Just before Thanksgiving, I got this email from Austin. It was in response to the newsletter I sent about EJ buying his OFS (Online Filipino Specialist) a laptop.
John,
I’ve read most of the emails you’ve sent since I first used OnlineJobs.ph in January 2021. One of the VAs I hired is still with me. I’ve come to rely on her, and I continue to be surprised by how little she asks for. I’ve had to encourage her to ask for raises, and I brought up the idea of benefits multiple times before she finally agreed. We’ve got all that squared away now, and we figured out how to make various back payments so she’d even be eligible.
All that to say, I didn’t realize how acclimated I’d become to the entitlement of local or U.S.-based contractors until I started working with people who are so modest, humble, grateful, and reticent. There are exceptions to the rule in the U.S. (i.e., not entitled), and there must be in the Philippines too.
Yet, I keep telling entrepreneur friends: “You’re not compromising by hiring in the Philippines. It’s not just about the arbitrage of paying less for team members in a country with a lower cost of living. It’s about hiring great people who happen to live in the Philippines.”
Anyway, keep the good stuff coming.
Hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving with your family.
Austin
That’s how I see my OFS team, great people who just happen to live in the Philippines. When you think of your team this way, it’s easier to communicate with them, train them, manage them, and give them good feedback. It’s easier to see them as humans who want to contribute and help your business grow.
If you haven’t hire someone yet, but you’ve considered it, go hire a great person! They just happen to live in the Philippines!
When you know you have a good hiring system, like OneVAAway.com, you can trust that you hired great people. Once you start working with them, you’ll see that you don’t need complicated systems or go-betweens. Treat your team well and they’ll always do their best for you.
Merry Christmas.
John
PS. My kids “Christmas Sing”. Listening to 3rd graders (and 1st and 2nd and 4th and 5th and 6th…) sing and try to follow the moves. My kids are always a half a step behind. We’re not very musically talented.
