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ulia (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 <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-virtual-assistants-ecommerce-brenda-albano" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study we did with Brenda Albano</a>, she talks about not creating a dead end for her OFS. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-virtual-assistants-ecommerce-brenda-albano"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/8a7667db-1e3c-c9e5-2984-97dc96dc1c05.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> 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, <a href="https://theme.co" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Themeco</a>, has a really great product. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-outsourcing-scott-marlow"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/a86b2edf-d874-ee54-83ed-c34fde557ce1.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> 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, <a href="https://www.OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">I hope you're next.</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/cd015d87-4da7-f683-8410-49832d924430.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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:<a href="https://www.OutsourcingLever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.OutsourcingLever.com</a> |
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: <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/037d7334-3b3b-c363-6a88-5eb3d2a12874.jpeg" alt=""/></figure> 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:<a href="https://www.OutsourcingLever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Outsourcing Lever</a>Which 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 <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/5033282d-6609-4c45-b270-48db1e866c31.jpg" alt=""/></figure> |
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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/cb46ce63-ece3-152b-85b8-d29fe43ab0c8.jpg" alt=""/></figure> Even in June there are still walls of snow 20 feet high on the side of the road. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/e7848a2e-4c79-a5ab-91a2-c0fa0928c575.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://OnlineJobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OnlineJobs.ph</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/ff61c98d-110a-431a-aaa9-78d2dcea8673.jpg" alt=""/></figure> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/fd5805e0-c27e-afc9-41d7-279716ca9df2.jpg" alt=""/></figure> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/7be05ab3-6fef-cc53-3b89-2d0d3411fa40.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/the-hip-new-young-filipino-online-worker"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/1c16098d-6dd7-15d4-7a77-797c3ee7db3b.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> 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.; <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/danny-coritaos-story-struggle-success-onlinejobs-ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meet Danny.</a> <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/danny-coritaos-story-struggle-success-onlinejobs-ph"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/c0696a14-6c23-bccf-bc6b-69c71b682809.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> 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 <a href="https://OnlineJobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OnlineJobs.ph</a> 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: <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/can-virtual-assistants-practical-advice"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/314ba06a-7fc9-a7f1-f62d-6ec330908bf7.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> And <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/philippines-skills" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here's a list of ideas which we have search results for</a>: 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:<a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://OneVAAway.com</a> 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.; <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/simplified-taxes-another-way-outsourcing-saves-your-business" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Here's our full treatment of taxes with online Filipino specialists.</a> 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. ; <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/updated-filipino-online-workers-guide-to-paying-taxes-2020" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">But, you can send them our full tutorial on how OFS deal with taxes in the Philippines.</a> John |
t'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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/68348a6d-24c8-a937-4def-0933564d7f66.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/517f6a6d-f76d-b9d8-c23f-8d309c4581ac.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/517f6a6d-f76d-b9d8-c23f-8d309c4581ac.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://outsourcinglever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Outsourcing Lever</a>. 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? <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/dennis-yu-blitz-metrics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read Dennis' full post >;</a> 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.;<a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://OneVAAway.com</a> 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. <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":2} --> <ol start="2">"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. <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":2} --> <ol start="2">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: <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/comprehensive-guide-to-virtual-assistant-salaries-in-the-philippines" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/comprehensive-guide-to-virtual-assistant-salaries-in-the-philippines</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/da8453e6-2bc6-bcec-8903-7da38e43dca6.jpg" alt=""/></figure> --------------- 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/7980e56c-e8ec-f83e-e8d5-1d7868583b95.jpg" alt=""/></figure> |
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: <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/0362678a-1907-7d72-ce36-f220c93316de.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/finding-happiness-big-changes-gabby-found-security-onlinejobs-ph"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/2f421a16-1479-abc2-660b-6b638fcfd937.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/finding-happiness-big-changes-gabby-found-security-onlinejobs-ph">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/finding-happiness-big-changes-gabby-found-security-onlinejobs-ph</a> 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: <a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OneVAAway.com</a>Why 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/6fcda522-6221-b94d-fdea-94648eaeb3d4.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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: <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4kFsQrJszo","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4kFsQrJszo </figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> John |
