
In a previous email, I mentioned that the Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, that’s why they have a lot of active volcanoes there.  One of those active volcanoes, Taal, has been showing increased activity in the past week and a half. They’ve had 31 earthquakes and 9 small phreatomagmatic (both magmatic gases and steam from groundwater are expelled) eruptions in total. They’ve issued a ban on any aircraft flying close to the volcano, as well as boating and hiking on the island.  Hopefully, that’s the worst of it. But Philvolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) and the news outlets there are keeping a close eye on it because the volcanic activity is increasing. Also, Taal has a history of being really destructive despite its small size.   Back in January 2020, it caused an ashfall that affected most of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. There were several casualties and damaged powerlines due to limited visibility and the amount of ash that fell on the area.  It was bad and affected quite a few people on my team, as well as thousands of other OFS.  I got a lot of emails from people saying they couldn't work because they couldn't breathe.  It hasn't happened again...but I'm just warning you that it could.  John
The first time I hired a designer I was actually hiring a programmer.  This was 2007 and I didn't really know what I was doing.  I just knew that I had found a really good programmer, and he also said he was a designer!  I thought I had just struck gold!   ("Nino", the Programmer/Designer I hired in 2007...he still works for me today)  And, he was actually a reasonable webpage designer.  Not great, but reasonable.  Which, is almost impossible to find in the same person. Programming and design are generally driven by opposite sides of the brain.  A graphic designer is one of those workers that nearly every business needs, but not everybody knows how to recruit. It’s easy if you’re a designer or are creative yourself. But if you’re not, it can be difficult.  So I asked my graphic designer, Elijah, what people need to know about hiring a Filipino graphic designer. I also asked him about people's misconceptions about hiring graphic designers that prevent them from finding a great one.  “The number one misconception for the designer or video editor, is that every design has to look BEAUTIFUL, every video has to have FANCY Text and motion graphics. Each design has to be aesthetic or "Pinterest" worthy. NO! Designers and video-editors (media people) need to understand that they are here to create for the brand, the client, and of course the medium. Some brands and clients seek simplicity and minimalism (John is the best example). Some mediums also are geared toward minimal editing like TikTok.  In other words, when hiring, employers should not just look for creativity, but versatility. Can this person adapt to my brand? Or is this person stuck with one style of editing and creating.  If possible, look at their portfolio to see how they change their styles with different clients. If the style is consistent, the artist is not able to adapt to different brands and mediums  Creativity is very hard to judge – one of the easiest ways to judge an artist is through their skill of adapting and changing their style to suit their client.  For graphic design, you have to know what you are after. Some artists can pull off everything, which isn't that rare. But there are some artists who specialize in logo making, character/cartoon design, typography, and content layout. Knowing what you want will help you refine your job post and expectations.”  Graphic designers are not magicians. They can’t pull rabbits and ideas out of thin air. It’s your business; the direction has to come from you. You've got to have an idea of what you want so they know what to give you.  Also, recognize that a logo designer is not a graphic designer and a graphic designer is not a webpage designer.  These are all different skill sets.  John
My wife came home from the gym the other day:  "I got there at 9:15 and there were a bunch of parking spots. Just 3 weeks ago I couldn't even park on the street because so many people were there! Oh, how quickly people give up on their New Years resolutions."  New Years Resolutions are a sorry thing. I stopped doing them years ago.  If I want to make a change in my life, why would I procrastinate making that change until some magical January 1 comes. How is January 1 different than February 18?  If you already gave up on your New Years Resolutions, let's take another look and restart.  Make your change a SMART change  This last week I've been working with my teenage daughters on setting goals.  What's your goal this year?  "To be the fastest"  Ok...but that's not very SMART.  If your resolution was "to lose weight" it's not very smart. If it was to "work less and spend more time with family" it's not very smart. If it was to "improve and grow my business" it's not very smart.  Go back and make your goal - Specific - Measurable - Attainable - Relevant - Time Bound (search "SMART goals" if you need more help)  It changes your ability to stick with that goal past the first time you fail.  My daughter changed her goals to be - Win the region championships so I wear a Leaders jersey at State Championships. - Win a State Championship  Then we set smaller SMART goals which will get her there (blacked out)   My two other kids have pretty big goals that still need to be worked on...  My advice for you (this isn't going to work for everyone...)  Set a SMART goal that involves a specific number of hours/week you'll cut your workload down. Then define what you're going to delegate to someone else in order to cut it down.  Be specific. Drill down with the goals.  Then IMMEDIATELY start working towards it.  Here's a 13 minute process you can do right now to get the ball rolling: 1. Read OFSGuide.com - 4 minutes that will answer most of your questions 2. Post a job on OnlineJobs.ph - 8 minutes that will start the ball rolling  Just starting the ball rolling is the hardest part of this process...and it's not actually that hard.  3. Respond to this and let me know that you posted your job.  If you have questions before posting, read OFSGuide.com.  If you still have questions, respond and let me know.  John
I love getting useful tips from other employers.  I just got one from Vin Carrano when he responded to my email about using LastPass with my OFS. It turns out he was using LastPass too. This led to an email exchange about a problem some of you wrote to me about: giving your OFS access to your credit card when paying for subscriptions or services.  He shared how you can give your OFS access to your credit card to make payments without giving them access to your card.  Here's what Vin did.    He uses the Capital One Spark card which allows him to create virtual card numbers that only work on one URL   He created a virtual card for Jane (his OFS) and assigned it to the vendor URL he has to pay invoices on.   He shared access to this card through LastPass.   He created a video to teach Jane how to pay invoices.   Jane takes over paying the invoices for that site.   Vin said it saves him hours of time every week.  It's just brilliant.  He's secure because the card is only used on one site. His OFS can't spend it anywhere else. If he needs to pay on other sites, he can easily create another card and share access to his OFS.  He's secure because he can set a spend limit on the virtual cards. There's no chance his OFS would overspend. (This would have been super helpful back when my OFS overspent on FB ads.)  He's secure because he can deactivate the card at any time.  He gets hours back because Jane has taken over that job.  He recommends using the Capital One Spark card. There's also Privacy.com and Wise.com being advertised in a lot of places.  So yeah, virtual cards are amazing. Thank you so much Vin for the tip!  If you guys have other tips for me, I'd love to hear them. Let's share the wisdom and help make our businesses and lives better!  John
My son came home from college this past weekend. He's having the time of his life.  He skied 4 times the past week.   I had to ask him "Are you going to class???" He says he has all A's in his classes...we'll see.  Should you hire an OFS who’s still going to school? It depends.  The minimum age required to create an Onlinejobs.ph jobseeker account is 18.  Someone who is 18 is college-age in the Philippines. We have profiles in our database who are still in college or went back to college during the pandemic, so you may encounter students while recruiting.  School is a huge commitment in the Philippines. One college unit there is equivalent to 3 hours of school work per week (1-2 hours in-class + 1 hour recommended study time). Most Filipino college students are required to enroll in at least 12 units per semester to graduate on time.  That's 36 hours of school work per week. This is equivalent to (or more than) most universities in the USA. Whether they could work full-time while going to school is a legitimate concern.  If that OFS is going to school full-time (12 units or more), I would caution against hiring that person because:    They won’t be able to focus on the work because their education is going to come first (which it should) or   They wouldn’t be able to focus on their education because of work. It might cause them to drop out or fail in their classes.  If that OFS is going to school part-time, (night school or weekend college allow their students to take fewer credits but it takes them longer to finish their education), I’d consider hiring them if:    They don’t have any other jobs, AND   They can do their schoolwork outside of work hours.  I've learned that having a college degree in the Philippines is a big deal. Like, family members will look down on you of you don't have a college degree. A lot of people think you're only qualified to be a nanny if you don't have a college degree.  Let them finish their schooling.  It will affect them for the rest of their lives..  John
Over the past 2 years it has become more and more apparent to me that I need help.  For a long time I ran OnlineJobs.ph.  I managed the developers. I thought through features. I thought through solutions. I pushed projects forward. I reminded people of their pending tasks. I kept track of things.  And...I still run OnlineJobs.ph...  ...but it's time for me to have some help managing all those things.  So I promoted from within.  Meet Joven, the new Operations Manager at OnlineJobs.ph   Joven is a VA turned OFS.  You've already met him. He was the first person I ever hired in the Philippines.  He has worked for me since 2005.  When I first hired him he knew NOTHING!  Since 2005 he has had countless roles for me.  - article writer - SEO - webmaster - trainer - admin verification - VA - checker on other OFS - team lead - running PPC campaigns - other things I don't remember...  Today he's an OFS.  There are 2 takeaways:  1. Filipinos are super loyal. They want to stick with you and your company. If you're willing to invest in them, it pays big dividends down the road.  2. Filipinos want to contribute. Recently Joven emailed me and said  "Sir, I'm ready for more responsibilities.  Right now I'm not being utilized enough. I want a change and to do more for the company."  This tells you Joven's attitude, which is not unique to him. Lots of OFS want to do more for you...it just requires you letting them.  They want to make a difference. They want to contribute. They want to do meaningful work. They don't want a dead-end job.  Try asking your OFS "How happy are you in your current role?  What else could you see yourself doing for the company?  What other skills do you have?"  The things they tell you might not align with your vision, but it might just give you a different perspective on your OFS.  John  PS. This email may be a little premature.  He's just starting in this new role. I don't know if it will work yet. It may not be natural to him.  But we're going to try to make it work because it will help me so much!
I've said before that I'm not a holiday/celebration kind of guy. Halloween is my least favorite day of the year.  Valentines day is up there with it.  I know not everyone feels this way...but for me...  Yuck!  But this email is more about relationships than it is about Valentines day and I found it quite interesting...  Julia (my content OFS) writes: ------------------ Valentine’s Day is one of those celebrations we’ve learned from the US. Because of that, we celebrate it pretty much the same way, with flowers, hearts, and cupids. Couples would go out on dates and love songs playing everywhere.  The jaded part of my brain thinks Valentine’s is just a marketing campaign designed to sell more flowers and chocolate. But the romantic in me appreciates the love and courtship traditions that come out in full force on this day. Here are some of those traditions.  1. Harana. It’s the serenade tradition where young men sing to single women as a form of courtship.  Traditionally, it’s done at night outside the girl’s home. Sometimes accompanied by his friends, the man would sing ballads while playing the guitar.  Nowadays, it’s not safe or practical to do that. The modern Haranawould have the man serenading the girl on their break in school or at work. If you can’t sing or play the guitar, you can hire a Harana service where professionals can sing for you.  2. Umakyat ng Ligaw. It means to court someone romantically. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.  When a man woos a woman directly, this is traditionally considered disrespectful. Direct courtship implies that your intentions are not honorable.  The proper way to do it is to court a woman AND her family. You visit the girl at her home (usually at night or on the weekends, when everybody is at home) and bring gifts for everyone. You have to try to win the girl’s affections while winning her family’s approval.  Yes, it’s as uncomfortable as it sounds. There’s nothing more romantic than being interrogated by the parents of the person you want to date.  That’s why we find the “Meet the Parents” movies so amusing. We can relate, but we’re also relieved that we’re done with that meeting early.  Now, most Filipinos date. But a modern adaptation of this is still practiced by some. The guy goes to the girl’s house (and vice versa), is introduced to the family, and announces their intentions to date.  You can still date even if you’re not introduced to the family. But it’s polite to do the introductions first before you start dating.  I like this adaptation as a parent.  I can’t stop my daughter from dating when she comes of age. I would want to know who my child is dating.  3. Level of in-laws. That’s the name I made up for the unspoken rule of what to call the parents of your partner at different stages of the relationship. I included this on the list because many people change their relationship status after Valentine’s Day.  You’re never supposed to call the parents of your partner by their first name. It’s considered rude. Instead, you use honorifics depending on where you are in the relationship.    Casual dating: Use the formal Mr. and Mrs. Last Name or the more informal Aling[Mom’s First Name] and Manong/Mang[Dad’s First Name] depending on their preference.   Serious relationship: You call them Tito(Uncle) and Tita(Aunt). Why use Titoand Tita? It signals the level of closeness. You’re not really family, but you’re always welcome in their home.   Married: You call your in-laws Mom and Dad or Mama and Papa, depending on their preference. They’d be in the same level of importance or closeness as your parents.  What happens if the relationship ends? Etiquette states that you can keep using the last honorific. Suppose the relationship was serious, but you broke up before getting married. In that case, you may continue calling your ex’s parents “Tito” and “Tita” when you see them socially. ---------------  I call my in-laws mom and dad. At first it was uncomfortable...but they're so good that it didn't take long to become easy.
Did you know that the Philippines actually has two official languages: Filipino and English?  I didn't really realize this until I went there in 2009 (my first...and only time there). I was so surprised that I took pictures while in Manila:       Filipinos start learning English from pre-school until college. It’s a required subject for all schools. It’s used in government and business. Filipinos have to learn English, one way or another, to get by.  My second day in the Philippines I was in the hotel lobby and I heard an argument. I looked over to the front desk to see the hotel clerk and a guest, both Filipino, arguing in English!  So why did the Philippines include English as an official language? Why not just use Filipino? The weird thing about Filipino is it’s not a language that developed organically; the Philippine government created it.  The base language of Filipino is Tagalog, with words from other dialects mixed in. Even though Tagalog is the most used language in the Philippines, only 31% of Filipinos speak it. There are 120+ languages spoken in the Philippines. Non-native Tagalog speakers have to learn Tagalog to learn Filipino.  Some non-native Tagalog speakers have a hard time learning Filipino because their language is entirely different from Tagalog. It’s hard to practice Tagalog if your family or community doesn’t use it.  It’s often easier to learn English because even though they don’t use it at home, they use it in school or work. They’re also constantly exposed to English through TV, movies, and books.  Here’s what my OFS, Julia, told me about how this weird language barrier affects their life.  I’m not a native Tagalog speaker, so I’m not that fluent in Filipino. I’m a Cebuano speaker. My husband, Jam, is a native Tagalog speaker and is fluent in Filipino. Jam’s parents are native Ilokano speakers who are also fluent in Filipino because they live amongst native Tagalog speakers.  If you forced us to only speak in our native language, we wouldn’t understand each other. I don’t understand Ilokano. My in-laws don’t understand Cebuano. So when we get together, we use Filipino AND English to understand each other, but I lean more towards English because my Tagalog isn’t that good.  People often ask me if they can find someone who speaks good English in the Philippines.  YES!  It's completely reasonable to find someone with perfect English.  When recruiting, see if you can find someone who uses English slang.  If they do, you know English is deeply entrenched in their life.  John
I got this question through my Facebook page:  “Do you experience high turnover among Filipino Remote workers? We have gone through at least 30 of them in the last 3 years despite providing 13th-month bonus, health insurance, and higher wage than if they were to work through a staff agency company. We also do daily huddles, so communication shouldn't be a problem. It seems like they always have personal issues.. It's really giving us an operational headache and I'm starting to think it's not working out outsourcing in the Philippines. It's kinda sad because they are usually smart but also often have 2 full time jobs..” This sounds more like a position issue or a management issue than a salary issue.  We almost never have someone leave.  I've probably had 12 people leave (or us let them go) over the past 15 years TOTAL.  We have 38 full-time OFS right now.  Filipinos are super loyal culturally.  Maybe you should ask your current team why they think people are leaving.  Tell them to be honest with you and that you're prepared to hear some hard things.  What are these hard things? Here are a few examples  1. They’re bored. The work isn’t challenging enough. There’s no need to focus or do better. There’s no professional fulfillment, so they’re looking for it elsewhere.  2. They don’t feel heard. Yes, you can have daily meetings with your team, but are they comfortable enough to really tell you what they think?  3. Are they worried they might lose their job if they contradict you or make mistakes?  4. Do you always shoot down their ideas or ignore their suggestions?  It takes time to learn how to listen. It’s something I still struggle with. Some OFS still don’t feel comfortable talking to me directly about their concerns.  We keep encouraging them to speak up so we know what we can do to improve their work environment. They sometimes course it through a teammate. We also allow them to send us their concerns anonymously.  5. Your workers see themselves as freelancers. At OneVAAway.com, we have this list of questions for applicants to know more about their personalities.  We want people who look for stability and long-term work. There are a lot of Filipinos out there who want this. They’re the ones who make the best employees.  But there are Filipino workers out there who live to hustle. The freelancers. That’s the culture that sites like Upwork and Freelancer promote. You’re rewarded when you’re always chasing that next job. You’re a rockstar when you have a long list of clients.  This is why I don’t promote the review system at Onlinejobs.ph. It’s good that it tells you what workers to avoid. But it also worries me when I see a worker get good reviews from many employers. Why can't this worker stick with one employer?  Look, I feel for this employer having all this turnover. It can get frustrating when you spend time recruiting and giving your employees "benefits" and not getting the work you expect.  That’s why a good recruitment process is so important. It took me years to develop OneVAAway because I went through all those mistakes and kept improving my process. I designed it so you don’t have to make the same mistakes as I did.  John
I realized recently that I'm sarcastic with my kids. Too often I joke with them by being hard on them or making fun of them.  It's not good.  I had to take a step back and change my approach.  Just be nice.  I'm working on it...I fear it's a long road.  One of the things people call me out on is that I’m too nice to my Filipino team.  How can I give my employees benefits and all that time off? I keep someone on for too long when their performance declines!  Most importantly, how do I protect myself from being taken advantage of?  Have you found yourself in this situation?  "I have done everything to be very accommodating and understanding to my Filipino worker. He has been with me over the years and we have had a good working relationship. But what I noticed recently is that it's always one excuse or another. From family members dying which I am sympathetic about and understanding to disappearing for 2 days in a row. They reappears apologizing and I always understand and forgive him. It's like because he knows I am an understanding boss. He takes advantage of my kindness and takes it for WEAKNESS .  I know you promote being understanding and kind to the Filipino workers but at what point does one draw the line from being abused and taken for granted to where their actions affect our business performance.  His disappearance has yet again affected our targeted web design project completion dates. This has happened time and time again and he acknowledges it but he is still doing it at what point does one say enough is enough and fire?" First, I think it’s fantastic that Desi O. is going out of her way to help out her worker. I agree it seems like she’s being taken advantage of.  So, how do you prevent this from happening? What do you do when this happens to you.  I can afford to be nice because I set expectations early on.  I tell my OFS team that I expect a daily report. I want to see the things they have done during the workday.  I also set deadlines for critical things. My team knows that they need to focus on important work. I call them out when I notice things are not moving fast enough. In fact, just today I sent an email to one of my web people and said  "Hey, it has been 5 days since I've had an update about X project.  Why? You do good work, but I need better updates from you."  Most importantly, I give feedback. I call them out when I see they’re making mistakes or taking advantage of the situation.  I have called out a few employees about their lack of productivity or when they’re not paying attention. I talked about it when my OFS uploaded the wrong video.  My OFS team knows that I’ll go out of my way to be the best boss that I can be if they go out of their way to be great employees.  If that doesn’t work, it is your right to let them go if you've given them multiple chances.  Also, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is why a good recruitment process is essential. Listening to your gut is important. The one I laid out in OneVAAway.com can help prevent most of this from happening.  As far as I can remember, I only have two people who were always out because they were sick.  One eventually resigned because she was really sick. We didn’t want to let her go and offered to keep helping. But she chose to leave because her health problems were getting in the way.  The other one came back to work and took on more responsibilities than she did when she first started working for us.  John
Another Philippines holiday?  Already?  If I look at my calendar it feels like we (in the USA) have about one holiday per month.  It feels like the Philippines has about 1 per week!  They don't.  But sometimes it feels that way.  Tomorrow, Feb 25 is one of those days.  The EDSA Revolution Anniversary commemorates the series of peaceful demonstrations back in 1986 that led to the ousting of Ferdinand Marcos (then president of the Philippines).  It used to be a regular holiday until 2019, when the Philippine government changed it into a special non-working holiday to reduce the number of regular holidays.  Maybe they were planning for the future when so many Filipinos would be working as OFS!  For the most part, this holiday shouldn’t affect your operations. Your OFS will probably work. They probably don't commute.  But the thing about this holiday is that some people (mostly political groups) commemorate it by staging rallies along the EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue).  EDSA is a major road; it connects the different cities of Metro Manila. So whenever there’s a disruption along EDSA, it causes a traffic jam that affects most of Manila.  If your OFS has to commute along EDSA to get to work, it might affect your business. This happens to call centers and VA agencies whose employees work from an office.  If your Filipino team works from home, you’ll be fine. This is just another perk of hiring your OFS directly instead of going through an agency.  Although...it is still a "special non-working" holiday, so there may be some OFS who take it off.  If you don't get a daily report from your OFS tomorrow, don't be shocked.  John  PS. If you want more info about holidays and how to handle them: https://www.OnlineJobs.ph/holidays
A while back I sent a newsletter about how my OFS had published a video that was horribly edited. The video started mid-sentence, had no context, and was just a bad edit.    Yet, someone else (who didn’t do the edit) still published it.   Why?  A subscriber (thanks! Dennis Yu) replied with:  The “mindless” activity is one of the biggest challenges we have with VAs.  Dennis runs a social media agency and told me how one of his OFS was posting immigration Law posts (intended for one of his clients) onto his agency social media accounts.  How does that make sense?  Why would the agency audience care about immigration law???  I’m sure Dennis and I aren’t the only 2 to have this happen to them, so I decided to press my team about why work sometimes gets done mindlessly.    Here’s what I found out.  1. Fear is a large driver of Filipino behavior  2. The Power-Distance of the Philippine culture is strongly at play.  3. Often for VAs, quantity gets emphasized over quality because it’s visible  4. Sometimes they just get lazy.  “I just want to complete my tasks”  5. Lack of company culture - Filipinos are very family-oriented. If they feel disconnected in the business, they just don’t care. Fear Fear of being embarrassed came up over and over again in people’s responses.  When a Filipino fears embarrassment, their reaction is to keep it as simple as possible. Try really hard not to do anything wrong by not doing anything different. “Just do what I’ve been told, even if I  think it’s not right.”  In the Philippines, fear often has the opposite effect as what you might expect.  If you fear failure you’re likely to make more effort, do more, try harder.  In the Philippines, it’s often the opposite.  Fear says to them to do as little as they can get by so they don’t make a mistake when doing extra.  This is a big driving factor in mindless/poor work.  When I asked my team "What causes someone to do mindless work?  Or, to not care if there's an obvious mistake in a final product?" fear came up over and over again in their responses.  Here are quotes from a number of people on my team.  - “Being afraid of making mistakes. This is something I've experienced when I started working for you. I was absolutely terrified that I'd lose my job. I know this is something a lot of us still feel. Don't rock the boat. Being mediocre is better than making a mistake.”  - “We’re scared of retribution or any attack (verbal or physical even) from someone who's on top of them or even on their level.”  - “Fear of getting fired for expressing his/her own opinion or challenging someone's idea to the point that even sometimes getting personal.”  - “Getting shouted at or receiving an email that sounds like it.”  - “Failing to impress or get challenged/questioned of the small achievements they were able to get in their life.”  - “Some are also hesitant to talk because their opinion might not be accepted. They are afraid that their ideas will be rejected.”  - “Americans are very opinionated that some even get to the point of being pushy or bossy, Filipinos are the exact opposite, we were trained to be submissive(religiously) and just do whatever someone asks of them.”  - “Another thing is, Filipinos won't even engage or stand up for what he/she thinks the best nor strike up a conversation or argue the topic, there's even a Filipino saying that goes with it, it's called "sumunod sa agos" or "just go where the (river) flow" in English...which develops this passive attitude.”  - “They can't relate much and choose the right word to express what is on their mind, even to some extent, working with a fellow Filipino. Much worse if they have to talk in English.”  Maybe the most telling quote comes next in the Power-Distance section. Power-Distance Index If you’ve never heard about Hofstede’s Power distance Index, it’s worth looking up.  You’ll understand the mindlessness a lot better.   The Philippines has a very high power-distance index. They respect authority.   If they don’t have a clear picture of who is in authority, they’ll often assume others are in authority and they’re below other people. This makes them less likely to question things they see wrong. Less likely to fix mistakes. Less likely to try hard when someone in authority has already worked on it or is going to work on it.  Here are quotes from my team:  - “What was on my mind at those times was... "you are my boss; why would I question or correct you?"”  - This was one of the more telling quotes --> “We trust "professionals" and are afraid to point out the mistakes of these professionals (graphic designer, writer, editor, ect) because we are afraid that maybe we are the ones who made a mistake. And we don't want to "embarrass" ourselves.   - It takes me around 4 drafts just to show [team member] a mistake. Should I start with "Sorry to correct you?" or "Hi [name], I might be wrong but", or "This might be because you didn't see this, but..."  - “As children, we are taught “huwag sumagot sa nakaka tanda” which more or less means we cannot defend ourselves or argue against elders. This ingrains the Filipino habit of never talking back to authority, even if we know they’re wrong.”   What this comes down to is if you (or someone else they see as being in authority) asks them to do something, they’re unlikely to correct a mistake you make, even if it’s obvious to them that you’re wrong or left something out.   Go back and read through the Fear section above.  You’ll see evidence of the power-distance built-in to their fear. Quantity over Quality Often, quantity is more visible than quality.  An OFS knows that you’re going to see how many support tickets they responded to but you’re unlikely to see how well they responded.  You're going to see how many images they edited, but not how well done every one of them is.  You're going to see how many articles were written, but not read every sentence of every article.  Quantity is emphasized by YOU over the quality.  Plus, often it’s easier to do a mediocre job of a lot of things than it is to do a great job with a few things.  This appears more in online work too. Employers look at “How many X did you do today?” Employers use time trackers to see how many hours someone worked. Employers create metrics to track productivity.  All of this leads to quantity rather than quality being emphasized.  Plus, when you combine this with the power-distance at play, you get someone who feels like it’s the boss's job to make sure the work is high quality.  It’s the VAs job just to get it done quickly.   Here are quotes from my team:  - “The quantity issue, I feel that too. I feel a bit of pressure to deliver more because I'm getting paid more. But it's not just the quantity; it's the turn-around time. Like, we all have regular tasks that fill up most of our workday. But when a special project comes in, there's this pressure to get it done as soon as possible, on top of the regular work.”  - “But maybe some factors causing it is the thinking that "I need to accomplish more". "I need to respond fast." "I need to impress my boss that I have done a lot of things."   Sometimes the daily report encourages this.  "What did you do today?" "How many things did you get done today?"  They know you're going to see the report and going to look at how much.  You might not see the actual work...  Let your OFS slow down. Laziness Sometimes, people just get lazy. Sometimes, this just happens. Some say the rising generation is lazy. Sometimes the work lends itself to laziness. Sometimes it happens as an OFS gets more comfortable with the work.  For a lot, they think the only online jobs are data entry jobs. Data entry jobs are mindless by nature. This is changing with the push to remote work with Covid.  Quotes from my team:  - “For some Filipinos, Mediocre/Mindless work is the standard. Yes, there are many out there who still want to do their best, but there are also so many who are just exhausting. “  - “Sometimes people just performed what exactly told them to do, especially those already employed long enough. As long the particular tasks are done, they think it's already OK. They no longer care or think more about the possible problem that it may cause.”  - “Sometimes, it's not mindless work. Sometimes, it's just a work shlump. They care very much, they just need a little push to get them out of it.”  To me, this is often the employers' fault. Often we’ve given mindless work. We’ve trained them to be mindless. We’ve made sure they always run everything by us before pushing it to a client.  This curates laziness.  Sometimes the OFS just needs a little push.  "I need you to do better quality work, this quality of product just isn't working for me. How can I help you?"  Sometimes they may have taken on another job and their laziness is due to exhaustion, both mental and physical.  Ask.  "Hey, I noticed the quality has declined recently. What's causing this?  Are you overworked?" Family Culture Surprisingly, I had quite a few different people talk about family with regards to mindless work. Like, when they don’t feel like they’re part of a family, they don’t care about the work.    This translates to the culture of the company and how much they’re cared for.  Quotes from my team:  - “Some never felt that they are part of the "family" organization...thus, they would never care. “  - “Lack of respect from peers, colleagues at work or even at the personal level.”  - “When we were still starting, it really felt like a family, and once you were introduced to one person, we wanted to talk to each other a lot when we had problems. I loved every one! We would also reach out to each other when there were problems. However, the team has grown so much, the industry has changed, and the work from home environment is also very different now.”  - “Most Filipinos today no longer look at their online work as a family, as we have. They just see work, with the same weight and value as they see any 8-5 job.”  Filipinos are caring. Loving. Very service oriented.  When they don't feel this being reciprocated, it's very off-putting to them.  If they don't feel cared for, they return the lack of care. They don't care about the work. They don't care about the quality. They don't care about the outcome.  I'm not saying you need to send birthday cards to your OFS, I'm just saying things you do to show you care about them matter. Solutions A bunch of my team members also offered solutions. A lot of it has to do with decreasing the power-distance or with dealing with the power-distance. Decreasing their fear is baked into their solutions. These both also create more of a family feeling.   - Acknowledgment for their great work to level up their self-worth/pride but not overdoing it. A simple gift matters, it could be anything, food or coffee mugs will also mean a lot. Sometimes, when I worked in an office I'd put 500 pesos discreetly on their desk telling them (only if they asked) Santa had come early to those who put on a wonderful job  - I think you already did this before, but maybe giving rewards to people who contributed more than their expected role/responsibilities? Either cash or non-cash (experiential rewards)  - Sometimes work may get boring, but if people see dynamics on their job, maybe that will motivate them to think/work better?  - My main point is that incentives in the workplace help employees feel that their extra contribution is valued.  - Filipinos need more understanding of their job roles, what's the scope, oversight, and responsibilities.  - Most Filipinos love to talk, chat, and even gossip about a lot of things not related to work, which keeps most of us happy and have fun while working on a task. It also helps lose the edge and stress. Usually in the vernacular but sometimes it also works in English, It's important to have a sense of humor and remain respected.  - Getting a little bit personal, but not going to the extent that we tell them what they'll need to do and how to go on with their lives. Empathy is greatly appreciated.   - Talk about food, experiences, and dreams. If they open up about their love lives, just go with it and don't judge, just give them support and suggestions to resolve things.  - Quality assurance is important, but what makes QA work is there are designated people in charge to call out mistakes. When we know we are allowed to call out mistakes or know specific people are allowed to, it's fine. We respect the "law". For some reason, I always understood that [team member] checks my work. She makes me fix my edits. I never took that personally. I just thought that's how it was. I don't know how you trained her, but she's straightforward. She's the best example of how it's not cultural. She's not afraid to correct me.   There's a lot going on here. It's unlikely that any one of these is going to solve all situations. My Solutions A few solutions I’ve tried that have worked include giving people a title, job security, giving responsibility and having people take ownership, and adding a quality assurance process.  - In the Philippines, titles are important.  More important than in the USA. So over the past couple of years, I’ve been giving titles to people. “Content Manager”. “Operations Manager”.  In giving these titles I also give responsibilities and authority.  The authority tends to mean they’re in charge of making sure things are done correctly in that area.  - I try to assure my people that they're not going to get fired for making a mistake.  Their job is secure.  Even if they do something wrong, they're still going to have a job.  I try to make this clear.  - I’ve found that giving people responsibilities and including “making sure it’s well done” has helped. I’ve also told people that I want them to take ownership of the final product.  Like, think through “Does this make us look good?  Does this embarrass John? Does this embarrass the business? Should this get published?”  If any of those things are wrong, your responsibility is either to fix it or to say something to the person in charge.  Basically, I’ve given them authority to question the final output.  - Recently I added a person to double-check work.  That person's job is to make sure the quality is where we expect.  In software, this means that the feature performs as people expect it should. They check for bugs. They look for anything that feels odd. In content, they make sure everything reads perfectly. They make edits. They make sure the final product makes sense. They make suggestions if they see a way to improve a process.  For both of these QA positions, I included a large list of things they’re supposed to check and speak up about.  Now they have the authority to say something is wrong so they feel confident in finding problems and speaking up about them.  All of these things have made a difference for me.  I'm getting better work done. I fix problems less often. My OFS tell me they're happier.  For me, this is a constant learning experience.  I hope you're learning too.
I think most people who have raised teenagers will agree that it's hard.  There's almost always something that you don't see eye to eye about and the teenage years is when they're willing to push back.  Right now we're having this about an iPhone.  My 14yr old wants an iPhone and we don't want her to have one.  Phones...it's a different world than the one I grew up in.  In the Philippines, phones are different too.  When you’re asking for your OFS phone number, make sure you get both of them. Most Filipinos have two phone numbers.  My OFS, Julia, explains why they have 2 phone numbers.  There are two leading cell carriers in the Philippines: Globe Telecom and Smart Philippines. Both also happen to be the largest internet service providers in the Philippines.  Both carriers are supposed to provide nationwide coverage, but there are some places where one has a stronger signal over the other. Sometimes you don’t even have to travel far to lose the signal of one carrier.  Because of this, it makes more sense for us to get 2 SIM cards, one from Globe and another from Smart. Dual-SIM phones are very popular here because it makes it easier to carry both in one phone. Having the SIM of both carriers ensures that we stay connected, no matter where we are.  Another advantage of having the SIMs to both networks? We’ll know which ISP is stronger or out of service.  This information is so important that we have a local virtual assistants’ Facebook group where we mainly talk about which carrier or ISP is down/or slow that day.  For example, if we know that Globe is down in some areas, we would take out our backup Smart internet or move to an area where we know Smart has a stronger signal.  For the most part, this system works. We can keep working because there’s always a backup. You’ll only hear us complain that the internet is down when both ISPs are out. My team doesn't complain about the internet being down very much anymore.  It used to be a problem...but infrastructure has gotten better over the years.  Not much of a problem...maybe because they now carry backup internet with them all the time!  John
I have a lot of talented people around me.  Not just in the Philippines, but at home and at church and with family.  I keep telling my wife and kids that I'm consistently surprised at the talent of the people around me.  There's a lot of talent I don't have...but others do.  I’m not alone in this. Just a few days ago, I got this email from John Murphy:    I am writing you to inform you that the best decision I ever made was to use your service and find the most talented person I have ever worked with. I wasn't surprised to get this.  With almost 2 million profiles at Onlinejobs.ph, it's not real difficult to find someone  super talented to work on your business. We have hundreds of stories like this from real business owners. We add to this list almost every day right now.  You also don't have to spend hundreds of hours finding that "most talented person". You don’t have to go through bad hires before finding a good one. With my recruiting process at OneVAway.com, you should be able to find a talented worker in 2-3 total hours.  That takes less time than doing laundry or running errands.  If you’re worried that going through the course will be a waste of time, I’ll give you your money back if the process doesn’t work. That’s how confident I am that the $49 and the 3 hours you spend going through the OneVAAway recruiting process is going to be the best decision of your life...like it was for John Murphy.  I've had very very few people ask for their money back.  John
I talked about this in a previous newsletter on how SMART goals help make changes happen.  My daughters and I recently finished planning their race season (basically all of 2022) which includes some big SMART goals as well as some big objectives.  (she blinked...but she ran off and got on her bike before I could retake the pic...)  We practice what we preach here.  It’s the same when you’re managing an OFS team.  You want to see projects completed. You want to see work continuously improving.  For that to happen, you need to have SMART expectations.  Goals and expectations are two sides of the same coin. The goal of your OFS is to meet your expectations.  By setting expectations that are:    Specific   Measurable   Achievable   Realistic   Timely  you’ve given your OFS a goal that they can achieve.  Why is this important?  Having SMART expectations ensures that you and your OFS team are on the same page. Your OFS knows exactly what you want, and you know exactly what you’re getting.  Giving your OFS achievable goals also keeps them motivated even when things aren’t going their way.  It’s just how the human mind works. You’re more likely to keep working towards your goal when you’re making progress, no matter how small.  The best example I have for a SMART expectation is when I tell my employees that they have to send a daily email.  Even when they’re having a bad day at work and nothing’s going their way, the daily report is the one thing that can’t go wrong.  The daily email works on so many levels. It allows them to talk about their problems at work, so they don’t disappear. It lets us know what the problem is to start fixing it.  Lastly, it keeps them motivated because they know they did one thing right for that day.  Setting SMART expectations is also how we get projects done on Basecamp.    I start by telling my team what I want.   We talk, exchange ideas, and break down the project into achievable tasks.   The tasks are assigned to the right people.   Deadlines are set.   Feedback is exchanged.   Repeat steps 2 to 5 until the job is done. It’s a system that works. It has worked so well that I needed help with project management because we had so many things going on.  I don't think you need to go through the SMART acronym with everything you give your OFS...but being clear and realistic and having deadlines and being measurable... are all really helpful for your OFS.  John
Ruben Kanya runs a successful podcast and agency doing $20,000+/month.  He's super accomplished, and it shows in his work. His clients notice the quality and amount of work. They often ask how he manages to produce all that content and run an agency simultaneously.  They don't realize it's his VAs doing the work.  Ruben isn't new to outsourcing. He's been hiring Filipino VAs since 2014. He's happy with his team, but he needs to hire more with his growing business.  But...Ruben had a problem finding VAs.  At first glance, there's no reason why he shouldn't have hundreds of applications. He provides training and benefits. His Filipino team loves him and has been with him for years.  But his job posts weren't working out super well. They're not attracting the attention of qualified applicants as he wanted.  The One VA Away Challenge fixed it…  Don't believe me? Check out this video he sent me out of the blue!  https://youtu.be/1n2YEugwgvI  Then he sent me another video. In this video, he explains how the One VA Away Challenge changed how he hires OFS.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjmINaON2MY  Ruben realized that he needed a good outreach process in his recruitment. He integrated what he learned in the One VA Away challenge, and now he's getting really good results.  It just shows that even though you've been outsourcing for years and you've had great success with your current process, we can always learn more to make it better.  If you haven't taken the leap yet because you're just not sure...take the One VA Away Challenge! Most people are one VA (or OFS) away from changing the way their life runs by changing the way their business runs.  John
Getting poor work back from my team has been one of the pitfalls of turning tasks 100% over to my OFS.  At times it has been really frustrating.  When something gets left undone and it seems so obvious to me, I get frustrated.  And I wasn't sure how to fix this...until now.  About a month ago I wrote about a terrible video that got published by my OFS and about how I then assigned people to do quality assurance (QA) work.  It has changed my life!  I put a QA person in charge of software and a QA person in charge of content.  They look at everything that happens and they critique it.  They catch the problems that I was previously catching...before it gets to me!  They don't always catch everything, but it has been so good that I often just read through conversations my team is having and don't even have to look at the actual software or content outputs.  Watch this video example of how it's working for me:   http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/2022-02-16_10-28-10.mp4  If you're struggling with poor output from your team where it seems like simple fixes, consider hiring (or promoting, or...shifting someone) a QA person.  John
I just got this email from Brian Wallace. He runs a small-IT company based in Miami. He’s interested in hiring an OFS for his business but is having trouble finding them.  “Any tips or approaches on finding more specialized experts in technical areas? In my case it’s tech support, network engineering, the cloud - AWS & Azure, etc. but I imagine others might be looking for experts for their own businesses? The schedule and cost advantages, or even lack of local talent can be just what’s needed.”  I get this question from people looking for workers with specific skills. But I don't think you should have any problem at all in finding tech support/network engineering people.  There are tons of people with those skills.  I did a quick search on Onlinejobs.ph for the skills Brian listed here. For network engineers, I found 1,000+ profiles.   For AWS, I also found over a thousand resumes.   For Azure, I found around 700 people.   Here are reasons you might not be finding people:  - Maybe your job post wasn't attractive enough?  - Maybe the salary was too low? (don't post "TBD" for salary, post a number, you'll get more applicants)  - Maybe you just need to post the job post again (this almost always garners more applicants).  - Try proactively contacting workers from their profiles by searching for the skills you're looking for.  If I don't get enough applicants, that's what I do.  I'll contact 10-30 people from their profile and then hire from those who respond.  - I contact many people because even though they have a profile on Onlinejobs.ph doesn’t mean they’re available. They could already be working and just didn’t bother deactivating their profile.  - When searching on OnlineJobs.ph, try putting your search terms in quotes. Like "azure developer" rather than azure developer.  You'll get better search results.  Which...now's probably a good time to mention that improving search results on OnlineJobs.ph is one of our top priorities.  We have 3 people working full-time on it. Yes, you can find really people who are really talented with technical skills.  John
Here's what "Clean up your play mess" looks like to an 8 year old boy:   He wasn't careless or mindless about it...he told me  "I did clean up...I'm still playing with those!"  At least he thought it through.  A while back I sent a newsletter about how my OFS had published a video that was horribly edited. The video started mid-sentence, had no context, and was just a bad edit. Yet, someone else (who didn’t do the edit) still published it.  It wasn't thought through by either person.  Why?  I talked about this with my friend Dennis Yu, who runs a social media agency and has hundreds of OFS working for him. It turns out I’m not alone in this. He replied:  The “mindless” activity is one of the biggest challenges we have with VAs.  Dennis told me how one of his OFS was posting immigration Law posts (intended for one of his clients) onto his agency social media accounts.  How does that make sense?  Why would the agency audience care about immigration law???  I’m sure Dennis and I aren’t the only 2 to have this happen to them, so I decided to press my team about why work sometimes gets done mindlessly. I wanted them to be honest with me about it. So I encouraged them to send me their answers anonymously.  Here’s what I found out.  1. Fear is a large driver of Filipino behavior.  2. The Power-Distance of Philippine culture is strongly at play.  3. Often for VAs, quantity gets emphasized over quality because it’s visible  4. Sometimes they just get lazy.  “I just want to complete my tasks.”  5. Lack of company culture - Filipinos are very family-oriented. If they feel disconnected in the business, they just don’t care.  That’s just a summary. My team gave me detailed answers. So I figured I would talk about these answers one by one in the following emails. I’m also going to show you the solutions that my OFS team recommended, the solutions that I thought of and implemented, and how these things are going so far. I also compiled the entire series here.  Fixing the mindless work of OFS -- starting next week.  ;  John
This is the first email in a series of 5 about why OFS sometimes do mindless work.  In the Philippines, fear often has the opposite effect as what you might expect.  If you fear failure you’re likely to make more effort, do more, try harder.  In the Philippines, it’s often the opposite.  Fear says to them to do as little as they can to get by so they don’t make a mistake when doing extra.  This is a big driving factor in mindless/poor work.  When I asked my team "What causes someone to do mindless work?  Or, to not care if there's an obvious mistake in a final product?" fear came up over and over again in their responses.  Here are quotes from a number of people on my team.  - “Being afraid of making mistakes. This is something I've experienced when I started working for you. I was absolutely terrified that I'd lose my job. I know this is something a lot of us still feel. Don't rock the boat. Being mediocre is better than making a mistake.”  - “We’re scared of retribution or any attack (verbal or physical even) from someone who's on top of them or even on their level.”  - “Fear of getting fired for expressing his/her own opinion or challenging someone's idea to the point that even sometimes getting personal.”  - “Getting shouted at or receiving an email that sounds like it.”  - “Failing to impress or get challenged/questioned of the small achievements they were able to get in their life.”  - “Some are also hesitant to talk because their opinion might not be accepted. They are afraid that their ideas will be rejected.”  - “Americans are very opinionated that some even get to the point of being pushy or bossy, Filipinos are the exact opposite, we were trained to be submissive(religiously) and just do whatever someone asks of them.”  - “Another thing is, Filipinos won't even engage or stand up for what he/she thinks the best nor strike up a conversation or argue the topic, there's even a Filipino saying that goes with it, it's called "sumunod sa agos" or "just go where the (river) flow" in english...which develops this passive attitude.”  - “They can't relate much and choose the right word to express what is on their mind, even to some extent, working with a fellow Filipino. Much worse if they have to talk in English.”  The most telling quote will come tomorrow.  In it, my OFS talks about being afraid of being wrong about the thing that is obviously wrong.  Fear of being embarrassed is such a driving force that they'll question their own judgment when they see something is wrong. They fear that it's not wrong, and if they say something about it they'll be wrong, which will cause embarrassment.  So instead, they just say nothing.  A couple ways I've tried to quell the fear is by - reassuring them that their job is secure.  Even when something goes wrong, I'm not going to fire them. - giving positive feedback before giving negative feedback.  Not always easy. - lavishing on extra praise when something goes well.  More to come tomorrow.  Or read the entire series.  John
This is the 2nd email in a series of 5 about why OFS sometimes do mindless work.  If you’ve never heard about Hofstede’s Power distance Index, it’s worth looking up.  You’ll understand the mindlessness a lot better.  The Philippines has a very high power-distance index. They respect authority.  If they don’t have a clear picture of who is in authority, they’ll often assume others are in authority and they’re below other people. This makes them less likely to question things they see wrong. Less likely to fix mistakes. Less likely to try hard when someone in authority has already worked on it or is going to work on it.  Here are quotes from my team:  - “What was on my mind at those times was... "you are my boss; why would I question or correct you?"”  - This is so telling about their behavior --> “We trust "professionals" and are afraid to point out the mistakes of these professionals (graphic designer, writer, editor, ect) because we are afraid that maybe we are the ones who made a mistake. And we don't want to "embarrass" ourselves.  - It takes me around 4 drafts just to show [team member] a mistake. Should I start with "Sorry to correct you?" or "Hi [name], I might be wrong but", or "This might be because you didn't see this, but..."”  - “As children, we are taught “huwag sumagot sa nakaka tanda” which more or less means we cannot defend ourselves or argue against elders. This ingrains the Filipino habit of never talking back to authority, even if we know they’re wrong.”  What this comes down to is if you (or someone else they see as being in authority) asks them to do something, they’re unlikely to correct a mistake you make, even if it’s obvious to them that you’re wrong or left something out.  Go back and read through the previous Fear newsletter.  You’ll see evidence of the power-distance built-in to their fear.  You can use this to your advantage sometimes.  Give someone authority.  Spell out their authority.  Give them a job title and specific responsibilities. Tie those responsibilities to outcomes.   Because they are now the ones with authority and power, they take the responsibilities seriously.  On Thursday we'll talk about quantity over quality.  Read the entire series.  John
This is the 3rd email in a series of 5 about why OFS sometimes work mindlessly.  This one is often your (the employer) fault.  Often, quantity is more visible than quality.  An OFS knows that you’re going to see how many support tickets they responded to but you’re unlikely to see how well they responded.  You're going to see how many images they edited, but not how well done every one of them is.  You're going to see how many articles were written, but not read every sentence of every article.  Quantity is emphasized by YOU over the quality.  Plus, often it’s easier to do a mediocre job of a lot of things than it is to do a great job with a few things.  This appears more in online work too. Employers look at “How many X did you do today?”  Employers use time trackers to see how many hours someone worked. Employers create metrics to track productivity.  All of this leads to quantity rather than quality being emphasized.  Plus, when you combine this with the power-distance at play, you get someone who feels like it’s the boss’ job to make sure the work is high quality.  It’s the OFS job just to get it done quickly.  Here are quotes from my team:  - “The quantity issue, I feel that too. I feel a bit of pressure to deliver more because I'm getting paid more. But it's not just the quantity; it's the turn-around time. Like, we all have regular tasks that fill up most of our workday. But when a special project comes in, there's this pressure to get it done as soon as possible, on top of the regular work.”  - “But maybe some factors causing it is the thinking that "I need to accomplish more". "I need to respond fast." "I need to impress my boss that I have done a lot of things."  Sometimes the daily report encourages this.  "What did you do today?" "How many things did you get done today?"  They know you're going to see the report and going to look at how much.  You might not see the actual work...  Let your OFS slow down.  Emphasize that doing better work is more important than more work.  This is tricky and every situation is different.  I wish I had better advice for how to fix this...  Tomorrow we'll talk about...  Read the entire series.
