Growing up, I was told that I just need to follow this formula to be successful.
Go to school, get good grades, and get a stable, high paying job.
Although this works for some, times have already changed.
What once we thought was ‘secured’…
Now seems a dream, a broken promise.
However, this formula to success has been deeply ingrained in our minds and society that many still find it difficult to even consider this opportunity – freelancing.
Yet who can blame them?
With rampant scams online, many have fallen victim to these black hat tactics costing them their time, money, and efforts.
But this cautious momma decided to look fear straight in the eye and took action.
Meet Jennifer.
Just like you, Jennifer followed the same path and worked as a high school teacher in Quezon City.
She loved teaching – it was her passion.
But since she lived in Mandaluyong, Jen had to endure long commutes.
To the point that her situation started affecting her performance.
“I was working in Quezon City before tapos yung bahay namin is in Mandaluyong so sobrang nakakapagod yung traffic. Talagang may mga times na nale-late ako. Hindi na ako happy sa ini-ispend kong time sa traffic.”
She soon resigned as a teacher and worked for a BPO company.
On the side, she taught English to international students online to earn extra money.
When she was offered a full-time position for that ESL company, she grabbed the chance and left her call center job.
As ESL tutors, they were paid by the hour which meant that the more hours they put in, the higher the pay.
With that in mind, Jen would work 12-14 hours a day, especially on weekends.
Her take-home pay ranges from Php 33,000 to Php 37,000 monthly.
Which was way bigger than what she used to earn as a high school teacher.
Not to add the fact that she’s working from the comforts of her home.
Everything was going well for her until another
blessing came to her life.
She gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
“When I had my first baby, nanganak ako. Mga ilang months, sobrang nakakapagod na magtuturo ako tapos merong iiyak, although merong syang yaya that time. Parang yung konsensya ko as a mom, siguro paranoid din ako na hala anong..parang kakasimula ko lang ng klaseng. Meron pa kong 20mins pero todo iyak pa sya.”
She wanted to be more hands-on to her firstborn.
To do that, she had to cut down on her working hours.
Things got more challenging when their yaya quit the job, leaving her without any help while her spouse is working.
Although she tried to make things work, it eventually put a strain on her relationship with her husband.
“Parang nagkaron din kame ng conflict ng husband ko kasi yung weekends nya, free time nya tapos ako nga kailangan kong magturo. Minsan irritable ako…kasi I have to focus..kasi kapag weekend hindi lang ako 4 hours, tinatry kong mag 10 to 11 pero sobrang hirap… Important sa mga mag asawa quality [time].”
She was looking for something else to help improve her current situation but was clueless about where to start.
Until she saw a post from a co-tutor about becoming an Amazon Seller Virtual Assistant.
It made her curious so she reached out to her friend to ask for more information.
After getting some answers, she saw it as a way to help her achieve her goal – to work fewer hours but with higher pay.
She then enrolled in the Amazon Seller VA Masterclass.
“Masaya kasi ibang field sya. Yun nga all about Amazon. Alam ko lang na sa Amazon, parang Lazada satin pero it’s much bigger… Maraming beginners like me pero ang ganda lang kasi dun sa course meron syang introduction talaga, what is freelancing, what is being a VA so hindi ka mawawala eh kasi yung course outline nya maganda. Talagang masusundan mo. “
Another thing that Jen loved about the program was it can be taken at your own pace.
The training videos have already been pre-recorded so she watches them when her baby is already asleep.
Not only that, but she also gained new friends who were her batchmates. They even formed their own group chat so they could check on one another and help each other out.
“We call our selves team night shift kasi lahat kame gising kame 9pm onwards so yun yung free time na makakapagdiscuss kame. We give tips and madali sya for us kasi may classmates ka, virtual. But still merong magmomotivate sayo…uy watch mo na to.”
Up until now, their group chat is still active and they still exchange ideas and strategies.
Apart from having new friends, she also enjoyed their weekly meetings with coaches inside the community.
“May groupings at may coaches… Meron din kaming classmates na medyo advanced so di ka talaga maiiwan… Ma-question akong tao kasi newbie, maganda kasi ano, yun lang tulungan lang pati sa assignments..”
Jen joined the program in November of 2018.
But since Christmas was fast-approaching, they had a ‘holiday break’ in the program and resumed in January.
She took advantage of it to optimize her profile and start sending applications.
She didn’t have to wait long because a week before the masterclass ended, she landed her first Amazon seller client!
Talk about the road to ROI, right?
And from someone like Jen who had zero experience in providing virtual assistance services, she wasn’t even nervous at that time…
“Nung una wala talaga akong idea pero yun madali pala sya once you get to know the course, ganun…Kasi dun sa course, tinuruan kame how to optimize yung resume namin, yunhg profile namin sa onlinejobs.. mga tips dun..basically kasi when you take that course you will have an idea how it’s done tapos may mga practices kayo, hands on training… I really want to apply it.”
As of this writing, Jen manages 1-2 clients at a time working 4 to 6 hours daily.
And yet surprisingly, she’s earning way more than what she used to from her previous jobs.
But the most rewarding benefit of working as an Amazon Seller VA is that she can prioritize her family’s needs above all.
Besides, her love for her family was the main reason she sought for an opportunity like this to begin with.
“Ang kagandahan nya is flexibility of the time like I can work in the morning 1 hr or 2 hours and then later on babalikan ko sya. Pwede syang mag iba depending on the day and also sa needs ng anak ko..unlike before sa ESL na kapag sinet ko sya from 8am to 10 am, hindi pwedeng ika-cut ko yun kasi that’s absent on my part tapos wala akong sweldo may penalty pa.”
To other mommy’s out there wondering if you, too, can pull this off, Jen has something to say to you…
“Sa lahat nag aaspire maging VA specifically Amazon VA, I’ll definitely recommend this course. Kasi ako isa akong mama at may asawa rin ako..alam natin kung gano kahirap magraise ng toddler but still we want to earn money, we want to help our household…
…yung steps na ifafollow mo dun pag inapply mo talagang makakakuha ka ng client. It’s very easy to follow, you can do it at your own pace. At saka, hindi ka matatakot kasi you have the community, you have coaches who will help you. Pag nag ask ka ng question, may sasagot.
Kung gusto mo magstart ng freelancing eto na talaga yun kasi meron ka ng specific skill, hindi sya kalat kalat. Kumbaga sa course, meron ka ng major. Mas madali sayo hindi yung random ka na mag aapply.”
Right now, several clients still reach out to Jen on Upwork and Onlinejobs.ph even though she’s fully-booked.
It just goes to show that many business owners, specifically Amazon sellers, are looking for virtual assistants who can help them expand their business.
Just what like Jen mentioned, it doesn’t matter whether you have experience or not.
What matters is there are already proven-and-tested strategies others have done before you.
Follow their steps and expect to see results.
Would you like to spend more time with your family while earning at the same time?
Then, I invite you to check our “Complete Checklist to become a Well-Paid Amazon VA”