One of my favorite adventures is canyoneering. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/7528f3c9-82c2-cbbf-3d33-6ac393083e9a.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://OnlineJobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OnlineJobs.ph</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/60bb722e-0ac6-97ca-63ac-3b7caa04bac6.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/680cd3e4-64b6-0fd5-6b04-2a72298328a7.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/680cd3e4-64b6-0fd5-6b04-2a72298328a7.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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 <a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">One VA Away</a> 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 <a href="https://onlinejobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">onlinejobs.ph</a> 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,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarasutherland/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sara</a> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/a54efb79-bc11-b13b-b6cc-0eebd913bde2.jpeg" alt=""/></figure> ----------- 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. John<a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://OneVAAway.com</a> |
We remodeled our kitchen 3 years ago and it turned out amazing. ;We love it! <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/12df3c2e-291a-cd2b-06f7-b21c23636b0f.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://onlinejobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OnlineJobs.ph</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/a22ef397-02ff-6bdc-1c28-364212f34e2d.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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 <a href="https://OutsourcingLever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Outsourcing Lever </a>will help you be a better manager. John <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/390900cb-6780-4bc8-ce78-9cefe5154166.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. ; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/fb97de25-bced-3266-a35b-b117063ea3b3.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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.; <a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hire your first OFS!</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/c8365d2e-0496-912c-b95a-f24939201534.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. John<a href="https://OnlineJobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://OnlineJobs.ph</a> |
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. <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/up-manila-cavite-state-university-dismiss-claims-of-a-fake-alumna/ar-AAMUvUl?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UP Manila, Cavite State University dismiss claims of a fake alumna (msn.com)</a> 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 <a href="https://OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OneVAAway.com</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/b372c0b5-9d68-f801-8bf5-7404795d71cd.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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… <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/b0ef6b5f-e6fb-9ba6-94d2-5ce286bf5cee.jpeg" alt=""/></figure> …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. <a href="Https://OnlineJobs.ph/taxes">Https://OnlineJobs.ph/taxes</a> It’s pretty simple. And if your OFS wants to know how they handle their own taxes: <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/updated-filipino-online-workers-guide-to-paying-taxes-2020">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/updated-filipino-online-workers-guide-to-paying-taxes-2020</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/a9ab8cc0-1174-8140-b424-3e255dcece84.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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.ph<a href="https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2020/circ2020-0009.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2020/circ2020-0009.pdf</a><a href="https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2021/circ2021-0008.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2021/circ2021-0008.pdf</a><a href="https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/advisories/2021/adv2021-013.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/advisories/2021/adv2021-013.pdf</a>------------ 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 <a href="https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Snagit</a>. Snagit meets all the criteria listed above...but it's just easier to show you exactly how it works.<a href="http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/snagit-demo.mp4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">http://www.quickvideolearning.com/daily/snagit-demo.mp4</a> 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 <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/539d484b-99ff-3fee-3456-91b8915a8bfc.jpg" alt=""/></figure> |
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: ;<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/rizal-town-slammed-for-offering-low-pay-to-registered-nurses/ar-AANIe8H?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rizal town slammed for offering low pay to registered nurses (msn.com)</a> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/ffa541f4-7141-27c5-6467-f21051aea804.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/filipino-virtual-assistants-salary-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">salary guide</a> (<a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/filipino-virtual-assistants-salary-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/filipino-virtual-assistants-salary-guide</a>) , 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, <a href="https://www.OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">and it's not that hard.</a> |