This is the 4th email in a series of 5 about why OFS sometimes work mindlessly.  Laziness.  Sometimes, people just get lazy. Sometimes, this just happens. Some say the rising generation is lazy. Sometimes the work lends itself to laziness. Sometimes it happens as an OFS gets more comfortable with the work.  For a lot, they think the only online jobs are data entry jobs. Data entry jobs are mindless by nature. This is changing with the push to remote work with Covid.  Quotes from my team:  - “For some Filipinos, Mediocre/Mindless work is the standard. Yes there are many out there who still want to do their best, but there are also so many who are just exhausting.“  - “Sometimes people just performed what exactly told them to do, especially those already employed long enough. As long the particular tasks are done, they think it's already OK. They no longer care or think more about the possible problem that it may cause.”  - “Sometimes, it's not mindless work. Sometimes, it's just a work shlump. They care very much, they just need a little push to get them out of it.”  To me, this is often the employers' fault. Often we’ve given mindless work. We’ve trained them to be mindless. We’ve made sure they always run everything by us before pushing it to a client. This creates laziness.  Sometimes the OFS just needs a little push.  "I need you to do better quality work, this quality of product just isn't working for me. How can I help you?"  Sometimes they may have taken on another job and their laziness is due to exhaustion, both mental and physical.  Ask.  "Hey, I noticed the quality has declined recently. What's causing this?  Are you overworked?"  On Monday we'll talk about family culture...and how important it is in the workplace.  Read the entire series.  John
This is the 5th email of 5 about why OFS sometimes work mindlessly.  Surprisingly, I had quite a few different people talk about family with regards to mindless work.  Like, when they don’t feel like they’re part of a family, they don’t care about the work.  This translates to the culture of the company and how much they’re cared for.  Quotes from my team:  - “Some never felt that they are part of the "family" organization...thus, they would never care. “  - “Lack of respect from peers, colleagues at work or even at the personal level.”  - “When we were still starting, it really felt like a family, and once you were introduced to one person, we wanted to talk to each other a lot when we had problems. I loved everyone! We would also reach out to each other when there were problems. However, the team has grown so much, the industry has changed, and the work from home environment is also very different now.”  - “Most Filipinos today no longer look at their online work as family, as we have. They just see work, with the same weight and value as they see any 8-5 job.”  Filipinos are caring. Loving. Very service oriented.  When they don't feel this being reciprocated, it's very off-putting to them.  If they don't feel cared for, they return the lack of care. They don't care about the work. They don't care about the quality. They don't care about the outcome.  I'm not saying you need to send birthday cards to your OFS, I'm just saying things you do to show you care about them matter.  Tomorrow I'll have solutions my OFS proposed to help stop mindless work.  Read the entire series.  John
My previous 5 newsletters have described cultural reasons why OFS sometimes work mindlessly.  Today is about solutions.  When I asked my team why this problem exists, I didn't ask for solutions, I just sought to understand the problem.  A bunch of my team members also offered solutions. A lot of it has to do with decreasing the power-distance or with dealing with the power-distance. Decreasing their fear is baked into their solutions. These both also create more of a family feeling.  These are direct quotes from my OFS.  - Acknowledgment for their great work to level up their self-worth/pride but not overdoing it. A simple gift matters, it could be anything, food or coffee mugs will also mean a lot. Sometimes, when I worked in an office I'd put 500 pesos discreetly on their desk telling them (only if they asked) Santa had come early to those who put on a wonderful job  - I think you already did this before, but maybe giving rewards to people who contributed more than their expected role/responsibilities? Either cash or non-cash (experiential rewards)  - Sometimes work may get boring, but if people see dynamics on their job, maybe that will motivate them to think/work better?  - My main point is that incentives in the workplace help employees feel that their extra contribution is valued.  - Filipinos need more understanding on their job roles, what's the scope, oversight and responsibilities.  - Most Filipinos love to talk, chat and even gossip about a lot of things not related to work, that keeps most of us happy and have fun while working on a task. It also helps lose the edge and stress. Usually in the vernacular but sometimes it also works in english, It's important to have a sense of humor and remain respected.  - Getting a little bit personal, but not going to the extent that we tell them what they'll need to do and how to go on with their lives. Empathy is greatly appreciated.  - Talk about food, experiences and dreams. If they open up about their love lives, just go with it and don't judge, just give them support and suggestions to resolve things.  - Quality assurance is important, but what makes QA work is there are designated people in charge to call out mistakes. When we know we are allowed to call out mistakes or know specific people are allowed to, it's fine. We respect the "law". For some reason, I always understood that [team member] checks my work. She makes me fix my edits. I never took that personally. I just thought that's how it was. I don't know how you trained her, but she's straightforward. She's the best example of how it's not cultural. She's not afraid to correct me.  There's a lot going on here. It's unlikely that any one of these is going to solve all situations.  Before you respond to me and tell me all your problems (which...is actually fine), I don't really have all the solutions. I can just tell you what they said will work (this email) and what I've done that I've seen work (Thursdays email).  Or read the entire email series.  John  PS. If you have thoughts about this I'd love to hear it.
My newsletters from the past 2 weeks have taken a lot of work. They're all about why OFS sometimes work mindlessly (their thoughts) and how to prevent it (their ideas).  Today is some of my personal experiences.  A couple of solutions I’ve tried that have worked include giving people a title, creating job security, giving responsibility and having people take ownership, and adding a quality assurance process.  - In the Philippines, titles are important.  More important than in the USA. So over the past couple of years, I’ve been giving titles to people. “Content Manager”. “Operations Manager”.  In giving these titles I also give responsibilities and authority.  The authority tends to mean they’re in charge of making sure things are done correctly in that area.  - I try to assure my people that they're not going to get fired for making a mistake.  Their job is secure.  Even if they do something wrong, they're still going to have a job.  I try to make this clear.  - I’ve found that giving people responsibilities and including “making sure it’s well done” has helped. I’ve also told people that I want them to take ownership of the final product.  Like, think through “Does this make us look good?  Does this embarrass John? Does this embarrass the business? Should this get published?”  If any of those things are wrong, your responsibility is either to fix it or to say something to the person in charge.  Basically, I’ve given them authority to question the final output.  - Recently I added a person to double-check work.  That person's job is to make sure the quality is where we expect.  In software, this means that the feature performs as people expect it should. They check for bugs. They look for anything that feels odd. In content, they make sure everything reads perfectly. They make edits. They make sure the final product makes sense. They make suggestions if they see a way to improve a process.  For both of these QA positions, I included a large list of things they’re supposed to check and speak up about.  Now they have the authority to say something is wrong so they feel confident in finding problems and speaking up about them.  All of these things have made a difference for me.  I'm getting better work done. I fix problems less often. My OFS tell me they're happier.  You'll need to experiment for yourself.  John
I recently sent out a newsletter about hiring Filipino students.  In that email, I discouraged hiring full-time Filipino students because they would need to prioritize their education. A college education is a big deal in the Philippines. If they don’t get that degree, they’ll never hear the end of it from their family.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a system where a student can still be a great OFS.  That’s what Brett showed me when he responded to my newsletter.  Just a word of encouragement! My VA (Full time student) is EXCEPTIONAL! She works about 7 hours per week for me. She never misses a task, is kind, and is way better at the things she does than I ever was before I hired her.  There are two reasons why the working relationship with her works so well, that might be helpful to others.  1) Each task has 7 days to be submitted. If something large comes up, she can move things around to accommodate other areas of her life; school personal, or anything. Certain recurring tasks are done daily, and those tasks are predictable and she is able to accomplish some of them on her mobile phone.  2) At the start of her onboarding we met weekly to establish a healthy working relationship built on honest constructive feedback.  While meeting with her, I was able to understand how to best set her up for success, and she was able to understand the types of things that were important to me.  By taking time personally to be about 14 days ahead of her, I can give her a heads up if a large project is coming, and she can give me feedback if she will be unable to do something so I can plan.  This set up means neither of us are frustrated. It's an AMAZING win.  This wont't work for everyone BUT, I think a lot can be accomplished by a part time VA, even if they are in school, if you take the time to DEVELOP them as individuals, and UNDERSTAND what will allow them to do the best work for you.  My job has gotten easier, and I am accomplishing WAY more with her help. Actually, at this point, I am not sure how I would be able to run my business without someone like her.  I hope this is helpful and insightful!  Best, Brett  This is a great tip. I love how Brett emphasizes the importance of communication and having realistic expectations. Things often work out when you find ways to work together.  If you set your OFS up for success, they can do amazing things.
Bob Shape sent me a message through Facebook a few weeks back and showed me a YouTube Video: Adventures in Employment (in the Philippines).   "Hi John Your podcast reminded me of this.  It is unbelievable what a person has to go through just to get a job in the Philippines. No wonder people are looking for work on onlinejobs.ph!  This videos shows the process. I thought you might be interested.  https://youtu.be/xSPRM7sFrz4  I was amazed at all the red tape I saw in the Philippines any time you had to do anything with the government, except for renewing a visa.  Thanks for your great service!"  The video is around 20 minutes long. If you don’t have the time to watch the whole thing, it shows all the red tape Filipinos have to go through to get a job in the Philippines.  I asked my OFS, Julia if she encountered this when she worked for a Philippine company years ago.  “Yes, I did go through the same process back when I was looking for work after college. It was just as infuriating back then. I think harder now because of the (COVID) restrictions. They don’t tell us about this in school. When we start applying for jobs, we learn about these requirements. As you can see, it can take somewhere from 2 days to a week to get all these documents. That’s what makes the process is so frustrating. ”  I mentioned in a previous email that the Philippines doesn’t have a system to do background checks. I think this is how Philippine companies compensate for that.  Most employers at Onlinejobs.ph don’t require these documents. So finding an online job is still easier than finding regular work in the Philippines.  But in the past few years, we have required job seekers to get a valid, government-issued ID verified on the site. The job seeker would have to get the same paperwork shown in the video to get a government-issued ID.  Why did we do this? Shouldn’t it be easier to get an online job? Why did we make the process harder?  We did it for the following reasons:    As a security measure to make sure that the people creating an Onlinejobs.ph jobseeker account are real people.   To encourage job seekers to take online work seriously. The requirements tell them that they need to show online work the same level of dedication they would show to a “regular” job.   Payment platforms also require these documents and government-issued IDs for verification. Having these documents ready would make it easier for jobseekers to get paid once they're hired. Should you ask your jobseekers to get the same requirements? No, you don’t need to. The verification process at Onlinejobs.ph deals with most of that.  The more important question is what you should do in your recruitment process to ensure that you’re hiring a talented and trustworthy OFS. That’s the question I answer at OneVAAway.com.  John  PS. I skied in an unusual place the other day with my daughter (no connection to the rest of this email).  We started in a neighborhood in the valley and climbed from 5500ft up to 8800ft.  It was spectacular. 
My daughter who is a Junior in High School just took the ACT.  Yuck.  It's interesting that High School prepares you to take standardized tests.  It doesn't prepare you to work a real job.  And...come to think of it, neither does a college degree.  Yes, it helps you. Yes, it teaches you to think. Yes, it prepares you to learn what you actually need to learn.  But it doesn't give you actual work skills.  The same thing is happening in the Philippines with "VA courses".  You may have seen jobseekers on Onlinejobs.ph bragging about their VA training certificates. So you interview and give them a test task, thinking that they're qualified because they've gone through VA training. But once you get the results or hire them, you end up disappointed?  I know some of you have experienced that. You're the ones who comment on my social media saying that Filipino workers are low-skilled and overestimate their qualifications.  I understand where you're coming from. Over the years, we've seen VA training programs proliferate all over the Philippines. Some of these programs are actually good. They help their students develop valuable skills to turn them into great VAs.  But a growing number are just bad.  There are people out there who take advantage of Filipinos desperate for work. They sell these useless training programs that guarantee high-paying online jobs. They reinforce these 'guarantees' with promises of new houses, cars, and computers.  "With this training, you can get multiple high-paying, easy online jobs! No experience is needed! You don't even need a laptop! "  This is the thumbnail for a popular YouTube video in the Philippines promising easy jobs:    Ads like this are widespread in the Philippines. They sell dirt cheap training to hundreds of thousands of desperate people.  As a result, these people make jobseeker profiles thinking they're qualified. They believe they can do the job they "trained" for and that the work is so easy they can juggle multiple clients simultaneously.  It's only when they get rejected and reprimanded by employers like you they realize that maybe this job wasn't as easy as they thought.  I'm not defending their actions. What these job seekers are doing is wrong. But I also understand the kind of desperation that tempts people to fall for these schemes.  This is why I always say in my emails that you never assume that a VA is "trained." Be clear about your expectations and know exactly what you want before outsourcing. Unless there's concrete evidence that they're qualified (like a portfolio), you should always give training and onboarding.  I'm close to rolling out actual training that you can give to an OFS once you hire them. This is the correct way for training to happen.  In the real world. Under employer supervision. With actual work happening after the training happens.  Stay tuned for more...  John
Everyone says VAs can't meet with clients.  "They'll mess things up."  "Clients won't like it."  "Clients will see the insides of your business, and they won't want to work with you."  None of this is true.  Ruben sent me this video recently and talked about the misconception that VAs can only do back-end work...they can't meet with clients.  https://youtu.be/UTWsfsCvzO8  Your clients know the difference between you and your employees. They know that your VA is working for your business. If you train and manage your Filipino VAs well, your clients might even like interacting with your VA more than they like interacting with you! They might learn that the person in the Philippines gets things done!  Filipinos value their jobs. They know that making a client happy is how they can keep their job. If you give them the tools they need to do the job well, isn’t that a win-win for everyone?  Don’t believe me (or Ruben)? Check out these case studies I did with Ethan Kap and Jill Sessa.  So how do you get an OFS who can meet with clients?  You provide them training.  When you provide training to an OFS, they recognize you care about them. They become more loyal to you. They recognize the potential for growth in their current job. They really want to do a good job for you.  Training an OFS makes them a rockstar.  Next week I'm going to make years of trainings available to you for your OFS. Trainings that are done for you. Trainings that will make your OFS more productive. Guaranteed.  John
About a month ago I made Joven the manager of OnlineJobs.ph. He's managing and coordinating our design/dev/QA/marketing teams.  Was he always capable of this?  Heck no!!!  I hired Joven in 2005.  In 2007 he told me "Sir, when I started working for you I knew nothing! I was so scared you were going to get mad at me and fire me..."  So what changed?  Well...me for one.  I realized he (and so many others) were capable of running teams like this.  But...he did too.  He went from knowing nothing (and I can confirm...he knew almost nothing relevant to my business) to - building websites - doing SEO - creating and running PPC campaigns - doing all kinds of online marketing - Helping create the verification system OnlineJobs.ph uses to verify millions of Filipino workers - Managing a team of people - Managing multiple teams of people  Here's what did it.  Training.  In that 2007 conversation he continued  "I was so scared you were going to get mad at me and fire me...but then you started to give me training. You taught me how to do things. I realized you cared about my success. That training gave me confidence so I could try new things. It gave me confidence to learn new things on my own."  The rest is history.  I kept giving him training. He kept learning. Kept trying new things. Kept getting better and better.  Today I have 10 other OFS similar to him.  Training.  But what if you don't know how to train someone?  What if you don't have the time? What if you don't want to create this training?  Is there a shortcut?  There is...starting Monday.  On Monday I'll show you the training I've created over the years to train OFS like Joven. It's one of my secrets...and it becomes available Monday.   John
Here's some Philippines culture we don't often talk about.  Training a new employee in the Philippines is such an ingrained part of the culture that they have an acronym for it and government backing for it:  OJT  On-the-Job Training  It's so prevalent in the Philippines that I've had applicants ask me "Is there OJT for this position?" "How long is the on-the-job training for this position?" "Will there be training provided for this position?"  If you don't provide training to a new OFS, you alienate them right away.  It's part of their culture.  Plus, to them, training them shows you care about their success with your company.  But creating training is hard...  So we've created the training for you.  Introducing VAs Made Easy  Done-for-you trainings you hand off to your OFS.  I've spent the past couple years creating trainings that are built specifically for the employer-OFS relationship. They separate the CEO role from the OFS role. They give your OFS skills. They give your OFS confidence. They let your OFS know you care. They set quality of work expectations.  The done-for-you training library covers 29 different topics. All you have to do is read (or watch) the short employer instructions and then hand the full training over to your OFS.  They'll learn new skills. They'll come to you with specific questions you need to answer. They'll implement processes in your business.  VAs Made Easy  Plus it comes with free access to OnlineJobs.ph for 6 months.  Bonus.  John
Yesterday I talked about how training is so important for your OFS.  - It shows you care about them - It shows you care about their success - It shows you care about your own business success - It sets expectations - It sets the stage for future work deliverables - It creates rock star OFS  If you don’t want to create training for your OFS, or you don’t know how to create the training, we’ve done it for you.  Done-For-You Standard Operating Procedures Training Library  We spent months on every one of these. We spent thousands of dollars on every one of these. There are currently 29 different training courses you’ll get to hand off to your OFS (Please don’t hand off all 29 at once…give them one at a time)  Here’s how it works. 1. You buy the training library 2. You decide which training is best for your OFS right now. 3. You download the training and hand it off to your OFS. 4. Your OFS learns you care about them and their success. 5. Your OFS learns. They get trained. They begin to implement the process in your business. 6. You guide the process with them. 7. Tasks get done  This is training that comes straight from you to your OFS. It’s training we created, but when you hand it off to your OFS it doesn’t come from us. It comes from you. That builds your OFS trust in you.  We tried to make this as easy as possible.  If you don’t need this right now (maybe because you haven’t hired someone yet, or because you just now created a full training library yourself), no pressure.  This isn’t going away. There’s no pressure to buy.  No false scarcity.  I want you to buy and use my training if it makes sense for you. If it saves you time. If it makes your OFS more productive. If it will improve your business.  If none of that is the case right now, at least you know it’s there in the future when it does make sense for you.  I’m just trying to make the process of growing and scaling your business easier, whether that happens right now or in the future.  Giving your OFS any of these trainings WILL make them more productive. I guarantee it.  John  PS. In May I’m taking my family (wife and 5 kids) cycle around Europe. I’ve been buying this gear over the years in preparation for something like this. Now it’s happening! Sometimes, when you prepare, good things happen. 
There are four (4) Philippine holidays this April.  I know, it’s a lot.  That’s why I’m sending out this email early, so you guys can get ready for what’s ahead.  The first one would be Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) which falls on April 9 (Saturday). It’s a regular holiday (day off work, with pay if you're on salary).  Holy Week is in April this year. Maundy Thursday (April 14) and Good Friday (April 15) are regular holidays. Black Saturday (April 16) is a special holiday. With the Philippines easing up on COVID restrictions, your OFS may ask for a week-long break for this one so they can go home to visit their families in the provinces.   Yeah, a lot of people in the Philippines haven't seen their families in a couple years because of Covid.  They haven't had the chance to travel home. If they ask...let them go.  I’ll update you on the Philippine holidays coming up through the newsletter. But to make sure that you’re updated and get these notifications in advance, you can get our Philippine Holiday Calendar.  John  PS. In winter, all I want to do is ski.  My body has a weird connection with snow. I crave it. We skied where a forest fire denuded the trees recently.  It was eerie and amazing at the same time. 
My newsletter regularly gets read by 20,000+ people.  I get good, kind, insightful responses from people every day.  But this one was nasty.  Lisa responded to my email last week with:  So, as a teacher, I completely disagree with your assessment of school. It absolutely does not just prepare you to take tests and gives you no real skills. Reading is a real skill. Speaking in front of groups is a real skill. Writing is a real skill. Math is a real skill.  But wait, there's more!  (she continued to list other real life skills education provides)  Thank you Lisa!  Thanks for helping me see a more clear picture of what education does for us and our society.  But here's the line from her email that really got me:  School exists to empower people with the skills they need to become what they want! YES!  THAT'S THE POINT!  You educate your OFS to empower them.  Yes, providing them with education and training helps grow your business. Yes, it makes your life easier. Yes, it makes things run more efficiently.  But...  It does the same for them! It gives them understanding about how business works. It gives them skills that can be used in your business. It gives them ideas to help grow your business...so that they deserve a raise! It helps them contribute. It helps them progress in their career. It empowers them with greater understanding, confidence, and a desire to do better.  And...if that training and education is provided by you... - it shows them you care about their career - it shows them your company is a good place to work - it makes them loyal to you  All of this is why I advocate for training the OFS you hire.  Even if you hire an expert.  Provide them training.  It carries like a 100x ROI with it.  This is why we created VAs Made Easy.  Done-for-you education. You give the training to your OFS. They progress. Your business progresses.  Win-Win.  https://www.VAsMadeEasy.com  John
I've written about how expensive it is to ship to the Philippines. But I understand how important it is to send something to your OFS to make them feel like they're part of the family.  That's exactly what Danny had in mind when he sent me this email.  Hi John, When we bring on staff or contractors in the U.S., we often give them a company baseball hat, a couple of stickers or other promotional products with our logo on them. I think it helps them to feel like they are part of our business family.  Shipping to The Philippines can be expensive and complicated. But I want my people over there to know that I value them and consider them to be important to us. But this brings up questions. I hope you'll (ask your own OFS to) consider responding.  1)  If we send a gift to our staff, does it put them in an awkward position? Do they feel they would need to reciprocate? (That's NOT what I'd want them to feel or do.)  2)  Besides company stuff, are there universally desired -- and lightweight -- items from the U.S. that we should consider sending?  3)  Are there any definite no-nos, things we should not consider sending?  BTW, I found this page on the USPS website. Best thing in it:  If the value of what you're sending exceeds 3000 PHP (about U.S. $58), the Philippines government tacks on a U.S. $30 fee.  Thanks for considering my question.  - Danny  Filipinos who live in the U.S. know this well. They want to send gifts to the family back home but sending gifts can be expensive. There's also a big chance things could get lost or stolen.  One solution they came up with is to ship in bulk using a corrugated cardboard box they call "Balikbayan Box."  Balikbayan boxes usually come in several sizes. The smallest ones are 24in x 24in x 12in, and the largest ones are 24in x 24in x 45in.  These boxes are seen as care packages by the Philippine government. They don't tax it as much as items imported for sale or sent as gifts. So people would cram these boxes with as much stuff as possible, which helps with the shipping cost.  If you have a lot of employees in the Philippines and you want to send them gifts, this can be a good option.  If you're going to send something, it's best to ship items that don't have to go through a customs inspection or don't require a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance. Items like are:    Children's toys   Small perfume bottles   Assorted cosmetics   Household products like cleaners or deodorizers   Vitamins and supplements   Processed food (canned goods, jerky, etc)   Shampoo, lotion, and soap   Liquor, wine, and other spirits   Clothing and accessories (shoes, bags, etc)   Stationery (pens, notebooks, etc)   Customs will inspect the box if they suspect you're sending contraband or trying to smuggle something into the country. You don't want to give Philippine customs a reason to open the box because they're notoriously corrupt. So avoid sending electronics and jewelry. You'll also want to avoid sending the following items:    Seeds and plants,   Anything perishable   Batteries   Cash   Lottery and sweepstakes tickets   Guns, ammunition, and other related items (gunpowder, shell casings, etc)   Anything related to gambling like loaded dice, marked playing cards, etc   Anything flammable (lighters, lighter fluid, etc)   Cigarettes, cigars, vape pens   Drugs and narcotics, including items infused with hemp or cannabis.  Another thing to remember is to avoid sending one item in bulk.  For example, don't fill an entire box with just shampoo. Customs will think you're trying to sell stuff to the Philippines. Using balikbayan boxes to import items for sale is illegal because it looks like they're avoiding import/customs taxes.  When filling a balikbayan box, a good rule of thumb is that it should have enough variety of items that a family can use.  LBC and FedEx are the safest and most reliable options if you're shipping from the U.S. They're also familiar with the balikbayan box system, so they can give you answers if you have more questions.  That's why my OFS, Julia, recommended that if Danny sends his team a gift, to send them candies and chocolates. It won't attract the attention of customs. Also, sweets are traditionally given as gifts in the Philippines. His team will appreciate it.
I’ve mentioned before that buying electronics and computers in the Philippines can be more expensive than buying them here in the US. But just how expensive is it?  Let me give you a scenario.  One of my OFS, Jam, likes Apple products. He’s been thinking about getting a new iPhone, and the one that caught his eye is the iPhone SE 3. It’s set to retail here in the US at $429. That’s P22,409  Jam then checked Apple Philippines to check how much it would cost him to buy the SE 3 locally. The price is P28,990, which is equivalent to $555. That’s a difference of $126.   When you look at the price difference, it doesn’t make sense. These iPhones come from China and they’re shipped directly to the Philippines. If they were shipped from the US, the iPhone would be more expensive but not by much.  Not only that, these phones are shipped in bulk. That should have reduced the shipping cost then and there. Even if you account for the overhead cost the stores put on top, that’s just too much to put on just one device.  So what possible explanation could there be for this?  One possible explanation would be with how Philippine customs computes for import taxes.   That’s a lot, but at least you know where some of it is going.  You might look at this and think shipping to the Philippines might be cheaper after all, given all the taxes. But the problem with shipping electronics and computers is that they could be damaged or lost during shipping or customs. Customs is notoriously corrupt in the Philippines.  For Filipinos, buying their electronics from the store is still a better option because they can have them replaced if there’s damage, and they can have it covered by warranty.  One more reason to take good care of the people you hire.  John
I’m happy when I get thank you emails from business owners. But it warms my heart when I get emails from people who make it their life’s work to make the world a better place.  “I do my podcast in the day "my time."  He edits it and uploads it in the day "his time”, and it is ready to go in the morning I want it posted. It works great. Thank you so much for your program and letting me find my Filipino VA. I have been to the Philippines 5-6 times on missions trips and loved the people and culture.  I just didn't know how to find what I needed, and your program was perfect.“  That email was from David Baker, a non-profit ministry pastor, and chaplain of a county jail. He also runs a men’s home to help people who got out of jail put their lives back together. On top of that, David’s a prolific author and the vice president of an online Bible college. He does all that while being an active father and grandfather.  As you can imagine, David is busy. He works non-stop, not to enrich himself but to help his community.  Yes, most ministries have volunteers. To get everything done, volunteers aren’t enough. Non-profits need workers too! David needs full-time help so he can serve his flock every day. But you can’t afford to waste money when running a non-profit. You want most of that money going to work that would help people in need.  So what did David do? He found full-time help by hiring Filipino workers. He figured out how to do it through OneVAAway.com and Onlinejobs.ph.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbYzcs8njm4  The fact that he’s doing all that work and managed to find an amazing OFS tells you that OneVAAway.com makes finding an OFS faster and easier for anyone.  He loves that his OFS works while he sleeps. He can focus on his ministry and recording his podcast in his time. At night, his OFS edits and uploads it. It’s one less thing David has to worry about.  I often talk about how having an OFS helps both the business owner and the Filipino worker. What David has done here is making a positive change for the world.  John
I grew up near the beach in California.  I grew up wearing flip flops.  But it wasn't a cultural thing like it is in the Philippines.  Filipinos really love their flip-flops. My OFS, Julia, explains why. -----  Like other Asian countries, we take off our shoes here in the Philippines before going inside the house. Once we’re inside, we use slippers, aka tsinelas. And we love, love, LOVE our tsinelas. This is the tsinelas. They’re also called sandals, flip-flops, or thongs in other countries. Most Filipinos have at least two pairs of tsinelas, one for indoor use and another for outdoors. But it’s not unusual to see Filipinos have more than two pairs. In my house, we have slippers exclusively for the toilet and bathrooms. I also keep extra pairs for guests to use when they visit. Not to mention the “going out” pair we use if we want to wear something “dressier.” And even though it’s safer to drive using shoes, some people keep a pair of driving tsinelas in the car.  We love our tsinelas because it’s so comfortable. They keep our feet cool in this tropical climate. It’s easy to clean and dry off when it gets wet. We’re so used to tsinelas we can hike for hours through rough terrain and not develop any blisters. We can bike and swim in them. We even have uses for tsinelas when they wear out. We use worn tsinelas for art and crafts, as cockroach killers, toys (our version of NERF toys), doorstops, makeshift swimming paddles, pool and bath floaties, or DIY bike brakes.  When we travel, we always make sure to pack a pair. In offices, people will slip off their shoes and wear slippers under their desks. When I was in college, my go-to outfit was a t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of tsinelas. Tsinelas, though, are really informal. Most schools and offices with dress codes ban them (but allow under-the-table slippers for comfort). And you know how fancy restaurants have a “no shoes, no shirt, no service” policy? Here in the Philippines, the sign often includes “no slippers” because of the loophole that slippers are technically shoes. Entertaining. And I love the culture.  John
The tropical storm "Agaton" entered the Philippines over the weekend. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1581329/fwd-agaton-weakens-into-tropical-depression  The good news is it's not a strong storm and it's weakening.  The bad news is it brought in more rain than expected and is expected to make rainfall again. Some places in the Visayas and Mindanao did experience some flooding and landslides but rescue and relocation efforts are being done. They are ready for this. So if you have VAs in places like Samar, Leyte, and Biliran, better check on them.  The worse news is that a bigger storm is expected to affect the same area soon. Once it enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility, it will be named 'Basyang'.  https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/04/11/news/agaton-weakens-stronger-typhoon-to-enter-par/1839661    Ask your OFS if they're ok, and if they're going to be ok with this one coming.  John
Every once in a while, my OFS team and I talk about our kids. Most of mine are older than most of theirs...but not all. I have 5, with a 19yr old and an 8 year old. That's a big span.  My OFS Julia mentioned recently that her daughter would be starting high school this year. I thought this was kind of weird because I knew her daughter had just turned 12. In the US, 12 and 13-year-olds go to middle school and start high school when they're 14-15.  In the Philippines, it's normal to start high school when you're 12 or 13. They don't have middle school, so the kids go immediately to high school. Like here, you finish high school in 4 years. But they can't go to college or start working right out of high school. They have to go to senior high school first.  Senior high school is a recent development in the Philippines. This was the result of the K to 12 Basic Education Program instituted back in 2012. The program was meant to help improve the quality of education by introducing universal kindergarten and learning tracks.  Another aim was to ensure that students could enter the workforce with only a (senior) high school diploma.  What makes senior high school different from regular high school? Senior high school is when students choose what track they want to pursue.   Finishing that track means that you should have basic skills that could get you hired right away in your chosen field.  Having these tracks is also meant to improve the quality of college education in the Philippines. If you've completed the basic track in senior high school, you should be able to specialize or take on more complicated concepts in college.  Filipinos can register for an Onlinejobs.ph account when they turn 18. That's when most of them would finish senior high school. Yet, most people you find have a college degree because it's so important in their culture.  The Philippines government is really invested in improving their education and economy in the coming years.  John
Ah yes, the 80/20 principle.  Everyone has heard of it...  20% of the work produces 80% of results.  It's true in almost everything we do.  I worked all year to get my 8yr old to like skiing. - I made him ski almost every Saturday - I got him good skis - I let him pick the runs we ski - I forced him to ski steep gnarly runs - I let him ski with friends - I gave him rewards  In the end, skiing with friends was the only thing that mattered.  He loves it when friends are around.  20%.  In my business, the 20% is content creation.  I force myself to work on content creation FIRST every day (even though I don't love it) because it produces results. I even delegate and outsource a lot of content creation to my OFS.  For you, what's your 20%?  Can you delegate some of that 20% to an OFS? Can you hand off most of the 80% to an OFS.  For Steve Raiken, the 20% is sourcing products and making YouTube videos. He’s been running an online business for almost a decade. He kept his company growing through the pandemic because:  - He understands how important it is to focus on the 20% that makes money - He has a team of Filipino workers to do everything else  Want to know how he got started and what his hiring process is like? Watch the video below:  https://youtu.be/j7_A2MIgYUA  Steven talked about how important it is to be patient with your OFS, especially during training. If you want to give your OFS training but don’t want to create it yourself, you can get them started with VAsMadeEasy.com. It’s done-for-you trainings on 30 different topics you can hand off to your OFS without needing to do anything yourself.  Just help them succeed in the work they're doing.  John
Should you be providing health insurance to your OFS?  Here in the US, having health insurance is required.  But it's not required for companies to provide it.  In the Philippines, it's not legally required. Private health insurance is a perk for businesses that can afford it.  However, Philippine companies must get their employees Philhealth, their socialized medical system. You’re not required to give this benefit as a foreign employer, but it’s one of those things that you should give because it can help with hospitalization when your OFS gets sick.  We provide an addition to each OFS pay to cover their Philhealth payment.  We’ve also been offering our Filipino workers health insurance through an HMO (health insurance organization) for several years now. We did this so our OFS team would have something they could use for check-ups, preventive care, and outpatient procedures.  I’ll be using the terms HMO and health insurance interchangeably here because they’re practically the same in the Philippines. The main difference is the size of the network, fees, and coverage (HMOs are bigger).  Because we don’t have an entity in the Philippines and our OFS are considered independent contractors, we can’t give them health insurance directly. Instead, we asked our team to research the best HMOs/health insurance in their area. We let them pick the one they each wanted to use. HMOs are different in different regions of the Philippines. Hazel (our HR) coordinated with the HMOs and the team to manage their paperwork. They pay the initial premiums, and we reimburse them.  The cost depends on the HMO provider, the age of the plan holder, and the coverage.  It costs on average P20,000 ($390) per year per plan holder.  I can’t tell you which health insurance is the best. It depends on a lot of factors. What you can do is have your OFS go to this website (https://www.mariahealth.ph/). It’s the most popular health insurance aggregator in the Philippines. Businesses and individuals can get private health insurance either as a contract or prepaid card through their website.  Our team is not under group insurance because we don’t have a base in the Philippines. They have to apply as individuals. I agree this puts us at a disadvantage because individual health insurance is more expensive compared to group insurance but not by much.  The biggest problem we encountered with this setup is that individual health will ALWAYS have less coverage than one given to a group. The cap on their health benefit is usually lower. When one of my OFS got sick, we had a hard time having her surgeries covered because it’s only been a year since she got her health insurance. But the longer they stay on the health insurance, the better their coverage becomes (at least for the HMO she signed up for).  You do NOT need to provide this.  If your OFS is short term, it doesn't even make sense.  But if you find you have an amazing OFS (or amazing team) and you want to better take care of them, this is a great (and super reasonably priced) way to do it.  John
Once upon a time I commuted to work.  I was fresh out of college and rode my moped to work, 30 minutes each way.  It only lasted 8 months.  I quit the job and have worked at home running my own businesses ever since.  I don't really know the pain of commuting.  Others do.  Before my OFS, Julia worked for me she worked in an office in Manila for years where she had to commute every day. Sometimes she had to travel for work which also took her all over the country. That required her to commute in those places as well.  Turns out, when you commute in the Philippines, you have options.  --------  We have buses and trains like most countries in the world. We’re world-renowned for our jeepneys. But we also have other options that make commuting an adventure. If you live inside a subdivision (our version of a suburb), the best way to get around is to ride a "tricycle" or a "trisikad". These are motorcycles (tricycle) or bikes (trisikad) with sidecars that either follow a regulated route or take you anywhere you need to go within the community. Because of their small size, most "tricycles" and "trisikads" are not allowed on major roads. But in places where public transportation is limited, you’ll find these vehicles sharing the road with cars, trucks, and buses.  Another commuting option is the "kalesa" or a horse-drawn carriage. In Manila, the kalesa is mainly a tourist attraction. But in places like Tuguegarao and Vigan, a kalesa can get you where other vehicles can’t go.  If you go deep into the rural areas, you’ll see carriages drawn by carabaos (Philippine water buffalo). The more “modern” version is called “kuliglig” where they use a motorized hand tractor instead of a carabao.  Last but not least is the "habal-habal". It’s a motorcycle modified to fit up to nine people instead of two. It’s also called “skylab” because it kind of looks like a space satellite (if you're squinting). These motorcycles are used in mountainous areas.  Yes, I’ve tried all of them. No, there are no seatbelts. ------- I've ridden in the tricycles.  Not something I'd want to do on a major road...or commuting long distances (which people do).  When outsourcing to the Philippines, it's helpful to understand their culture. You can read about Philippine work culture in my book, the Outsourcing Lever. $7.  John
Our last inbounds ski day was last week.  Instead of being a warm spring day (like normal in late April), it was a stormy winter day.  I loved it!  I got some feedback from my wife: "I'm a fair weather skier! I don't like winter storms!"  This is our 8yr old who got to ski with some older friends on the last day of the year:   I’ve often talked about the importance of giving good feedback, but what does good feedback look like?  What kind of feedback would your OFS best respond to?  1. Timely and immediate. Don’t wait for days or weeks before giving feedback on your OFS’ work. Give feedback as soon as you notice something. If they’ve done well, they’ll remember what they did. If you’re giving constructive criticism, they’ll know what went wrong because their memory of what they did is still fresh. If you wait days or weeks, they’ve forgotten details.  2. Specific. Snagit has been really helpful for this. I take screen recordings of their work, and I point out exactly what I like and what needs changing. I'll say, “I like the color for this button,” or “The text for this part of the page needs to be a little bigger.” I'll record and explain and talk for as long as I think necessary.  Sometimes I go overboard.  Here's how I setup Snagit to save my videos permanently. (scroll down on the page)  3. The Sandwich Method. Before giving any negative feedback, I make sure to start and end the conversation with sincere praise. I’d say, “Good job on fixing that issue on project A. However, I noticed that you missed this mistake on project B. I know you can fix this because you’ve done a great job fixing a similar issue on project C.”  Filipinos are people pleasers. When they make a mistake, they take it really hard and would get easily embarrassed. I talk about this in-depth in my book, the Outsourcing Lever. By sandwiching your criticism with praise, you’re letting them know that you still have faith in their abilities even though they did something wrong.  As foreign bosses, we can come across as aggressive. If you’re giving negative criticism without any praise, it feels like you’re scolding them, even though that’s not what you’re doing. Recognition helps tone it down. It signals that you’re not angry. You just want to point out problems that need to be fixed. This is really important in Philippine culture.  4. Re-usable. This is another reason why I use Snagit often. When you save and organize your video feedback, you can add it to your OFS training. This saves you time when you hire a new VA.  Speaking of training...what about just giving your OFS my training? VAsMadeEasy.com  John
If you're in the US, Daylight Saving time started a few weeks ago (unless you live in Hawaii or Arizona).  Never really been a fan myself.  In the summer months it doesn't get dark until 9:45pm at my house.  Try putting kids to bed when it's light outside.  It's almost a revolt every night.  DST also bugs me because time zones are something some OFS have problems with.  They don't do Daylight Saving time in the Philippines. A lot of them don't understand the concept.  Why would they? They've never done it and it's really weird.  I know from our customer service that we’ve had complaints about missed interviews or meetings. Then it turns out the OFS didn’t understand the time zone difference, especially once DST kicks in or when it goes back to Standard Time.  If your business is affected by DST, make sure your OFS understands this. If part of their job is setting up appointments, then this is something that they NEED to know.  One easy solution is to have your OFS install a world clock on their phones or computers, so they know what the time is on your side of the world. This will help them get used to your schedule.  This isn't the only thing about Filipino culture that you need to know. I talk about meetings, interviews, having your OFS work in your timezone, and so much more in my book, The Outsourcing Lever.  John
Health insurance...yuck. This is one of my least favorite topics.  If we (in the US) thought of it as an insurance product rather than as a charity that "must" pay for our health costs it would probably be different...  ...but I don't want to get political here.  I want to talk about the Philippines.  One of the perks our team gets is Philhealth and health insurance coverage. Even companies in the Philippines don’t offer this because private health insurance isn’t required for employers. We started offering health insurance on top of Philhealth when we saw that Philhealth wasn’t enough.  I bet you're a little confused by this. Isn’t Philhealth health insurance? It’s socialized medicine, and everybody pays for it.  Philhealth is socialized medicine in the Philippines. All hospitals accept Philhealth but it only covers hospitalization, and it doesn’t cover all hospitalization costs. realistically, Philhealth just lowers their bill if they are hospitalized. This is where health insurance fills the gap.  Health insurance and HMOs in the Philippines supplement what Philhealth can’t cover. To sign up for an HMO, you have to be a Philhealth member and be up-to-date with your contributions. So if you’re hospitalized, the HMO should cover whatever fees are leftover after Philhealth pays their share.  Another good thing about health insurance is that it covers preventive health services and outpatient procedures. Our team can get a physical exam, check-ups, emergency treatment, and inpatient hospital care without worrying too much about the cost. Our team is also able to visit the dentist for annual cleaning.  Some of our workers even pay extra to extend the coverage to their family members. They’re willing to pay for this out of pocket because it ends up cheaper in the long run and gives them ease of mind if anyone in their family has a medical emergency.  This isn’t something we offer to all employees right away. To qualify for this perk, our Filipino workers have to render at least six months of continuous work. Some employers require at least a year.  I think this is a good policy because if your worker hasn’t paid into their Philhealth yet, six months of regular payment will make them a member of good standing.  Got questions about hiring an OFS? Get the answers at OFSGuide.com  John
On May 9, 2022 (Monday), the Philippines will be holding a general election for the executive and legislative branches of the national and local government.  What does this mean?  It means that on May 9, the Philippines will be electing a new president.  It also means that on May 9, your OFS may ask to take a day off.  Why?  This day isn’t a regular holiday, but it is often declared a special non-working holiday to allow Filipinos to have ample time to go to the polls. Your OFS may ask to leave because the polling precincts are open for only 12 hours, from 6 am to 6 pm.  That’s not enough time to vote, considering they have to commute to the limited number of polling places and the inefficient voting process.  Here in the US, many places can serve as polling stations. Schools, churches, even private homes can serve as precincts if the government approves it.  However, in the Philippines, voting is done mainly in public schools. These schools would house several precincts. On election day, it can get crowded with thousands of people all going there simultaneously, causing traffic all over the country.  When they get there, finding their precincts and voting can take a lot of time. It might take longer to vote because you have to wait your turn in the polling booth. They could also encounter problems like not finding their name in the records, or they can’t find their precinct.  The Philippines does have mail-in and early voting, but this is only given to Filipinos overseas and frontline workers like public school teachers (who serve as poll workers), police and the armed forces (to maintain the peace), and medical personnel.  This is also a big election in the Philippines, making world-wide news. The son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos is running for president. A lot of people like him.  John
I spent last weekend in Fayetteville Arkansas at a bike race for my daughter.  It was an important lead-up race to mountain bike national championships which are in July.  Friends kept taking pictures of Addie on the big screen which they had at the start/finish line as she moved up in the race.   She started 32nd. After lap 1 she was 18th. Lap 2: 11th. Lap 3: 7th. Lap 4: 6th.  She finished 5th and on the podium.  It was exciting to see her pick people off one by one as she moved forward.  Here's what's interesting.  Her training so far this year has been all slow riding.  Lots of it. Like, 12-17 hour/week on her bike.  She's not a fast starter because she hasn't done any high intensity riding yet.  The girls who finished 1-4 have all done high intensity riding. They ran away with it from the beginning.  How you train matters.  With OFS, how you train isn't necessarily what matters. But providing training is.  I got this email from Ryan recently.  Actually, what he sent me is an email exchange between him and his OFS. He shared my email about Joven (the OnlineJobs.ph manager) with his team and he used that email to explain what he wants to achieve with them in the future. The response he got from them was so sweet. It’s also really telling of the benefits good training can do for you and your OFS.  Thank you so much for sharing this email to us Sir. Based on my 7+ months working with you, I must say that you are like John Jonas, you help me grow Sir. I basically know  nothing about your business Sir, but because of you & Ms. Katie's training, I was able to perform my daily job. I know I have a lot to learn but never once you made me feel that I'm not good enough. You appreciate & acknowledge my hard work, and because of that I felt motivated to do more. Thank you Sir for being a blessing to us. This is what we wanted to achieve with VAsMadeEasy.  The VAsMadeEasy program has training that you can just give to your OFS so they can learn the skills they need.  It also has short, easy-to-follow training materials for you. Because you’re still the boss and you’re the one who has to make the decisions.  Why did we do it this way?  Because we want to make it easy for you to train your VA, so you can get the work that you need faster.  And we want to empower your OFS so they can do their work better and they’re motivated to improve.  When you work together with this training:    You learn to communicate and manage your OFS   Your OFS learns the skills they need and are empowered to do more   You and your OFS learn to trust each other because you’re growing together.  Training matters.  John
My favorite thing to do outside is to ski in the backcountry. It's exhilarating and requires both physical and mental strength and awareness. Last week we skied 3 steep lines of fresh powder.  Part of skiing in the backcountry is managing risk. - What if someone gets hurt? - What if this slope avalanches? - What is a safe stopping zone? - What are emergency numbers to call? - What are conditions like?  There's a lot of risk management in skiing in the backcountry.  There's risk management with OFS too.  One of the biggest fears of outsourcing to an online Filipino specialist is security.  How can you protect your data and your customers’ data when working with an OFS?  Can you trust them? How sure are you that they’re not going to steal your information?  What if something goes wrong? What can you do to make sure your business is protected?  I have a bunch of tips I think can help you.  Cultural Factors    Filipinos are honest, for the most part, especially with foreigners. Once they get a job, they want to keep that job. They know stealing from you will get them fired, and it’s just not worth the risk.   Personal data isn’t that valuable for them. In the Philippines, it’s not easy to sell data.   In the Philippines, they respect authority. Theft is a serious crime with severe penalties.  The Philippine government has made cybercrime laws stricter to encourage more online businesses to come to the country. Theft of digital information carries double the punishment compared to common theft. Sharing Tips    Sharing Passwords - The best thing we have found to protect you is to use password managers like LastPass. You store your passwords in a password manager, allowing you to share passwords with your OFS. So your OFS can log in to the accounts they’re working on, but they can’t see or edit your passwords. If you need to let your OFS go, or they don’t need that account anymore, you can easily revoke access to that password.   Sharing Data and Files- Google Drive allows you to manage permissions to specific files. You control who can see, comment, or edit your files. In Google sheets, you can even lock specific cells. Like with password managers, you can revoke access whenever you want. Security While Working    Make sure that the person you’re hiring has their own computer. Any information you’re sharing stays on their device, and it’s not going through public Wi-Fi. Even if your OFS sometimes works in an internet cafe or a coffee shop (if their internet at home is slow), you want them using their device and not a shared computer. The more people share a computer; it’s more likely someone else will have access to your stuff.   If they are using a shared computer (with family), ask them to create their own separate computer user login with a password so no family member can accidentally access their work. Many families sharing a single computer do not bother creating multiple user profiles, so having them do this can help.   Are Filipinos more likely to be hacked? Generally no. Security and privacy there are the same as in most places globally. Most Filipinos don’t access unsecured websites, so they’re not at greater risk of being hacked. But if you want to be sure, you can subscribe to a VPN and have them use it. It only costs $2-3 a month. It’ll encrypt everything and help them access geo-locked websites and content.   If you don’t want to send sensitive data and want everything to stay on your computer, you can set up a remote desktop. Your OFS goes online to log in to your remote desktop, and they work on your computer. It’s almost like having them work in your office. There are problems with this setup, though. The work is going to be slower because of lag and connectivity issues. And if you have several OFS, you’ll need to provide computers for each of them because you can’t have two people working on the same computer.   Using virtual card numbers. Having your OFS make payments for you is one of the things I know many people want to delegate but are afraid to do. Sharing your credit card information is scary. But you don’t have to worry about it if you’re using virtual card numbers. Capital One has this feature where you can create virtual card numbers, control their use, and set spending limits. If your OFS tries to use or uses it without your permission, you can revoke access. The last thing I want to say about this (this is totally my opinion) is that I think that you’re more likely to have data stolen by someone in the US, somebody in your office who can access your computer, than by someone in the Philippines. It’s not in their culture. There’s no incentive for it. The cost of getting caught is too high. It’s just not worth the risk for them.  I hope these tips have helped you feel more secure about hiring an OFS. In my experience and the experience of thousands of business owners, Filipino workers are pretty honest. You can trust them.
I previously talked about how training can help your OFS improve your life and business.  After I sent out that newsletter, Billy responded. He talked about how he empowered your OFS and built a stronger work relationship with her.  Aloha, John! I appreciate your emails, they are very helpful. In June it will be one year with my VA, who is now our Operations Manager and I have given her AUTHORITY. I had to remind her that she is the boss several times, and now she finally is becoming more assertive. I asked her if she would like for me to help put together a 5 year plan for her life goals. I let her know it's important for the company to know her personal goals so that we can help her achieve them while meeting company objectives. She is still a little shy and I was surprised when she did not hesitate to accept my offer of helping her make a 5 year life plan. She was very happy.It took us less than an hour to write down the plan - wow - you should see her now. I am very proud of her, and it makes me want to work harder to ensure that she achieves those goals for herself and her family. Thanks again, John! Billy The way I outsource and built Onlinejobs.ph is based on the idea that you and your OFS will be working together for years. When you know you’ll be working together for a long time; you want to make plans. You want to set goals. You start hoping for a better future.  But sometimes, it’s hard to believe this when you see people losing their jobs left and right. The unemployment rate in the Philippines has risen due to the pandemic, and people there are worried about job security.  It’s also hard to think of this when you’re an online worker and everybody around you is freelancing. You can’t make a 5-year plan when you don’t know where the next paycheck is coming from.  The great thing about what Billy did is he empowered his OFS to dream big. By helping her achieve her goals, he’s also achieving his goals for his business.  If his OFS wants to double her income in 5 years or manage a bigger team, Billy and his OFS can work out a plan to help achieve that. What can they do to increase their sales? What can they do to make the business more profitable?  His OFS is motivated because she’s taking an active role in achieving her goals. His business grows because he has a worker who’s just as dedicated to growing his business.  When you empower your OFS, everybody wins.  Here are 3 ways to empower your OFS:  1. give them a title 2. give them authority. Make sure they understand what they're responsible for. 3. give them training. VAsMadeEasy.com.
This is going to be weird.  After I sent out the newsletter about balikbayan boxes, I got a great response from Edward. His wife is from the Philippines, so they regularly send balikbayan boxes to her relatives in the Philippines. He had a lot of good tips that I want to share with you if you ever plan to send a box to your OFS team.  We’ve sent Balikbayan boxes to the Philippines to my wife’s relatives. Things that make the most impact are:   Canned meats (Spam, Vienna sausages, corned beef, canned chicken, roast beef, tuna) – meat protein is very expensive in the Philippines. A single tin or two is sufficient to feed an entire family since it is always eaten with a plateful of rice. Make sure to limit to two dozen of each to minimize the risk of Customs opening the box. Also, while canned fish is everywhere in the Philippines, the percentage of fish in the can is much smaller – sometimes, half the tin is comprised of oil or water.  Spaghetti noodles, sauces, Kraft Dinner (not too much as they take up a lot of space)  Toiletries (toothpaste, makeup, eyeliner, perfume, soap, shampoo and conditioner, deodorants, lipstick, lotion – note: Seal with tape the lids of anything that can leak)  Fruit preserves (fruit jams of every kind, especially strawberry and raspberry)  Vitamins and supplements  OTC medicine (Tylenol, Aspirin, cough, cold, flu medication)  Clothing and shoes (use socks and t-shirts as packing)  Cheap handbags (my wife brought a dozen Coach and Michael Kors handbags with her when she went home a number of years ago since it was too risky putting them in the Balikbayan box)  Candies and chocolates (especially the large Toblerone bars from Costco during Christmas)  Batteries (Duracell or Energizer. Keep in the pack – the ones sold in the Philippines are crap)  Flashlights/headlamps (a good quality, high lumens light is invaluable over there)  American-made tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, socket sets – the Chinese stuff in the Philippines is junk)  Dollar store knickknacks to stuff the box to the gills since weight is no object (stationary, pens, pencils, crayons, markers) – this is to show the inspector using the scanner that the box’s contents is for a family and not a business  Make sure the balikbayan box has the recipient’s address AND phone number printed in huge bold font and taped to the box on at least two sides. Use lots of packing tape and do not leave any corner untaped. Wrap the entire box in 18-inch plastic wrap. I don’t understand the prohibition on batteries – they are not a problem AFAIK. Do NOT send any alcoholic beverages – that’s a huge temptation to the inspectors. Same with expensive electronics like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Don’t bother with household cleaners – they’re everywhere in the Philippines and very inexpensive. Children’s toys are the same quality – they all come from China. Take care, Edward I showed the email to my OFS, Jamie, because of some contradictions with the last email. Some of the things she added were her personal preferences. So I think you can also put other items in a balikbayan box, as long as it’s not something prohibited.  Regarding sending alcoholic beverages, she referred to those mini bottles instead of the big ones. But I agree with Edward; it might be best not to send them.  I told you this would be weird. I can't imagine sending canned meat...but that's what's effective.  John
Earlier this week I talked about security with OFS. Let's go a little deeper.  Like, deep into your business with a bookkeeper.  They're likely to see everything!  Here's an email from Tatiana:  Hello, I have hired my first OFS at the beginning of the year and it's going great. I want to hire another one to do bookkeeping but worried about sharing bank/ credit card information.I heard some people give remote access so an OFS cannot download information on their end.Any other suggestions on how to mitigate risks? Regards, Tatiana I understand why Tatiana is worried. Just the thought of your clients’ banking and credit card information getting out there; it’s terrifying.  I thought of the same thing when I interviewed Ethan Kap for a case study a few years ago.  https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/outsourcing-insurance-finance-businesses-ethan-kap  Ethan has an insurance agency. He’s been outsourcing for over ten years, and he has a team of 22 OFS who do everything from answering the phone to preparing financial statements.  Ethan had the same fears as Tatiana when he was starting. But he was smart enough not to trust his VAs right away. He has to earn their trust and vice versa before they handle anything sensitive.  Another reason he’s able to trust the people he hires because he has a solid recruitment process and provides training.  One way you can find honest Filipino workers is through OneVAAway.com.  To give your OFS training, you can use VAsMadeEasy.com to get you started.  Does his Filipino team have access to sensitive financial information? Yes.  Could they access and steal that information? Definitely.  Has his Filipino team ever stolen from him? Never.  Why?  Because Filipinos are honest.  I also asked my OFS, Jam, about this. He has a data security and finance background. Here’s what he wrote:  “Remote access allows the OFS to access and control the employer's computer as if they are right there. There are many types of remote access, and it depends on the permissions given whether they can download from the employer's computer to their own or if file transfer is not allowed. Since they have another OFS, they may want to look at the possibility of making that first OFS they trust work in a supervisory capacity to check and vet the new hire first.  Also, is it possible for them not to include full bank and card info in their bookkeeping software/spreadsheet? You can also hide numbers in Excel or Google Sheets if they’re not using a bookkeeping program. At the very least, that would allow the Bookkeeping OFS from handling sensitive data.”  I can’t guarantee that the tips I’ve provided above work 100%. There’s always a risk. Hiring a bookkeeper to work in your office isn’t a guarantee they won’t steal or use your banking information. But with a Filipino bookkeeper, they’re less likely to steal because there’s no benefit.  If you treat your OFS well, you'll see really quickly if you can/should trust them.  John
I've always been driven by freedom. It's a primary motivator for me.  Time freedom. Money freedom. Responsibility freedom.  I always work towards systems which will provide me freedom.  Like, if there’s a task that takes too much time I either outsource it or say no to it completely. Or, if there's a business opportunity that I can see will require me to always be there, I say no.  Freedom requires consistently making conscious choices.  Training sets you up for freedom.  That's why I encourage my kids to train for their biking competitions. I go with them because I know it motivates them. I give them all the tools they need so they're confident whenever they compete. When you're fit, you're free to go fast or slow. You can climb any hill you want.  It's all doable.  When you have a trained team, it's similar.  You can take on a project. You can be more efficient. You can hand tasks off easier.  If I need to train a new hire, I make time for it. I make sure my OFS gets what they need. Because even though it’s a lot of work for me right now, it saves me hours in the future.  But there are still some who think that setting aside time for training isn’t worth it. Instead, they have these misconceptions.  Misconception # 1: Training isn’t necessary if you hire the right person.  Here’s a reality check. In the Philippines, everyone expects to get "On The Job training".  It's part of the culture.  Sure, you may not have to train them on things they're an expert at, but you'll still need to provide expectations, feedback, and help with what the output looks like.  Even if you do find that perfect hire, you still need to train them, at least a little bit, so they know how things are done in your business.  Misconception #2: Training takes too much time.  Yes, training does take time. But it’s also time well spent. Time working ON your business rather than IN your business.  Plus, if you use Snagit, training only takes the amount of time it takes you to talk through it. Then it's permanently recorded and can be given to others in the future.  Spending that time today saves you hours in the future.  Misconception #3: My VA doesn’t need training. They can just learn on the job.  I’ve talked about the disappearing Filipino before. This happens when your OFS is placed in a situation where they feel helpless and they don’t know what to do. Instead of asking for help, they’ll just ghost you and disappear.  This can happen when you tell your OFS that they can just learn as they go.  When you tell them that, what your OFS hears is, “I can’t be bothered, just figure it out yourself.”  So what happens when they run into problems? They disappear.  They disappear because they feel like they can’t come to you when they need help.  They’re afraid to ask you to make decisions because they don’t know if they should.  But when you give them training, you’re showing them that you want them to do a good job. You’re showing them that you’re willing to invest your precious time in making this working relationship successful.  So when they do need your help, they’re not afraid to ask you.  I know training an OFS is hard work. That’s why, as I started hiring more people to work for me, I wanted to create a solution for this. So if you want an easier way to train your VA, just go to VAsMadeEasy.com.  John
This email probably should have happened 2 weeks ago, but that's not how the Philippines does it.  May 3rd was Eid'l Fitr or the end of Ramadan. It was a regular holiday in the Philippines (full day off for almost everyone).  But they didn't announce it was a day off until two days before.  I try to keep you updated on holidays, but I need to schedule my newsletter ahead of time. Monday I'll let you know why.  Eid'l Fitr is one of the holidays celebrated in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao. If you have a Muslim OFS, this is like Christmas for them. They feast, party, and give gifts.  You’re probably wondering why the Philippines, a predominantly Christian country, celebrate an Islamic holiday.  Islam is the 2nd biggest religion in the Philippines. Around 5% of the population is Muslim, most residing in Mindanao.  http://rsso11.psa.gov.ph/article/factsheet-islam-mindanao#:~:text=With%20a%20total%20of%206%2C064%2C744,of%20Population%20(2015%20POPCEN).  If you go to Mindanao, you’ll see mosques, madrasas, and restaurants catering to the Muslim community all over the place.  Why is the Muslim population concentrated in Mindanao?  Historically, Islam flourished in Mindanao because the Spaniards couldn’t establish a strong foothold on that island. Spain was able to take over Luzon and Visayas; that’s why most Filipinos converted to Christianity. Mindanao was harder to conquer due to its mountain ranges, thick forests, and strong resistance by the indigenous Muslim communities.  Also, if you look at the map of the Philippines, you’ll see that Mindanao is close to Brunei and Indonesia, which are predominantly Muslim. Throughout history, these places have traded with each other, which allowed Islam to thrive.  This relationship continues until today. There’s a group called BIMP-EAGA, which stands for Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Group Area. This group was established to spur economic growth in that area.  One of the things I love about OFS is their willingness and ability to contribute. I had no idea about the Eid'l Fitr holiday until my OFS told me. Then they wrote this email about it.  They want me (and you) to understand the culture.  John
There's some big stuff happening in my life and in the Philippines.  1. Philippines elections happened last week.  This is a big deal, electing a new president. I started getting texts Monday night from my team about the outcome.  More to come about this.  2. I'm taking my family to Europe (tomorrow) to ride bikes. We'll be there for a month. Going to ride our bikes From Paris -> Germany -> Switzerland -> Austria. This has been months in the making.  Planning, logistics, Covid, gear, training... We're going to carry all our clothes with us on our bikes...so there's a lot of prep work going into it...especially with taking 5 kids!:   And, because you asked for it: 3. We're making individual trainings available for sale at VAsMadeEasy.com.  I had so many people say: I want 2-3 of the trainings, but most of them aren't relevant to my business.  We heard you and my team got to work making them available.  You know I'm big on providing training to OFS.  It's one of the keys to my success.  We have done-for-you training courses on:    Content Writing   Customer Support   Digital Advertising   ECommerce Management   Email Marketing   Fundamentals for General VAs   Mininets   Social Media Marketing Fundamentals   Social Media Marketing (Advanced)   Basic Photoshop   Basic SEO   ECommerce   Email Marketing   Facebook Ads & Instagram Ads   Google Ads   Lead Generation for Premium Content (E-Books)   LinkedIn Ads   LinkedIn Marketing   Pinterest Marketing   Podcasting   Shopify   Video Editing for Davinci Resolve   Video Editing for iMovie   Wordpress   Build an Attractive and Compelling Website with Wordpress   Forum Commenting and Posting   How to promote YouTube Videos   Influencer Lead Generation and Outreach Campaign  Plus 5 more that are completed but not published yet...those of you who previously bought will be getting access to those 5 new trainings soon.  If you just want one or two, they're now individually available.  John  PS. If there's a training you'd like to see us create, let me know. We won't be able to create everything, but there are about 8 more we're currently working on  and more in planning.
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...  Sorry...I missed May the 4th.  I went skiing.  Deep powder.   But really, a long time ago as I was going through my email on day I thought  This is dumb.  Why am I the one dealing with all this garbage.   So I started teaching someone to deal with some of my email for me.  Waking up with an inbox free of spam and free of garbage I don't want to see is such a relief and so rewarding.  It's a simple process I was able to work through with someone else to accomplish something significant.  I succeed.  They succeed.  We have interaction with each other.  Win. Win. Win.  Over the years it evolved into more.  She now responds to some of my email for me.  Usually she doesn't send the emails, she just makes drafts so I get to review them first.  But I know a lot of you aren’t comfortable with the idea of sharing your email password with your OFS. If you use your email to sign in to websites, you wouldn’t want anyone to have access to your email.  If you use Google Workspace or Gmail, what you can do is turn on Gmail delegation. https://support.google.com/a/answer/7223765?hl=en  Email delegation lets delegated users (your OFS)  read, send, and delete messages on the account owner's behalf.  How is this better than giving your OFS your username and password? It’s better because they don’t need to log in to your account to manage your email. They don’t know your password, so they can’t log in to websites using your account. You don't have to deal with 2FA and getting them into your account.  Take note that if your OFS sends an email on your behalf, it will show a “sent by” (your OFS’ email) in addition to the “from” address. Unfortunately, the “sent by” can’t be removed so people will see that your OFS is emailing for you.  And...you might be surprised by people's reaction to your OFS sending emails for you. Some people won't say anything. But some will love it and they'll let you know.  John
My OFS, Jamie, sent me this link last week. It’s a news article from the American Journal of Transportation, and it mentions Onlinejobs.ph as one of the websites last-mile carriers use to help them with their labor shortage.   https://ajot.com/news/last-mile-carriers-look-to-overseas-help-in-the-face-of-tight-jobs-market  Last-mile carriers are the trucks and vans that bring everything we buy from ships and trains to the stores and your door.  I didn’t know that last-mile carriers even used VAs or OFS until recently when we saw quite an increase in this industry. But with the pandemic worsening their staffing issues, some of them looked to the Philippines for help.  Turns out it was a great fit because a lot of the skills Filipino VAs have are things that they could use in their business. Skills like:    Customer service   Calendar management   Email management   Administrative support   Online marketing  I liked the article because it emphasized that training is needed, and it’s going to be a steep learning curve if the worker you hire has no experience.  Jamie talked to a VA for a last-mile carrier. He’s an experienced virtual assistant, so he didn’t have a hard time learning the ropes of the business. But he needed training on US geography to dispatch drivers and track and trace packages. Now he can navigate across California.  I want to know if other industries out there use Filipino workers that I don’t know about. We’ve done case studies on e-commerce, finance, web development, SEO, and real estate. If you have a different kind of business and you have a Filipino team working for you, I’d love to hear from you.
Filipinos don’t want to steal data.  In my opinion, you’re more likely to have your data stolen by someone who’s working with you in your office.  I know it’s a pretty bold claim. I have no empirical data to support this, just anecdotal, so you can take everything I’ve said here with a grain of salt.  But in the 17-plus years I’ve worked with my Filipino team, I have never had my information stolen by them.  The worlds outsourcing has moved to the Philippines. If Filipinos want to steal your data, how come many big businesses set up call centers in the Philippines? These call centers have access to information from billions of people, and there are Filipinos who have been working with that information for years.  If big businesses can trust their thousands of Filipino workers, why can’t you trust the OFS you hired yourself?  Big businesses trust their Filipino employees because they know that the Philippines is pretty high in Hofstede’s Power distance Index.  I think this is where the deep-seated mistrust comes in. If you didn’t hire the worker yourself, you can’t trust them because you don’t know them. You can’t give sensitive information to someone you don’t know because who knows what they’ll do with it.  But if you hired your OFS yourself and you took the time to know who they are, it’ll be easier to trust them. If you took the time to find someone trustworthy, it’s easier to give them your trust.  That’s one of the things I considered when I was developing OneVAAway.com. I knew it was important to find someone trustworthy early in the recruitment process.  I’m not saying that Filipinos will never steal your data. There are going to be some bad apples out there. In case that happens, you can report them to their Department of Justice, and they can launch an investigation. Give them their OFS information, and the Philippine government will likely do something about it. They take theft seriously. Digital theft punishments are double that of normal theft in the Philippines.  I talk about this a lot.  The reason is because I see too many people who don't hire someone because they're scared.  They're scared they can't trust the person they hire. They're scared something will go wrong.  They're scared the worker is just in it to steal from them.  And...I understand.  I was scared the first time too.  But the only way to verify what I've said is to do it yourself and see if it works for you.  ...Or you could read from hundreds of others.  John
I haven’t been in Paris for about 10 years. The last time I was here we saw all the big tourist sights. Notre Dame, Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Catacomsbs, sewers, museums, Seine…  This time…not so much. I have my 5 kids with me. They weren’t interested in going into the Louvre. Notre Dame is closed for rebuilding (after the fire). We didn’t have time for the Catacombs or sewers or boat trips on the Seine.  But…we had our bikes. We made 2 circles around the Arc De Triumph roundabout. That was insane. We rode our bikes through the whole city. Wow…Paris riding is definitely different than the riding we do at home.  But the biggest difference was the security around the Eiffel Tower. The last time I was here you could walk under the tower from anywhere. Now it’s all walled off and you have to pass through security to get under.    Speaking of security…  One of the ways you can have some degree of security with your OFS is by controlling their access to files and information. We do the same, using Google Drive to share files with the team.  With Google Drive, we can control who gets access. We can add them one by one or send them a link. Some people need to see the files—some need to have the ability to comment or edit them.    In one of my previous newsletters, Tatiana didn’t want her bookkeeper to see her client’s bank account numbers. With Google Sheets, you can control permissions for specific sheets, even cells. Editing permissions helps ensure your OFS can’t change anything. You can also hide specific sheets if you don’t want your OFS to see them.    If you use Microsoft 365 (previously called Office 365) and OneDrive, you can also give your team controlled access to files and folders.     They don’t even need to have Microsoft 365 since they would be able to open and edit shared files and folders online. The part that’s better than Google is you can set the sharing links to expire.  If your OFS is using Excel, you can also control what parts of the spreadsheet they can edit and whether they can copy and paste the data there.   This is good if your OFS is working on a short-term project and you don’t want them to have access after they’re done.  Now...a word of caution. I talk about security and options because you've asked me to. But...if protecting cells from someone seeing them isn't something you'd do if the person was working in your office, you shouldn't do it with your OFS. It builds distrust. It handicaps your OFS. It takes your time.  John
The Philippines just concluded its elections and it looks like Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is going to win.  This was a really controversial election for them. Emotions are running high because there’s so much history with his family. Some are really happy about the results and some are really bummed about it.  If you don't know the history, this is worth learning at least a little. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr who was the 10th president of the Philippines. Read the Wikipedia summary, it's pretty damning:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Marcos  Is this a good or bad thing for the Philippines? We don’t know. It’s too soon to tell.  We don’t know if Marcos is going to make things better or worse.  Is this going to affect how you outsource to your OFS? Probably not.  Filipinos are going to find a way to make things work. It doesn’t matter who’s the president, they just want to work and provide for their families.  However...  There's more at play here.  Anxiety for your OFS.  Here's a conversation Greg had with his OFS that he forwarded to me. ----------- OFS: Hello, Sir. To be honest, I'm actually very anxious. Election results here are very disappointing and really depressing. I've been seeing foreign clients backing out on local artists because of politics. And it scares me. hehe I hope our political situation won't affect our employment. Because I really sure that whatever's happening here won't affect the quality of work I deliver. OMG.  Greg: that’s really unfortunate to hear about foreign clients backing out on employees because of politics. shame on the clients. I want to assure you that there is no negative sentiment with me or anyone on our team about working with you. we are working with people in over 4 countries, and their regional politics are bound to change. In the US ours changes drastically every 4 years! there’s no reason for me or our company to let go of an employee because of political changes.  you represent yourself in this company. your politicians do not. and you represent yourself very well! ----------  And another quote from Andreas OFS: I am having anxiety right now, considering what happened in the elections. Plus, I am somehow scared for my life. This is because my university is known to be a place for activists. For the past 6 years, there are graduates of my university who were killed.We received a chain message advising us to change our profile pictures on facebook and lock our profile. A lot of people are already redtagging students from my university as communists and such. The scary thing is that, the police force are now permitted to redtag people who they think oppose the government (and also people who vocally supported the candidate against the winner of the presidential elections) John
We’re on day 4 of 30 as we passed through the gates of the medieval city of Provins. I  wondered what life must have been like 1000 years ago for the people here.  The primary focus of daily life was still survival for most people. After 52 miles of riding survival was on our minds too! Interviewing people wasn’t…   …but I get asked about doing video interviews with ofs all the time.  I don’t usually do video interviews when I’m hiring an OFS. I know many people do it, and it works for them. But I don’t do them for the following reasons.    Many Filipino workers don’t like it. They’re worried that employers might not understand their English. Employers might also notice their background, which could be messy, and people walk behind them.   Video interviews take up a lot of time and require asking a lot of questions. It’ll probably take you 30 minutes or longer to interview just one person. If you’re interviewing many people, that’s hours wasted on people you’re not hiring.   It puts good applicants who don’t interview well at a disadvantage. Some jobs don’t require excellent spoken English. But a lousy interview can discourage you from hiring someone who could be good simply because they don’t speak English well. For example, I have a few developers who I know don’t speak English well. I avoid going on calls with them because I really can’t understand their English. But when I email them or chat with them on Slack, their English is really good.  That’s fine because I don’t need them to have perfect English; I just need them to be good developers. I would have missed out if I had let the way they spoke English affect my hiring decisions.  That being said, I understand why people still insist on doing video interviews. Doing a video interview does come with distinct advantages.    A video interview is a quick test of whether they have the equipment and internet speeds to do the job. If their setup can sustain a video call, they can do most online work.   A video call is more personal, which can help you get to know your applicants better.   Seeing how they talk on a video call shows how well they’ll be on the job that does require good English-speaking skills (phone customer support, cold calls, etc). The interview is one thing that takes up time when hiring. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you still want to do a video interview with your applicants, there are ways to do them faster and make them more efficient.    Don’t do video interviews early in the hiring process. Doing the interviews later in the hiring process lets your applicants know you enough that they’re not as self-conscious. They’ll be more relaxed and less guarded with their answers.   Do your interviews with your top 2-3 applicants. This way, you’re not rushing through each interview. Also, you know your top applicants enough to ask them specific questions relevant to the job.   Prepare your interview questions ahead of time. You don’t want to lose track and waste time talking about things unrelated to the job. In the end, here's the experience most people have with doing video interviews: - If it's the first thing you try doing only one out of 5 people will show up for the interview.  Super frustrating for you.  Super frustrating for them.  They're scared. - If it's at the end of the interview process, 2/3 will show up. Now this is a good way of making your final decision.  John
I’m currently on a mini-retirement like Tim Ferris talks about in the 4 Hour Work Week.  We started in Paris and cycled east.  We moved into Germany and the Black Forest:  The riding has been amazing.  As has been the food!  We’re here for a month and I didn’t bring a laptop! Just my phone.  The first time I took a mini retirement was in 2008 and it taught me a bunch of things.  How do I know my Filipino team is working while I’m on vacation?  To be honest, when I first had to step away from my business years ago, I didn’t know if they were going to keep working. All I knew is they have everything they needed to keep working. They have the training and the tools.  They knew I wouldn’t be back for a while. So, I was half expecting my business to be in shambles when I got back.  It wasn’t. It was even better than before I left it. - unnecessary things got dropped - important things got solidified and improved upon  So, over the years, I’ve realized that when your OFS has:    The right training   The right tools, and   A clear set of responsibilities.  You don’t have to worry about them not working at all.  Now that I have around 40 people working for me, I also have Joven, my project manager, who keeps things running smoothly.  There’s also our Basecamp. We’ve reached that point where my OFS team adds their own tasks on Basecamp. So I’m not worried they’re going to run out of things to do when I’m not around.  The only thing I really need to do is to let them know how long I’ll be on vacation and when they can expect me back. This lets them know what projects we need to put on hold and which ones need to be rushed.  Do they take things easy when I’m away? Yeah. But that’s mostly because there are some things they can’t do without my feedback. Other than that, things still get done and the business keeps running.  By the time I get back, I’ll be ready to catch up on all the emails and messages they sent me.  To get to this point, the best place to start is to give them the right training. VAsMadeEasy.com.  John
When we arrived at the Paris airport I really thought we were making a scene. 7 people, 5 bike bags, an obvious family all walking in a line together:   It was a mild scene compared to when we put our bike “kits” on (“Kit” is what we call a cycling uniform):  I didn’t realize the effect of 7 people all wearing these bright colors and riding in a line would have.  We’ve almost caused a couple accidents from people turning to look! We’ve had a lot of pictures taken of us. Weird!  I’m sure Marcos Jr has had a lot of pictures taken of him too.  Here’s an update on the results of the Philippine elections.  Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been declared the presumptive president but it’s not going to be official until he’s inaugurated on June 30.  Outgoing president Duterte sent out a press release to reassure people that government services will continue during the transition. So that’s a good thing. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174270  Will the Marcos administration have an impact on the way we outsource? Is it going to have an impact on our OFS?  At this point in time, it seems like business as usual. There are a lot of emotions and opinions. Some people are anxious and some are excited. It’s hard to predict anything at this point.  They’re still in the transition process and the whole world has its eyes on what Bongbong is going to do.  There are concerns that he’s going to do the same things his father did.  But there are also those who are excited by his campaign promises and are looking forward to seeing them fulfilled.  This election has been interesting because I have OFS who voted for Marcos and OFS who went with Robredo, so I can see both sides of this situation. What’s happening in the Philippines is a lot like what’s happening in our US politics right now. It’s messy.  Talk to your OFS.  See how they feel about the results.  John
We do big projects all the time. These big projects can be improvements to Onlinejobs.ph. Or when I launch new products like OutsourcingLever.com, OneVAAway.com, OFSGuide.com, or VAsMadeEasy.com. Or just stuff that I've always wanted to try because I know they'd be good for business, like making a podcast.  We have so many ideas we have a long list of them on our Basecamp.  We all have ideas for projects. This creative part is something I know a lot of business owners love to do. Coming up with ideas is easy. The hard part is implementing these projects.  Implementing is easier when you have a team of Online Filipino Specialists.  This is how I usually start a project:    I create tasks,   tag the right people,   give instructions, and   ask for input. We communicate on the task in Basecamp for as long as the project keeps going.  Because more people are involved, I admit managing them can be tricky. It was easier when I had a small team of 10 people. Ten years and 40 employees later, it's gotten to the point that I had so many projects going I needed someone else to keep track of them.  So, I promoted Joven to be the overall project manager of OnlineJobs.ph. He's overseeing all our website work. Managing developers, designers, copy, bugs, features...  Joven mainly handles the website and app. It involves a lot of troubleshooting and changes depending on how things work—so having everything in one place works for him because it's easier to track changes that way.  I'm used to how Joven works because that's how I usually do things. But it doesn't work for all projects. In the cases like the podcast or VAsMadeEasy.com, where we need to create and update content regularly, things have to be done differently.  This is where Julia comes in and how she runs the podcast.  Julia is a list person. When I look at her task list on Basecamp, it overwhelms me because there are so many tasks. But it works for her because that's how she keeps track of things. She created an assembly line system where my newsletters are turned into blog posts, social media posts, podcasts, and videos to keep things going every day.  It looks like a lot to me. But I can see why her system works here because we need to deliver content regularly. Having groups lets me know what process is taking too long, which ones need to be ramped up, and what adjustments we need to make to publish on time.    Jessica, another project manager for us, does things differently than us both. She’s kind of an in between. She separates projects into tasks (more than me, fewer than Julia) and manages them throughout the project.  I'd love to know how you work with your OFS team when working on big projects.  What software do you use? How do you/your ofs handle it? Any specific insights?  John
I’m a typical dad.  When we pull up to something interesting, I want to point it out to my kids and maybe explain it.  Sometimes they want to hear it and sometimes they don’t.  We’ve visited a number of cathedrals since we’ve been here in Europe. They’re pretty amazing. This time I was explaining to my kids what a confessional booth is. My son took a picture to show evidence of me explaining things.    Today, after we walked over a real draw bridge (they’ve never seen one before) I pointed it out and they made fun of me for the rest of the day.  That’s the price I pay for being a good dad and explaining things.  I never know what they’re going to like and what they won’t.  Here’s an explainer about PhilHealth.  If one of the benefits you’re paying for is your OFS Philhealth contributions, this is something you need to know.  Philhealth (Philippine socialized medicine) just sent out an advisory announcing an increase in their premiums for the year 2022. They just announced it but the rate hike is retroactive.  https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/advisories/2022/adv2022-0010.pdf  For the past few years, the minimum contribution for Philhealth has been Php300 ($5.75) per month. Philhealth set that as a minimum assuming that most Filipinos have a monthly salary of Php10,000 ($191) and at a 3% premium. Now, the rate is at 4% or P400 minimum. That’s an additional Php100 ($2).    Why is this happening?  Under the Universal Health Care Law of the Philippines, that rate should be at around 5%. https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/about_us/UHC-IRR_Signed.pdf   For the longest time, the premiums were around 2% and the Philippine government was having a hard time covering hospitalization claims. So what the government did was introduce the increases gradually. They did an increase back in 2019, raising the premium rate from 2.5% to 3%. The increase was supposed to happen every year but was delayed for 2 years due to the pandemic.  Again, the rate hike is retroactive. This means that if your OFS paid their Philhealth contributions early, they need to pay the balance so their contributions would be credited. They also need to pay the difference for the previous months’ contribution starting with January 2022.  This could be a big burden.  Ask your OFS about it.  John
I believe when you do good in the world, it comes back to you 10-fold.  We see this all the time but still, sometimes it's hard to believe.  Also, as people, we have self-protective instincts. We want to make sure that we get our fair share and that nobody takes advantage of us.  But when we go out of our way to show trust, consideration, and kindness to people around us, what we get in return is just overwhelming.  I got this email from Danielle. She shared with me a message she got from her OFS (Online Filipino Specialist).    Danielle: “Just want to say thank you for all the work you do! You really have been so great at tracking so many different and new tasks - thank you for your input, suggestions, and the willingness to try and learn new things!”  Danielle’s OFS: “Wow. Thank you for your appreciation. 😊 I love what I am doing because of your trust, consideration, kindness & everything 😊”  Consideration and kindness I would expect.  That's part of being a human being.  But the trust part is so interesting to me.  This OFS feels like her boss trusts her.  Because of that she loves her job, she does good work, she contributes to the company.  Try gaining your OFS trust, and trusting them to do good work.  They’ll love their work, They’ll love working for you, and They’ll do what needs to be done to make your business successful.  One way to show your OFS that you care is to give them training. You can give them that training with VAsMadeEasy.com.  John  PS. Today we visited the Hohenzollern castle. The castle itself was great. But the view point we were able to ride to was exceptional. 