He's not Batman...but he thinks he is: <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/687544bd-a3ca-ced0-e995-510ba6f8a599.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://JohnJonas.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JohnJonas.com</a>. 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:<a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site%3Ajohnjonas.com+insurance&t=osx&ia=web" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">site:johnjonas.com insurance</a>(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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/5847c72c-94df-78e3-89f5-bb750b3de091.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-vas-podcasting-mentor-nation-podcast-john-abbas"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/9b02a1c7-a067-869d-7d5b-55546edcd4e5.jpg" alt=""/></a></figure> <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-vas-podcasting-mentor-nation-podcast-john-abbas">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-vas-podcasting-mentor-nation-podcast-john-abbas</a> 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 (<a href="https://member.sss.gov.ph/members/rcsmi/newApplication.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://member.sss.gov.ph/members/rcsmi/newApplication.html</a>). 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/13b541cb-c0f0-c546-e666-579b0361147c.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/6cef1009-2c0d-5c70-6a83-ce62e2e341ce.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/b3fafe06-04b1-0d30-03c5-cebfb7f8e065.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/how-a-local-business-entrepreneur-uses-philippines-workers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marcella's</a> 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: <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka2cImM59SA","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka2cImM59SA </figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> 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 (<a href="https://youtu.be/tzQHr5Y2GQE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the one who visited me in 2019</a>), 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/1ba8d08c-1814-cd94-8075-4f68b2c530a7.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/9da720dd-fe69-43ec-76e6-076770528c92.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Snagit</a>. 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”.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/4d798b66-bce8-7afb-2a92-f229d719d572.jpeg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/7d4d6376-2f7b-3510-6dfa-ee233fdc17a2.jpg" alt=""/></figure> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/392e090c-ebc0-1bab-973b-b301db0659de.jpg" alt=""/></figure> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/4393190c-7d91-73cc-9324-01137a059dff.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/895e0ca0-6566-6c3e-654b-68ce46e0086f.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://www.OutsourcingLever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.OutsourcingLever.com</a> |
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.” <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/_compresseds/bf3dd5a4-b61e-9fcc-fe0c-655eeb61e4bb.jpg" alt=""/></figure> That’s the same explanation she gave me when she learned how to solve her 4 x 4 and 5 x 5.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/_compresseds/5da87d5e-a9df-4659-d0d8-7ee5b48d43d8.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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”. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/_compresseds/a44296fb-fd3c-b5a2-7a86-5f40cbd01531.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/_compresseds/7cfcfd77-9d5e-b974-68ef-0881db84a8f4.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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! <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/da42dcc3-d6d5-9776-2137-59f9b38d3aed.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://krisp.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Krisp.ai</a>, 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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/16d11abb-8e4e-f112-7745-e543dfb18cd0.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/d2cc6d5d-b0c9-f5ff-2b08-259416bf4e61.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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 <a href="https://www.OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.OneVAAway.com</a>. ;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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/67b96077-194a-a645-7533-28280f55dd4f.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-organizing-assigning-tasks-vas-matt-leitz-vas-technology-based-companies-services" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study with Matt Leitz</a>. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/07f86a89-f238-4f22-2c0f-5f642cea8553.jpeg" alt=""/></figure> 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 (<a href="/what-sss-is-and-why-its-important-to-your-ofs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">/what-sss-is-and-why-its-important-to-your-ofs/</a>). 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, <a href="/certificate-of-employment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">download my template</a>. John |
We recently did a case study with Drew Grimm from “The Schoolhouse Life.” He shared his experience with the disappearing VA phenomenon. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/71604417-b205-20ac-7b54-251e74d8ed30.jpg" alt=""/></figure> “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.” <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-ofs-network-marketing-coaching-case-study-drew-grimm">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-ofs-network-marketing-coaching-case-study-drew-grimm</a> 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: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="/what-internet-options-exist-in-the-philippines/" target="_blank">/what-internet-options-exist-in-the-philippines/</a> 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!; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/813cffbe-28c2-946d-cf9a-358073ce014c.jpg" alt=""/></figure> (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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/f8985dff-be1a-6d34-d8cc-eb8a51be3a3a.png" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://www.OutsourcingLever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.OutsourcingLever.com</a>) 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? <a href="https://www.OneVAAway.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.OneVAAway.com</a>. ;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<a href="/5-benefits-you-might-pay-for-your-ofs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">/5-benefits-you-might-pay-for-your-ofs/</a> |