I got this great email from Kymn. She writes:  Hi John, LOVE your newsletter! Quick question:  99% of my communication with my VA is via email.  We used to meet on zoom frequently and now we do not anymore. Her work is still excellent. I’m wondering if it is a mistake not to connect with her face-to-face more often and wonder what you think about this.  She seems satisfied; I’m satisfied yet this is a nagging question. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this!Kymn  Honestly, I don't know.  I NEVER meet with my people via video. Always via project management or email. Often I send them a video of me, but rarely do I get a video (screen recordings) of them.  I asked them about it and got different responses.  Some of them are okay with just the video message, email, Slack, or comments on our Basecamp. They don’t like doing face-to-face meetings because they don’t want me to see laundry or hear their loud chickens/dogs/tricycles in the background. I’m okay with it, but I understand why they’d be self-conscious about that.  Some like regular meetings, but they're okay with how things are. These are my OFS (Online Filipino Specialists) who’ve worked in offices before and are used to meetings.  The closest thing we have to a company meeting is when we do a Campfire on Basecamp. That’s where we post if we need to tell everybody something, and anyone can respond. For team meetings, we have our Slack channels.  This system works for us, for how we do things. But I know this might not work for everyone. Meetings get a lot of flack for being too long and tedious, but some businesses need regular meetings.  I think the important thing to think about is:    Does a regular meeting serve a purpose?   Does it help you run your business?   Will it help your OFS get their work done?  If the answer is yes to all three questions, then go ahead and have a meeting. If this is something that you want to do and would make you feel more comfortable working with your OFS, go for it.  When you do it, you'll get a feeling from it. Might be great for you. Might be great for them. It might not be.  I'd be interested in how you hold meetings with your team and how productive you feel they are.  If you want to know more about how I work with my Filipino team, check out my book, The Outsourcing Lever.  John
I’m on holiday right now. In the past week we rode our bikes from Germany to Switzerland to Austria. The Bodensee borders all 3 countries and is beautiful:   This coming Sunday, June 12 is the Philippine Independence Day. It’s a regular holiday celebrated all over the country. It commemorates the Philippines’ independence from Spain back in 1898. They declared independence on the balcony of Emilio Aguinaldo’s home (1st Philippine President) in Kawit, Cavite.   This house has been donated to the government and is now a museum. If you visit the Philippines, that balcony where they first waved the Philippine flag still exists. Also in that place is this plaque commemorating the event.   The plaque is in English!  This year, Philippine Independence falls on a Sunday. This reminded me of an email I got a while back asking what the practice is in the Philippines when a holiday falls on a Sunday? Is the following Monday declared a non-working holiday?  I know this was the practice back when the Philippines followed holiday economics, a policy that was created to boost domestic tourism and spending. But they don’t do that anymore because there are already so many holidays. So this holiday would only have an impact on your OFS if they work on a Sunday.  Stay on top of the upcoming holidays by subscribing to our holiday calendar.  John
On our bike trip, we could only bring a small bag for our clothes. It’s called a saddle bag and fits under the bike seat. Here’s my wife’s bike fully packed:  The rest of the bags are for food or gear or other essentials. The saddle bag is about 18” long and 6-8” in diameter. All we were able to bring is - 3 “kits” (the biking clothes we wear) - 1 pants - 1 shorts - 2 shirts - underwear - 3 socks - 2 jackets (rain and puffy)  Thats it.  We weren’t sure how rough it would be. But…to be honest, it has been really nice. No choices to make. Everything is simple. the hardest part is doing laundry so often.  The rest of the world is getting back to work. In the US, that means getting back in a suit and tie.  While many offices in the Philippines have adopted suits as men’s office wear, many still use the “barong tagalog”.  The barongis a lightweight embroidered shirt used by Filipinos the same way we use suits here in the US.  There’s a formal barong, a long-sleeved, intricately embroidered, sheer shirt usually made from pineapple leaf and jusi(pronounced: who-c) fibers from abaca (a banana sub species). It’s what you wear to life events like weddings or funerals.   Wearing a formal barongcan also be a status symbol, especially if you get a barong from high-end designers like Pierre Cardin, Rhett Eala or Rajo Laurel.  Formal barongs are worn on red carpet and black tie events. Even heads of state or dignitaries who visit the Philippines would wear the barong. The best example of this was during the APEC summit in the Philippines in 2015.  Image: By Presidencia de la República Mexicana - https://www.flickr.com/photos/presidenciamx/23104738792/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45272604  For the office, you wear a polo barong. It has short sleeves, simple to no embroidery, is made from cotton or linen, and can come in various colors. It’s too informal for weddings but good enough for work or meetings with clients.  There are even feminized versions of the barong. They’re often worn by politicians or corporate executives.   Image: By Littlebeatlebum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36507092  It makes sense to use this over a suit and tie when you see the shirt. Nobody likes wearing a thick jacket in a tropical climate. The embroidery work and design also look professional enough that they wouldn’t look out of place in a corporate setting.  But what makes the barongreally interesting is that this type of shirt existed way before Spain colonized the Philippines. The kind of barong you wore would indicate your rank in society, what part of the country you are from, and what you did for a living. It can come in a wide variety of colors, styles, and designs. It’s one of those things that’s distinct about Filipino culture that has survived the test of time.  Get my book to learn more about Filipino work culture: The Outsourcing Lever.  John
Dan sent me this screenshot a few days ago.  This guy, Marshall, shared his experience when he went to his dentist. Normally, you’d have a receptionist greet you and get your information for your appointment. Instead, Marshall was greeted by a virtual Filipino receptionist on video.  I’m really impressed with this dentist. Just imagine what a virtual Filipino receptionist can do for your business!  If you’re worried that your clients won’t like it that they’re talking to your OFS (Online Filipino Specialist), Marshall’s reaction here is proof that clients don’t really mind.  Your clients know that your OFS is your employee. If they’re getting amazing customer service from your OFS, it makes you and your business look good.  Of course, the only way you can ensure that your OFS will do excellent work is to give them the training they need. For that, just go to VAsMadeEasy.com  John
Breakfast in Europe is different than breakfast in the US. In the US I typically eat pancakes or cereal or potatoes and eggs.  Since we’ve been in Europe, I haven’t eaten any of those things for breakfast.  My breakfast almost every day has looked like this:    Here’s what Julia wrote about breakfast in the Philippines: -------------------------  When people talk about a typical Filipino breakfast, two things usually come to mind: the pandesaland the silog.  What is a pandesal? The pandesal (salt bread) is a small piece of bread, around the size of a dinner roll, heavily loaded with bread crumbs. It’s toasted, slightly salty and crispy on the outside, and soft and sweet on the inside.   Every bakery in the Philippines makes and sells pandesal. This type of bread is such a big part of our culture, that people would wake up early and line up for a bag of warm, freshly baked pandesalfor breakfast. Even the Philippine government goes out of its way to protect the pandesal. Whenever the price of wheat or sugar would fluctuate, the government would be on it right away because nobody wants to lose their beloved morning pandesal.  And if you’re the type of person who sleeps in, tough luck. Bakeries would always run out by mid-morning. But if you’re willing to wait, you can try early in the afternoon when bakeries make another batch for snacks.  You can eat pandesalon its own or use it as sandwich bread and fill it up with whatever you like. My favorite is scrambled eggs. My husband likes liver spread or Spanish sardines. Dunking your pandesalin coffee is also common practice.  The small size of the pandesalmakes it ideal for an afternoon snack (hence the afternoon batch). You know it’s afternoon pandesalwhen people dunk their bread in Coke instead of coffee.  I promise, it’s a thing here in the Philippines, but I don’t get it either.  If you want a heavy breakfast, another Filipino breakfast classic is the “silog”. It’s not just one dish. It’s more like a family of dishes. The “si” in silogstands for “sinangag” (fried rice in Filipino), and the “log” stands for “itlog” or egg in Filipino.  When a dish has a protein (usually fried), garlic fried rice, and an egg (usually sunny side up), that dish becomes a “silog”.  So when you have a fried hotdog, garlic fried rice and egg, you get “Hotsilog”. My favorite is the “Spamsilog”.  If you want a classic silog, go for Tapsilog. Tap is short for “tapa” or cured beef “jerky”. Unlike American jerky though, tapa is not preserved. It needs to be kept in the freezer and thawed before cooking.  If you want to sell breakfast in the Philippines, you’ve got to have the silogand pandesal. Even McDonald’s has them here.  When we’re in McDonald's, my husband usually orders the longgasilog. Longganisa(Philippine sausage that comes in many variations) in McDonald's is a skinless sweet sausage. And yes, our McDonald's makes fried rice.  My favorite is the one pictured below. It’s a pandesalwith a cheese omelet. We do have McMuffins but I prefer their pandesal meals because they’re lighter and less greasy.  Like the rest of the world, the McDonald's here refuses to serve these breakfast items after 11 am. —————  Nothing to add…So good.  John
I didn’t grow up watching “The Sound of Music” like my wife did, but I’ve seen it a number of times since we’ve been married.  As we climbed these mountains in Austria I just couldn’t help but sing “The hills are alive, with the sound of music…” over and over again. These mountains really are magical.   One of the things I tell anyone who just hired an OFS is that they should pay their OFS weekly, at least for the first couple of months.  I understand that paying weekly can be a bit of work. You have to remember.  But paying weekly protects you and your OFS. It helps establish trust.  How does it protect you? If you see that it’s not working out in the first couple of weeks, it’s easier to end the working relationship. Plus, there are no hard feelings from your OFS because they got paid for their work. They won’t feel cheated or scammed. It just didn’t work out.  Now, how does it protect your OFS?  Filipinos just want to work.  Once they get a job, Filipinos want to jump on it.  They’ll care about their salary, but their first priority is to show you that you made the right choice. Add that to the fact that they’re not comfortable talking about money. Weeks, even months, can go by, and they keep working without getting paid.  You have no idea how many emails we’ve received over the years of Filipino workers asking us to talk to their employers because they haven’t been paid for months. They’re even apologetic about it, telling us that they would have waited a bit longer but needed the money for rent, groceries, utilities, etc.  Paying weekly in the first couple of months shows that:    You’re not a scam employer   You have a thriving business that can afford employees   You’re somebody they can trust  Once you have your worker's trust, working with them is easier. You can ease up the schedule and pay twice a month or monthly.  When you have their trust, they’ll be loyal and motivated to help you succeed. I talk more about this in my book, The Outsourcing Lever.  John
Last Sunday, a volcano in the Philippines erupted, resulting in the evacuation of around 1,500 families.  The volcano, Mount Bulusan, is in Sorsogon (Bicol Region). It’s part of the southernmost region of Luzon. It’s about 320 miles (517 km) away from Manila and just 43 miles (55km) away from Albay, the capital of that province.   What do we know about it so far?  The eruption rained ash 5 kilometers around the volcano. Bulusan isn’t heavily populated. The ones affected are mainly farmers and those working in the agricultural sector.   It looks like the worst of it is over. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered the alert level, but people can’t go back home yet.  They’re hoping for fair weather because heavy rains can cause a lahar flow. Lahar (volcanic ash, mud, and debris) flow is when all stuff flows down the volcano to the surrounding area. It causes more damage than a typical flood or landslide because lahar hardens like concrete, making recovery harder.  Volcanic eruptions happen regularly in the Philippines. I explained why this is in a newsletter early this year. /why-natural-disasters-happen-regularly-in-the-philippines/  If you have an OFS in Sorsogon, ask them how they’re doing.  Also, pay attention in the coming weeks for any aftermath. Last time this happened winds rained ash all over the place causing major problems.  John
After reaching the pass the other day we had a long fun decent. At the bottom was an amazing river which we followed uphill for a long ways. Maybe 20 miles. The end miles were steep…just like the beginning miles were steep. Hard. After sleeping we didn’t really know what the ride looked like moving forward but we quickly found out it was another steep, long 1500 foot climb. It was rough. But with most rough things we do there’s something amazing on the other side:   While riding, I got this email from Kymn  John, Is there something in the Filipino culture that has my 0FS have such low self-esteem? No matter how much I praise her, no matter how much I give her paid time off etc, her self-esteem does not seem to improve. She hears feedback as criticism even when I do my utmost to frame it as instructive not criticism. Might you write about this?  Frankly it gets a bit exhausting constantly feeling a need to build her up.  To be honest, I have never encountered this before. I knew Filipinos are shy but I think the  Power Distance Index can give the impression that Filipinos have low self-esteem. But based on the email, that doesn't seem to be the case.  So I showed this email to my OFS, Julia. I asked her thoughts about this and this is what she wrote. ----------  It can be due to a number of things (from most likely to least likely):  1. Personality When my husband was working as a BPO trainer and I worked in corporate, we encountered people like this.  Best case scenario, they're uncomfortable with praise because they feel that they're just doing their jobs. The praise is still appreciated but not needed.  Worst case, it's an ego thing. This is what I get from  (She hears feedback as criticism even when I do my utmost to frame it as instructive not criticism).  It could be due to:    her age (younger workers tend to have bigger egos),   background (upper middle class, went to a big school have bigger egos)   previous work experience (freelancers who do one-off jobs usually don't get criticism because they leave as soon as they're done/ office workers who already had management/power positions ) , etc.  2. Mental health It could be cognitive distortion, which is associated with anxiety and depression:  This is something that has worsened during the pandemic.  I noticed that those of us who are used to working from home have adapted better. But the new crop of VAs and people working from home really had a hard time: https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/05/19/21/at-least-36-million-filipinos-battling-mental-health-issues-amid-pandemic-doh  Mental health isn't a priority in the Philippines. It's stigmatized and seen as a weakness. It's barely covered by Philhealth and not all HMOs cover it. Paying it out of pocket is expensive (I checked).  If this is the case, she might benefit from these resources: https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline https://blog.opencounseling.com/hotlines-ph/  3. Sexism  I've actually had conversations about this with expats or foreigners who visit Asia. I also saw this when I visited Thailand and Malaysia. Compared to other Asian countries, the Philippines is less sexist but it's still pretty strong. https://pcw.gov.ph/philippines-drops-8-places-in-gender-equality-remains-top-in-asia/  Even though we have women in positions of power, there's still a lot of pressure to be the ideal wife/mother/daughter. The achievements of women and girls are still considered inferior compared to men. It doesn't matter if you're the president of the Philippines, if your family life sucks you've failed as a woman.  Sexism is so ingrained that daughters are still jokingly referred to as "pambayad utang" (payment of debt). It's the (eldest) daughter's responsibility to take care of the family. They're expected to sacrifice everything for the family.  Hence the inability to accept praise and criticism. Hard to accept praise when you feel all your work is never enough. Hard to accept criticism when you've worked so hard all your life and it's still not enough.  I think this might be a part of it but just a small part.  The workplace has given Filipino women freedom and power. The literacy rate gap between men and women in the Philippines is now less than 1%. More women are finishing school to enter the workplace. We even have better graduation rates than men. https://www.econstor.eu/obitstream/10419/46638/1/539787426.pdf  Personally, when I finished school and started working, I felt empowered. Sure, I had a sexism chip on my shoulder but I also knew I can do just as well (sometimes better) than my male peers. I also had a lot of bosses (men and women) who made sure that we were seen and treated equally. That helped me a lot with my self-esteem.  Even though the gender pay gap in the Philippines still exists, we're seeing improvements in this because more women are getting better educated and gaining skills at a faster rate.  I think this explains in part why we have more women than men in our database. Working from home gives women the best of both worlds. Online work allows them to practice their skills and education while taking care of their home. The bad thing about online work though is we don't really get the same respect or recognition as our office working peers. ----------  I don’t always have an answer. Sometimes we just have to work through hard things.  John
The Philippines has a long history and understanding some of it helps understand the people.  Before the Spanish colonized the Philippines in the 1500s, it already had a rich history of writing using an indigenous alphabet called baybayin. If you want to learn more about it, you can read about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baybayin  Filipinos no longer use this writing style, even when writing in Filipino. However, there’s a resurgence of its use in official documents and seals to revive their lost culture and foster Philippine pride.   The baybayin script there reads "Ang katuwiran ay nagpapadakila sa isang bayan" or "Righteousness exalts a nation" in reference to Proverbs 14:34.  Some Filipinos use baybayin when doing calligraphy. It’s growing in popularity in with desktop font makers. https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/design/baybayin-fonts-a1926-20190806-lfrm  It’s also a popular script for tattoos and on products.  You can use https://www.lexilogos.com/keyboard/baybayin.htm to see what certain words and phrases look like in baybayin. If you know Filipino, you’ll get the best results. I tried it out for fun, and here’s what John Jonas looks like:   (Di-yo-h-n Di-yo-na-s)  Learn more about the Philippine work culture with my book: The Outsourcing Lever.
A lot of people know that boxing is big in the Philippines because of Manny Pacquiao. Boxing is a big sport in the Philippines. There are boxing gyms all over the country. Whenever Manny fights, the crime rate in the Philippines virtually drops to zero  But you know what’s bigger than boxing in the Philippines? Basketball  How big is basketball in the Philippines?  Every school has a basketball court and team. When you go to school in the Philippines, you will learn to play basketball, whether you like it or not.  Every barangay in the Philippines has at least one basketball court. They can make a basketball court out of whatever's available, no matter how small the place is. You may even sometimes see guys use coconuts as their ball.   The Philippines has a professional basketball league (The Philippine Basketball Association) that has millions of fans and has been going on for almost 50 years.  If you think we’re crazy when March Madness happens, it’s the same with the Philippines and the UAAP and NCAA, their college basketball leagues.   The NBA finals draw the same excitement in Filipinos the way the SuperBowl does for us.  Basketball changes lives in the Philippines.  If you can play professional basketball, you can leverage that into a political or acting career. The connections players make while playing almost guarantees success if they go into business upon retirement. A big example is Robert Jaworski, a PBA Hall of Famer turned senator who wrote and co-wrote around 300 bills in his 6-year term.   Want to score points with your constituents? Politicians sponsor basketball leagues and build basketball courts as a form of public service.  The Filipinos’ love for basketball is so well known, that some even put it on their Onlinejobs.ph profile. Some NBA fan sites hire Filipinos because of their extensive knowledge and passion for the sport.   Rafe Bartholemew wrote a great book if you want a deeper look into Philippine basketball culture. https://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Rims-Flip-Flops-Philippines-Basketball/dp/0451233220  Why are we talking about basketball in this newsletter? Because my OFS, Julia, knows a lot about it. She learned to play basketball in school, watched games growing up, and passes by a basketball court every time she leaves the house.  And she hates basketball.  John  PS. In Europe, you know they love soccer.  Did you know they love cycling almost as much? They have bike parking lots the same way we have car parking lots. 
While my family and I were biking across Europe, I’d check my emails and Basecamp on my phone. It’s work, but it’s only a few minutes every other day. The best part is I’m able to do it in places with the most amazing views.   This is one of the good things about having a remote team. You can work anywhere.  Now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, some of my OFS are also traveling to visit family. Some take their vacation leaves for this. Some don’t because they know they can work there.  My OFS, Jamie, opted not to take her vacation leave when visiting her husband’s family for a month. I was worried that she can’t work there. It turns out she can work anywhere too. She writes: ------------  I’ve been working as an OFS for around ten years now, and I have worked in many weird places. I have OFS friends who have worked in odd places as well.  In my case, the weirdest place I worked in was in a ball pit at a McDonald’s. My daughter was attending a birthday party, and I needed to get work done. I don’t know why but the ball pit was the place that had the best mobile data signal.  A grown woman typing on her laptop in the middle of a ball pit with kids running around draws attention. Good thing the other parents more or less understood that I was working. I managed to keep doing that until the party was over.  My husband can sometimes be caught working at parties too. He’s just more subtle because he can do some work on his phone.  I have friends who have worked on tricycles, buses, boats, and jeepneys. I’ve seen Filipino VAs work in cemeteries, coffee shops, airports, bus terminals, seaports, etc.  As I am writing this, I’m working from the dirty kitchen (an outdoor kitchen some Filipino homes have where most of the cooking is done). There’s someone doing laundry just a few steps away.   Don’t worry, we rarely work in ball pits, cemeteries, and public transport. It’s only when we have something urgent that comes up. Thank goodness smartphones are so functional now because carrying our laptops everywhere is unwieldy.  Working in the kitchen, bedroom, garage, or laundry area is more common.  Most of us live in tiny homes, so it’s hard to carve out a dedicated workspace. Where in the house we can work is often dictated by two things:    Is the internet good in the area of the house?   Can a computer and a person fit in it? So we often end up working in the common areas.  When I first started working from home, I would work in the kitchen or living room. After I had been an OFS for more than five years, that’s when my husband and I started investing in room dividers, computer tables, and chairs to make it more comfortable to work. So we now have home offices! Well, home office space in the corners of our living room and kitchen. I got to stay where there’s good WiFi.  -------  Your OFS now has better options when it comes to internet connectivity. It’s nothing like when I started outsourcing to the Philippines.  John
I get emails like this from a lot of people. But I’m featuring Mitchell’s email here because it also gave a great suggestion.  Hey John! I've listened to every podcast episode you have, I love them, short and sweet and to the point which I appreciate it. I would love to hear some episodes on compensation for OFS's. I know that will vary based on what position they do, how skilled they are, where they are located, etc. Just like someone in New York City or LA is gonna make more than someone in a small town typically, but I'd love to hear from you and your team about the minimum wage there, how that works and what is considered "good", "great" and "amazing" in terms of salary and what things cost over there to help us Americans better picture it in our minds of what things cost over there. Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to this episode!  Jamie's going to be hosting the podcast version of this newsletter. You can find my podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast.  Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about minimum wage in the Philippines.  The minimum wage is different per region in the Philippines and it’s determined by a government committee called Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board. They base the minimum wage on the cost of living, socioeconomic factors, and salary trends. Metro Manila and other big cities like Cebu and Davao have the highest minimum wage.   Are these rates good starting salaries? Not really.  Why?  Below is another table that shows the monthly expenses of an average 3-person family every month.   Now, let’s compare that to the minimum wage.   As you can see, the minimum wage really isn’t enough to cover most of the basic needs. This is why most Filipino homes have 2 breadwinners and why working abroad continues to be an attractive option.  When Filipinos work from home, a lot of those expenses can go down. The commuting, clothing, and food expenses go down because they don’t have to go out as much. Some might be able to get rid of rent altogether because they don’t need to move close to the city. The computer, electricity, and internet costs may go up but considering how much you’re saving by not having to go out every day, that increase is negligible.  In our salary guide, you’ll see that the minimum rate there for inexperienced workers is around twice the minimum wage. It’s enough to cover their expenses and gives you a lot of room to give your workers a raise.  I’ll have more newsletters talking about this. I want to give you guys a better picture of the cost of living difference between Filipino workers in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.  John
Voting brings a lot of emotion.  During the last election cycle my wife and I had some different views.  We had a number of heated conversations. Nothing ever got out of control...but it wasn't our normal.  We ended up coming really close together and having really similar views in the end.  That's rarely the outcome.  The Philippines is no different.  The Philippine Congress finally declared Bongbong Marcos as the next President. The daughter of Rodrigo Duterte (Sara) is going to be his Vice President.  The term of the Philippine President and Vice President runs for 6 years, so they're expected to serve until 2028.  There's no turning back now. Preparations for the inauguration on June 30 are already underway.  They have started discussing what they plan to implement for their administration and picking their cabinet members. Bongbong has met with foreign dignitaries from Spain, Morocco, and Germany. He met with the United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on June 9.  So far, they haven't said or done anything that would affect how you work with your OFS, which is good.  Also, as far as we know, June 30 is not going to be a holiday, regular or otherwise.  But we are following the news since this concerns Filipinos, your OFS included.  Like, for the inauguration, the police will be on high alert. Protests are expected because a lot of people are not happy about it. Hopefully, they won't escalate to violence because the whole world is watching. Despite winning by a landslide, people still remember what the Marcoses did (good and bad) and the idea that the Marcoses are back in power brings up a lot of emotions there.  Your OFS may or may want to talk about it, depending on where they stand.  Of course...there's always the 3 things "we don't discuss": Religion, Politics, and Futbol!  John
Brett sent me this email in response to the previous email about having regular meetings with your OFS.  Hey John! I meet with my VA every 6 to 8 weeks. These meetings are not particularly productive, but that is not the point. Systems and quick communication will always be more productive than conversations which easily side tracked. Meeting via video regularly makes my VA feel appreciated and like she’s part of a team. We don’t even always talk about work and projects though usually at least ask how the workload has been and if there’s anything I can do to make it easier or more efficient. Meeting via video also builds influence with your employees. It seems like for the most part Filipino VAs do what they’re told because that is their job, but the quality of work always goes way up in my opinion when in addition to it being their job, you have spent the time to develop the influence and relationship with the people that makes them want to contribute at the highest level. We have the opportunity as business owners to you have employees, but we also have the opportunity as business owners to build the types of working relationships that cause both the employees and the leaders to grow. In my opinion it’s the best investment of your time and resource to focus on leading well and growing people because in the long game this will always benefit everybody involved. Video might not be the only way but it’s one of the ways that I’ve been intentional about growth and building rapport and influence This is a great way to build rapport and make your OFS feel like they’re part of the team.  Regular meetings don’t mean you have to meet with them every day or every week. Once a month can be enough as long as you’re intentional about it.  You don’t have to always talk about work. Small talk is how you get to know your OFS and make them part of your team.  It doesn’t even have to be a video meeting at all. I always send my team videos through Basecamp.  I like what he said about influencing your OFS so they’d always want to do their jobs at the highest level. This is good. I’m probably going to try this with my team.  Do you guys have anything you want to add to Brett’s tips? Or is there another topic you want me to talk about? Just reply or send me a message through Facebook or Instagram. My OFS will forward them to me.  Want to really improve the relationship with your OFS, try visiting them in the Philippines.  It's amazing.  John
A few years ago my grandparents (my dad's side) died at 99 and 100 years old.  They died a few months apart, both of them still at home.  They never went to a care facility.  I don't hope to live that long, but I certainly have some long living genetics.  This is kind-of morbid, but I have a death plan. I don't want to live into my 90s. So...if I'm in my 80's and things start to go downhill, I plan on going backcountry skiing on a high avalanche day. Avalanches aren't random...they're predictable within a certain range.  Imagine...I could go out and ski the perfect slope.  If it avalanches and I die, I win. If it doesn't avalanche, I win with the perfect ski run!  Ok...this is unlikely to actually happen, I admit.  To the Philippines...  This June, my OFS’s Jam and Julia traveled to Manila to visit Jam’s parents. When they told me about it, I said, “It’s great that you’re visiting family for vacation! It’s been so long since you've seen them.”  Julia was like, “No, it’s not a vacation. We’re going there because the family asked us to help care for Jam’s elderly parents.”  Retirement care and nursing homes exist in the Philippines. But culturally, it’s not something they’re comfortable with. Financially, it’s not something that most Filipinos can afford. The facilities that do exist in that country mainly cater to expats.  In the Philippines, you’re expected to care for your parents as they age. This is why most Filipino continue to live with their parents, even after they get married. Those that do move out are expected to live close by so they can keep tabs on their family. The only exception to this is when you have to move away for work.  There’s an advantage to this setup. Living with or close to your parents means you don’t have to worry about childcare. Your parents can help watch over your child while you work. You don’t have to worry about rent if your parents own their home. Or at the very least, it’s easier to pay rent with more people contributing.  Retirement homes in the Philippines are super expensive. Prices start at $1665/month for assisted living. It gets more expensive for seniors that need more medical care.  As you can imagine, it can get pretty crowded. Julia sent me this picture.    She and Jam are working in a common area while the parents and cousins and aunts are there.  If your OFS can work with all that chaos around them, they really are rockstars.  One way you can turn your OFS into a rockstar is to make sure they have the training they need. Give them that training: VAsMadeEasy.com You can buy all our training or just pick and choose whatever is right for you.  John
I just got back from cycling across Europe for a month.  No laptop.  That's right.  I didn't take my laptop with me.  "But John...I've been getting your emails 4 times per week for the past month.  I've seen your ads on Facebook and Youtube. How?" Guess.  Yep...OFS.  Running my own business was always about lifestyle for me.  It was hard in the beginning. I was doing everything myself.  Wearing all the hats.  "CEO" (hah...yeah right), book keeper, social media manager, content writer, customer service, web development, marketing, appointment scheduler, sales...  I did it all. I worked a lot. It was hard.  Until I learned how to find and hire the right people.  And, it didn't happen all at once.  It was a slow process.  I hired one person to do one thing. Then I taught them something else. Then something else. Then it was time to hire someone else.  That first person was a leap of faith.  It was hard on me. Can I afford them? Can they do good work? Can I trust someone? Can I keep them busy? The second person I hired was another leap of faith.  Less hard than the first. I already had answers to my questions.  The third person, much less of a leap.  The fourth...easy.  Hiring someone the first time isn't easy for anyone. It's not easy for you. It's not easy for your neighbor. It wasn't easy for that guy you know who is super successful.  But to make progress you have to take a leap.  Working about 17 hours/week is standard for me now. I have an entire team of OFS who run my business, even when I'm away.  Take the leap. It's amazing.  John  We climbed up and over the mountain behind us. Even starting the climb was a leap of faith. It was hard. 
Today is Independence Day in the USA. I'm at Lake Powell.   I've often found that holiday mornings are some of the most productive times for me. Nobody expects normal work. It's a good time to spend an hour working on your business rather than in. Spending 10 minutes posting that job post that you've been putting off would be really good time spent today!  We’re always looking for ways to improve Onlinejobs.ph.  - We beefed up our verification system to improve the quality of Filipino jobseekers on the site. - We’ve improved the design of the website to make it easier to use. - We're working on improving the search function to give you more relevant talent when you search.  In the latest line of improvements, here are some of the things we rolled out to make hiring an Online Filipino Specialist easier and better for you.    You can now upload your business logo in your job post. This will help your job post stand out and make it look even more professional.   We’re now offering annual subscriptions. Rather than paying every month, you can pay once with the annual subscription which will save you up to 71%, and make future hiring a no brainer.   We’ve made improvements on our job board so that all job posts can be seen, even if there are a lot of posts that day. This increases your chances of getting more applicants. We're constantly making changes.  Are there other improvements you want to see? Let me know!  John
This email contains free training to give to your OFS.  I'm sending this out because it has been requested so many times.  Training an OFS sucks.  I know you don't want to do it. I don't want to do it.  It's not fun. It takes time. It requires you to think. It's 1000% effective and will return on your time investment over and over again...  So here's a preview of some of the training we've created for you which you get when you buy VAsMadeEasy.com.  The document below is intended for you, the employer. It's 1 page. It explains the training you're about to give to your OFS.  The training is titled:  The 3 Steps to Quick & Easy Social Media Content Creation  At the end of the document is a link to a video you should watch. It explains the process to you (the employer). At the end of the document is a link to give to your OFS. This is the actual process training teaching them what to do to create social media content for you.  This is one of the shorter trainings we have available inside VAsMadeEasy.com. I'm giving it to you free.  https://media.onlinejobs.ph/SOP_training/3StepstoQuickandEasySocMedContentCreation/SOP-The3StepstoQuickandEasySocialMediaContentCreation.pdf  If having your OFS create social media content for you makes your life easier, feel free to use this. If you want other processes like this, get them at www.VAsMadeEasy.com.  John
While on our bike trip I heard about inflation all over the place.  Gas is $8-9/gallon!  Inflation is affecting everybody, including your OFS.  I got this email from Tiffany.  Hi John, Sorry to bother you on your holiday, but I got a rather urgent note from my VAs today about their cost of living increases, and wonder if you are hearing about this from others? I'm wondering how extreme the effects could be for them? Are you planning a newsletter on this (asap) perhaps? The insane inflation and cost of fuel is really affecting our business here in North America too, but we will be ok. Here's part of what they sent me, I'm glad they felt they could approach me on this: "There has been a rampant price fluctuation happening here in the Philippines because of the Fuel price Hike that started on June 7, 2022.Everything is affected since most companies here in all aspects run their business using Fuel,and I think prices of Rice, electricity and other utilities are expected to rise by next week." I asked my OFS, Julia, and here's her report on the situation:  ----- Since January 2022, the Philippines have been experiencing inflation which contributed to the rising cost of commodities.  One of the first things to feel the impact of the rising fuel prices is food, specifically agricultural products (meat and vegetables). Food has been getting more expensive or shrinking in size. Fuel and food prices are directly related here in the Philippines because most agricultural products are transported to markets and food processing plants by land. Fuel cost is added to the wholesale price when these products are brought to market in different cities. The further they have to transport these products, the higher the cost.  Electricity costs in the Philippines have always fluctuated based on market rates, but it's not solely influenced by fuel prices because we buy electricity from multiple sources (coal, natural gas, renewables). Historically, rising electricity costs are felt more during the summer months, when there's an increase in demand and low water supply is affecting hydroelectric and geothermal power sources.  Commuting costs has stayed relatively stable because the transportation board (LTFRB) has strictly regulated fare even with rising fuel prices. It's only recently that they allowed a provisional fare increase of $0.02 on the base fare for jeepneys. Buses and taxis have not been given permission to increase their fare yet but operators continue to campaign for it. Ride share and motorcycle ride share services have not increased their fare but are able to change their booking fees.  The cost of internet has not increased and continues to be fixed within the plan period. Even with prepaid plans, the price is fixed based on consumption/availed data promo. Water is also a fixed cost.  The government has started gas subsidies to public utility vehicles to help manage fuel costs. The Philippines also has rice reserves that are released in times like this. But the cost of everything else will continue to rise.  --------  At OnlineJobs.ph we're feeling inflation too. We've decided not to raise prices for now.  We just want you to hire the help you need. We want to make it easy. We want it to be reasonably priced.  John
“John, can you just recruit for me? The fact that you made OneVAAway tells me you have it down to a science. I really don’t have the time to do it myself. Let me just pay you to recruit people for me.”  I get a version of that message in my email and social media at least once a week. I always give the same answer.  No.  It’s not because I can’t hire people. I’ve been doing and teaching it for years. We even have a recruiting service at Onlinejobs.ph.  Despite having it, I don’t actively promote our recruiting service. Why?  I don't like it. I always say no when people ask me to recruit for them, no matter how much money they offer, because usually it's not good for them.  Hiring isn't just about finding the person with the right set of skills and experience. If it were, we could easily automate the process.  Hiring the right OFS for your business is also about hiring the right personality. The personality that fits in working with you. The personality that's suited to the role. That’s why we have a DISC personality test at Onlinejobs.ph. I talk about Filipino culture a lot in my podcast, so you know how it would influence your OFS’ behavior.  So the biggest reason why me doing the recruiting for you isn’t going to be good for you is because I’m not you. YOU are the best person to do the recruitment for your business.  OneVAAway.com is my hiring process that helps you hire people that would work well with your business, your personality, and your management style.  My personality, my business, and my management style are the things that influence my hiring needs. So, when I do the recruiting for you, that’s what I’ll always fall back on.  Now, you might ask, “Could it be that OneVAAway only works with your management style, business, personality, etc?”  I’ve noticed that those who say that they’re having problems with the OFS either:    Didn’t really take the OneVAAway challenge   Took shortcuts with the OneVAAway challenge, or   Insisted on doing things I would tell employers not to do (like pre-paying for work, interviewing too early, etc). You’ll find the right OFS for you because Filipinos are not a monolith. Within my team of 40, we have a bunch of different personalities.  Some prefer to work on their own. Some work better in teams. Some are early birds, and some are night owls. Some need a lot of handholding; some work best with minimal supervision. Some are outspoken, while some are shy and introverted.  Doing the hiring yourself is around twice as likely to end in success than if I did it for you.  John  PS. I don't do the hiring at www.OnlineJobs.ph/recruiting. My team in the Philippines does.
Late last year, a typhoon hit Cebu, which affected several of my OFS, mostly our developers. One of the OFS who was affected is Mark, who works as a web designer and front-end developer for us.  Cebu is 2nd largest IT hub in the Philippines. A lot of people move there to gain experience working for tech and start-up companies. Many of these companies set up shop there because of the availability of talent and low cost compared to Manila.  If you're looking for technical workers, you’ll find a lot of people who have either lived, studied, or worked in Cebu.  I wanted to check in on him to see how he’s doing. I figured this is also a great opportunity to introduce you to other people who work in a team and a different perspective on how I hire technical people.  From Mark:  Hi! I’m Mark! I am a Web Designer and Front-end Developer at OnlineJobs. Originally, I am from Negros Oriental (a neighbouring island). But I now live here permanently in Cordova, Cebu and I am mostly proud of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. It’s an engineering marvel and is 5-10 minutes away from where I live.  When I graduated, I moved to Cebu City to gain experience and hone my skills but that would mean that I will be away from my family. My story here in OnlineJobs began when I decided to quit my office job and tried out working from home to be with my family. After resigning, I went on and registered at OnlineJobs hoping to find my very first full-time job online. And then one day, to my surprise, I received an email from John Jonas himself that the team needs a guy with my skill set. I went ahead and grabbed the opportunity. Since then, my life at work has never been this fun.  Work day for me starts in the afternoon since I’m a night owl and I have the freedom to work any time of the day (advantage of working at home). After my afternoon snacks, I go straight to my office and cave there until my tasks are done. My time before and after work is always spent with my wife and 1 year old mini me. I asked Mark what it was like back when he used to work in an office. His answer to that question was really funny.  To be honest, I can’t imagine myself going to work in an office again. Too much travel time because of traffic. I would rather spend that time with my family. When I asked him how he and his family are doing, here’s what he said:  Last year, typhoon Odette affected my work badly. After Odette hit, electricity, water, gas, basic needs, etc., are scarce and hard to get by. Since electricity was forecasted to be fixed in 3 months, me and my family had to move back to our provinces (Siquijor and Negros Oriental) because they weren’t hit as bad as Cebu just so that I can resume work. Our house has minor damages as well. When the electricity and internet was fixed here in our place, we immediately went back. Our area, today, I can say that it has fully recovered from Odette’s wreck. It was such a relief to know that they were safe. I had faith that they'd be able to recover faster with a bit of help. So, I sent them a bit of money to help them relocate.  Now that people are free to travel again, I asked him what places he would recommend if I knew people interested in going to Cebu. Here’s what he told me:  Cebu is quite a big province and has a lot of tourist spots. But personally, I will probably show them Bantayan Island and Camotes Island. Those two islands would be at the top of my list as they have super nice beaches and lots of activities touring around the island. As you can see, it doesn’t take that much work to check in on your OFS. It’s one of those little things that keep them motivated and keeps you connected with your team.  Are you putting off posting a job because you're not sure what to put in the job post? You should get my free Job Post Templates.  John
One of the hardest things to do when you get back from vacation is putting away everything that you brought with you. There’s also the cleaning and the organizing. It’s so much work that sometimes you feel like you need a vacation after coming home from vacation.  We all clean our homes. It’s a universal thing. We all have brooms, rags, and mops.  They also use brooms in the Philippines, sort of.  Remember in my previous newsletter where we talked about how Filipinos use flip-flops and how they have one for indoors and another one for outdoor use? It’s the same thing with brooms. You have an indoor broom (walis tambo) and an outdoor broom (walis tingting).  Why have 2 different brooms?  According to my OFS Julia, the booms that most of us are used to are too flimsy for outdoor use but also too rough for indoor use.  She explains:  Most of us have plants and trees in our yards. A rake works but it can’t go into tight spaces or uneven terrain. A typical broom would break if you use it on mud or wet dirt. A “walis tingting”, which is made by binding the dried-up spines of coconut leaves, is the best tool for the job. The shape and flexibility of the “tingting” make it easy to use in tight spaces. It’s also strong enough to be used in mud and even push water (to clear out puddles) if needed.  We like the floors inside the house to be really clean. That’s why we don’t allow shoes and outdoor slippers inside the house. If possible, the floors inside the house have to be so clean, you’d want to walk barefoot. A regular broom can’t sweep the fine dust that we can feel with our feet. A “walis tambo”, which is made from corn fiber or weed fibers, has really fine hairs that can sweep those up. The “tambo” is so good at sweeping fine particles, we use it every day and before mopping. The “tambo” removes as much loose dirt as possible, then use a mop to clean up the dirt that sticks to the floor.  Most older houses have wooden floors. To clean and polish them we have our leg-powered floor polisher called the “bunot.”  The “bunot” is half a dried coconut husk that you use to scrub and polish the floor. The modern version of this is a floor pad made from woven coconut or plastic fibers. If you want to make your floors shiny and have your leg-day workout, polish your floors with a bunot!
Wow, I didn’t really expect a lot of people to respond to a newsletter about breakfast.  I’m not super passionate about food. For me, food is fuel. I eat to keep myself healthy. My wife says I don't have a "relationship with food".  It's just something necessary for me.  But some have really strong feelings about it.  Thank you for your responses. I showed my OFS, Julia some of them, and I liked her reply so I’m sharing it here. ----------  The typical breakfast I presented here was the typical breakfast for a working-class Filipino. Someone who needs a heavy meal because they need to get to work right away or commute 2 hours to work.  The Philippines, for the longest time, was an agricultural country. People would work from dawn until noon. In order to work for 6-7 hours straight, you’d want something that’s really heavy and filling.  Now that a lot of us commute at least an hour to work, picking up breakfast along the way isn’t really an option. You don’t want to stop anywhere because you might get caught in traffic. There might not be any good food places along the way. So you'd want to eat a heavy breakfast at home.  The typical Filipino breakfast I presented isn’t something we eat all the time. It’s just the kind of breakfast that we find comforting. I don’t eat like that every day. Most mornings, I would have coffee and toast. ---------  Someone pointed out that I didn’t talk about the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables that they have in the Philippines and encouraged eating them for breakfast.  Julia writes: ----------- We do have vegetables for breakfast sometimes! The preparation varies from place to place. When I think of breakfast veggies, I think of tortang talong(eggplant omelet). My husband prefers poqui-poqui(sauted eggplant with egg). Another popular choice is ginisang ampalaya(sauted bitter gourd). The easiest way for me to have veggies for breakfast is to add malunggay(drumstick tree) leaves to my eggs.  Fried fish is also a healthier breakfast option.  I have these options because I’m lucky. I have access to fresh vegetables, fruits, and fish everyday because we have traveling vendors that go to our subdivision. We live close to a wet market. I also have the time to make breakfast. Not everybody has that access. What most Filipinos have access to is a bakery for pandesalor a tapsilogan(food place that serves silog meals all day). ---------  There was also a comment that I should have encouraged fruits for breakfast. I agree that fruits for breakfast are healthy. Here's what Julia said: ----------- Fruits are great, but it’s not typical for us if we need something filling. We sometimes have fruits WITH our breakfast but fruits really aren't enough to fill you up. We do eat a lot of fruits throughout the day and with our meals. We even have a term for it, "panghimagas". It roughly translates to palate cleanser and digestive aid. One fruit that you’d see as part of breakfast is the banana, but more often, you’d find that Filipinos will just bring the fruit with them so they can eat it on their break between the start of their work and lunch.  I know “silog” isn’t healthy but I love it because it’s really comforting. Also, silogas a breakfast meal started as a way to make use of leftovers. The fried rice is made from day-old rice. The fried protein sometimes consists of what was leftover from yesterday. The egg is just added to make it "breakfast-y". It helps reduce food waste, which is always a good thing in my book.  A "healthy" breakfast option that many Filipinos do enjoy that I forgot to mention in the last newsletter is taho. It’s silken tofu with tapioca pearls and caramel syrup. It’s protein-rich and often served hot, which makes it really comforting.  If you want to cut back on sugar, you can ask the taho vendor to hold the syrup. In other places, they add milk or jackfruit. Some personalize their taho at home by adding fruits. Or in the case of my daughter, choco-malt powder. If you want an extra shot of protein without the meat, most taho vendors also sell fresh soy milk which is way better than the ones you can get in stores.  Why didn’t I include this last time? Because I usually have taho as a snack. Most taho vendors walk so you can only get taho if the vendor gets to you in time.  It’s not something everybody can have for breakfast. ---------  Different culture, different food.  John
I'm all about family time. And, if I can include family time with friend time, even better. That's one of the reasons I love Lake Powell.  I just got back from a week at Lake Powell, where we taught a bunch of little girls how to braid hair,  and how to surf:  Including one who is still too little to surf by herself:  We learned all kinds of life skills. But apparently, I forgot the one about how to put on sunscreen. Yes, those are my shoulders, burned around the life jacket outline. By the end of the week, all those girls could surf in the wave without the rope. It's amazing how fast little kids learn.  I got this email from Mike that I wanted to share because there's a lot of relevant learning we can do from it.  How does your company handle time off work? We have 13 OFS working for our company in the Philippines. (Or is it 14 now - I have to think hard to count as we keep growing and hiring.)  Anyway, one area that I'd love to learn more about is how you handle holidays, vacation, and sick leave for your team. Specifics, especially about which holidays you give off, how many days of vacation or sick time, do they earn more as they work longer? What about maternity leave? (Typical to be 3+ months in the Philippines as I learned when our first OFS had her baby.)  Paternity leave? (This will be a new one for us as a baby is on the way later this year.)  Rather than try to understand Philippine holidays vs. US holidays, our policy is just to provide 25 days of paid time off. We'd love to hear specifics about how your company or others address time off, especially considering cultural differences. That's a lot. I'm going to try to answer all of them.  Specifics, especially about which holidays you give off, how many days of vacation or sick time, do they earn more as they work longer?Our policy is "take whatever time off you want or need. If you can, we want to know about it ahead of time." I don't know if it's the best policy, but it works for us. My team just takes their leaves when they need it, like when they're sick or when there's a death in the family. If they ask for a vacation leave, it's never longer than two weeks. So the policy you mentioned about providing 25 days sounds good. I think you should try it to see if it works for you.  I've always tried to make this as easy as possible on myself. I don't want to track days off. I also don't want someone to worry about taking time off. When someone asks for time off, we immediately tell them yes.  What about maternity leave? (Typical to be 3+ months in the Philippines as I learned when our first OFS had her baby.)  Paternity leave?Yes, maternity leave is three months in the Philippines. Paternity leave is seven days. If your OFS is paying into SSS, the Philippines government should pay for their time off. My experience is OFS are usually pretty anxious to get back to work.  I'm not sure that's the best route as I notice that our team doesn't seem to use days when it's a holiday in the Phillipines.Regarding holidays, like you, not everybody in my team takes the day off. Not everybody in my team is Catholic, so religious holidays aren't as meaningful for them. Some choose to work on a holiday to save that time for a vacation. Some work on a holiday to take the day off to attend their kid's recital or doctor's appointments.  The only thing that matters to us is they inform us ahead of time or as soon as possible. They email Joven, me, or my business partner, Dan, to let us know. Once we know how long they'll be out, we can make the necessary adjustments if needed.  For example, if someone in customer service takes a vacation, the team lead will make scheduling changes to ensure there's always someone answering emails.  If it's just one or two days off (like for sick leave) and they don't have anything urgent that needs to be done, we just wait for them to get back.  In my business, we don't have anything urgent. We don't have deadlines. When people take time off doesn't really matter to us.  Your business is probably different.  I suggest you come up with a plan for time off and then ask your OFS if it's fair or if they have anything to add to it. If you have a relationship with them, they'll make suggestions or ask for changes.  John
A few of you will remember this photo:  It's from when my 3rd baby was born.  The baby who gave my wife pre-eclampsia and caused "strict bedrest" for my wife. The baby who set me on a path to work 17 hours/week for the past 12 years. The baby who forced me to really learn what OFS were capable of. She's now 15:   Her name is Bailey. Names can get pretty interesting.  My OFS at the time were named Joven (left) and Paul (right).   Since then I've seen a lot of Filipino names. These aren't unusual...just names:  Dianne Rose Malvar Singson Aurea Esquivel Orbina Don William Rosaupan Fabella Dorothea Mae Pacatang Zaldarriaga Lord Jason Campos Jose  Again...nothing abnormal about those names.  For most of us here in the US, the way we get our names is pretty straightforward. Our last name is our parents' last name. Then our parents choose a first name and a middle name if they want to.  In the Philippines, most get their last names from their father too. But the parents don’t get to choose the middle name, just the first name. The mother’s maiden last name is automatically assigned as the middle name. The only name parents can choose is the first name, and the first name can be as long or as short or composed of several names, as long as it fits on the birth certificate.  So, from above, the first names chosen were: Dianne Rose Aurea Don William Dorothea Mae Lord Jason  For people who like tracing their lineage, this system makes things easier.  Because the parents can only choose the first name, you’ll find a lot of interesting choices, like multiple first names or names spelled differently. Take this baby born in 2021. He has three first names, and there’s no vowel to be found: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7eenx/baby-name-philippines-glhynnyl-hylhyr-yzzyghyl-why  Like I said, names can get interesting.  John
I'm the type of person who asks for forgiveness rather than for permission.  I tend to jump in, before I know exactly how to make it work.  I rarely read instructions.  These were all good things helping me figure out how to outsource to OFS. There was no manual when I started.  Heck, there wasn't even OnlineJobs.ph, which makes it so much easier.  If you're like me, you've likely already hired OFS. You've jumped in. You've made mistakes. You've figured it out.  But a lot of people aren't like me, so I want to simplify things so that if you haven't yet hired someone, you can feel a bit more comfortable.  Nearly every day I hear from someone who says "I just wish I would have done this sooner!" I almost never hear "Man...I should have waited another year before hiring."  Here's the simple of what hiring an OFS looks like (these are normal concerns I hear):  - Posting a job isn't right or wrong. If you're scared about doing it wrong, just post the job. Chances of you doing it wrong is super low.  And, if you don't find the right person, we'll give your money back.  - Narrowing down candidates is easier than you think.  You don't have to have a bunch of tricks. It doesn't take a ton of time. Just ask people questions.  - The prospect of hiring someone is daunting. The prospect of continuing to run your business without help is worse.  - Taxes are a non issue. The OFS is not an "employee". There's no way to W2 them. You don't send them a 1099. They're not in the USA and you don't have a presence in the Philippines. There's no "withholding", no compliance, no regulations.*  - You can't trust the person you're hiring any more (or any less) than if you were hiring someone in your office. The Philippines culture makes this trust way easier. But you won't see that until you try it. (my OFS have my credit card, bank account, home address, access to my email, ...)  - Paying people is easy. Use EasyPay. Or Wise. Or Paypal. Just pay people on time.  - The easiest way to start is to hire someone to do something you know how to do and can teach someone. It's the best case scenario for you. You get something off your plate and immediately stop feeling overwhelmed. You know what to write in your job description, what skills you're looking for, how to train, how to give feedback, what outcomes look like.  Outsource this first. "Do what you're good at and outsource the rest" is the worst advice I've ever heard. As soon as you accomplish the first thing with your new OFS you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Worlds of opportunity open up. You start becoming the CEO.  - You can hire full-time. You can hire part-time. You can hire hourly. You can hire per project. You can hire however you want. We don't dictate what you can or can't do. Just hire someone. Generally offering a full-time job with a salary is going to be better for them (and for you in the long run).  - You hire someone after interviewing them by saying "Hey, you seem like a good fit for us, I want to offer you a job. When can you start?"  That's it.  To some of you, this email feels like, "duh!" this is so obvious. To others, I hope this offers you a path forward.  If you've been thinking about hiring an OFS but aren't sure, the best way is to take two steps forward.  1. search resumes on OnlineJobs.ph. Look at what people can do. 2. Post a job on OnlineJobs.ph.  The rest will follow.  Everything I offer (OnlineJobs.ph, OneVAAway.com, VAsMadeEasy.com) comes with a full guarantee. If something doesn't work out, just let us know and we'll give your money back. We don't want it if we don't earn it. No hoops to jump through.  John  *Don't listen to anything I say. I'm not an accountant or a CPA or an attorney.
Remember back when we used to think that in the future, we’d finally be rid of COVID and get back to normal?  Those were the good old days.  Now, we look at COVID like it’s the flu or the common cold. You don’t want to get it, but you’ll get it sooner or later. When you do get it, we’ll just have to manage it.  Filipinos have learned to live with COVID like the rest of the world. Everything is open for business, but they’ve kept their mask mandate. Because of this, case spikes are smaller. People are still being hospitalized for COVID, but more beds are available now than at the start of the pandemic.  Because of the global supply chain problems, some drugs are still difficult to come by. Vitamins are now more expensive than before. Pharmacies can run out of COVID testing kits and essential medicines like paracetamol and ibuprofen.  COVID hospitalization costs are manageable if they’re up to date with Philhealth contributions, don’t have a severe infection, and have health insurance. Most Filipinos, on average, would need around $450 (P25,000) to $900 (P50,000) for treatment.  But for:    severe cases or   those that don’t have Philhealth, or   are confined in an expensive hospital,  Covid treatment can cost up to $18,000 or more.  https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1482978/surviving-covid-19-a-costly-struggle  This is why I pay for my workers’ Philhealth and health insurance. They get the support they need. They don’t have to worry about their medical expenses as much. I don’t have to worry about their medical expenses. It ends up cheaper overall.  John  PS - Unlike the Philippines, where I live, the mask mandate is long gone.  Garth Brooks, 45,000 people, no masks on anyone! 
I've always found foreign currencies interesting. I'm so used to the green USD that when I first saw other money I thought it was strange.  Now I often use foreign currency as a bookmark souvenir of where I've been.  Most of the world uses paper and linen for their currency. That’s the texture you feel when you touch a dollar bill or a euro. It feels organic. It feels like paper.  But if you’ve ever been to Australia, the UK, Canada, or Mexico, you’ll notice that their currency feels different. They use plastic polymer for their bills. It's supposed to last longer, be water-proof, and be harder to counterfeit. There was even news years ago about how Australians can go swimming with money in their pockets.  Here's my Mexican Peso bookmark:  Notice the see-through butterfly?  The whole note feels slick, almost like wax.  Now, the Philippines is joining Mexico, Australia, and 57 other countries in using plastic bills as their currency.  Why are they changing from cotton-abaca to polymer?  The Philippines has had the idea of using polymer notes for a while now. We know how easily paper bills can break down over time. In a tropical country, paper degrades even faster. This makes the currency more expensive because they have to replace them often.  A more durable currency would help the Philippine government save money since they won’t be printing as much.  Like everything else, COVID also had something to do with it. Paper also attracts a lot of moisture and dirt, making it harder to sanitize. You can damage paper currency if you wash it. With polymer, all you need to do is spray it with alcohol, wipe it with a towel, and you’re done.  They started distributing P1000 bills ($18), and this is what it looks like:  John  PS. Europe seems to be ahead of the times in a lot of things...but not in money. They still use coins all the time! It drove me nuts while we were there.  In Switzerland I gave someone cash and as change, they gave me 9CHF (about $9) in coins!  My kids think it's awesome, so they brought it home.
Mistakes are a part of life. There are a lot of things in my life that I wish I could change. But the one thing I’ve never regretted is doing something and failing at it. Most of my regrets are things that I didn’t do or started too late.  Like with my business, I made a bunch of mistakes when I started. If I had stopped outsourcing back then, nobody would blame me. I had struggled enough times to swear off outsourcing forever.  But I kept at it until I got it right because I knew once I found the right system, any problem that came after would be easier to figure out.  Did your first, second, or third hire not work out? I understand your frustration. The first few people I hired didn’t work out for me either. But once I found the right person and created a hiring process (OneVAAway.com), I learned how to avoid bad hires.  Is your Filipino worker making mistakes? Does it seem like they don’t know what they’re doing? I went through that with several people on my team. Here's what I've found: 1. Ask them why they're struggling to do it right?  Be upfront about the problem and your frustration. 2. Have you set it up so that you're the one always correcting mistakes?  If so, they'll expect it.  Why go through the extra work to make it perfect when you're going to correct their problems anyway? Let them know this isn't how it's supposed to work. 3. Give them a title and a responsibility.  Make it their responsibility to get the work right. You're not the one to be fixing it.  Don't fix their mistakes.  Outside of that, training is the best way to fix problems like this.  Training is a lot of work. That’s why I created a training library (VAsMadeEasy.com), to make it easier for you to train your OFS.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It happens. Expect mistakes to happen with your OFS. Just don't let the mistakes continue and continue. Make changes to correct it.  Go to OneVAAway.com to learn how to hire a great Filipino worker.  Get that great Filipino worker the training they need through VAsMadeEasy.com.  John
Vacation!!!  Such a happy topic.  But not so much in the Philippines.  It comes with stress there.  We’re pretty generous when it comes to giving paid time off here at Onlinejobs.ph. We tell our people they can take as much time off as they want.  But I have always felt like my people are hesitant to take vacations.  We (me and my business partner Dan) want them to take vacations. We want them to have a break from work. I want to share what I can enjoy because of their hard work. I want them to be healthy. Giving them as much time off as they want is one way of doing that.  I thought this was something unique to our company. Then I got this email from Andrea.  When I hired my OFS in Oct 2020 I told her she got 10 US holidays and she was welcome to exchange them for Holidays she preferred. She was also granted 2 weeks of paid vacation upon completing 6 months. She has taken hardly any vacation time, so I addressed it - asking if it was cultural or something else. She let me know it was cultural and that previous employers discouraged vacation time. I assured her we wanted her to take a vacation to come back refreshed and renewed and ready to work again. She was happy to hear that! Regarding the cultural aspect of not taking a vacation, Filipinos are eager to please. This is part of what makes hiring them so amazing. When they find a job they love, they want to do everything they can to keep it. So to show their dedication, they avoid taking leaves as much as possible.  It could also be that they want to save up their leaves for something important. Like if there’s a death or serious illness in the family.  In our case, we let them take all that time off with no limits, and they still don't want to take it.  I know that some employers discourage vacations. I understand why they do that, but I don’t think it’s healthy for your Filipino workers long-term. We all need a break every once in a while, even the most hard-working, dedicated OFS. If you discourage your OFS from taking a vacation, it could be one of the reasons why they disappear.  Encourage your people to take a break.  Encourage them to come back refreshed. Encourage time off.  John  My most recent vacation saw my daughter finish 5th at Mountain Bike National Championships.  I'm a proud papa. 
Our lead generation isn't the same as your lead gen. My business is different than yours.  But lead generation is still critical to almost all businesses, so here are some ideas for you from ways my team does it for me.  - participating in forums - they regularly make posts and contribute to relevant forums. They don't always include links, but when they do, it's usually to my business.  - Social media - My team completely runs my social media channels. I don't actually know what they do there...nor do I want to know.  - Ads - We run google ads. We run Facebook ads. We run YouTube ads.  We DON'T run tik-tok ads (we probably should...I'm just not hip enough yet).  I never login to any of those platforms.  - Free giveaways - we have multiple instructional documents we give away free to bring new leads in.  I didn't write most of these documents.  I didn't write the copy for the opt-in pages. I didn't create the opt-in pages. I didn't hook them up to my email provider (mail chimp). I did write some of the emails that go out.  How is your OFS generating leads for you?  John
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Luzon, with Abra, a province in Northern Luzon, as its epicenter, last Tuesday (July 26). This earthquake was so strong that the effects were felt all the way in Manila, which is 270 miles away.  This has reminded a lot of people of the July 1990 earthquake. That was also in Luzon, and it was so destructive and deadly that it killed 2,000 people.  As far as we know, there are 3 reported casualties, and dozens are injured. Many buildings are damaged, and some partially collapsed. Vigan, a UNESCO Heritage Site famous for its many historical landmarks, suffered much damage.  Their electricity had to shut down temporarily, but it’s now back after they made sure that the power lines are safe to use. Most of the hospitals in the area have also re-opened after they were deemed safe. The local disaster council has been activated, so they’re now working to ensure the people affected are safe and provided for.  People who live in the area were asked to brace for aftershocks. There’s no tsunami warning issued because Abra is a landlocked area, so they don’t have to worry about that. But the area is mountainous, so they’re watching out for landslides.  Below is a list of other areas affected by this earthquake. If you have VAs in those places, you may want to check on them.  Intensity VII – Vigan City  Intensity V – Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; Peñablanca, Cagayan; Dagupan City, Pangasinan; Sinait, Ilocos Sur; Baguio City  Intensity IV – Gonzaga, Cagayan; Baler, Aurora; Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; Ramos, Tarlac; Ilagan, Isabela; Basista, Pangasinan; Claveria, Cagayan; San Jose, Palayan City and Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; Madella, Quirino; Tabuk, Kalinga; Santiago City, Isabela  Intensity III – Quezon City; Iba, Zambales; Navotas City, Malabon City, Metro Manila; Magalang & Guagua Pampanga; Bolinao, Sison & Infanta, Pangasinan; Bulakan, San Ildefonso, Guiguinto, Plaridel, and Malolos City, Bulacan; Tarlac City, Tarlac  Intensity II – Dona Remedios Trinidad, Angat & Santa Maria, Bulacan; Tagaytay City, Cavite; Pasig City Metro Manila; Polillo, Gumaca & Infanta, Quezon  Intensity I – Tanay, Taytay, Morong, Antipolo City, Rizal; Marilao,Bulacan; San Juan City, Las Pinas City, Metro Manila; Lucban, Quezon; Subic, Zambales; Mercedes,Camarines Norte; Olongapo City, Zambales; Carmona, Cavite  If you want updates on this story, you can check it here: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1635407/quake-felt-in-metro-manila
Security is one of the biggest concerns people have when working with an OFS. What if my OFS gets hacked? How secure is the internet in the Philippines?  I understand these concerns. We often see it in the news and in movies about how hackers can steal your information.  The thing is, most of the technology is the same. A bunch of my team use MacBook Airs. A bunch of my team have iPhones. Their Windows computer has the same security as your Windows computer. Routers are made by Cisco or Linksys or... the same companies who make your router.  The biggest security vulnerability is actually you and your OFS. Humans are the weakest link in the data security chain. This vulnerability is so prevalent there’s a name for it: social engineering.  Social Engineering is when an individual cons somebody into providing access to them even if they are not supposed to get that access. They can use tactics that either put people at ease or seem familiar or evoke fear and panic to their mark to achieve their goal of breaching security.  Check this out.  This week my team got an email from me:  Except...I didn't send it.  Someone was purposefully spoofing email as me.  It's the second time it has happened. The first time it happened gmail didn't catch it.  Fortunately there weren't serious consequences involved, but if there were this is a legitimate security concern.  My team has been advised to make sure any email from me or my business partner are actually from us.  Here are a couple things you can tell your team to increase security:  1. Think before you click. Don’t click unfamiliar links and attachments. When receiving links, check the URL by hovering on the link and seeing the actual URL at the bottom of your browser. If that does not work, do a right-click (or a 2-finger gesture tap), use the copy link option in the floating menu, and paste the copied URL to a note app. This will allow you to check the link's validity without opening it.  2. Check the sender of important emails by viewing the original or raw message. Do not ever provide personal information or passwords until you're 100% sure of the source.  Companies will never ask for username/password.  3. Don’t download files you don’t know, especially if you are not expecting to receive any.  4. If you’re really worried about data security, you can also encrypt or password-protect your files. You can do this for Google Drive (https://support.google.com/docs/answer/10519333?hl=en) and One Drive (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/protect-a-document-with-a-password-05084cc3-300d-4c1a-8416-38d3e37d6826)  I know a lot of people worry that the Philippines is less secure.  It's not. They're not more likely to get hacked than you are. Their internet isn't less secure than yours is.  Data security comes down to social engineering almost every time.  John
Everyone wants to hire experienced workers. I get it.  An experienced OFS can get to work right away. They require less training and onboarding, giving you a faster investment return.  ...in theory.  But you know what? Some of the best people I've hired were newbies. They didn’t have any experience. They didn’t know how to do anything. But they were the most loyal, hard-working people who have done amazing things for my business.  Take my project manager, Joven. I had to teach him everything when he first started. If I were just looking for experience back then, I wouldn’t have given him a chance.  Now, he’s a rockstar and my number one worker.  That’s why I like to keep an open mind when hiring. Yeah, newbies require a lot of training and handholding. But most businesses have a lot of tasks that require training in order to hand them off.  You're going to have to train anyone.  Until you've hired a team, consider hiring someone who is new and willing to be taught.  Newbies are also cheaper than experienced workers.  You’ll also get more applicants because there are more inexperienced workers out than experienced ones.  Inexperienced Filipino workers are now more technically proficient than the ones I encountered ten years ago.  I’ve also made training easier, so you don't have to worry even if you hire a newbie. Just go to VAsMadeEasy.com. You’ll love it because it’s less work for you. Your new hire will love it because they want the opportunity to learn on the job.  If you're putting off hiring because you're worried about finding someone super experienced, maybe hiring someone less experienced will be easier for you.  I've talked to a lot of employers who were glad their first hire was someone they could teach.  John
I have a friend who lives in Chile. The other day he sent me a photo of his kids:   Everywhere else in the world it's HOT! (at least...it seems that way)  Here are a few typical Filipino cold desserts according to Julia:  Halo-halo.This beloved dessert is now known worldwide thanks to Jollibee and Filipino restaurants. But the mass-produced stuff still doesn’t compare to the cheap halo-halo you can get from neighborhood stalls. Stalls that are only open during summer afternoons and use authentic halo-halo ingredients. The neighborhood halo-halo stall is where you hang out with your friends to cool down.  Image by: Elmer B. Domingo  Sorbetes. You know the sorbetescart is coming when you hear the sorbetero(sorbetes vendor) call out his wares and ring his bell. Sorbetesis traditional Filipino ice cream made with coconut and/or carabao milk and sold in roaming carts. Each cart can hold 3-4 metal bins of ice cream, each a different flavor. Sorbetes usually comes in tropical flavors like mango, ube (sweet purple yam), avocado, pandan (Asian vanilla) or coconut. You can also find other flavors like strawberry (usually in Baguio), cheese (my favorite), and tablea(Philippine chocolate).  You can have your ice cream on a sugar or wafer cone or as a sandwich .  Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lainetrees/5693223587/  Iskrambol. Iskrambol or ice scramble is shaved banana-flavored frozen evaporated milk, topped with powdered milk, chocolate syrup, marshmallows, and candy sprinkles. This candy-colored Filipino version of a Slushy is a favorite among school kids.  Image source: https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/ice-scramble-recipe-or-iskrambol/  Mais and Saging Con Hielo. Though not as fancy as halo-halo, mais con hielo (sweetcorn with shaved ice and evaporated milk) and saging con hielo (cooked, sweetened bananas with shaved ice and evaporated milk) are perennial favorites because of their simplicity. It’s not as sweet as halo-halo but just as comforting.  Image source: https://www.foxyfolksy.com/plantain-bananas-in-syrup-minatamis-na-saging/  Ice Candy. If you’re craving something cold and sweet on a budget, you can go to your favorite sari-sari store to get ice candy. Ice candy is just frozen juice in a plastic bag. But sometimes, people add their twist to it by adding fruit bits or sweet beans.  Samalamig. Before the world was introduced to boba drinks, we already had a version of it. Samalamigis a chilled drink commonly sold by street vendors. It comes in different fruit flavors and typically has chewables like nata de coco, tapioca pearls, gelatin, coconut meat, and sugar palm fruit at the bottom of the cup. It’s are refreshing drink and snack in one package!  By Judgefloro - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61283444  --------------  My son is about to leave for the Philippines for 2 years to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. People have already told him about the Halo-halo and the Sorbetes.  John
What I'm about to say is totally optional for you.  But it's also really good.  I give my workers at Onlinejobs.ph additional pay for insurance premiums. I pay for their PhilHealth, health insurance, and SSS.  Because I don’t have a business entity in the Philippines, I can’t pay for these benefits directly. I reimburse after they’ve made their payments.  How do I know if they really paid for these benefits? Specifically for PhilHealth and SSS. Do they just tell me they’ve paid for it, and I just send them the money?  Of course not.  We reimburse them after they send in their receipts.  As I mentioned, Filipinos are mostly honest and will be glad you're paying for these premiums. They'll be happy to get those receipts to you.  If they send bogus receipts for those and ask you for the money, they are cheating themselves more. By not paying the premiums, they’ll miss out on the protection and benefits of government-mandated insurance.  You can also ask for their transaction records if they didn’t keep the receipts. Filipinos can access their Philhealth (https://memberinquiry.philhealth.gov.ph/member/)  and SSS (https://member.sss.gov.ph/) transaction history through their websites. It’ll show the record of their contributions, loans, etc.  John  PS. on my ride today I broke my bike saddle. We snobby people who ride bicycles seriously don't call it a "seat", we call it a "saddle". Mine is (was) all carbon. I got careless with where I leaned my bike and it fell. Carelessness...such a curse. 
You’re ready to hire another OFS for your team. Should you delegate that process to your OFS?  That’s the question Corey asked in his email.  John, Gotta confess - most of the time I can't stand people's weekly emails and usually unsubscribe. Your emails haven't met that fate yet! Honestly, I find them insightful and helpful. So I'm writing with a question I'd love you to address. What do you think about having your longtime, trusted Filipino VA hire someone else for you on Onlinejobs.ph? I originally hired my VA at your website YEARS ago. She's been fantastic and I like to think we have a great working relationship. Now, I need someone with a certain specialized skill set and thought of having her source this position. Good idea? Bad idea? Or somewhere in between? Thanks in advance for your guidance.Blessings,Corey I'd say YES...but it also depends.  I understand wanting to delegate this process. It’s one less thing on your plate. If this new OFS is working with your current OFS, you’d want them to get along.  The good thing about Corey’s situation is he already has a loyal VA. She knows Corey’s business and management style. She’s not going to take this task lightly. She’ll want to bring in someone she can work with and make the business better.  What I've seen from my OFS over the years is that if they're hiring someone: 1. they want to make sure the person does a good job because the new person's work reflects on your current OFS 2. they're hesitant to recommend someone they aren't SURE is going to be good 3. they take responsibility with the new person. They work to solve problems.  It’s good if: - The current OFS knows exactly what you need for that position and - They have a wide enough network to source this person from. This network can include OnlineJobs.ph.  Ask your OFS if they're comfortable doing the hiring for you.  For the final decision, if the person is working for me directly I make the final decision. I'll still interview. If the person is working directly for my current OFS, I let them make the final decision.  If you don't have an OFS, the best solution would be to hire one yourself. I can teach you to find an OFS that will fit your business and your personality at OneVAAway.com  John
We have superstitions here in the US.  - Don't walk past a black cat - The number 13 is bad luck (Friday the 13th, most high rise buildings don't have a 13th floor...) - Don't walk under a ladder  There's more of this in the Philippines. Julia (my content OFS) writes: ------------  Even though a lot of us aren’t that superstitious anymore, it’s deeply rooted in our culture here in the Philippines.  Take the greeting we use when we enter someone’s home, “Tao po”. When you enter a Filipino’s home, we use the traditional greeting “Tao po” as we’re knocking on the door. Tao po literally means, “I’m a person.” It’s a habit. We don’t really think much about it when we say it.  But we use this greeting because of the pre-colonial pagan belief that elemental creatures walk among us. They play tricks like hiding your things or knocking on your door. Saying “Tao po” is reassuring the homeowner that we’re humans, not spirits.   We also believe these elemental creatures live in large, old trees, rocks, and mounds of earth. So it’s considered good manners to say, “Tabi-tabi po” (excuse me) when you pass by places with them. Announcing your presence shows that you respect these creatures, so they stay out of your way. If you fail to do this, the creatures can curse you.  Everybody has a story about how one of their family members got sick because they weren’t polite to the spirits, so being rude just to spite them isn’t worth it. I don’t believe this, but I still say “tabi tabi po” because I don’t want to risk it.  Image from https://filmfreeway.com/TabiTabiPo  Superstition is even a cottage industry in the Philippines. In front of a lot of churches, you’ll find fortune tellers and faith healers. You’ll see people selling folk medicine, talisman, and charms beside rosaries, candles, and religious statues.   Some places even showcase these beliefs as part of their tourism campaigns.  Obando, a municipality in Bulacan (21.7 km from Manila), is renowned for its Anitist fertility festival. Childless couples dance in a procession every May to honor Tagalog fertility gods and Catholic saints. It’s said that they will grant you a child if you offer chicken eggs to the church altar (for the saints) and dance with all your heart (for the deities).   Image from https://mb.com.ph/2022/05/17/thousands-expected-to-join-fertility-dance-2022-in-obando-bulacan/  Mark, one of our developers, is from Siquijor. Siquijor is a magical island because of how prevalent witchcraft and traditional healing are. People flock there to get their fortunes told, for healing, or to hex people. The practice is so widespread you can even buy love potions and folk remedies as souvenirs!  Lizards and tree barks are used to make potions. Image from: https://dumaguete.com/siquijor/witches-and-healers-in-siquijor/  -----------  When I lived in Brazil for 2 years as a missionary I remember some of their superstitions. - If you drink cold water when it's hot outside you'll get sick - A 2 liter bottle full of water on top of your homes power meter will lower your electricity bill
When it comes to outsourcing your business (or yourself!) to the Philippines, there’s definitely a learning curve.  Here are 6 ways you can guarantee failure for yourself : (Hint: Don’t do these things!)  1. Try To Hire Someone To Do Everything Here’s an example of an email I’ve gotten from business owners over the years.  Hi John! I’m looking for someone to help me in by business. I need a VA who can build and design my website, create a database from my products, write a weekly newsletter and blogpost, make videos for social media and make product images for me. Is there someone like that on your website?  So wait…you want a programmer, graphic designer, video editor, webmaster, fluent in English and likes to write, who can write sales copy, autoresponders, forum posts, ebooks, and reports.  Haha!  Yeah, right!  Hire someone to do a specific task. Then train them to be able to do everything.  2. Hire A Project Manager Don’t try to hire a project manager first along with 6 others, and expect that “project manager” to manage those other 6 and get things done. They don’t know how.  YES! They’re very capable of being project managers. But you're not going to turn everything over to someone right away.  3. Hire Someone And Ignore Them  This is in line with #2. Someone isn't going to step in and run everything without significant help from you. You have to train people. You have to provide feedback. If you need help with training, we got you covered with VAsMadeEasy.com  4. Ask Someone To Do Work Before You Offer Them A Job This is my favorite.  I get an email that says:  Can you please tell me why I can’t successfully hire someone, they all keep disappearing. Here’s the email I send them: I want you to start by doing a trial task. Write 20 articles, submit them to article directories, do a bunch of directory submissions for me, build me a website and write all the content for it. Then, I’ll evaluate your work and see if it’s going to work out. Yeah, right!  They’ll only do work AFTER they know they have a job working for you. If you are giving a test task, pay them for their time and effort.  5. Demand Immediate Results  This is a long-term proposal here. I’ve been doing it for 17 years. You’re not going to see the same results in 17 days.  Don’t expect it.  6. Search and Search and Search For The Right Person, Then Email Them  Hey John, I searched for 3 days and I found the perfect candidate. They can do everything you said wasn’t possible back up in #1 on this blog post. Why won’t they respond to me? Why?  Because they already have a job and they’re loyal to their current employer.  Instead of trying to find the perfect person up front, try contacting 20 potential fits, see who responds, then sort through them.  These aren’t hard things to avoid…you just have to know about them to avoid them. Now, hiring an Online Filipino Specialist will be much easier. See how easy it is to find the best person for your business at OneVAAway.com.  John
I’ve mentioned how Filipino homes are small, how they clean their homes, and how they use tsinelas. All these topics revolve around Filipino homes, and I just realized I haven’t talked about the actual houses yet.  I will fix that today.  The most iconic architectural style for homes in the Philippines is the bahay kubo. It’s a home made of natural materials like coconut lumber, plywood, bamboo, nipa (mangrove palm), and coconut leaves. It's often built on stilts for ventilation and prevent animals from going in the house. This style is usually found in rural and coastal areas. It’s easy and cheap to build and move.  When I say move, I mean you can literally have people carry your house to move it to another location. If you need to move to be closer to other family members, avoid bad weather, or be closer to a water source and you're only moving a couple of blocks, it's sometimes easier to just move your entire house than build it from scratch. To move their homes, they'd ask their neighbors for help. It's a lot like asking your friends to help you move, but in this case, you're asking them to move your whole house.   Another common style in the Philippines is the bahay na bato(stone house). This style became popular during the Spanish colonial era, so you'll see them in many heritage sites in the Philippines like Vigan, Intramuros, or Dapitan.  It’s usually 2 stories high, the first floor built mainly from stone, and the 2nd floor could be built from hardwood. The second floor would often have wide windows that wrap around the whole house to allow as much light and ventilation as possible. To show off your wealth, the home can feature expensive and intricate details like ornate carvings on the banisters and capiz (a light, iridescent shell) on the windows.    These homes were built mainly for the Spaniards and wealthier Filipinos. They often surround the town plaza where the church, schools, government offices, and businesses are often located.  Both the "coconut house" and the "stone house"are suited to the tropical climate. They both have a lot of ventilation. The stone house can withstand typhoons, while the coconut houseis easy to rebuild when it does get damaged. That's why these styles still exist today. But the problem with both these house styles (which the Americans found out the hard way when they came to the Philippines) is the lack of indoor kitchens and plumbing.  So when the Americans started building bases here, they introduced the tsalet(chalet) home.  It's still built with ventilation in mind, but they also introduced concrete as a building material. Unlike the coconut and stone houses, the tsalethas indoor kitchens, plumbing, and parking. They started out as template houses for US soldiers and officers in US bases like Baguio and Pampanga. Below is a popular example, the Bell House in Baguio.  It looks like a typical American house, right? But what differentiates the tsaletis it was specifically designed for mountainous tropical terrain. It's cooler in the mountains, but it can still get really hot and humid, especially during the summer. So the tsalet has a lot of windows for ventilation. Since they're in the mountains, they're also well insulated to keep the heat in. Some even have fireplaces! The Filipino builders and carpenters they hired to make these homes shared the knowledge, and tsalet became the standard after World War 2.  Those are the older homes in the Philippines. The newer houses are more generic. Most city houses now are ramblers, townhouses, and condos made of concrete, steel, and glass. Cookie cutter homes or ultramodern styles that look like every other housing development. Similar to what you see in suburban USA...typically just smaller.  Often they find ways to still integrate the old styles into modern homes. Like, if you have a yard, you can buy a miniature kubo where you can hang out or eat outdoors.   John  PS. Would you prefer this newsletter in a podcast?  I record these as podcast episodes, often with more detail. /podcast/
Jonathan emailed me an interesting question that I think is relevant to everyone hiring OFS. It will give us some good insight into what banking is like in the Philippines.  Hey - do you have a post on banking? One my OFS doesn’t have a bank account and says there isn’t a bank on their island. They primarily use PayPal. However, we process all of our payments through Gusto which aligns our accounting nicely, I’m not going to deviate from that. Do you have any articles that might be helpful? Thanks,Jonathan I asked one of my OFS, Jam, to answer this. He used to work for PayPal and is familiar with banking protocols. ------------ If the VA is living in a rural/agricultural area or a small island, the only bank available would likely be a small rural bank or a cooperative. Most small banks are not connected to the network with international banking access, which means the bank would not have a SWIFT code, making international bank transfers impossible.  The advantage of using PayPal is it would also allow him to transfer funds from his PayPal account to GCash. GCash is like our Venmo. We can use it anywhere, and it can easily be converted to cash.  Another reason why the OFS is asking for payments through PayPal is because Filipino workers have learned to mistrust employers who "pay" using direct bank transfers. It’s widely circulated among the VA and freelancing communities that some scammers will say that they will send a bank transfer to pay for work, and there was none. The scammers will then send a fake screenshot showing the alleged "bank transfer successful" receipt. As a result, many have recommended avoiding employers that "pay" using direct bank and wire transfers. Using PayPal protects the worker because they get to see if the transfer did go through.  But looking at Gusto, it’s understandable that paying through PayPal would be difficult. I recommend asking the VA to create an online savings account instead.  A BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) or CIMB (Commerce International Merchant Bankers) savings account can be created through the GCash app. They can also open an online UnionBank account. They don’t go to an actual bank to do this, and these banks have active SWIFT codes.  -----------  Thanks Jam!  This means basically anyone in the Philippines can get an online bank account connected to their GCash. Any payment system should work with these online bank accounts.  We have people all over the country.  Urban (in Manila) and super rural (no bank close by).  We pay them all with EasyPay.  John
The best (and fastest) way to succeed with outsourcing is to get stuff off your plate and outsource the things you know how to do. That way, you know what to look for. You know what looks good and what looks terrible. If your OFS needs help, you know how to help them.  But what about a job that you don't know how to do? Can your OFS do this for you, or should you hire another OFS?  It depends.  If: - it's a small task - there's training available for it (you can check VAsMadeEasy.com) - it's something your OFS has time to do, and they've shown interest.  It might be better to give this task to your OFS.  This is how I got my team to do things like social media, things I have no idea how to do. I check if there's someone on my team who would be interested. If so, and they have some experience, I get training for them. I read through the training, so I know what to expect. My OFS goes through the training and implements what they learned.  I ask them to provide me with a summary of what they learned and what they will do. This way I have a pretty good idea if they understood the training and if what they're about to do is right for my business.  There's a learning curve but I prefer doing it this way because I'm giving this new task to someone I already know and trust. It's easy for us to talk through the process. They're learning how to do this task by doing it, and I'm learning based on the feedback they're giving me.  This is why we created VAsMadeEasy.com; I wanted training that could be instantly handed off to an OFS and they could summarize it for me and start implementing.  I didn't want to have to sift out the pieces that were intended for the CEO (almost all trainings assume the business owner is the one taking the training).  This process doesn't work for all tasks!  So what about something that you can't have someone on your team do? What about hiring someone technical? How do I do this?  The first thing I do is research. I ask someone I know who understands that thing to point me in the right direction. If I can, I'll ask two people. "Hey, I'm looking to get X done. What kinds of skills should I be looking for?"  Once I have enough information, I start looking for qualified people at Onlinejobs.ph.  It's amazing what looking through profiles will tell you about the qualifications you need for your job.  Then I post a job with as good of a description as I can. I've even found it helpful to say in the job post "I don't really know how to do this so I'm looking for you to direct this project for me."  When choosing who to hire, if you don't know how to tell how good someone is going to be, go with experience and pay. - More experience is almost always going to yield a better result for you. Ask how much experience they have with X thing. - More experience almost always means higher pay.  Last, ask them how they'll solve your problem. Like, ask them for a plan. If you don't understand their plan, or don't like it, it's probably not a good fit.  John
Many of you have been asking how much I pay in benefits per year per person to my team. I did some back-of-the-napkin math, and here’s what it looks like.    Your OFS can pay more to their SSS (since they are paying as voluntary members, not under a company). The bigger the premiums they pay, the more their benefits increase. Things like loans, maternity leave, and eventually, their pension.  Some of my OFS pay their Pag-IBIG fund contributions. At Php 200 a month (less than USD 4), they can take a home loan from this government fund and withdraw their contributions with dividends after 20 years.  A good rule of thumb is, if you want to contribute more, you can contribute a maximum of 13% of the salary to the SSS and a maximum of 4% for Pag-IBIG.  The amount we pay for our OFS' health insurance would depend on the provider. Most of my OFS got ValueCare, and they gave us a $400 yearly quote. This was the one we ended with initially because it gave our team the most coverage for their locations. But depending on your team’s needs or budget, you can get less or more. The cheapest plan we saw was around $150/year, but they don't have a lot of coverage. You can compare plans using this site: https://mariahealth.ph/individual/  We pay their health insurance twice a year. We pay quarterly or monthly for the other benefits, depending on how often they send in their receipts.  Our new-hire OFS do not get these right off the bat. We usually wait around 2-3 months after they've started. When we’re sure the person is a good fit, we start paying for benefits.  If you want more details on these benefits: https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/how-to-compute-for-filipino-va-benefits  PS. My oldest son started his missionary training recently.  He's on zoom classes all day long for 2 weeks at home.  Then he'll move to the Missionary Training Center in Provo. Then on to the Philippines. We won't see him for nearly 2 years. Not looking forward to that move! 