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! <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/c3a0c0e8-2010-d0ea-8dd4-83c0fd41d537.jpg" alt=""/></figure> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/e8a0bebf-c221-c53d-032a-70839e937ba8.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 (<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_galleon" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_galleon</a>). 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 <a href="https://www.outsourcinglever.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Outsourcing Lever</a>. ;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 <a href="https://www.onlinejobs.ph/employers/skillsearch/lawyer-attorney/360c1a613a490b687daccd9412b4f7fc3888855/0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hire a Filipino lawyer</a>...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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/315c731d-886c-3a75-c5ac-e990e4343d31.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/51947ee4-f61e-df88-9649-1391efe451ae.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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.<a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/[email protected]&ctz=Asia/Manila" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/[email protected]&ctz=Asia/Manila</a> 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 <a href="https://onlinejobs.ph/holidays" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">full explanation of holidays and PTO</a>. 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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/3af1ea0c-56a5-4570-bef5-c9aedd4342e5.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/_compresseds/7c33a3e1-662e-4803-3a72-8d837e2e4cf6.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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.; <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/466b4082-c86e-f481-ab2f-0f7270e022e7.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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.) <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/f73c5259-c881-0962-e8ae-ec3941f1109f.jpg" alt=""/></figure> 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 <a href="https://SEOWerkz.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SEOWerkz.com</a>; he offered some great advice on the issue. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-hiring-managing-large-ofs-teams-paul-staten"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/0029b5af-85c1-987e-9493-3bd38cb05bd8.jpg" alt="" /></a></figure> 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 <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/case-study-hiring-managing-large-ofs-teams-paul-staten" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">view the entire case study</a>. 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: <a href="https://pinas.activeboard.com/t18879167/pag-ibig-sa-tinubuang-lupa-andres-bonifacio/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://pinas.activeboard.com/t18879167/pag-ibig-sa-tinubuang-lupa-andres-bonifacio/</a> 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 |
t’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 <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/what-is-the-13th-month-is-it-required" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="http://httphttps://blog.onlinejobs.ph/what-is-the-13th-month-is-it-required">13 month at Onlinejobs.ph</a> “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. <a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/holidays-and-pto" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/holidays-and-pto">https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/holidays-and-pto</a> 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 (<a href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/what-is-the-13th-month-is-it-required" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/what-is-the-13th-month-is-it-required">the 13th month especially</a>), 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: <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/75dab1be-974a-f31f-5bb8-716423b583cf.jpg" width="360" height="480" data-file-id="473444" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/75dab1be-974a-f31f-5bb8-716423b583cf.jpg" /> 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...) <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/babfd117-87ef-f78f-c56c-f0a327db6bd3.jpg" width="480" height="360" data-file-id="473452" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/babfd117-87ef-f78f-c56c-f0a327db6bd3.jpg" /> 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 <a href="https://lazada.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://lazada.com">lazada.com</a> and <a href="https://shopee.ph" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://shopee.ph">shopee.ph</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/68c7cdc7-0fee-4995-4be8-efe3a413f3f9.jpg" width="480" height="230" data-file-id="473448" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/68c7cdc7-0fee-4995-4be8-efe3a413f3f9.jpg" /> 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 <a href="https://www.OnlineJobs.ph" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.OnlineJobs.ph">Onlinejobs.ph</a> 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) <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/88c5fd41-4f63-5ef3-8112-31d8c689bc1e.jpg" width="360" height="621" data-file-id="473456" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/88c5fd41-4f63-5ef3-8112-31d8c689bc1e.jpg" /> 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! <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/892d0d03-3968-4fb6-ba21-3c06ff165835.jpg" width="480" height="360" data-file-id="473460" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/892d0d03-3968-4fb6-ba21-3c06ff165835.jpg" /> |
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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/a62ffe81-5f03-df30-6dd8-62d879738cc2.jpg" width="480" height="640" data-file-id="473424" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/a62ffe81-5f03-df30-6dd8-62d879738cc2.jpg" /> 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: <a href="https://www.OnlineJobs.ph/13thmonth" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.OnlineJobs.ph/13thmonth">https://www.OnlineJobs.ph/13thmonth</a> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/19c55dbc-a2c8-8d75-7ccd-c6fc2a1eecd9.jpg" width="360" height="480" data-file-id="473476" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/19c55dbc-a2c8-8d75-7ccd-c6fc2a1eecd9.jpg" /> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/8df630b9-ccec-8cd4-7c61-dcfef6fbdcd6.jpg" width="360" height="480" data-file-id="473464" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/8df630b9-ccec-8cd4-7c61-dcfef6fbdcd6.jpg" /> <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/f515eac6-4376-f810-209b-f2883a2aa4a4.jpg" width="360" height="480" data-file-id="473472" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/f515eac6-4376-f810-209b-f2883a2aa4a4.jpg" /> |
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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/d28d99e4-4f3e-c963-d04b-b72f07e82626.jpg" width="480" height="640" data-file-id="473436" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/d28d99e4-4f3e-c963-d04b-b72f07e82626.jpg" /> 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. <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/e3459441-3102-d22b-6786-03a11a68212e.png" width="480" height="303" data-file-id="473440" data-cke-saved-src="https://mcusercontent.com/4bdbf922212cd053de282f27f/images/e3459441-3102-d22b-6786-03a11a68212e.png" /> 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 |
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