I hate FB...but you already know that.  I've said it multiple times.  I don't have it on my phone. I don't login to the website. I didn't see the news that blah blah blah...  So how do we run so many FB ads?  To be completely honest, I don’t know.  I mean, I know in general how it’s done.  I just don’t know how it’s posted. Or what website to go to. Or what buttons they push.  I don’t need to know that because I have a fantastic OFS team to do that for me.  Here’s our process.  It starts with brainstorming. We look at what our marketing objectives are. I work with my team to come up with concepts. If I have an idea, I just record a bunch of videos and send them to the team.  Sometimes they come up with ideas, and they send me a script. I tweak the script, shoot the videos and just send them to my team.  Once my team gets the video:  My video editor grabs them and edits them. Sometimes I give feedback when some parts don’t work. But for most cases, the videos come out great. Once he gets the green light for them, the videos are sent to the writer.  My writer watches the videos and writes several titles and captions per video. After a grammar check, they’re sent to the FB ads manager. The FB ads manager tests the ad, schedules, and monitors them. The best-performing ads stay on. The worst of the bunch is deleted.  My FB ads manager also monitors my social media for posts that do well. She boosts a post if she sees it getting a lot of views and engagement.  That’s the simplified version.  I want to point out that the ads are just part of an overall marketing strategy. The team tweaks the messaging depending on what part of the marketing funnel they’re working on.  That’s how we create and run a lot of ads. I don’t need to know how to do it myself because I got a team of specialists to help me.  Do you want your OFS to learn how to run FB ads for you too? We have training for that at VAsMadeEasy.com.  John  PS. How we train OFS isn't super different than how I'm teaching my little kids to ride mountain bikes.  We ride a bunch of times. Then I pay other people to teach them. Here's my daughter learning to brake properly at a skills clinic last week. 
Just giving you guys a head’s up that Aug 29, 2022 (Monday) is a regular holiday in the Philippines. A "regular" holiday is like a bank holiday in the US.  The holiday is National Heroes Day in the Philippines. It’s celebrated every last Monday of August and was enacted in 1931. The day was meant to commemorate the Cry of Pugad Lawin, the first revolt that kicked off the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.  What is the Cry of Pugad Lawin?  Here’s the story. Pugad Lawin (trans: Eagle’s Nest) is a place in Quezon City. It’s said that in August 1896, a group of Filipino revolutionaries (Katipuneros) gathered for a meeting to discuss starting a revolution against Spain.  During the meeting, as a symbol of their defiance, the Katipunerostore up their cedulas(community tax certificates) and cried out  "Viva la Independencia Filipina" (Long live the Philippines).  This was a big thing because these cedulaswere essentially IDs, given by Spain as receipts when you pay your taxes. They refused to recognize Spain’s authority.  Technically, this wasn’t the first time Filipinos revolted against Spain. But this was the first organized revolt with the clear goal of independence, not just reform. Born from the Cry of Pugad Lawin was the formation of an insurgent government, a constitution, and organized attacks against Spain from different parts of the Philippines.  Why is it celebrated on the last Monday of August? Well, nobody remembers exactly when this happened. Those present gave conflicting accounts of when it happened. The only thing they agreed on was that it happened in August 1896. They just settled on the last Monday of August to make it easier.  If you want updates on the latest Philippine holidays, subscribe to our holiday calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=lcvk4qcjgj299mlqs7b02b7pmk%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Asia%2FManila  John
I'm not a big movie guy.  I'm also not a big superhero guy or superhero movie guy.  I haven't seen the latest [insert any superhero movie name here] movie.  But Julia (and most of the world it seems) is.  So here are some Filipino superheros according to Julia my OFS: ----------------  I’m excited whenever a new superhero movie comes out. We’re big fans of superheroes here in the Philippines.  Our love for superheroes started during the golden age of Philippine comics, which began in 1946. American GIs stationed here in the Philippines would share or leave behind comic books. We fell in love with superheroes so much that we started creating our own. Some were adapted from American superheroes. Some are uniquely Filipino. Below are just some of them.  Darna. Darna is our biggest and most famous superhero. She’s so popular that she has several movies and TV shows that have been rebooted and played by several actresses. She looks like Wonder Woman and has similar powers like super strength and flight. But unlike Wonder Woman, she wasn’t born with superpowers.  Darna is, in fact, Narda, an orphaned, disabled young woman. Because of her kindness and a strong sense of justice, the deities gifted her with a magic pebble. When she swallows this magic pebble and shouts out “Darna,” she transforms into a superhero. She shouts her name and spits out the rock to change into Narda.  Image By "Darna Art Galleries." Mars Ravelo's Darna. Retrieved 2008-11-18., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20270854  Captain Barbell. Captain Barbell is inspired by Superman and Thor but has a similar backstory to Darna. A deity gives Tenteng (nickname for Vincent) a barbel or a medallion (depending on the movie/TV). He turns into a superhero when he shouts, “Captain Barbell.”  Image By http://www.geocities.com/capsulezone/cap-barbell.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21204891  Panday. Panday (blacksmith) is one of the first superheroes we have that wasn’t inspired by an American superhero. Panday (alter ego, Flavio) is a blacksmith who gained power when he forged a sword from a magical meteorite. He doesn’t have superhuman abilities, but his sword can emit energy bolts and cut through anything, which is helpful because he usually fights demons and flesh-eating beasts.  Image By Philippine Postal Corporation - From the phlpost.gov.ph website: Archived 2016-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80529551  Pedro Penduko. Pedro Penduko is a lot like Spiderman because he’s young, easygoing, and quippy. Pedro started as a cowardly teen. But when he gains an amulet that turns into a magical sword, he’s forced to fight monsters that terrorize his hometown. My daughter is such a big fan of this one.   Batang X. Batang X is like the X-Men if they were all kids. Instead of a kind mentor like Professor X, they were kidnapped by an evil alien (Dr. Axis). I loved this show growing up. It was so popular, McDonald’s helped produce it and gave out Batang-X comics (see below) as part of the Happy Meal.   Trese. This is our most famous superhero, thanks to Netflix turning the graphic novel into a show. (Check it out! It’s terrific!) Alexandra Trese is a healer/warrior responsible for maintaining the peace between humans and elemental creatures. In the world of Trese, elemental creatures live among humans; we’re just unaware of it. The creatures have an uneasy truce for their survival. Alexandra’s family is responsible for investigating and delivering justice for creatures breaking this truce or harming humans.  Image By Netflix/BASE Entertainment - NetflixGeeked Twitter, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67799777  And that’s just off the top of my head! Special mentions include Kumander Bawang (Commander Garlic, he fights vampires), Kapt. Pinoy (our version of Captain America), Pandakekoks (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, except they’re frogs), ZsaZsa Zaturnnah (LGBT Wonder Woman), Super Inday and the Golden Bibe (a goose gives young woman superpowers).  -------------  For me, my wife is superhero enough.  John
Tropical storm Florita is the 6th typhoon that entered the Philippines this year. I'm letting you know about this storm because it’s really strong. It’s causing a lot of rainfall in most of Luzon, increasing the risk for landslides and flooding.  In case you don't know Philippines geography (I'm still learning) Luzon is the big island in the Philippines.  Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Makati, and a lot of other big cities are on Luzon. Most of them are having flooding.   Source: https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/tropical-cyclone/severe-weather-bulletin/1  It’s so strong that the Philippine government canceled work and classes along the storm's path. They also issued a storm warning, banning passenger boats and fishing vessels from going to sea.  If you have OFS in Luzon, you may want to check on them. If you have OFS in Visayas or Mindanao, they should be okay.  John
I started using Basecamp to manage projects in like 2005. It was just me. I didn't have anyone working for me.  It was my organization and task list. Things to get done soon and ideas for later.  Since then I've gotten super comfortable with how project management software fits in our work flow.  Are you new to project management and want an example of how someone else does it?  If you’ve never done project management, it’s best to keep it simple. To start, all you need to do is ask yourself the following questions:    What’s the project, and what’s the end goal for this project?   Who are the people that I need to get this project done?   What are the different steps that need to be done to complete the project? All project management software revolves around these three questions. The rest are just details.  Most project management software will ask you for the project name and details. That’s what the first question is going to answer.  The next step in creating a project usually involves adding the right people for the project. That’s why you need to answer question #2.  Question # 3 is where you start thinking about the tasks. I don’t usually put in the tasks right away. Sometimes I brainstorm with my team first on what these tasks should be. Once we know what they are, they often automatically assign these tasks to themselves.  Sometimes, I know exactly what I want them to do. So I just create the task, assign it to the right person (or persons), then talk about the details in the comments thread.  That’s all you need to get started. You can start adding details as you get used to it, like deadlines, files, milestones, etc.  This is how we implement with Basecamp:  https://youtu.be/co6y4GF0SlY  John
One of the things I regularly outsource to my OFS is writing.  It’s not that I can’t write. It's that I hate it. And it's super time consuming.  When I started my online business, one of the things I did was regularly write articles and submit them to article directories. I wrote blog posts, landing pages, sales pages, and squeeze pages.  It wore me out mentally and physically (so weird that typing can wear you out physically...)  So naturally, it was one of the first things I outsourced.  Immediately I was so relieved. I didn't have to force myself to write anymore. It gave me time to go into detail on topics I wanted to cover, but which I didn't have time or mental energy for (an example of this is the long blog post I wrote about mindless work).  Removing the pressure to write made writing more enjoyable and less of a chore.  Because I'm not bound to it anymore, I can step back to look at our marketing overall and not just the content creation side of things. Win Win.  Even if you're the type of person who enjoys creating content for your business, you can still benefit from having an OFS for content creation. Having a creative person on your team gives you another person to bounce ideas with. Somebody to help you flesh out ideas if you're stuck. They can work on topics that you don't have the time for or you're not interested in. They can contribute their ideas to a certain topic. They can contribute new ideas.  The next step for me was to make sure the content we create is really good, and I have to admit, it took a while for us to get there.  One of the things I often had to work on with my OFS is getting them to write like me. Filipinos tend to be more formal, and I’m more conversational. I made them read a lot of the stuff I wrote. I also send a lot of feedback videos. This email that you're reading right now went through several feedback videos just to get it right. (hint: I didn't write this).  Another issue we encounter at times is when Filipino mannerisms and idioms get into their writing. I've had them eliminate phrases from their writing like "to avail" or "if ever"...phrases which make sense, but which don't sound natural to me.  If I don't understand it, I have them rewrite everything. It usually comes back better when I point out that I didn't understand it.  When I saw myself doing a lot of proofreading and editing, I delegated that to someone else. I got them a Grammarly account to help with the proofreading. I implemented a system where two pairs of eyes have to go through the content before it gets to me. So when the content gets to me, all I need to do is approve it or give feedback.  That’s exactly how things work with my newsletter right now. Sometimes I write the emails. Or I give Jamie (my OFS) a few ideas and she’ll write the emails. Sometimes the ideas come from her.  All the email drafts go through editing and QA before she makes a draft on Mailchimp. Once they’re there, I go through them and schedule the ones I like. I email her if there are drafts that are lacking or don’t feel right. The fact that she’s doing most of the work for me is why we can send out emails four times a week.  Want to know how I find great writers? Go to OneVAAway.com  John
I mentioned briefly about paying attention to the exchange rate when I talked about inflation a few weeks back.  When I first started outsourcing to the Philippines in 2005, I had no idea what the exchange rate was.  I just paid this agency $750/month and I had a full-time person working for me (Joven).  When Joven left the agency and came to work for me, I paid him $500/month, which was double what the agency was paying him. Win-win.  Then, a couple years in Joven emailed me and said:  "Sir, I don't know if you know this or not but the Peso is at Php 38 to 1 USD. When you started paying us it was at 50.  We've had a 20% pay cut because the dollar is struggling."  I had no idea and I felt terrible!  They were struggling financially because of the US economy crash of 2007.  I started paying them more to make up for the difference.  I also started paying attention to the exchange rate.  Global inflation has made the exchange rate more volatile over the past 2 years. Before the pandemic, the Philippine peso to US dollar exchange rate was between Php 50 to Php 52 to 1.00 USD. Now, it fluctuates between 47 to 56 pesos per dollar.  That difference of 2 or 9 pesos is nothing for us. Nine pesos is roughly worth 20 cents. You can’t buy anything for 20 cents.  But in the Philippines, a dollar that costs 47 pesos and a dollar that costs 56 pesos is a big deal.  Let’s say you have an OFS, and you’re paying that person $600. Let’s convert that using the lowest exchange rate between the Philippine peso and the USD in the past 5 years: Php 47 to 1.00 USD. At that rate, their take-home pay comes out at Php 28,200.  Now let’s convert that $600 USD using the highest exchange rate so far (Php56 to 1.00 USD), which comes out to Php 33,600.  Php 28,200 vs Php 33,600.  That’s a difference of Php 5,400, worth around $100. That’s 1/6th of their income. That’s $100 that could have gone to pay for this month’s internet, water bill, or groceries.  Some employers get around this by paying in pesos instead of dollars. The problem with this approach is that you really have to pay attention to the exchange rate.  What I do is just monitor for big changes in the exchange rate. If there’s a really sharp dip, that’s when I send a little more. My team tells me they also monitor the exchange rate to get the most out of every dollar.  Like, for the past few weeks, the dollar has been really strong, so my team is actually getting more even though I’m not paying them more. As I write this, USD is at 56 Php. But if or when the Philippine peso strengthens in value, that situation could change.  Look, I'm not saying you need to look at this every day. It's just something to be aware of.  You can always see the exchange rate by searching "USD in PHP".  John
Here’s a quick lesson on Philippine Geography to make it easier for you to identify what part of the country your OFS is located in.  The Philippines is subdivided into 17 political regions, Regions 1 to 13, plus four regions that don’t have numbers in their name. Region 1 is in the northmost part of the country; then it goes down to 13, which is in the southmost part.  These regions are distributed among the 3 island groups: Luzon (north), Visayas (center), and Mindanao (south).  You can tell what part of the country a region is based on the number. Regions 1 to 5 are in Luzon, the biggest island group in the northern part of the Philippines.  Also, in Luzon are 3 of the 4 regions that don’t have a number to their name: the MIMAROPA region, the National Capital Region (also called Metro Manila), and the Cordillera Administrative Region.  Regions 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), and 8 (Eastern Visayas) belong to the Visayas, the smallest island group in the middle of the country.  Regions 9 to 13 belong to Mindanao in the south. Also included is the only other region that doesn’t have a number in its name: BARMM or the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.  Why do you need to know the different island groups? So you know whether your OFS is affected by a natural disaster.  I talked about a major earthquake in Northern Luzon a few weeks ago. It made national and international news because of how strong it was. But because it happened in Luzon, my OFS living in Visayas and Mindanao were unaffected by it. I didn’t have to worry about my entire team, just those living in Luzon.  Learning about the culture also helps when working with an OFS. I talk about Philippine work culture in detail in my book, The Outsourcing Lever.  John
"My Filipino worker just disappeared!" I've heard this quite a few times from other business owners, especially those just starting out. This usually happens in these 3 situations:  1. You just hired a new person, gave them their first task, and then they tell you they have to resign.  2. You’ve had someone working for you for a bit; they’ve done great work, then suddenly you don’t hear from them for a week.  3. You’ve had someone working for you for years, and they stop responding to your emails and don’t email you for a month.  In over 90% of the cases I’ve seen, the cause is that the person is embarrassed that they don’t know how to do whatever you’ve asked them to do.  They either don’t know how to solve something, don’t understand something, or can’t figure something out.  The natural Filipino reaction is to shy away from it because they don’t want to disappoint you.  Unless you want to lose an employee (or lose months of productivity like what happened to me a couple of times), you need to do a few things.    You need to provide training. On-the-job training is ingrained in Filipino work culture. You can create the training or use the ones we have at VAsMadeEasy.com.   Email them and tell them you know they have a problem.   Tell them that you’d like to know what the problem is so you can help them solve it.  The first step will literally save you thousands of dollars and countless headaches. Numbers 2 and 3 will help you gain their trust.  When they’re confident about their skills and know they can trust you, they’ll run out of reasons to disappear.  Usually this is when someone starts to go above and beyond what you've asked them to do.  John  PS. Meet Milo:  He's 19 and running a web design agency. He just got back to the US after living in American Samoa for 8 months because he saw a business growth opportunity. It worked. On his way home, he flew through Salt Lake City, so we met up for a hike. The kid is a rock star.
When I hired my first full-time Filipino worker, it scared me a little, not going to lie.  Can I afford this? Can they actually do good work for me? Can I keep them busy full-time? How will I create tasks for them to do? How will I have the time to train them? I'm responsible for paying this person...what if I can't? Eventually, I took the leap because I realized I couldn't just keep working the way I was. To grow, I had to do something different.  After a couple of years, I finally realized something:  Hiring someone full-time forced me to think.   I had to look at my process. Which ones have value? What tasks waste our time? What can I have him do to grow the business?  It wasn’t an automatic process. It took me a while to figure out what tasks were worth our time. But the good thing about having a full-time Filipino worker on your team is that they can do so many things. Once you figure out the tasks and processes you need for your business, you can just outsource those to them immediately.  Want to know what other employers are outsourcing to their OFS? I asked employers around the world what their OFS do for them. We came up with 221 tasks. OFSTasks.com  It’s completely free.  John  PS. Despite the brutally hot summer, I'm still out riding bikes with my wife. It's something we love. I feel rejuvenated after riding so I can be effective at work. 
You found an Online Filipino Specialist who’s really good. You like their work. You’re getting along great. You’re just about to hire them when they tell you, “By the way, I have another job. Is that okay?”  It's not ideal, but sometimes hiring someone already working may be your only choice. This usually happens when:  Situation #1: You’re hiring a technical specialist, and your options are very limited.  Situation #2: You just need someone part-time, but that OFS needs a full-time salary to support themselves.  First and foremost, the fact that they’re honest about their situation is a good thing. This shows that they don’t want to lie to you. They don’t want to be hired under false pretenses. They know that you may not like the situation, giving you a chance to walk away.  If you still decide to hire an OFS who’s already working for someone else, here’s how you can make this situation work.  If you’re in situation #1, it’s going to be hard to expect them to go above and beyond for your business if they’re also working for someone else. The best you can get is that they meet your expectations. They'll likely still be very good; just be aware their first priority is their full-time employer.  You and your OFS have to negotiate and agree on things like: - How many hours a week should they be working for you? - What’s the expected output? - How quickly can you expect them to respond to your messages or feedback?  Situation #2 is a little trickier. Nobody can survive on a part-time salary. Expect them to need a full-time job.  If you’re hiring part-time because you want someone who’s super experienced and can’t afford their rates, there is another option.  You can try hiring someone inexperienced and give them the job full-time. If you’re worried about giving them training, we have you covered on that (VAsMadeEasy.com). Some of the best people on my team started out as newbies. If you give them a chance, they just might surprise you.  If something isn't working, the first thing to do is ask them.  Say something about their productivity and ask why. Often people think they have time to take on a second job only to find out it's more demanding than they thought.  John
We all have little things in our house to make it homey and comfortable. It can be pictures on the wall or a nice comfy rug.  In the Philippines, one of those things is the banig. The banig is a traditional handwoven mat. It’s usually made from dried palm leaves or reeds dyed in a variety of colors. These reeds are then woven into plain or intricate geometric patterns.  In past times, the banig was used mainly as a sitting and sleeping mat. Like in other Asian countries, pre-colonial Philippines homes didn’t have chairs or mattresses. When they were eating, doing chores or resting at home, they sat on a banig on the floor. Before they go to bed, they would roll out the banig they use for sleeping.  But even after most Filipinos stopped using the banig for its intended purpose, they keep finding ways to bring it back. Nowadays, you’ll see the banig used mainly as carpets, wall decoration, room dividers or picnic blankets. You’ll see a lot of banig in handicrafts like bags or decorative boxes. Below, you’ll see it being used as a headboard and focal point for a bedroom.  Even though most Filipinos use mattresses, you’ll still see some of them getting a banig and using it as a sleeping mat. They say it’s because a banig stays cool, even on hot, tropical nights.  Julia, my OFS, tells me that when they go camping on the beach, they’d bring a banig and put it over the sleeping bag because it’s more comfortable. Some use the banig as a mattress liner. You can even buy a mattress lined with banig if you don’t want the inconvenience of adjusting the banig when putting on a bedsheet.  John
The Philippine government just released the official list of holidays for 2023, so we just updated the Philippine Holiday Calendar to include them. If you haven’t subscribed to that calendar yet, you’ll see them below:  For PC: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/1?cid=bGN2azRxY2pnajI5OW1scXM3YjAyYjdwbWtAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ  For Mac: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/lcvk4qcjgj299mlqs7b02b7pmk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics  Regular Holidays January 1 (Sunday) – New Year’s Day April 9 (Sunday) – Araw ng Kagitingan April 6 – Maundy Thursday April 7 – Good Friday * April 22 (Saturday) - Eid'l Fitr * * June 29 (Thursday) - Eid'l Adha * May 1 (Monday) – Labor Day June 12 (Monday) – Independence Day August 28 (last Monday of August) – National Heroes Day November 30 (Thursday) – Bonifacio Day December 25 (Monday) – Christmas Day December 30 (Saturday) – Rizal Day  Special Non-Working Days February 25 (Saturday) – EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary April 8 – Black Saturday August 21 (Monday) – Ninoy Aquino Day November 1 (Wednesday) – All Saints' Day November 2 (Thursday) - All Souls' Day December 8 (Friday) – Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion of Mary December 31 (Sunday) - Last Day of the Year  Looking at the 2023 calendar, you’ll notice a couple of changes.  Change #1: No more special working holidays. Now, it’s just two types of holidays: regular and special holidays.  The difference between regular and special only matters if you have a legal entity in the Philippines because there’s a pay difference if they work during the holidays.  If you want to offer paid time off during these days, you can choose to offer it only for regular holidays or both. Offering both would be nice, especially for families, because special holidays are also school holidays. This will let them spend more time with their kids.  Change #2: Inclusion of Eid'l Fitr and Eid'l Adha Eid'l Fitr and Eid'l Adha are Islamic holidays (the dates with the asterisks) considered regular holidays under Philippine law.  If you check the official list sent out by the Philippine government (https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/nationwide-holidays/2023/) those holidays are not included because they have to wait for declarations from Islamic officials. The dates are usually declared just 2-3 days ahead. It’s really short notice.  There are approximate dates for when these holidays would be. So instead of waiting for the declaration, we included those dates in the calendar and just modify them once the official dates are announced.  When I saw the list of holidays above I thought "that's a lot!" so I looked up the number of US holidays in 2022. There are more US holidays than "Regular Holidays" in the Philippines (13US vs 12 Philippine)!  But when you add in the "Special Non Working Days" the Philippines has more.  At OnlineJobs.ph we also give Dec 26-30 off...but that's mostly because I don't want to work those days.  John  PS. My daughters are now into their mountain bike racing season.  Race 2 just happened. It was hot (95 degrees at 6500 feet) and hard. Taking second place (both of them) made up for the struggle. Here's Addie at the finish line: 
School’s back.  For some, it's the first time in 2 years. For others, it's back after summer vacation again.  It’s the same in the Philippines. Their kids are going back to school. They haven't been in person for 2 years and they're in the back-to-school shopping rush. Only this time it's worse.  Julia shares what back-to-school shopping is like in the Philippines. ------  I’m one of those parents who enjoy back-to-school shopping because I love shopping for school supplies. But even I can acknowledge that it can be exhausting and frustrating. If you want to get the best supplies at a good price, you have to do your research, make price comparisons, and shop early to beat the rush.  I think the excitement of going back to school is getting to everybody because everybody was shopping early this year. These past few weeks, all the malls and bookstores were full of people. School supplies were running out of stock.  My husband and I went to 3 different stores just for index cards. Index cards!!! I barely used index cards when I was a student. But for some reason, it’s now the hottest stationery of the year!  Because of the pandemic, some school supplies were harder to get now than before, not just index cards.  I think it’s partly due to the global supply chain issue and partly because more people had to buy new school supplies than ever before.  School supplies can be expensive. If there’s anything that can be reused, we’ll reuse it. Many of us would carefully unwind ring notebooks so we could gather the unused pages to make new ones. We would share extra or unused school supplies and books with friends and family. That way, we don’t need to buy new supplies every year.  During the pandemic, we didn’t have to buy school supplies, but many of us did use up whatever we had in stock. So when they announced that face-to-face classes were back, we needed to buy more.  A big example of this would be school uniforms.  Here in the Philippines, all students wear uniforms regardless of whether they attend public or private school. Pre-pandemic, we find ways to make our school uniforms last. We usually buy or have a seamstress make the uniform a little bigger so the uniform can last for at least two years. And when our kids outgrow their uniforms, it can be passed on to younger siblings/relatives/friends.  But now, the kids have all outgrown their uniforms. We’re all in a rush to buy uniforms or fabric. There’s a shortage of uniform material and a long waiting list (at least 4 weeks) if you want a tailor-made uniform.  Despite all that, I am happy that the kids are going back to school. They need social interaction. ------------  Our kids were in person at school last year, so this was back to school after summer for us. Only, we pulled them out of school 10 days early so we could go ride our bikes across Europe.  It felt like the longest summer ever.  Still not as long as 2 years of at home school like the Philippines.  John
When hiring an Online Filipino Specialist, there’s a big chance you’ve had applicants from Manila. If you know any Filipinos, it’s also likely that they’re from Manila as well.  Is Manila that big? Why do so many Filipinos live there?  First, let me correct some misconceptions about Manila.  Manila isn’t a mega city. The actual city of Manila is just about 17 square miles. When people say they’re from Manila, most refer to Metro Manila (also called National Capital Region). Metro Manila is made up of 16 cities, including the city of Manila, Quezon City, Pasig City, Mandaluyong City, Caloocan City, etc. All of those cities combined cover an area of 239.22 sq miles, just slightly smaller than Tucson, Arizona.  The total population of Metro Manila is about 14.4 million people, that's 13% of the entire Philippine population.  All these cities are highly urbanized. This is where you’ll find their government head offices, most popular universities, and multinational corporations.  Despite that, Metro Manila isn’t a big place. Just to give you some context of how small Metro Manila is, here’s a map of the Philippines. That tiny red spot there is Metro Manila.  Because most schools and jobs are in Metro Manila, many Filipinos live or commute there. It’s the 2nd most densely populated region in the country and the 5th most densely populated place in the world. Living there is expensive and crowded, but people go there because Manila offers so many opportunities. 36% of the country’s GDP comes from Metro Manila. If you’re looking for work, to many, Metro Manila is the place to go.  Metro Manila is a great place but has its share of problems. Traffic, urban poverty, and lack of affordable housing are just some of the reasons why many Filipinos would rather go back to the provinces if there are opportunities available there.  For decades, the Philippine government has been developing cities far and away from Metro Manila to entice people to move back home. They created economic zones to encourage companies to invest outside of Manila. They set up the infrastructure and enticed companies with lower labor costs and less competition for talent. This is one of the reasons why you’ll find call centers all over the Philippines now instead of being concentrated in Manila.  I’m proud that online work has also played a role in this. When we did a series where we interviewed Filipino workers, most of them credited Onlinejobs.ph for helping them move back home. I have people on my team who moved away from Manila as soon as they found online work. The Philippine government has even contacted me a few times to talk about this. They told me how Onlinejobs.ph has helped small towns grow by encouraging people to stay in their communities and spend their income there. The people are clamoring for and getting better internet because they want to work from home.  Ultimately, I’m saying that when you’re hiring, keep an open mind. You don’t have to limit yourself to Metro Manila. There’s talent all over the country. Their internet and electricity infrastructure has improved dramatically over the years. There is an OFS out there who’s right for you.  John
In my newsletter, I post regular updates on typhoons and earthquakes in the Philippines. Some of you might be worried if outsourcing to the Philippines is worth it, given that they go through 30-something typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes every year.  Yes!  It's definitely worth it.  Once you find the right Online Filipino Specialist (OFS), it’s going to change your life and your business.  How can you improve your situation in case of a disaster?  1. Insist on workers having laptops and/or portable hard drives. A laptop is easier to carry and save than a desktop in an emergency. But if your OFS uses a desktop (most developers and designers would probably use a desktop for work), then insist that they have portable hard drives where they can back up their work regularly. A portable hard drive is cheap (about $40 for a 1TB capacity); it's something you can provide for them. It's super easy to grab and carry in case of emergency.  2. Invest in cloud storage. Another way to ensure that none of your OFS’ work gets lost in natural disasters is to invest in cloud storage. This makes it easier for them to return to work or pass them on to someone else if needed. In our case, we save our work in Google Drive. Actually, we do most of our work on Google Drive.  Writing happens there, spreadsheets happen there, and files get stored there.  3. Get their emergency contacts to ensure continued communication. Ask your OFS for emergency contacts that you can call if they’ve been affected by a natural disaster. Ideally, this should be a relative or friend that doesn’t live in the same place but has the resources to find or contact them. Get phone number and email.  4. Set up a small emergency fund. If your OFS pays their SSS (they should), they can take out a calamity loan to help recover. But that can take time, especially if everybody in their area is also getting a loan. You can help your OFS by setting up a small emergency fund they can borrow from to help them get back on their feet faster.  The size of this fund depends on your means.  A couple hundred dollars is usually sufficient.  We've done this dozens of times for people and have never had a problem getting paid back.  If you haven’t hired an OFS yet (check out my hiring process at OneVAAway.com).  You can consider hiring from places in the Philippines that are less affected by natural disasters. Western Visayas and Mindanao are the places least affected by typhoons.  The province of Palawan in MIMAROPA, Cavite in Region 4, Isabela in Region 2, Cebu in Region 6, and Bohol in Region 7 don’t have any active fault lines, making them less likely to experience earthquakes.  To know where these places are, check out my newsletter on the basics of Philippine geography.  A last word of advice.  I say to hire from specific regions as an option.  I've never done it. It's not that simple (we don't have a geography filter at OnlineJobs.ph).  More important is to hire the right person, wherever they're from, and start working together.  A natural disaster may only affect them once every 5 years.  And...Filipinos are really good at recovering.  John  PS. Where I live, the only likely natural disaster is an earthquake. We expect a really big one at some point.  We have a lot of food stored for this emergency. 
When I first started outsourcing to the Philippines, their internet wasn’t really good. Like, 256Kbps wasn't uncommon. That's "K" - Kilobits.  Not "M" - Megabits. 5Mbps was really fast! For years, the Philippines had the dubious reputation of having the slowest internet service in Southeast Asia.  Fast forward to now, and their internet has gotten so much better. It’s so good that I didn't notice that they used mobile data when working until they told me about it.  Case in point, my OFS, Jam, sent me a picture of his work set-up.  He’s currently working in a school parking lot. He drives his daughter and a couple of other kids to a school far from home. Rather than drive back home to work, he set up a workstation at the back of his car. He’s using mobile data for internet.  I initially thought that this was an isolated case. Maybe Jam was just working in a place where the internet was really good. But then I started asking around. I found out that even my developers sometimes use mobile data because it’s gotten to the point where it’s good enough that they can use it for work.  I know this doesn’t apply to the entire country, nor would this work for all jobs. The internet in rural areas with underdeveloped infrastructure still isn’t enough. Mobile data isn’t as fast or stable as a fiber connection. My video editor/graphic designer rarely uses mobile data because he usually handles big files. He’s always uploading or downloading something, so mobile data is never enough for him.  But the trend is really good. The country’s mobile internet median download speed is now at 21.41 Mbps, and its broadband median download speed is now at 68.94 Mbps. We see improvements in internet speed every few months. Musk’s Starlink was also approved to operate in the Philippines this year, so even the most isolated places in the Philippines are expected to have an internet connection soon.  The fact that several people in my team can work anywhere means that YOU can hire anywhere. You don’t need to worry whether or not their internet can handle the work. Their internet can handle it. Just focus on finding the best Online Filipino Specialist for your business.  Finding the best OFS for your business doesn’t have to be painful or tedious. I’ll walk you through my easy and painless process at OneVAAway.com.  Want to know what tasks an Online Filipino Specialist can do for your business? Go to OFSTasks.com.  John
Let me preface this by saying I am not an accountant or a tax attorney. I’m simply sharing how we’ve been dealing with taxes and our OFS for years. This is how 5 different accountants have dealt with it for us.  Also, my OFS Jamie is not an accountant. What she shared about taxes is based on her experience paying taxes as an online Filipino worker.  YOU SHOULD NOT LISTEN TO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY. Don't take it as legal or financial advice!  I got an email from someone recently saying they have two concerns about hiring an OFS (Online Filipino Specialist). One is the taxes. They think hiring an OFS means they’d have to pay taxes because I call my OFS team my employees and offer them benefits.  Their second concern was whether the OFS is an employee or an independent contractor.  Even though I call my team in the Philippines my employees, they are independent contractors. I don’t pay their taxes. These are the only things I need to do tax-wise with my OFS: 1. I have them fill out a W-8 BEN and 2. declare them in my 1120S.  *2021, The IRS updated the W-8 BEN form. I've explored this. I've talked to accountants. I've talked to attorneys. I can't figure any way you could consider an OFS an employee by normal "employee" standards. You can't give them a w2. They don't have a US tax ID number. You can't even give them a 1099.  Having said that, DON'T LISTEN TO WHAT I SAY! Consult your attorney and accountant!  On the Philippine side of things, I asked Jamie about this because she’s been paying taxes as an online worker for years. When she registered as a taxpayer, I remember she asked for a day off because she spent hours in lines just to get her paperwork filed.  They (your OFS) are registered as independent contractors when paying their taxes.  They pay a local tax (~1% gross) yearly and national taxes quarterly (~8% over Php25,000). From what Jamie tells me, they can do most of the filing and payment online.  John  PS. don't over complicate this.
JANUARY 2023 UPDATE: We have updated this to reflect the slight increase in the monthly contributions as issued by the SSS Every time I mention SSS I get tons of questions.  Here we go.  First,  this is completely optional. You don’t have to pay for it. But if you can afford to, it’s a nice thing you can do for your OFS.  - SSS stands for Social Security System. It's a state-run social insurance program where non-government Filipino workers are expected to contribute.  - Businesses with legal entities in the Philippines must contribute to the SSS. If you don’t have a legal entity in the Philippines, paying your Filipino’s SSS premiums is optional.  - If you want to give your OFS a benefit and can only afford to give one, I strongly recommend SSS. It’s one of those benefits that can help your OFS in so many ways for a long time.  - When they sign up for SSS, they also get a government-issued ID called UMID (universal multi-purpose ID). My team tells me it's one of the few IDs recognized everywhere. Having a UMID would make it easier to open a bank account, verify their identity online, get a credit card, passport, or driver's license, etc.  - When your OFS pays into it, it creates a pension fund they can use when they retire. This is also where they can get maternity, disability, and calamity benefits. (more on these in another email)  - SSS is also a way for Filipinos to take out easy loans. Most Filipinos take out an SSS loan first to establish credit. This SSS credit record is something that they can show to banks if they want to open a credit card or take out a bigger loan.  - Because you don't have a business in the Philippines, you can't pay directly to SSS. Your OFS must pay it themselves. When they do, they declare their contributions as “Voluntary” because it's not associated with a Philippines business entity.  - So, how much do SSS premiums cost?  The premiums should be about 14% of their salary, but they can't be more than Php4200 (~ USD $76) per month.  To make this simple, multiply your OFS monthly salary times 0.14. That's their contribution amount. If your OFS makes more than $543/month, they should make the maximum contribution of $76/month. (14% of $543 is $76, and $76 is the max they're allowed to contribute each month)  - You can pay for the entire contribution or just a portion. For Philippine companies, the standard practice is to pay for two-thirds of the contribution, and the worker pays a third.  That means you would pay the worker an extra $51/month for SSS. They would pay $25 out of pocket for SSS. Total = $76.  - They take the money you give them and pay it to their SSS account. Since this is voluntary, they can pay monthly, quarterly, or annually. At our company, we just add it to their monthly salary. We ask them for a receipt when they've paid it, so we know where the money is going. Another option is to ask for a screenshot of the member's data record, they'll find this in the SSS member's portal.  - The amount they contribute determines the amount of benefits they're eligible for. The bigger the contributions, the more money they'll get for things like their maternity benefit, disability benefits, or pension.  - They can keep track of their contributions, apply for benefits and get loans through the SSS member portal or through the SSS mobile app.  - We have instructions for how your OFS pays their SSS. We provide this to them in their account on OnlineJobs.ph  John  PS. More info coming on other potential benefits in future emails
I get asked this question a lot.  Recently, I got an email from Karen and I wanted to share my response for people who have the same question.  My business partner is concerned about hiring an OFS directly instead of using an agency out of concerns that this is going to be classification as employee vs independent contractor.  Is there a service that we can use as the main employer instead of hiring someone as an employee? We don't offer this service, but here's what I can tell you.  The Philippines doesn't have a treaty with the US to make this person an employee.  I've talked with probably 5 different accountants about this over the years.  Not one of them has found a case for making them an employee.  I've had hundreds (thousands?) of customers come to me with this question.  Not one of them has ever returned to me saying "here...look at this...it makes them an employee."  There's just no way to consider this person an employee causing US employee requirements. What would you do with them?  Submit a W2?  You can't even submit a 1099 for them.  They don't have any US tax ID numbers.  THEY ARE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS!  I cover this at www.OnlineJobs.ph/taxes.  Now, on the Philippine side, you can’t make a person an employee unless you have a legal entity in the Philippines. This means your business has to be registered in the Philippines for you to hire an employee.  Your business isn't registered in the Philippines so they HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. They pay taxes as independent contractors, which means they don’t need to declare an employer when they file.  Even if you offer them benefits like SSS or Philhealth, their contributions would be considered voluntary. They can’t be employee contributions because you must be a registered business in the Philippines to be considered an employer.  If you've been putting off hiring someone because you were worried about them being an employee, now you know the real situation. Get started hiring at www.OneVAAway.com.  John
The 13th month payment is coming up in December. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions.  Is the 13th month required? For you, it is optional. You don’t have to give this. BUT it’s best if you do because it’s a really effective motivator for Filipino workers. It encourages loyalty. Filipinos are more likely to stay with businesses that offer 13th month because it tells them that the business is stable and they care for their workers.  Plus, Filipinos often depend on the 13th month. They'll use it for planned large expenses, home repairs, and to buy gifts for family for the holidays.  For companies with a registered business in the Philippines, the 13th month is not optional.  When is the best time to pay the 13th month? The 13th month is to be paid in December.  The earlier in the month, the better.  Are the 13th month and the Christmas bonus the same thing? No, the 13th month is NOT considered a Christmas bonus. It’s just part of their annual salary (they budget for it).  If you want to give a Christmas bonus, that’s separate and always very much appreciated.  How do you compute for the 13th month? It's 1 months salary as extra pay. If they didn't work for you the whole year, add up the total amount you paid them through the year and divide by 12.  “I hired my VA in September and she just finished her training period. Do I start counting the months to compute her 13th month? When I hired her or when she finished her training?” It’s mostly up to you. You can start on her hire date or when the training period has ended.  The important thing is that both of you know when you started counting.  Typically though, it starts when training is finished.  Also, someone is eligible for the 13th month if they have worked for you for 3 months or more.  “I had to let go of my VA this year. Should I still give her a 13th month bonus?” Because the 13th month is optional, whether or not you give the 13th month when you let a VA go depends on your agreement with your workers.  For Philippine companies, they are obligated by law to give the 13th month bonus if the employee has worked for at least a month during the year.  “I pay my VA by the hour or on a per-project basis. Do I need to give them a 13th month?” You don’t have to, but it’s still a good idea. You can compute for 13th month by adding up the total you paid them through the year and dividing by 12.  For us, we: 1. always pay the 13th month 2. also give a Christmas bonus.  $25-$50.  John
I've talked about SSS quite a few times recently because people keep asking.  I want to reiterate that this benefit is OPTIONAL. It would be nice if you can give this to your Online Filipino Specialist, but you don’t have to.  In this email, I’m going to list what your OFS can get when they sign up for SSS and regularly contribute to the fund.  When your OFS signs up to become an SSS member, they get a unique SSS number. When they get their SSS number, they must also get a UMID (Universal Multipurpose ID) from the SSS.  UMID is the ID you want to keep in your wallet because you can use it anywhere. It makes it easier for your OFS to open a bank account, apply for a credit card or loan, get a driver’s license or passport, or get verification for payment sites like PayPal or Payoneer.  When your OFS contributes regularly to the SSS, they’re entitled to the following benefits:  - Sickness benefit - A daily cash allowance paid for every day that your OFS cannot work due to sickness or injury. - Maternity benefit - A cash allowance paid to your OFS when they give birth or have a miscarriage. This is equivalent to 2 and half months' salary - Disability benefit - It’s a cash benefit they can get as a monthly pension or lump sum if your OFS suffers a permanent (partial or total) disability. - Retirement benefit - This is their pension fund. Your OFS can get this as a monthly pension or lump sum. - Death benefit - The beneficiaries of your OFS (parents/spouse/children) can get this cash benefit as a monthly allowance or lump sum. - Funeral benefit - It’s a cash grant of around Php20,000 (~$350) to help with funeral costs. - Unemployment benefit - This won’t apply to your OFS (because they're considered independent contractors), but it’s one of the benefits that they can get if a Philippine company hires them.  Being an SSS member also gives your OFS access to short-term loans called “salary loans.” They’re low-interest loans that need to be repaid within the year. They call it a salary loan because they base how much they can borrow on their monthly salary. The first time you can take out a short-term loan, you can only borrow the equivalent of one month’s salary. The next time you take out a loan, you can borrow twice your monthly salary, and so on and so forth.  All the information your OFS needs to get these benefits is available on the SSS member portal and SSS mobile app. We’ll also release a guide for your OFS to show them how to sign up and pay for these benefits themselves. This will be in their account on OnlineJobs.ph.  John  On my ride the other day we saw the first signs of fall.  Beautiful. 
What's preventing you from hiring your first OFS?  Why haven't you taken the leap yet?  I get an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from employers around the world working with OFS.  Every day someone says to me:  I love my OFS... My OFS has worked for me for 3 years and it's amazing...  I couldn't run my company without them...  And so I write my newsletter to help these people be more efficient.  But sometimes, regularly, often even! I get a response to my newsletter:  "I need to hire someone to do [insert any skill here...lead generation, cold calling, video editing, programming, social media...]. Can they do that? Where do I get started?" Have you ever hired someone in the Philippines?  "No" (in my brain) HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?!  And yet, I know it's my fault!  I haven't done a good enough job of convincing you that you can find amazing, hard working, talented, loyal, honest people.  So I have 2 questions:  1. What's preventing you from hiring your first OFS?  Why haven't you taken the leap yet?  2. If you have hired someone, and are struggling with something, what are you struggling with?  Simply REPLY (yes, it comes to me).  I want to know what's holding you back.  Then I want to give you what you need to move forward.  John
First, let me start with what NOT to tell your friends. Don't tell them the name of your OFS...unless you want your OFS to get another job.  People are lazy. Nobody wants to do the work of finding an OFS. If you go raving about your OFS to your friends and then you tell them the name of your OFS, they're going to go look them up on FB and offer them a job.  I've had it happen to me.  Fortunately for you, Filipinos are super loyal, so even if they take a job with your friend they're not going to quit working for you.  But...offering a second job to your OFS is never great.  So don't tell names.  So what DO you say?  Rant. Rave. Tell them what they do for you. Tell them about specific tasks they're doing and how good they are. Tell them about the time they're saving you. Tell them where to find an OFS: OnlineJobs.ph Tell them about help finding a great OFS: OneVAAway.com  Join the affiliate program for OneVAAway.com and give them your affiliate link. We pay out a 90% commission.  No, that's not a typo.  90%  I didn't create OneVAAway.com to make money. I created it to get the word out.  OFS are amazing. You know it. I know it. Your friends don't know it...  Yet.  John  PS. You already have an affiliate link for OnlineJobs.ph. It's in your OnlineJobs.ph account.  Just login and scroll down. It's in green. 40% recurring commission.
After last week's email about banking in the Philippines, I got comments on social media about how others handle payments. The great thing about these comments is they came from guys who have been outsourcing for years, so they know what they’re talking about.   Reading these comments, I know some of you might feel overwhelmed by choice. Which system is best for paying your OFS?  PayPal, EasyPay, Wise, Remitly?  Short answer:  IT DOESN'T MATTER  You can pay them through whatever system works best for you. It won’t matter much to your OFS because their online banking and e-wallet apps (Gcash, PayMaya, and bank apps) will allow them to receive whatever payment system you use. For e-wallets that allow direct-to-bank transfers (such as Gusto, Remitly, and Wise), they can easily create a bank account online to receive the payment.  No need to overcomplicate things.  For those of you looking for a slightly more complicated answer.  For newly hired Filipino workers, use a payment system like EasyPay, Paypal, or Wise. As mentioned in my previous newsletter, Filipino workers have learned to avoid direct bank transfers because that’s how they’re usually scammed.  Also, EasyPay, Paypal, Wise, and Remitly can send money directly to Gcash. This makes it easier for your worker to get their money quickly.  Once trust is established for you and your OFS, you can pay them through whatever system works best for you.  Again, not that complicated.  I just want to clarify something about the previous email. Gusto is just another e-wallet system designed specifically as a payroll system. The only difference between Gusto and the other systems is that Gusto sends the money directly to their bank account.  Gusto also requires that you have a “domestic contractor” added to your Gusto payroll before you can add an international contractor. So to those just starting out and looking for an OFS for their first “employee,” that may not be an option for you.  John  PS. I mentioned Paypal here a few times because it's easy. Especially if it's your first time paying someone. But it's also crappy for them for receiving salary month after month. Paypal's exchange rate is so much lower than EasyPay or Wise that the amount they receive is significantly different.
I’m sorry that this email is really late. I was out for an entire week and didn’t have internet. So I just found out about Typhoon Karding and how devastating it was when I got back. With it happening around the same time as Hurricane Ian, last week was a pretty bad week for the Filipinos and business owners affected by these natural disasters.  Karding was a really strong storm that affected a big part of Central Luzon (check out my post about the basics of Philippine geography to know where that is). It destroyed thousands of homes and caused millions of pesos in damage. It was so bad that five rescuers died while they were saving people.  Here at home, Hurricane Ian caused power outages and flooding in Florida and Puerto Rico. People losing their homes and their livelihoods.  I know it seems bleak, but this is one of those times when the best of humanity shines. Let’s just help each other. Help your neighbors. Help your friends. Help your Filipino team. When we help each other, that’s how we can get through anything.  John
I got this really interesting email from Jared after I sent out the disaster-proofing email.  Can you provide more details on your emergency fund? How is it set up? how they 'apply' for it? I also heard of some employers providing generators or other means of backup. is this something you tell them you'll reimburse them and they provide receipts? My OFS has 2 ISPs, but can they get more? Things are going great, but sometimes it'll be silent for half a day and I'm not sure if there is some service interruption or personal emergency or just checked out without telling me. WOuld love to hear more on these topics or point me to any articles if you've covered it in the past. I'll try to answer all of his questions here.  Can you provide more details on your emergency fund? How is it set up? How do they 'apply' for it?  The emergency fund is just an account I’ve set aside if they need to borrow money quickly. If there’s an emergency, my OFS will email me to ask to borrow a certain amount and tell me why they need it. They would also tell me how they plan to pay it back in that email.  Like last year when one of my OFS borrowed $600 (one month’s salary) to help pay for their parent’s funeral expenses. He asked to take $100 away from his monthly salary until the $600 was paid off.  Sometimes, we don’t ask them to pay it back if it’s a serious emergency. Like when one of my developers lost their home in Cebu. I knew it was bad because I saw it in the news, my team in the Philippines was talking about it, and I knew they were directly affected by it.  My business partner, Dan, and I saw that he really needed it, so we sent him some money as soon as possible. He didn’t ask for help, and we didn’t wait for him to ask. We also told him he didn’t need to pay us back because I knew it would be a long recovery process.  I also heard of some employers providing generators or other means of backup. Is this something you tell them you'll reimburse them and they provide receipts? My OFS has 2 ISPs, but can they get more?  A generator is something that we have considered before but my team has never asked for it. You can consider it, but blackouts in the Philippines are less of a problem now than they were a few years ago.  Regarding having your OFS get another ISP, that is a good idea BUT it would depend on where they live. Some areas in the Philippines have access to only one ISP provider; some have access to all four. I wrote about the different ISP here: /what-internet-options-exist-in-the-philippines/  If they have access to good mobile internet (and they can work using that), giving them an internet data allowance can be an option. My OFS (Jam) told me that when they’re having issues with their primary ISP, he has a prepaid internet account that he just reloads when needed.  Sometimes it'll be silent for half a day and I'm not sure if there is some service interruption or personal emergency or just checked out without telling me. - Service interruption or personal emergency. This is possible. One way to get around that is to give them many ways to reach you. My team has email, Basecamp, and Slack. They can also contact each other. In case they don’t have internet, they can text their teammates. My project manager has my number, so even if they can’t contact me directly, they can reach out to Joven and relay that information to me. Either way, a few hours or half a day just isn't uncommon.  - They checked out. When I sense that this is the case, this is what I do: /my-filipino-worker-just-disappeared/  John  PS. Backpacking in Glacier National Park last week and we had a small glacier right next to our camp site. We went inside!  
One of the benefits you COULD give to your OFS which I mention in my emails, videos, and blog posts is the Pag-IBIG fund. The Pag-IBIG fund, also known as the Home Development Mutual Fund, is a government-owned and controlled corporation mandated to help Filipinos get affordable home financing and set up a savings fund.  Filipinos who want to buy their own homes contribute to this fund because it offers lower rates, longer payment periods, and access to their catalog of houses from people who defaulted on their loans.  You don’t need to be a Pag-IBIG member to buy a home. Some residential property developers don’t even accept financing through Pag-IBIG. But, many Filipinos still contribute to the fund because the fund also offers home improvement loans, short-term loans, and a savings fund that offers a higher interest rate than banks.  Being a Pag-IBIG member also entitles you to have a Pag-IBIG ID that you can present as a government-issued ID. They can also use that ID as a discount card for a lot of places like restaurants, salons, grocery stores, etc. That same ID is also an ATM card where the loaned amount is deposited and can be used as a personal bank account**.  **While the banks that issue these ID/ATMs are connected to SWIFT, we CANNOT confirm as of this time if they accept SWIFT transfers to these accounts. How much does a Pag-IBIG contribution cost? The minimum required contribution is around Php 100 (USD ~$2) per month. Philippine companies are required by law to remit this contribution with an additional Php 100 employer’s share per employee to  Pag-IBIG as a benefit. That's a total of USD ~$4/month. If the worker wants to contribute more, they would do it on their own.  Like with all benefits I talk about, this is optional. You don't have to pay it. I didn't pay it for years after having VAs and OFS work for me. But, it's also a super simple and affordable benefit to give. How?  Just tell them you want them to contribute to Pag-IBIG.  Tell them how much.  Then add that to their salary and ask them to provide you a receipt of their contribution. That's it.  John  PS. It's fall, and in my mountains the fall colors are out.  It's beautiful! Yesterday I rode ~38 miles with 4000ft of elevation in my local mountains.  I just can't help but keep riding because of the colors. 
I found this comment on my benefits newsletter from Jacqui  Hi there, I went back and re-discovered this blog post because I want to offer my OFS healthcare. My OFS is expecting twins in March next year and I would like to provide her with the best (but most affordable/good value) that there is out there. I don’t have a big agency so it will be a very large commitment for me, but Lea has been exceptional in the time we’ve worked together. I sent the email to my OFS (online Filipino Specialist), Jamie, and this is her answer: ----------  Regarding finding the best healthcare for Jacqui's OFS, it would depend on: 1. where she lives 2. what hospital/doctors she has access to.  Jacqui will need her OFS's help with this as she will be the one who'll be benefiting from it. I suggest that Jacqui instructs her OFS to ask her doctor and the hospital administration what health insurance providers they're currently accepting.  The OFS can then go to this website: https://www.mariahealth.ph/, ( a directory for all the health insurance providers in the Philippines)  search for the health insurance providers, find the plans available, and show you the ones that best suit her needs AND your budget.  The OFS can also download this guide to help them figure out which plan(s) would best suit their needs: https://www.mariahealth.ph/contact_us/?reason=health-basics-guide  Regarding the cost, the cheapest we found around that time would cost around $150 a year, but we're not sure if it would cover maternity expenses. But for more information about overall cost, John wrote about that here: /whats-the-ballpark-cost-for-ofs-benefits/  I think the best option for the OFS (and Jacqui, the employer) , given how close her due date is, would be to make sure that the OFS is up to date with her SSS and Philhealth benefits (if she has them).  SSS covers maternity benefits (2 and 1/2 month's salary) if she's paid at least 3 contributions. /the-sss-benefit-for-your-ofs-explained/ /what-can-your-ofs-get-with-their-sss/  Philhealth covers hospitalization for the mother and the baby if she has paid at least 9 contributions https://ph.theasianparent.com/philhealth-maternity-benefits /philhealth-vs-health-insurance-whats-the-difference/  Health insurance could take weeks to process and might not offer maternity benefits immediately after signing up. The OFS can sign up for SSS and PhilHealth within the week and catch up on her contributions within the year. She'll be able to avail of them by the time she gives birth.  -----------------  Jamie (my OFS) is so smart!  John
Here's a fun piece of Philippines culture.  What comes to mind when most people talk about convenience stores are places like 7-11. They have 7-11s in the Philippines too, but the purest version of a convenience store looks nothing like a 7-11. In the Philippines, a convenience store is a sari-sari store.   The store gets its name from the Tagalog word sari-sari, which means "variety" or "sundry". You can buy anything in a sari-sari store, from canned food to mobile data and everything in between, in small convenient packs. You also buy things per piece, like candy, gum, razor, and female hygiene products.  Another reason a sari-sari store is more convenient than your typical 7-11 is that you’ll find a sari-sari store anywhere in the Philippines. Whether you’re staying in a crowded metropolis or a remote island, you can always count on the fact that there will always be sari-sari within a few blocks.  You can find sari-sari stores everywhere in the Philippines because they’re so cheap and easy to set up. You don’t need a lot of capital to start, and most of what you need to sell can be bought in large groceries or big box stores. You don’t even need to build a store to have a sari-sari store. Just set a table in front of your house, display your items, and boom, you have a store.  Sari-sari stores hold a lot of social and economic importance in Filipino culture. It’s where most people gather and get their basic needs like food, first aid, and even banking. It’s also something people can rely on when times are hard, thanks to its low prices and most store owners' willingness to let people buy on credit.  The sari-sari store is also the most common type of business in the Philippines. Sari-sari stores account for 70% of sales of manufactured consumer food products. It also contributes Php 1.3 trillion to the Philippine GDP. Many successful business owners in the Philippines learned how to run a business by opening a sari-sari store.  Technically, you’re supposed to register your sari-sari store as a business with the government. Still, they often tolerate unregistered sari-sari stores because they contribute greatly to the local economy. A successful sari-sari store can encourage competition from neighbors to build their own stores, or they can build other businesses that complement the store, like barbershops or food stalls. In some cases, it can even transform the neighborhood into a commercial area, forcing the existing businesses to register and pay taxes to the local government.  This isn't unique to Philippines culture, but it's different than most places in the USA.  John
Next Monday (Oct 31) is my second most dreaded day of the year: Halloween.  The worst day of the year of course is April 15. Tax day.  But this isn't about Halloween, it's about All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, two Philippines holidays coming up next week.  November 1 (All Saints’ Day) is a special non-working holiday. November 2 (All Souls’ Day) is a special working holiday in the Philippines.  I know the special holiday thing in the Philippines is kind of confusing. They got rid of the special non-working holiday for the 2023 calendar, but it’s still in the 2022 calendar. Just think of special holidays as school holidays to make things easier to remember.  All Saints and All Souls (collectively referred to as Undasin Filipino) are the days when Filipinos honor their dead loved ones by going to the cemetery. Most schools schedule a break around this time, so students and teachers can participate in the tradition. I talked about this in greater detail in this blog post: /upcoming-all-saints-and-all-souls-day-holidays/  This year, travel restrictions have been lifted. This means most Filipinos, including your OFS, might ask to take a leave of absence on these days. With November 1 being a Tuesday, they might ask to also take their leave on October 31, which falls on a Monday. That way, they have a four-day weekend to join the tradition.  **Update: A few days after we wrote this newsletter, the Philippine government just declared October 31 as a special holiday. They decided to add this as a holiday because they knew people will ask to take a leave on that day anyway. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1186390  Whether you approve of this leave or not, it’s up to you. Only November 1 is recognized by the Philippine government as a special non-working holiday. But if you can afford to give them days off around this time, they’ll really appreciate it.  Part of the All Saints and All Souls Day tradition is caring for the graves of their loved ones. They clean up the gravestones and do some light gardening. The pandemic has put this tradition on hold for two years, and I’m sure many of them are eager to do this for their loved ones again.  I wish we celebrated Halloween like Filipinos celebrate All Saints' Day. Honoring the dead is so much better than begging for candy.  John
Last time I asked about how I don't like Halloween.  What I do like is Thanksgiving -> New Years.  Everyone is nicer. People are giving. The world is a more enjoyable place when people are looking to help each other.  I know it's still October, but let's talk about the holiday period.  My business partner, Dan, and I let our team take paid time off over the holidays and unlimited leave because our business doesn’t have a lot of time-sensitive tasks. This system works for us, but I know a LOT of businesses where this won’t work at all.  I know the holidays are some of the busiest times for dropshipping, e-commerce, and freight businesses. Some of you might have hired seasonal workers to cover that extra work.  In the Philippines, most holidays are at the end of the year. Starting at the end of November, there’s a holiday practically every week. Because of that, most of your Filipino workers might ask to take their days off during this time, which makes this problematic, especially if this is the time you need them the most.  So, what can you do to ensure that your business is covered even during the holidays? Here are some things you can do:  1. You can create a “leave” calendar where you mark the days they CAN’T take their leave. Let your OFS know they can take their leave on any other day except those days. Make sure to label the calendar with the correct time zone to avoid missed work schedules.  2. One thing that call centers do in the Philippines is alternate holiday scheduling. Half the team can take Christmas eve and Christmas off. The other half can take their New Year’s Eve and New Year off. It’s not a perfect solution, but it ensures that you have people working and your team can still enjoy the holidays.  3. For our customer support team, we offer half shifts during the holidays. Instead of 8 hours, they only need to do 4 hours on those days. We usually have two people per 8-hour shift, so they talk amongst themselves about what hours they would cover. This way, there’s always someone online for email support.  4. Our dev team and site administrator don't work on any new projects during the holidays but are on call and monitoring to ensure that the websites are working properly.  There are no rules or standard practices here.  It's whatever you want to do with your business.  Just because we give everyone Dec 24 - Jan 2 off doesn't mean you need to.  Do you have other ways of covering holiday shifts with your OFS? Let me know by emailing me at john@onlinejobs.ph.  John
I got this really good question from Debbie about pay raises  Hi John, I’m about to do a review with my assistant who has been working for me for 4 months, and would like to reward her work with a pay rise. She still has quite a bit to learn in her role so I want to do it in a way that’s sustainable I don’t want to create unrealistic pay levels that my business may not be able to sustain going forward as her knowledge (and pay) levels increase, as I’d like to keep her as a long term team member. She is part-time (20 hours/week) by her choice, which suits me perfectly at the moment. Is it more beneficial to her to offer to pay her SSS or PhilHealth instead of a weekly pay increase, then do a pay increase at a later review point? Or some other combination? We don’t really have a formula for pay raises. We don’t tell our team how much they can expect for their pay raise. We give raises yearly, but the amount depends on their performance. The amount is also determined by what we feel is sustainable. My OFS team doesn’t know how much of a raise they’ll be getting every year, but they know that they can expect a raise if they perform well.  Here are my general thoughts and how I've done raises over the years.  - As a standard we give a $25-$50 per month raise each year. - If someone is amazing, we give a $100-$200 per month raise that year. - Sometimes, we start someone lower than what they'd like to be paid. After 3-4 months, if they're good and helping the business grow, we'll put them closer to what they asked for in the beginning. - One time I doubled someone's salary because they were so amazing.  - This year, we'll consider inflation. - This year, we'll also consider that USD is super strong so they've already gotten a 15% pay raise throughout the year just with the exchange rate (because we pay almost everyone a set USD amount and the Peso went from 50:1 to 58:1 this year). - We won't use the strong USD as the pay raise. At some point, USD will decline. Then they're taking a pay cut.  Regarding benefits, that is something that you can put off until you can afford to give it regularly. Here at Onlinejobs.ph, it took us years before we started offering any sort of benefits. We waited until the business was profitable enough, and we didn’t offer all the benefits at once. We just kept adding them when we were able to afford them.  We'll be releasing a complete guide to benefits soon. But I also talk about other things like management and work culture in my free book, The Outsourcing Lever.  John
I’m proud that when there’s a disaster, my team will come together and offer to help right away.  When the pandemic started, my team donated and distributed groceries to people who couldn’t leave their homes, mainly seniors and families with babies. They started this project on their own, with their own money. When we saw in the news how dire the situation was in the early days of the pandemic, we sent them funds so they could help more people.  But even before that and until now, there’s this sense of camaraderie. They check on each other. They send help to one another and help other people. Some volunteer regularly. I even have an OFS who is a volunteer firefighter.   I think this happens because when you help people together, it creates a bond. It strengthens your work relationship.  This is not unique to my OFS (Online Filipino Specialist) team. Steven also noticed this when 4 of his OFS were affected by Typhoon Karding.  When Karding hit 4 of my 100+ people were affected.  So after collecting information on how bad the damages were for each, I sent out a form to all employees.  We ask them to donate whatever they would like to help these people out.  I front their donations and let them pay it back as deductions from their weekly salary.  Often I give them a few different options for that, so they don't have too much of an impact on their daily and weekly expenses.  Typically I also match the total donation we as a company raised. This really solidifies our "family" culture and makes people feel good that they were able to help others in need.  We have done this for multiple disasters, funerals, etc.  Basically, whenever people are in serious need.  Disasters are horrible. But the silver lining to this is it does bring people together. When you help your OFS in times of need, it shows them that you care. When the time comes that you’re the one who needs a lot of help, you can count on your team too.  John
I sometimes get comments from people about how much turnover there is in the Philippines.  The TLDR of my response is, “turnover is a management issue.”  I know that answer is hard for a lot of people to hear. Nobody likes to be told they’re horrible managers.  I know that most of us don’t get into outsourcing to be bad bosses. But sometimes, it’s easy to forget to be nice when you don’t see the people you’re working with face-to-face. When we’re so focused on productivity and milestones and getting things done, we forget that the people doing the work aren’t perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes.  My OFS (Online Filipino Specialist), Jamie, found this in the Facebook group we manage for jobseekers. This explains perfectly why I think turnover is a management problem AND what you can do to be a better manager.  “Hello everyone. I would like to ask your insights and also to seek out more advice. I am thinking to drop my work(full time) that pays me 25-30k/month but my mental health is at risk. It triggers my anxiety. My client doesn't have empathy. She doesn't accept her mistakes and worst she will pass the blame on me. She actually maltreated me. This is pureely based on what I have experienced. I have a second work (part time) that pays me 16-17k per month. I am enjoying my work, my client is very clear with his instructions, the culture of my work is great. He knows how to appreciate my work. I am still confused on what should be my decision since I'm almost the breadwinner of my family, and also the inflation right now is crazy. I also think of the ways if I will drop my first work with high pay, I will continue to upskill, apply again and again.”  It’s not that hard to be a good manager. The OFS who wrote this just listed down all you need to do: - Create a good working relationship (you do this by building trust with your OFS) - Give clear instructions (an easy way to do this is to use screen recordings) - Show appreciation (a thank you email or a small bonus goes a long way).  Another way you can be a great boss is to give your Filipino worker on-the-job training. You don't need to make that training yourself. You can buy the training you need at VAsMadeEasy.com and give that training to your OFS.  John
At Onlinejobs.ph, we strongly advocate for Filipinos only to have one full-time job. But I know that there are a lot of jobseekers who have multiple jobs on the site.  It’s usually one of these scenarios.  1. They’re not making enough money from their part-time job. That’s why they’re looking for more part-time work. 2. They’re not making enough money from their full-time job. Most of these workers would say they’re only available for part-time work. If you want to know what a good starting salary would be for your OFS, check out our salary guide: https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/filipino-virtual-assistants-salary-guide 3. Newbie Filipino workers underestimate how much work it takes to maintain a full-time job. They keep applying for jobs and eventually get overwhelmed by the amount of work. 4. They're maintaining and doing work for multiple clients.  In my opinion, #1 and #2 are circumstances you can work with. It is hard to live on a part-time salary. If you’re hiring someone part-time, it’s almost impossible to expect them to work for you exclusively. I think an OFS having a couple of part-time jobs is okay as long as they manage their time, they deliver on their work, and they don’t overwhelm themselves.  Issue #3 is usually a result of the cheap or free “VA Training” that’s proliferating in the Philippines right now. It preys on desperate Filipino job seekers and creates unrealistic expectations about online work.  That’s why I created VAsMadeEasy.com. It shows your OFS what the work would really be like. It has the added benefit of building trust because the training comes from you.  With #4, the best way to figure this out when hiring is to ask in a neutral way. "What other jobs do you currently have?  Or, what other clients do you have? What do you do for them?" With that type of question, maybe you're hoping they're doing other work for people?  Maybe you're not?  It's better if they're honest.  If you suspect your OFS has taken on another job after you hired them, talk to them about it. Ask. Ask why. You might find they just need more money to live. Or the work you're giving them isn't filling their time.  Filipinos will want to work for you if you create a great working environment. Your OFS will want to stay.  John
I want to share this email from Danielle because I know many of you might be having this issue too.  I’ve had my OFS for 10 months and it’s great :) However, I need a little advice. Sometimes grammar or wording can be an issue. Some of her tasks include writing social posts, newsletter drafts and email drafts.…We have tried using grammarly and even had an AI (Jasper subscription) but I’ve noticed it still misses many simple errors.… I want to keep my OFS for a long time and want to invest in her English abilities in writing in particular. What kind of solutions have worked for you and your team? Thank you,Danielle First, I asked my team how to improve English.  They gave me nothing. Like, they didn't have anything to say about learning to speak better English. They only had tools and processes to talk about.  Here's our experience:  Grammarly is a good tool for checking grammar and spelling mistakes. We use it regularly. When I sent this email to my OFS, 2 of them said "Grammarly is really helpful to me in my writing." I also edit and explain to my OFS what’s wrong with their writing on occasion. I did this a lot when I first outsourced writing. But I eventually realized that when I do all the editing, it creates a bottleneck. It becomes my responsibility to spot the mistakes that just doesn’t work for me.  It makes it so I have to oversee everything, which I don't want to do.  I know my OFS can do better. They have the tools. When the blog post or the caption comes to me, it should be perfect or close to perfect.  So we changed some things in our process. Before the output gets to me, it must go through at least two pairs of eyes, checking for spelling, grammar, and content.  We adjusted deadlines, so the writer has time to go through what they wrote. This is something they told me has helped them improve.  Giving them time to re-read and edit their work.  They run it through Grammarly before it reaches the editor.  The editor reads through it and makes (or tells the writer to make) changes or corrections.  Last, it goes through our QA guys to ensure it’s on brand, the links work, etc.  In Danielle’s case, if she only has one OFS this process will be hard to implement. But I think giving your OFS time to edit their work will greatly improve their work and your process.  It’s your OFS's responsibility to deliver the best output possible. Provide feedback and point out the mistakes. But make it her responsibility to fix those mistakes.  Now...what I think Danielle was actually after...I don't really have an answer to: "How do they improve their English"  My thoughts are just your thoughts.  Ask them to read English books. Ask them to watch TV in English, not dubbed in Tagalish. Pay them to do these things.  I don't really have a better answer.  John
Check this out.  It made me cry.  EJ replied to my All Saints and All Soul’s newsletter because, like me, he appreciated how Filipinos celebrate these holidays.  As we talked, it turns out he also gives his OFS team holidays off and benefits like SSS. In his words,  “They all made sense to me and are not very expensive to do. It blew their minds. I'm happy to be able to do it for them.”  We take these things for granted here in the US, but in the Philippines, it’s life-changing. Benefits mean you don’t have to worry about getting sick or pregnant. Having holidays off means, you can afford to relax and spend time with your family.  When a Filipino worker finds a job that offers these things, they’re happy. They’re content. Even when they’re having problems, they won’t say anything because they’re just thankful they have a great job.  This is exactly what happened to one of EJ’s OFS (Alvie). Her computer broke down, and she just kept working. He wouldn’t have noticed anything was wrong until one of his other OFS told him about it.  “This was her old desk top. It looks like a power surge damaged it. But it was very old anyway and she was always having problems. She never told me she had an old computer. It was my lead VA that told me and said she was too shy to say anything. So I decided it would be beneficial to both of us to get her a much better computer. Her laptop is better than mine now. LOL. “  He sent her money to buy a new computer, and the look on her face is just priceless.  For most of us, buying a new phone or computer isn’t a big deal. But for many Filipinos, it can be a rare and special occasion. That’s why, you can see in the photos Alvie even brought along her family, and she was in tears when she finally got her laptop.  It’s the start of a brighter future for her entire family.  Yes, you'll change your life when you hire someone. But you'll also change theirs.  John
At this time of Thanksgiving (in the US) I'm thankful for the flexibility my OFS provide me.  In our house it's a time of puzzles and Legos and being together.   I hope your OFS provide you this flexibility too.  I got an email about being flexible recently from a long time subscriber:  One of my valued OFS sent me a formal resignation letter a few months ago, out of left field! He had to suddenly take over his family business, even though he didn't like the business and he loved working for me. I wasn't ready to lose him, because he is fantastic at his job, and great at communicating! So here's what I wrote to him: “This is very sad news! Is there any chance we can hop on a Zoom call? I'd like to propose some flexible part-time options and I am also open to suggestions. If you don't just don't have any bandwidth, at the very least it would be nice to chat one more time in person (kind of, with Zoom, I guess).” I think he might not have considered that part-time would be an option. Also, he was pretty overwhelmed with his new situation and he was worried about letting me down. Anyhow -- it turned out great! He was very excited to work part-time and we were back on track within a few days. He has been his usual superstar self ever since. He gets so much work done, at such high quality, less hours are not an issue to me. (I probably have more room for flexibility than some employers, since my team has always worked their preferred hours, Monday to Friday.) I experienced something similar years back when one of my developers got this super lucrative job offer in Singapore. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, not just for him but for his entire family. He wanted to take it because it meant better schools for his kids and a chance for his wife to pursue higher education.  But he was really reluctant to take it because he had been working for me for years and he loved his job. So he emailed me, explained the situation, and asked if he could keep working part-time. He didn’t ask for a pay raise. Didn’t use the job as leverage. All he asked was the same hourly rate and the opportunity to keep working.  I was flexible and kept him. It was great for me.  Flexibility can often prevent turnover.  John
My kids are pretty entrepreneurial (at least some of them are). They run a pretty successful local business. They make more than their teachers make.  They've also invented all kinds of contracts. Contracts buyers sign. Contracts anyone working for the business sign.  If only they weren't so messy and didn't leave their piles of contracts on my workbench!    People ask me all the time for an NDA they can use with their OFS.  Along with this they ask "Can you enforce an NDA?"  The short answer is no.  Any contract that involves people outside of US jurisdiction can be hard or impossible to enforce. That includes an NDA or a non-disclosure agreement.  But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still have an NDA if you want your OFS to sign one. Nor should it put you off from hiring an OFS.  If your business has proprietary information, getting your OFS to sign an NDA would be a good idea, even if the NDA isn’t easily enforceable in the Philippines. For your OFS, signing an NDA means a lot to them because of their culture.  The Philippines has a very high power-distance index (/why-your-ofs-sometimes-work-mindlessly-power-distance-index/). They respect authority and contracts with their authority figures. Signing a contract means they’re giving you their word that they will abide by that agreement and they will do whatever it takes to keep that contract.  Enforcing is difficult, but just signing the NDA will likely have the effect you want.  Also, enforcing a contract in the Philippines is difficult but not impossible.  If you hired your OFS through Onlinejobs.ph and there’s proof that they broke the contract, you can contact us for mediation.  If they stole information (which is rare), you could contact the Philippines’ Department of Justice. Theft of information counts as a cybercrime that falls under their jurisdiction.  We can't give legal advice, but you can pretty easily hire a lawyer in the Philippines from OnlineJobs.ph.  You could use them to draft a contract that’s enforceable in the Philippines while following how the law is interpreted in your country. Or use them in prosecuting if someone breaks the contract.  Or we have contracts available here: www.OnlineJobs.ph/hiringdocs  John
I like to keep things simple. Simple = efficiency.  I try to do this in all aspects of my life.  If you've watched any of my videos you'll notice I only wear single color t-shirts.  No logos. Nothing fancy (except for my one green/gray striped shirt...that's my "fun" shirt).   They're all the same style, same brand, same length. It's my way of keeping my clothes simple.  Efficiency.  Simplicity is especially important when you're just starting with anything, including hiring an OFS. I know some of you have looked at my newsletters, my book, my videos, etc. At first glance, it seems complicated. Taxes, Employee vs contract worker, PTO, holidays, benefits, hourly vs salary... But the more you pay attention, it gets simpler.  Here's the thing, if you focus on every little thing that can go wrong without even trying to hire a Filipino worker, you'll never do it. The safest thing to do, to avoid making mistakes, would be to do nothing.  This also means that nothing changes. You're always going to be too busy. You're always going to be overwhelmed. You're always going to have so much to do.  Now's the time to take the leap. Keep it simple. It doesn't have to be hard or complicated.  That's what I aim to achieve with OneVAAway. It's my step by step way of cutting the complexity from hiring to make it simple for you.  Are you going to make mistakes? Maybe. You can do better.  At least attempting to hire someone brings progress.  And it brings progress towards simplifying your life.  John
I recently stumbled upon this blog post by one of our customers, Ziv Raviv, the CEO, and founder of Kivi Media & Daily Cookie.  https://dailycookie.co/get-faster-results-for-your-business-with-an-ofs/  I’m really happy about the endorsement but what I love about this blog post is he also shares his process for hiring and interviewing his own OFS (Online Filipino Specialist) team. I like learning new things and posts like this help make hiring better for everyone.  This is the ideal result, what I want to see after people learn how to hire an OFS. I want them to take what they learned, adapt it to suit their business and management style, and share it with the world so people can learn about it.  What I teach at OneVAAway.com is your foundation. It’s what will give you the confidence to hire an amazing OFS. But if you modify it to make it better and more efficient for you, go for it!  For me, what matters most is that you hire your first OFS and start changing your business today.  What do you guys think of Ziv’s process? Do you have something similar or something better? Let me know! Email me at john@onlinejobs.ph  John  PS. I came across this while hiking with my wife the other day.  I almost never use the word "cute"...but that's what came to my mind.  Cute. 
If you have a team in the Philippines and they live close to each other, I’m willing to bet this is something they would do as a form of team building.  My OFS Julia writes -------  The holidays are here! Now that the Philippines has reinstated face-to-face classes and work, Christmas party planning is back in full swing.  In addition to family gifts, we exchange Christmas gifts with friends from work and school. We pick a name from a hat and get that person a gift. We always keep that name a secret until the Christmas party.  But buying and getting presents isn’t fun enough. To make the practice even more fun for parties, we needed to add our spin. We call our gift-giving practice “Monito-Monita”.  The word monito (or the feminine monita) refers to the person you have to buy a gift for. Monito-Monita is that moment during the Christmas party when you finally exchange gifts. But you can’t just approach your monito/monita and give them their present. You can’t exchange gifts at the same time. The gift exchange is done, one person at a time, while everybody sings a silly song.  The song I’m most familiar with has these lyrics:  I love my Monito (or Monita)Yes, I do!I love my Monito (or Monita)Yes, I do!I love my Monito (or Monita)Yes, I do!I love my Monito (or Monita)But I won’t tell you! The Monito-Monita is the highlight of a Christmas party and is usually done just before the party ends.  I always found it odd that we have to sing this song when giving gifts because people will find out who my monito/monita anyway, even if I tell them.  Anyway, to make Monito-Monita more playful (and have an excuse to get/buy more presents), sometimes we would get several mini gifts every week before the Christmas party and secretly give them to our monito/monita. The mini gifts would have to be cheap and follow a silly theme like “White Christmas”  or “Something Green.”  It’s like an Advent calendar that counts toward the Christmas party instead of Christmas.  -------  I'm not a very good gift giver, but how about a gift for my subscribers.  I'm looking for video testimonials about OFS and OnlineJobs.ph  If you've used OnlineJobs.ph to hire someone you love, send me a video testimonial. It can be a simple phone selfie style video. Just tell me how hiring an OFS has changed things for you.  I probably won't give a free month's access to OnlineJobs.ph to every single video that comes in because some won't be usable for me, but most of them will get a free month of OnlineJobs.ph Premium to use whenever you're ready to hire. Reply with your video or with questions.  John
A few weeks ago, I talked about how EJ helped his OFS get a new PC.  If your OFS is thinking of buying a computer (or you’re thinking of buying a computer for your OFS), we just updated our computer buying guide: https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/pc-buying-guide-for-virtual-assistants  We started this guide around 2019. My OFS team pitched me the idea of writing this because November and December are usually the best months to buy a computer in the Philippines. They can get good rates on old inventory that stores want to get rid of, and stores offer big discounts and promotions because they know this is when the 13th-month pay starts coming in.  To make sure that they get the right computer for the job and they get the best deal, send your Filipino team this guide.  You might be tempted to buy your OFS a computer in the US, thinking it’s cheaper to buy one and just send it through courier. But we’d advise you against doing that for the following reasons:  - Private couriers are expensive and might cost more than the computer itself. - Philippine postal is very slow (think several months of waiting with a barely functional parcel tracking system). - Risk of damage or loss during shipment. - Expensive customs fees for incoming parcels (even those marked as gifts). - Warranty may not be honored. - Theft...My team has told me "NO! Don't send it through the postal service, it will get stolen!"  You can also use this guide as a reference if you'd like to know what kind of equipment your OFS should have to do their job.  John
Winter is in full swing for me in Utah.  Here's what it looks like:   In the Philippines, it's the holiday season, which means it's time for you to pay your OFS the 13th month.  If you don't know, here's a full explanation of the 13th month.  If you already know about it and just want to know how to compute for it, the simplest method is to add all the money you've paid them through the year and divide by 12.  Super simple.  If you're going to include a Christmas bonus, now's a good time to send it.  We sent both the 13th month and a Christmas bonus a week ago, but I forgot to remind you.  John
I get asked "How do OFS make phone calls to the US?" all the time!  Recently, I got this email:  Can you put out something on how to allow Filipino VA to make calls to the US and to answer calls from the US (without incurring calling fees ideally)? Jason  To answer that question, the first thing you need to do is figure out why you need phone service to begin with.  Do you need a phone service so your OFS can make and receive calls for you or just make calls? Do you want these calls to come from your number?  Or do you need a phone service for your customer support or outbound cold-calling team?  These questions are important because they will determine the phone service you’ll need.  If you are looking to have your OFS make calls, there are simple services like Skype and Viber.  Skype provides a very simple solution as it provides two services: Skype to Phone and Skype Number.  Skype to Phone allows a Skype account to call cellphone and landline numbers. For US-only subscriptions (calling US and US Territory numbers), it’s priced at $2.99 per month. There's also a North American subscription that can call US and Canadian numbers, as well as subscriptions for making calls to other countries (rates vary).  Skype allows you to also get a local phone number, which can be set as the Caller ID number. Skype Number can also receive calls from regular phones. Skype Number has a separate fee from Skype to Phone.  Viber has a cheap Viber Out feature that allows a Viber account to make calls. The downside is, unlike Skype, you cannot get a different number than the one registered.  When making Viber Out calls, the call recipient will see the phone number associated with the Viber account or “Private Caller.” This means a phone call from a Philippine-registered Viber account may get blocked for being an international call or because it’s a private caller.  For customer support, you'd want a more robust phone service with some of these features:    Voicemail   Multiple users   IVR (interactive voice response)   Custom Greetings   Call Forwarding   Call Transfers   Simultaneous call handling   Business Texting (SMS)   Virtual Fax  We searched for phone services with some of these features and polled our Facebook jobseeker group to know what phone services would work in the Philippines. These are the ones they recommended, but you still need to do your own research to figure out which one best suits your needs.    RingCentral - https://www.ringcentral.com/office/plansandpricing.html#office   Vonage - https://www.vonage.com.ph/unified-communications/   OpenPhone - https://www.openphone.com/product/calling   GoTo - https://www.goto.com/pricing/connect   Linkedphone - https://linkedphone.com/pricing/   Zoom Phone - https://explore.zoom.us/en/products/zoom-phone/   Cloud Talk - https://www.cloudtalk.io/call-center-software   Google Voice - voice.google.com   Grasshopper - https://signup.grasshopper.com/plans  Because these are all business phones; they will have fees. People often ask me for a free phone service.  I don't have one and you don't want one. Free (in this case) probably means unreliable.  What phone service are you using with your OFS? Is there something you recommend or don't recommend?  Let me know.  John
I'm not a morning person. I'm not a night person either. I'm a solid 11-7:30 sleeper.  If I don't get 8+ hours of sleep my skills (mental, physical, relationship...) go downhill.  Last week we went to an in the dark Christmas lights experience with like 10 million lights:   It was cold. I made sure we were home by 9pm so I could get my kids in bed on time and I could get to bed on time.  Not everyone is like me, but everyone needs to sleep.  I’ve mentioned in my previous emails and podcast how it’s not healthy for your OFS to work nights if they’re not used to it. But sometimes, you need your OFS to work nights, and some Filipinos prefer working that schedule.  The health risks of shift work are known. They’re at risk for insomnia, hypertension, diabetes, etc. But there are ways to help keep your night shift OFS healthy.  I asked my OFS, Jam, who has been working the night shift for years, for advice. He left the call center industry years ago because he was starting to have health problems. But when he started working for me (and working from home), he was able to adopt a healthier lifestyle.  Here are Jam’s suggestions on what you, as an employer, can do to help keep your OFS healthy during the night shift.  - Avoid changing your OFS shift schedule too often. Staying awake at night isn’t the thing that causes serious damage to the body; it’s the rapid changes in sleep schedule. If your OFS has a different sleep schedule every day or week or two weeks, it’s harder for them to fall asleep, get a full 8 hours of rest, and wake up. - Give them time to adjust to the night shift by giving them at least three days to adjust to a new work schedule. If you need to change their work schedule, keep the changes to a minimum (like once a month). - Encourage your OFS to take exercise breaks. This helps me stay awake during my shift and gives me the exercise I need since I can’t exercise during the day. I have an elliptical bike at home that I use for at least 10 minutes daily when I’m working. - If you can afford it, give your OFS health insurance or Philhealth. Medical emergencies are unavoidable. Sometimes it can happen while working, which is scary because we know it will be harder to get to a hospital at night. Having Philhealth or health insurance gives us one less thing to worry about. If you don't NEED your OFS to work at night, consider letting them work normal Philippines hours. If you need them available on your time zone, and that means them working at night, be respectful of the difficulties this can cause.  John
You can now send your OFS gifts from Amazon!  The Philippines has been able to order from Amazon for decades, but my OFS has never recommended it before because shipping is expensive, and the options are limited.  But Amazon recently commissioned several local courier companies for their last mile, lowering shipping costs. Amazon now offers free shipping to the Philippines for orders of more than $49 on selected items.  Another reason why sending something from Amazon is better now is that the Philippines’ Bureau of Customs (BoC) is more transparent about its rules regarding Amazon packages. They’ve been sending this information out on the news and on social media to encourage Filipinos to order from Amazon. This move from the BoC also helps to “clean up” their image.  The Bureau of Customs guidelines regarding Amazon deliveries is that you won’t run into any taxes or fees as long as the total cost of your package is less than 10,000 Philippine pesos.  If the item costs more than 10,000 pesos, you must pay taxes and duties.  This video interview explains the process in greater detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiUyw0fqgYA  If you want to know how much the customs duties, taxes and fees will be, Amazon will give you an estimate and add it to your cost but this doesn't apply to all items.  You still shouldn't send anything considered regulated or restricted, like CDs, electronics or medication, or anything perishable.  We’re still unsure how fast these delivery times will be or if certain shipments will still pass through the Philippine Postal system. One of my OFS bought something on Black Friday. His purchase was shipped under AmazonGlobal Standard Shipping, and it arrived on December 8, which is fast.  However, when his package arrived, there was a suspiciously large tear on the box.  He bought a bunch of books, which might be why whoever was looking into his package lost interest.  So if you're going to do this, don't send your OFS anything that looks expensive or easy to sell.  It's probably too late for something to arrive before Christmas, but even if it arrives in January, your OFS will still appreciate it.  John
Just before Thanksgiving, I got this email from Austin. It was in response to the newsletter I sent about EJ buying his OFS (Online Filipino Specialist) a laptop.  John, I've read most of the emails you've sent since I first used OnlineJobs.ph in January 2021. One of the VAs I hired is still with me. I've come to rely on her, and I continue to be surprised by how little she asks for. I've had to encourage her to ask for raises, and I brought up the idea of benefits multiple times before she finally agreed. We've got all that squared away now, and we figured out how to make various back payments so she'd even be eligible. All that to say, I didn't realize how acclimated I'd become to the entitlement of local or U.S.-based contractors until I started working with people who are so modest, humble, grateful, and reticent. There are exceptions to the rule in the U.S. (i.e., not entitled), and there must be in the Philippines too. Yet, I keep telling entrepreneur friends: "You're not compromising by hiring in the Philippines. It's not just about the arbitrage of paying less for team members in a country with a lower cost of living. It's about hiring great people who happen to live in the Philippines." Anyway, keep the good stuff coming. Hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving with your family. Austin That’s how I see my OFS team, great people who just happen to live in the Philippines. When you think of your team this way, it’s easier to communicate with them, train them, manage them, and give them good feedback. It's easier to see them as humans who want to contribute and help your business grow.  If you haven't hire someone yet, but you've considered it, go hire a great person!  They just happen to live in the Philippines!  When you know you have a good hiring system, like OneVAAway.com, you can trust that you hired great people. Once you start working with them, you’ll see that you don’t need complicated systems or go-betweens. Treat your team well and they’ll always do their best for you.  Merry Christmas.  John  PS.  My kids "Christmas Sing".  Listening to 3rd graders (and 1st and 2nd and 4th and 5th and 6th...) sing and try to follow the moves.  My kids are always a half a step behind.  We're not very musically talented. 
I hope you have something fun/great/spirit filled for Christmas and New Years.  I just want to remind you that the last week of December will be crammed with Philippine holidays.  Even though December 24 (New Year’s Eve) and December 25 (Christmas Day) fall on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, expect people to start asking for leaves even before that for travel. Today isn't a holiday...but they're likely to either have asked for it off, or to do little work today.  December 30 and 31, 2022, and January 1, 2023, are all regular holidays. December 30, Rizal Day, falls on a Friday, so it will be a long weekend for most of them.  If you can afford to do it and you don’t have anything essential tasks that need to be done over the holidays, consider giving them the week between Christmas and New Year off. They’ll appreciate it.  If you need them to work over the holidays, talk to them about it ASAP. Even better, iron out holiday scheduling as soon as you hire.  Also, FYI, Now isn't a great time to hire someone.  They're scared to start during the holidays. I know telling you this isn't very good for my business...but wait until after Jan 2. You'll get a better response to your job post.  John
Merry Christmas.  I'm going to keep this short.  Right now I find very little expectation in my business. There's little demand from customers and workers.  I find I have a bunch of "couch time", which I don't get a lot of during the year.  I find this down time to be the perfect time to write up a job post for hiring a new OFS.  To me, posting a job is one of the most effective uses of time. It's growing your business, doing important but not urgent work. It gives me a head start for the new year.  I find once a job is posted, the ball is rolling and I can't stop it until I hire someone to push my business forward.  And it's easy, not thinking about the internal workings of my business, time.  https://www.onlinejobs.ph/employers/postjob  I'll post a job this week because it's an amazing feeling in an otherwise unproductive week.  If I don't get a great response, I'll post it again in early January.  John  PS. I said this last week.  Don't try to hire someone before the new year.  You can post the job and start interviewing, but expect very little response between Dec 30 and Jan 2. Again, I know this hurts my business to tell you not to hire, but it's better for you.
I was interviewed by Starter Story, and I shared a lot of stuff there that most people don't know about me or Onlinejobs.ph. https://www.starterstory.com/stories/onlinejobs  Most people don’t know I started Onlinejobs.ph with just $5,000. It was just me, Dan, and two Filipino workers when we started.  I know I talked about this before, but I think most people don’t really understand how much of a fluke Onlinejobs.ph is.  I didn’t build it thinking it would get this big (we’ll be breaking 8 figures in revenue this year, we passed 2,000,000 worker profiles this year, we'll pass 500,000 employers next year).  I built it for myself.  I just wanted a place where I could recruit someone from the Philippines on my own.  I remember a while back, one of my O.F.S. suggested that instead of sharing all this content for free, we should monetize it. Put it behind a paywall. At first glance, it makes sense. Why share all this valuable information we gained from years of outsourcing and our research for free?  Because I don’t want to add to the problems that most business owners have to deal with. We have enough problems. We can do the most good by providing solutions. I want to show people how amazing it feels to have an extra pair of hands and a capable mind working in your business.  Want to know what an extra pair of hands and a capable mind can do for your business? Check out https://www.ofstasks.com/  John  PS. It has been an amazing ski year for me. Best start to the season I've ever experienced. This:  leads to this: 
Christmas in the Philippines starts on September 1.  Yeah, it's early.  But...for a lot of Filipinos, the New Year celebration is the more awaited day.  New Year in the Philippines is a loud, bright celebration that everybody looks forward to, regardless of religion or location.  While most Filipinos still choose to celebrate New Year’s at home, more people are going to malls, parks, hotels, and beaches all over the country to party and celebrate. With pandemic restrictions lifted, more people are even determined to go out after being stranded at home for two years.  If you look at Filipino New Years traditions, you’ll see that it’s heavily influenced by Chinese traditions. They follow a lot of practices that are supposed to attract wealth and ward off evil spirits.  To attract wealth in the coming year, you’ll see Filipinos wear polka dots because dots symbolize money. Round fruits are in high demand as part of their Media Noche (New Year’s Feast) table centerpieces because they represent money.  To ward off evil spirits, they make a lot of noise. Hence the parties, paper trumpets, videoke sessions, and fireworks. They party hard on New Year and they use a lot of fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks.  The hard-partying also means most hospitals would be on high alert around this time. December to January is when they have the highest incidence of heart diseases like stroke and heart attacks because of all the fatty holiday food like lechon. There’s also a spike in alcohol-related and firecracker injuries during this time.  Here’s an anecdote from one of my OFS, Jam:  When I was a Red Cross volunteer in my early 20s, we’d ride around the neighborhood every New Year’s Eve and New Year. There’s always someone getting hurt. It’s more convenient for us to just go around to treat minor injuries and transport serious injuries to the hospital. And for this reason, most of your OFS won't work on Jan 2. They'll start back on Jan 3.
It’s January 2 and I’m sure gyms across the world were packed this morning with people who’ve decided to get in shape as their “New Years Resolution”.  I spent the day in the mountains backcountry skiing with my wife.   It’s not part of any “resolution”, it’s part of my lifestyle.  Here’s why most new years resolutions don’t work.  If it’s not strong enough for you to decide to do it December 15th, or October 3, or July 22, why is Jan 2 any different?  It’s not.  If the desire to change isn’t strong enough TODAY, then a new year isn’t going to give you that desire.  BUT THAT’S NOT US!  We're entrepreneurs. We push through hard things. We figure out solutions that work.  We don’t make “resolutions”, we make lifestyle changes and those things stick for us.  My wife got back off sugar this year on December 21. Before the holidays. That’s a winner.  That’s a lifestyle change.  Here’s a lifestyle change from Ryan Smith:  “You don’t have to be an expert in every area of your business. If you aren’t an expert in a specific area or it isn’t the best use of your time, find someone who is. Hire someone who already is an expert and pay them to build it for you. You concentrate on the high dollar activities that will move the needle in your business.”  So many entrepreneurs think “I’m the only one who can do this”.  They’re wrong.  Make a lifestyle change this year and hire an OFS to help you focus on the high dollar activities that move the needle in your business.  My One VA Away Challenge is designed to help you – hire the right person – in a short amount of time – with the least amount of effort – so you can move the needle  Get it.  Make a lifestyle change rather than another “resolution”.
"Hey John, you should create a job board like OnlineJobs.ph in...."  I get a lot of requests from people asking me to replicate Onlinejobs.ph in their country.  No.  Why?  Because employers have a better experience in the Philippines than anywhere else in the world.  Not always. But usually.  There's a specific set of cultural differences in the Philippines that I haven't seen anywhere else.  They're - honest - loyal - hard working - pleasing - not entrepreneurial - looking for long-term work  Obviously not everyone is like this...but generally this is what you find in the Philippines.  Yes, there are exceptions.  Yes, you might find someone great in India or Mexico or Brazil or Indonesia or Ghana...  ...but your chances are just higher in the Philippines.  Usually a lot higher.  I created OneVAAway.com so you can consistently hire hard-working, talented, and loyal people. They just happen to live in the Philippines.  I think it’s better if people who are passionate about other countries should be the ones to build their job platforms. But you haven't seen that yet.  Why?  Because it's all about employers having a good experience.  And that good experience happens consistently in the Philippines.  John  PS. It helps that I consistently create content around this. To me, content is king on the internet. But...even that comes back to people having a good experience. I always have something to talk about because there are so many stories of people loving their OFS.
My OFS, Julia, is in the process of getting her driver’s license. She’s in her forties, so I was surprised to learn that she’s only started learning how to drive.  She tried learning to drive when she was younger. But she crashed the car, which scared her from driving ever since.  But since she and her husband bought a car, she was finally motivated to learn how to drive again. She wanted to enjoy the car for herself and not be a passenger all the time.  I realized that her story is a great analogy for those who tried to hire Filipino workers in the past. If it doesn't work out for you, it makes you scared of hiring again.  But just as Julia has to drive her car, you have to drive your business. And part of driving a business is getting the right help.  Being a business owner can be fun and rewarding if you have smart and capable people helping you.  If you’ve had a poor hiring experience in the past, it can be different this time. You can hire a great Filipino worker and avoid the mistakes. I can show you how to do it right this time with OneVAAway.com  Drive your business.  Stop being a passenger.
In 2022, many Philippine holidays fell on the weekend. But in 2023, you may have noticed that many of those holidays now land on a Monday or Friday. If your OFS doesn’t work on the weekends, they can expect around 9 “long weekends” if we count regular and special holidays.  If your business is affected by this, make sure you talk to your OFS to work on their schedules as soon as possible.  These are Philippine holidays that will result in long weekends.  Regular Holidays - April 6 - 10, 2023 (Th,F,M) - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Day of Valor. - May 1, 2023(Monday) - Labor Day - June 12, 2023(Monday) - Philippine Independence Day - August 28, 2023 (Monday) - National Heroes Day - November 27, 2023(Monday) - Bonifacio Day - December 25, 2023(Monday) - Christmas Day  Special Holidays - August 21, 2023 (Monday) - Ninoy Aquino Jr. Day - November 1 - 2, 2023 (Wednesday and Thursday) - All Saints and All Souls’ day. Expect your OFS to ask for a leave on October 31st (Tuesday) for travel to the province and Nov 3rd (Friday) to complete their long weekend. - December 8, 2023(Friday) - Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  To make sure you’re updated on Philippine holidays, make sure you subscribe to our Google Calendar. It will put the Philippines holidays on your calendar so you're aware of them.  PS. My family recently went on holiday to Southern California. It's amazing to me how fast the kids grow.  One of my 5 is already out of the house, and another is about to leave.  So sad. 
Chat GPT is everywhere.  People keep asking me if it is replacing VAs.  Yes and No.  Yes, in a sense that it can help get rid of a lot of busy work that your VA is doing. If you need your VA to write ten articles daily for your content marketing, an AI can do that faster.  But once your AI has generated those articles, somebody’s got to read through them and check if they’re good and on topic. They need to be checked for plagiarism. They need to be uploaded. Those articles would need links and images. You need to create social media posts to promote those articles.  An AI can’t do all that for you automatically. Not yet.  Here’s the thing, these are also jobs that not all VAs can do. If you want to make sure that the content generated by that AI is on brand and up to par with your standards, you need someone who really knows your business. A VA can't do that.  If you want to make sure that your AI-generated content is promoted in a way that maximizes exposure to the right audience, you need someone who really understands your market.  A VA can't do that.  If you want to ensure that after you’ve promoted your content, your audience can interact with someone who can anticipate their needs, you’ll need someone who knows your customers.  A VA can't do that.  An Online Filipino Specialist CAN!  Even better, you can find an Online Filipino Specialist who can help you build and understand AI!  Will AI replace your virtual assistant? Probably. But for every other job that an AI and a virtual assistant can’t do, you’ll need an OFS.  We've been playing with it for content creation.  It's amazing, but not up to our standards (or voice, or tone). We're also in early stages of seeing if we can provide better customer support with it.  Not replacing our customer support, but providing better customer support.  We'll see.  John
After I released that newsletter on phone services, I got a lot of responses on phone services that are not on the list. So here's an update based on what subscribers told me:  Unitel Dialpad Ooma Office Twilio WhatsApp ZegoCloud DialDesk  Not a phone service but a subscriber also recommended HeyMarket, which is an SMS/text messaging service. This service is good if you use SMS a lot for marketing and customer support.  Here’s another option that I got that I just had to share in verbatim:  Any phone provider that provides IP phone services should be able to set up an overseas OFS with a soft phone app either a cell phone or computer.  I pay $25 a month for her line and my ofs can make unlimited calls to and from the United States. And since her phone is tied into my phone system, she has an extension. I can dial her extension and talk to her. In addition, when people call my business phone number, she has an extension which people could just punch in and get through straight to her. She can also call other countries for the same rates that I pay.  Note: setting up a soft phone is what most of the companies we've mentioned will do.  Here’s another solution that’s not applicable to everybody but can work if you’re in Australia.  You don’t need to know how to set up a PBX (although I do), just need to know to ask your local ISP for a virtual PBX and VoIP phones.  Then describe to the ISP how you want it set up and they will do the rest.   I use Spintel for my services but that is of no use to anyone outside Australia.  They also have to think of using the ISP for business not just getting an Internet connection like at home. I find the smaller boutique ISPs are easier to work with, than the bigger Telcos.  Armed with this information, you should be ready to hire an experienced online Filipino customer service representative.  Thank you to everybody who replied with their suggestions. If you guys have anything more to add or if you have any other questions or topics you want me to cover, email me at john@onlinejobs.ph  My point in sending this is to make it very clear that it's super reasonable to hire an OFS to make phone calls. Here are searches on OnlineJobs.ph for: call center phone support cold calling telemarketing  Thousands of experienced people looking for work.  John
"John - How do I know if I can trust them?"  It's one of the first questions people ask me.  Humans are hardwired to be suspicious of things we don’t know or understand. That’s how we protect ourselves. So I understand why you’d be reluctant to trust a stranger halfway across the world to help with your business.  What most people don’t know is that fear runs both ways.  Filipinos also have this fear when they apply for online work. They are afraid because most people know someone scammed with online work at least once. Many have personally experienced it. https://mb.com.ph/2022/05/30/cybercriminals-continue-preying-on-filipino-job-seekers-report/   In fact, for most Filipinos, their feelings of fear towards you are stronger than your fear towards them!  Taking on a job is a leap of faith for them. They’re choosing to commit all that time to a job where they might not get paid. That’s time they could have spent pursuing other options. They can work for established companies in the Philippines that guarantee a paid job. A paid job means they can pay their rent, utilities, and groceries this month.  The worst that could happen when you don't hire an OFS because you don’t trust them is that you’re not growing your business. You can afford to take that risk.  But Filipino workers take that risk if they want to feed their families.  That’s why I often say that you need to earn their trust just as much as they need to earn yours. The stakes are higher for your OFS. You can find someone trustworthy when you follow the steps I lay out at OneVAAway.com.  But when an OFS puts their trust in the wrong employer and they’re scammed, there’s not much they can do. They can’t get that time back. It’s a painful learning experience that will make them more cautious. It's a lesson that leaves them worse off because it doesn't help pay the bills.  If you're worried about finding someone you can trust here's something interesting; we deal with more problematic employers than we do problematic workers.  Filipinos (generally) are trustworthy.  But you won't know until you try it yourself.  John  PS.  Here are Jody and Brian from https://atozbuildingblocks.com/. They recognized me at a restaurant last Friday night and came and introduced themselves. I'm so glad they did. They have 2 OFS who they trust their business to.  Those 2 OFS also trust them. They're good employers. 
Here's a VA I know who is available to hire.    Notice I didn't call him an OFS.  He's not.  And...I don't actually KNOW him.  Here's the story...  My oldest son is serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The "Mormons".  Yes, I'm an active member of this church and an active disciple of Jesus Christ. We try to follow.  My son got assigned to the Philippines.  This is crazy because when you go on a mission, you don't choose where you go.  You apply to go, send your application in, and the church assigns you somewhere.  It's not "random", but there was nothing on his application about any connection to the Philippines.  When we found out I had no words.  So, he gets there and then gets assigned to this little island: Marinduque. You've never heard of it.  And, actually, it's not a little island, but the population is small and it's super remote. Like, it takes him 2 days to get to meetings on the main land, which is only like 30 miles away.  He has been there for a few months now and has gotten to know a lot of people quite well.  He tells me he meets people all the time who are either looking for work or have found work on OnlineJobs.ph.  He doesn't often tell people that his dad owns OnlineJobs.ph.  But last Sunday he brought someone to me for the first time.  He said this guy (VA) needs a job or he's going to have to leave his wife and 2 kids, move to Manila, find a job so he can send home a little money to his family.  I was like... "Well...I'm not likely to find him a job. I don't know anything about him."  The my son started telling me about him.  He's honest, super hard working, and super smart.  He's not super talented because he has grown up on this island and hasn't had many opportunities, but he graduated from university and is looking for work.  He speaks English, has done some customer support, and likes to do design work and is somewhat talented at it.  My son, who before leaving the country as a 19yr old missionary was running a $300k/year business that he started at 11 and grew while going to high school, said he would hire this guy in an instant.  He's so confident in this guy that he's the first person in 4 months he has brought to me...and he meets people every day who are out of work.  I've emailed with the VA. His English is great.  Not perfect. His internet speed is good (145mbps down, 21mbps up). His laptop is good. He's super affordable. He needs full-time work.  You'd hire him because you want a general VA. Not an OFS. Someone who doesn't know much but who will grow with you and learn and work really hard to do good work. Someone you can trust. Someone like my first hire, Joven, who I hired in 2005 and who now runs OnlineJobs.ph.  I'm sending this email to 100,000 people. 25,000 will read it. One will hire him.  If you're interested, reply.  John  PS. Doing this isn't my favorite. I don't make any money from it. It's not scaleable. It's not automated. And it requires my time.  Yuck.  But depending on the response I could do more of it.
Last week I told you about my son in the Philippines and how he had a friend there who needed a job.  My son had vetted Marc for me.  Marc was trustworthy and hard working, just not super skilled. His option was to travel to Manila for work and leave his wife and 2 kids home, or try to find online work.  His plight is common.  The Philippines doesn't export many things but they import a lot.  That leads to a difficult economic situation (more to come about this in the future). So, they turn to exporting people.  They send their people overseas to work and send money home.  Families get ripped apart. Children are raised by their grandparents. Communities suffer.  That's "just how it is".  But not for Marc.  One of you hired Marc.  He now makes $4/hour.  More than enough to support his family on his remote island. His kids will grow up with him at home. They'll know their dad. I get tears just thinking about it as I write this.  I had over 100 responses from people asking to hire Marc.  Not because he's a super talented OFS.  He's not.  But because you knew he was trustworthy.  Because I had vetted him and said "You can trust this person."  So I spent this past week working on more of this. On finding more people you can trust. With Marc I just trusted my son. With these people we put them through the wringer.  We've talked to past employers, we've gathered government clearances (it's like the background check of the Philippines), we've verified skills.  Some are "VAs". They're not super skilled.  Others are OFS: Bookkeepers Accountants Social media managers SEO experts Sales people Customer support Property Management Graphic design  Because we have to do a lot of work to vet these people, we're charging to hire them. But we're charging half of what we normally would because of the response last week.  If you're looking for a vetted VA/OFS: www.OnlineJobs.ph/vetted-workers  First come, first served.  John
You want to hire an OFS (or maybe even a VA!) but you've been putting it off because you're afraid you don’t know how to do it right?  There’s one thing you can do to help you get over your fear of hiring AND help you learn how to hire someone faster.  Write and post a job today!  Just do it.  It's just not that hard.  You can write your job post from scratch or use a template.  It doesn’t have to be perfect. As soon as you’re done, just post it.  It's free!  What’s the worst that could happen?  If you realize that there’s something wrong with the job post, you can easily edit it.  Do you need more responses? - Maybe the salary’s too low. - Maybe you listed down too many skills. - Maybe it’s too specific. Edit and post the job again! Not getting the quality of jobseekers that you want? - Maybe the job post isn’t specific enough. - Maybe you didn’t put any instructions that can help weed out unqualified people. - Maybe the timing was off (this happened to me a week ago) Edit and post the job again! Want more help? - Use my step-by-step guide at OneVAAway.com. - email our support: support@onlinejobs.ph  Posting the job is the hardest part because it seems daunting.  Take the leap.  John
It may be winter where you live (it certainly is where I live), but most Filipinos are preparing for the summer heat. If you sent your OFS 13th-month pay, some of them probably spent that money to buy new fans and air conditioners or upgrade the ones they already have.  Some employers are aware of this and have even given their OFS air conditioners as part of their 13th month.  we paid the 13th month pay on the 15th. and my personal assistant got a new aircon (only cost us $435 total, but her loyalty and hard work are priceless) Ziv There’s also Bob H., who bought his OFS air coolers a few years back.  It can get scorching hot in the Philippines. In 2022, the highest heat index reached as high as 127 degrees (54 degrees Celcius). Most days, it’s around 86 degrees, but it feels much hotter because it’s humid. It’s the kind of heat that can make you dizzy if you’re not used to it.  This is why most homes in the Philippines have at least one electric fan. Many would have at least one per room. If you go into the slum areas, you’ll see few houses with air conditioning.  This is one of the reasons why the siesta(Spanish word for an afternoon rest or nap) is a common practice for Filipinos. They sleep when it’s too hot and return to work when the temperature becomes more tolerable. They’ve done it long before they adopted the Spanish term for it.  If you’re like Ziv and want to give your OFS something they can use to help them be more productive, you can help them buy something to improve their work conditions.  Fans, air coolers, and air conditioners aren’t that expensive in the Philippines. A desk fan in the Philippines starts at around $7. $30 can buy you an air cooler for a small room. Small air conditioners, on the other hand, start at $140. Still not that much.  John  PS. It's cold where I live and I love it! Watching the snow is one of my favorite things to do. 
I got this email from one of my newsletter subscribers asking about how I organize my video training library.  I love your emails and am extremely grateful for what you've created with OnlineJobs. I hired a wonderful person a little over a year ago through your site and has helped me tremendously; I don't know how I would have continued to do all the things I needed to do without her. I read your newsletter everyday (which, is also very helpful) and was hoping you might be able to talk a little bit about how you organize your "library" of Snagit training videos for your VAs? Snagit works great, but I'm wondering if there is an easier way to organize the videos as you make them besides just naming and dating them and dropping them in a Google Drive or Dropbox folder. Maybe you could write one of your daily posts about this?  This is going to be ... questionable.  My OFS wrote a whole response about how I organize my videos.  All about spreadsheets and columns and dates...  I deleted the whole thing because that's not actually what I do. It's what someone else does.  I'm going to give you exactly what I do.  It's stupid simple, less "organized" than you think, yet it's permanent.  1. I use Snagit to create screen capture images and videos.  This is key. Snagit! You can use Loom or TinyTake or Screencast-o-matic...but I don't know if any of them do what Snagit does that makes this work so well for me.  2. I set Snagit up to upload to MY OWN HOSTING ACCOUNT. I do NOT use their auto upload service. Since it's my own web hosting account (you could use google drive or dropbox or...) I control when things get deleted...which is NEVER! This is really important.  You need to upload to somewhere where you know it will not be deleted.  3. I add the URL of that video to an email or a task or a training document.  4. If that email/task/training document is a long term thing, we'll refer back to it regularly and no matter how far in the future it is, my video is still there. If that email/task/training document is a short term thing, we'll stop looking at it and we'll stop looking at that video I created. Either way, the training I created never goes away.  It's a big deal when things you create don't go away.  Here's a video of me explaining this, created with Snagit:  http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/2023-01-26_14-09-38.mp4  Some of you may have gotten a video like this from me in the past.  Search your email for "quickvideolearning.com" and I bet whatever I sent you is still there, no matter how long ago I sent it.  You don't have to buy your own domain (like "quickvideolearning.com" which is what I bought) but for $10/year to make sure your trainings are always accessible in the same place...it's worth it.  John  PS. I record videos and take images every day. If you really wanted to spend the time, you could probably find all the trainings I've given my team by guessing every second of every minute of every day on my server until you find them individually. You'd have to sift through a lot of crap to find something relevant (probably not worth it).
I’ve mentioned a few times that “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” is one of those books that shaped the course of my life. It kept me out of debt. It taught me to take appropriate risks.  It taught me to buy assets before liabilities.  There’s a line in that book that, I think, perfectly illustrates the potential of hiring an OFS: Online Filipino Specialist.    "‘I can’t afford it’ shuts down your brain. ‘How can I afford it?’ open up possibilities, excitement and dreams." If you think you can't afford to hire any help, you're limiting yourself.  - You can't take on new clients because you don't have help. - You can't grow your business because you don't have help. - You can't go on a vacation or take a break because you don't have help.  But when you think about how you can afford to hire an OFS, your brain starts to look for opportunities.  "I want to give my OFS this task to get this thing off my plate. With that free time, I can look for more clients."  "I've always wanted to improve our customer service. I'll give this task to my OFS so I'll have more time to do something else."  "If I delegate one more task to my OFS, I'll be working 1 hour less per week. I can use that time to sleep more."  When you don't have an OFS, you can only see what you can't do. When you have an OFS, you start seeing everything you can do.  Open yourself up to possibilities, excitement, and dreams. You can start by posting a job at Onlinejobs.ph  John
People always tell me  "How can I trust this person?"  Their minds immediately go to  “What if my OFS steals from me?”  With a local hire, you know you can go to the police.  But what if your OFS steals your financial information or client list or destroys your website, database, or cloud? What can you do?  The good thing about hiring an OFS is that this rarely happens. Digital theft is rare in the Philippines!  Three reasons: 1. because your OFS doesn’t want to steal from you. 2. there’s no incentive to steal. 3. if and when they’re caught, the punishment is really steep.  Even though it’s really rare, I understand wanting to know what you can do if this unlikely event happens to you. We've seen hundreds of thousands of people get hired through OnlineJobs.ph. We've seen theft happen...but it's so unbelievably rare I only talk about it because you want to hear about it.  So my team took it upon themselves to research.  They emailed the Philippine Department of Justice - Office of the Cybercrime to ask what’s the protocol regarding reporting cybercrime committed by Philippine citizens against someone who is not in the Philippines.  This is the email my OFS sent.  Because many employers are concerned about the safety of their data, they are concerned that some Filipinos they hire as off-shore contractors may breach their trust, data, and information security, we'd like to know: Since the employers do not have any entity in the Philippines, can they report Philippine based Filipino workers to the Philippines' DOJ for cybercrime if they steal, sell, or destroy data?  The DOJ responded with:  The normal course of action, therefore, is for them to file a report to their local law enforcement so that they can coordinate with their Philippine counterparts. They may also file a complaint to the nearest Philippine Consular Office by executing a consularized affidavit and sending it to the Chief of National Bureau of Investigation - Cybercrime Division, 5th Floor, VTEC Tower, 1257 Gregorio Araneta Avenue cor. Maria Clara St., Quezon City, Philippines or to the Director of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, Camp Crame, Quezon City. For their contact details, they may visit the following links: http://nbi.gov.ph/transparency-seal/nbi-divisions and https://acg.pnp.gov.ph/main/contacts. That’s pretty straightforward. If ever a Filipino worker commits a cybercrime against you, you can first contact your local law enforcement to file a formal complaint. Your local law enforcement will coordinate with their Philippine counterparts, and the ball will start rolling.  You can also file a complaint with the Philippine consulate if you live close to one.  The Philippines government takes theft seriously. They don't tolerate it. There is no "$950 California theft law" in the Philippines. If you steal and are caught, you're going to jail. Everyone in the Philippines knows this and it's almost always enough to deter people. It’s not worth losing your reputation and future opportunities just for a bit of extra money.  I want to remind you that I am not a lawyer. Nobody on my team is a lawyer. Listen to your lawyer. Consult your lawyer.  But you won’t be needing this information if you have a solid hiring process that consistently gets you good, trustworthy, reliable Filipino workers. That’s what I teach at OneVAAway.com.  John
You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world…but it requires people to make the dream a reality. - Walt Disney    I don't think I can say it better than him.  Your business requires people.  Ready to take the leap?  Start with www.OFSGuide.com. <-- Answers the top 9 questions I get asked  Then use www.OneVAAway.com <-- Guides you through hiring an amazing OFS  Or, just post a job at www.OnlineJobs.ph <-- It's just a job board kind-of like Indeed.com. You post a job, people apply. You interview and hire however you want. There are no commitments or requirements of full-time or how you pay or benefits or ...  John
I get a lot of emails from employers and Filipino workers telling me how Onlinejobs.ph changed their lives.  But this...is different.  Here's a conversation I had last week with my oldest child, Austin. He was sent to the Philippines for his mission with the Church of the Latter-Day Saints and assigned to a remote island in the Philippines.   https://youtu.be/_2czGqddhVM  Here's what I learned. 1. The Philippines does very little exporting.  Individual islands do even less exporting. When you don't export anything, you have no money coming in, just money going out to buy goods. 2. They solve this problem by exporting people. 3. Exporting people destroys families.  The Philippines government has actively encouraged workers to go find work overseas and send money home.  The problem is it doesn’t account for the emotional and mental toll it takes on a culture that deeply values family ties. It doesn’t consider the strained and broken relationships brought about by distance and neglect.  But with every OFS, we know:  That’s one family where the mom or dad doesn’t have to leave the island so that they can make enough money to support themselves.  That’s one family where the kids can grow up with both parents. They don’t have to go through the pain of homesickness and separation.  That’s one family where the grandparents can just enjoy their grandkids. They don’t have the added burden of being full-time parents when they’re old and retired.  When you hire an OFS, you’re doing a lot of good. You’re helping families and communities. Be proud of that.  And, look.  About 98% of the people on OnlineJobs.ph are honest, hard working, loyal people. They just want to find work to support their family.  Finding trustworthy people IS NOT HARD!  Either post your job today at OnlineJobs.ph or use my www.OneVAAway.com challenge to post your job today.  Either way it's a win-win-win-win-win-win. You win. Your family wins. Your business wins. They win. Their family wins. Their community wins.  Stop kicking the can. Hire someone.  If you have questions about "can I hire THIS kind of person", just respond to this email.  It comes to me.  John
I talk a lot about earning your OFS (Online Filipino Specialist) trust and giving them training and benefits.  Why?  Why be so nice to Filipino workers? They work for you! You’re paying them to do their jobs! You’re paying them to work, right!?  Right??? Yes, you’re right. When you hire an OFS and pay them right, they’ll do their jobs.  But something amazing happens when you inspire them and boost their self-esteem. Being a good boss is actually good for business.  I know that compared to other businesses, I have a low turnover rate. I have Filipino workers messaging me every day, wanting to work for me because they know that Onlinejobs.ph is a great company to work for.  When you give your OFS benefits, it boosts their trust in you. They're less likely to leave. More likely to do better.  When your OFS gets training, it boosts their confidence. They're confident that they're doing the job correctly. This gives them the confidence to take on more challenging tasks.  This isn’t unique to Filipino workers, but it's especially effective with them.  When you have all the best people wanting to work for you, all you need to do is have a hiring process that helps you find the people who best fit your business. That’s what I teach with my One VA Away hiring challenge.  What kind of OFS do you want to hire? SEO expert? Forex trader? GoHighLevel expert? Anything else?  John
I have a neighbor who sells shoes on eBay.  He has like 3,000-5,000 Pairs of shoes...in his basement! He's always wearing some cool new pair of unique shoes. I've mentioned to him a number of times about hiring OFS and he's always like "Oh, there's nothing they could do for me. I have to do it all myself."  Ok...I mean...I believe there are some things that he has to do by himself. He’s amazing at finding great deals on shoes that will sell really well. That’s what’s making his business successful.  Then I turn around and have an email in my inbox from someone else saying "I run an eBay business selling "___" and I just hired my 6th OFS and they do this and this and this on eBay for me."  Guess which eBay business is bigger?  Actually, no.  Guess which eBay business owner works less?  I know every business has a unique selling point, but for the most part, that’s probably the only thing unique about your business.  Everything that supports that unique selling point, everything that makes it possible, isn’t unique.  To give that unique selling point to your customers, you need: - marketing people to spread the word. - admin people to keep things running smoothly. - customer support to make sure your clients are happy. - technical support so you can automate  Getting someone to help you in your business doesn’t make it less special.  It actually gives you more time to focus on that special thing, that magic, because you have people taking care of everything else.  Check out OFSTasks.com to see what OFS are doing for other businesses in your industry.  John
Riding a bike is so easy...once you know how.  Once you know, you can't imagine not knowing how.  To a lot of people, a bike adds freedom, opportunity, exercise, competition, transportation...  Here's my daughter competing in her last high school race:   Hiring an OFS is similar.  It seems so daunting. So hard. So..."I can't do this"  So...let me outline how easy this actually is. Once you know how, you'll never NOT know how.  1. Search and view some profiles at OnlineJobs.ph - this is always the first step because it requires no commitment by you. Search something like: Amazon FBA expert Google adwords Real estate VA Shopify Developer  Look at some profiles. You'll get a really good idea of what's out there.  2. Post a job.  Super simple.  Don't over complicate this. Post a few sentences.  It's free.  3. Interview applicants via email. Ask them some questions.  You don't need to do any prep work. No scheduling. No time zones. No video conference links. Just keep asking them questions.  ^^^^^ This is my secret to hiring fast, easy, efficiently, and almost always finding someone great!  4. Hire the best fit.  If you're still not sure, use the steps at OneVAAway.com  Hiring an OFS is easier than learning to ride a bike.  And to a lot of employers, it gives MORE freedom than a bike. And to the person you hire, it's life changing.  John
Job titles aren’t that important to me.  But in the Philippines, it’s a big deal.  An impressive job title is a source of pride. A nice-sounding job title announces to their family and friends how good they are at their job or how much money they’re making without openly bragging about it.  This cultural thing is what Lukas used to find himself a great OFS. When he used Executive Assistant in his job post, he wasn’t getting good applicants. But with one small tweak, he started receiving applications from the candidates he wanted. Here’s what he said in his email.  I was looking for somewhat of a general VA but with more experience and strong communication skills. I got plenty of applications but very few qualified candidates. A couple of awesome candidates, but none that felt like a home run. I tried changing the job title to CoS (Chief of Staff), reached out to a handful of profiles, and had completed applications, test projects, AND interviews within 12hrs with 2 STELLAR candidates. Interviewing 1 more later today and hiring someone tomorrow. Amazing talent! Just had to look for and advertise the right job title/role! The job title matters.  Another thing you can do is browse through the OnlineJobs.ph database and invite promising candidates to apply for your job post. This way, you’ll also reach workers who may not have seen your job post.  Last, if you're not getting the quantity or quality of applicants you want, try posting your job again.  It's weird and I can't figure it out.  One day I'll post a job and get 4 applicants.  2 days later I'll post the same job and get 15 job applicants, with a bunch of really qualified people. It's not something we're doing with our software.  It has something to do with timing...but I don't know yet.  John
Every day I get emails from people saying "Do you have X type of worker?"  Yes, yes we do.  I usually reply with a search result from OnlineJobs.ph.  With over 2,000,000 Filipino profiles, we have people who can do almost anything.  And, it’s easy to find great applicants at OnlineJobs.ph.  BUT...I'm also aware that there are also a lot of poor-quality applicants. People who don't read the job post. People who send a crappy form application. People who are unqualified and don't care.  I hate that this is happening because it’s making it harder for you (and me) to find amazing people. It has been eating at me for years...but I didn't know how to fix it.  Until a few months ago.  Introducing Apply Points.  Apply Points is a limited resource all applicants must use when applying to jobs.  Because it's limited, those who are careful with it will stand out to you.  I could write a bunch about it, but my team did a really good job of explaining how AP helps you find better candidates more easily.  I want to clarify that Apply Points isn’t a measure of how qualified they actually are. You still need to interview, ask questions, and do test tasks. Apply Points is just our way of weeding out the ones who put in no effort applying, and pushing forward jobseekers who want to work for you and feel that they can be a great addition to your business.  When it went live a few weeks ago I was hiring and it was awesome.  I got like 20 applicants.  A bunch used 1 Apply Point.  I didn't even open their applications. A number use 3 Apply Points.  Fine.  Then a couple use 8, 12, or even 30 Apply Points.  Those were the applications I paid attention to first.  Not all the high point ones were great applications, but most were.  We’re constantly improving this so let me know what you think.  Has it improved your experience? Are you getting better applicants now?  Email me at john@onlinejobs.ph  John
Most people aren't going to like hearing this.  Working 40 hours/week is overrated.  Most people working 40 hours/week fritter away time. They watch funny cat videos on YouTube, they scroll Facebook. They read "news".  I don't do any of it. No FB. No news. No Youtube. No, I haven't seen "that video". No meetings. No phone calls. No 40 hours.  With my type of business, I can work anywhere. As long as I have a laptop and an internet connection, I can answer emails, give feedback, create content, etc.  But I don't. I don’t like bringing my laptop on vacation. I don't want to be thinking about work when I'm home. I don’t like bringing my work with me.  When I work, I’m in my home office and I'm super productive. I (most of the time) make sure I finish what I’ve set out to do that day. I’m focused when I’m in that room, and I’m away from any distractions.  That’s how I get a lot of work done despite working only 17 hours a week.  Well...that and my team of OFS.  All the emails get answered. I’m on top of most ongoing projects. My team gets feedback from me regularly. I troubleshoot problems, and I come up with new ideas for the business. I don’t need to work 40 hours a week to get 40 hours of work done.  When I’m being super productive, I don’t want to drop what I’m doing simply because I have to attend a meeting. I don’t want to stop working because my OFS needs me to answer their questions ASAP.  An OFS working on a different timezone helps you be more productive while you work. There's a time for giving feedback, then there's a time for getting your own work done.  Quickly.  Without distraction.  John  PS. The other day while coming back from skiing with my new "Moonbike", this moose was standing on the road.  We stood there for 45 minutes waiting for him to go away.  45 minutes from 5:15 - 6pm!  Cold!  But what a beautiful animal. 
I’ve talked before that setting up shop in the Philippines is really hard, and that’s still the case today.  People sometimes want advice on how to set up a legal entity in the Philippines and my advice is  DON'T.  It's really difficult, and the Philippines government is not trying to make it easier.  But if you want to set up shop in the Philippines just because you want your OFS to work in the same place without going through the paperwork and government red tape, you might want to consider renting from a co-working space.  Now that most COVID restrictions have been lifted in the Philippines, co-working spaces are opening up again.  The great thing about co-working spaces:  - It lets your business have an “office space” where your OFS team can work without having to set up shop in the Philippines. - Most co-working spaces in the Philippines have Fiber internet, back-ups, and a generator. Blackouts and internet outages would be less of a problem. - Your OFS will be comfortable because most of these places have air-conditioning and unlimited coffee.  We know that some OFS use co-working spaces as back-up offices where they pay by the day. They go there if there’s an internet/power outage at home, or a change of scenery.  If your OFS team all live in the same place, having them together in a co-working space makes sense. You don’t have to worry if your OFS can’t get back-up internet or upgrade their internet because their area doesn’t have that service.  Despite these advantages, most of our OFS still prefer to work from home for the following reasons: - Most co-working spaces are in big cities, which means commuting through traffic. - Not all co-working spaces are open 24 hours a day. OFS that work at night can’t use it. In most places, it’s also safer for them to just work at home. - It can be expensive. The average cost per desk is around $100 per month, but some offer cheaper rates when you get more desks. It’s more expensive for your OFS too, because they’ll have to spend for fare, outside food, etc. So if you only have a small OFS team or your team is distributed nationwide, it’s cheaper just to give them an internet allowance. - Some co-working spaces will require you to be a registered business in the Philippines if you rent out a bigger office or a lot of seats.  Take note that a co-working space will NOT manage or monitor your OFS for you. They just rent out the space. They can’t force your OFS to show up for their shift. They’re not going to watch over your OFS to make sure they’re working.  But, if you're looking for office space in the Philippines without the hassle of setting up a legal entity there, this could be a really good option.  John