HUSBAND. FATHER. DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.
ENTREPRENEUR. MEDIOCRE GOLFER.

Wow, I didn’t really expect a lot of people to respond to a newsletter about breakfast. I’m not super passionate about food. For me, food is fuel. I eat to keep myself healthy. My wife says I don't have a "relationship with food".  It's just something necessary for...

One of the hardest things to do when you get back from vacation is putting away everything that you brought with you. There’s also the cleaning and the organizing. It’s so much work that sometimes you feel like you need a vacation after coming home from vacation. We...

Late last year, a typhoon hit Cebu, which affected several of my OFS, mostly our developers. One of the OFS who was affected is Mark, who works as a web designer and front-end developer for us. Cebu is 2nd largest IT hub in the Philippines. A lot of people move there...

“John, can you just recruit for me? The fact that you made OneVAAway tells me you have it down to a science. I really don’t have the time to do it myself. Let me just pay you to recruit people for me.” I get a version of that message in my email and social media at...

While on our bike trip I heard about inflation all over the place. Gas is $8-9/gallon! Inflation is affecting everybody, including your OFS. I got this email from Tiffany. Hi John, Sorry to bother you on your holiday, but I got a rather urgent note from my VAs today...

This email contains free training to give to your OFS. I'm sending this out because it has been requested so many times. Training an OFS sucks. I know you don't want to do it. I don't want to do it. It's not fun. It takes time. It requires you to think. It's 1000%...

Today is Independence Day in the USA. I'm at Lake Powell. I've often found that holiday mornings are some of the most productive times for me. Nobody expects normal work. It's a good time to spend an hour working on your business rather than in. Spending 10 minutes...

I just got back from cycling across Europe for a month. No laptop. That's right. I didn't take my laptop with me. "But John...I've been getting your emails 4 times per week for the past month.  I've seen your ads on Facebook and Youtube. How?" Guess. Yep...OFS....

A few years ago my grandparents (my dad's side) died at 99 and 100 years old.  They died a few months apart, both of them still at home.  They never went to a care facility. I don't hope to live that long, but I certainly have some long living genetics. This is...

Brett sent me this email in response to the previous email about having regular meetings with your OFS. Hey John! I meet with my VA every 6 to 8 weeks. These meetings are not particularly productive, but that is not the point. Systems and quick communication will...

Voting brings a lot of emotion. During the last election cycle my wife and I had some different views.  We had a number of heated conversations. Nothing ever got out of control...but it wasn't our normal. We ended up coming really close together and having really...

I get emails like this from a lot of people. But I’m featuring Mitchell’s email here because it also gave a great suggestion. Hey John! I've listened to every podcast episode you have, I love them, short and sweet and to the point which I appreciate it. I would love...

The Philippines has a long history and understanding some of it helps understand the people. Before the Spanish colonized the Philippines in the 1500s, it already had a rich history of writing using an indigenous alphabet called baybayin. If you want to learn more...

After reaching the pass the other day we had a long fun decent. At the bottom was an amazing river which we followed uphill for a long ways. Maybe 20 miles. The end miles were steep…just like the beginning miles were steep. Hard. After sleeping we didn’t really know...

On our bike trip, we could only bring a small bag for our clothes. It’s called a saddle bag and fits under the bike seat. Here’s my wife’s bike fully packed: The rest of the bags are for food or gear or other essentials. The saddle bag is about 18” long and 6-8” in...

Dan sent me this screenshot a few days ago. This guy, Marshall, shared his experience when he went to his dentist. Normally, you’d have a receptionist greet you and get your information for your appointment. Instead, Marshall was greeted by a virtual Filipino...

Last Sunday, a volcano in the Philippines erupted, resulting in the evacuation of around 1,500 families. The volcano, Mount Bulusan, is in Sorsogon (Bicol Region). It’s part of the southernmost region of Luzon. It’s about 320 miles (517 km) away from Manila and just...

I got this great email from Kymn. She writes: Hi John, LOVE your newsletter! Quick question:  99% of my communication with my VA is via email.  We used to meet on zoom frequently and now we do not anymore. Her work is still excellent. I’m wondering if it is a mistake...

I believe when you do good in the world, it comes back to you 10-fold. We see this all the time but still, sometimes it's hard to believe.  Also, as people, we have self-protective instincts. We want to make sure that we get our fair share and that nobody takes...

I’m a typical dad.  When we pull up to something interesting, I want to point it out to my kids and maybe explain it.  Sometimes they want to hear it and sometimes they don’t. We’ve visited a number of cathedrals since we’ve been here in Europe. They’re pretty...

We do big projects all the time. These big projects can be improvements to Onlinejobs.ph. Or when I launch new products like OutsourcingLever.com, OneVAAway.com, OFSGuide.com, or VAsMadeEasy.com. Or just stuff that I've always wanted to try because I know they'd be...

I’m currently on a mini-retirement like Tim Ferris talks about in the 4 Hour Work Week. We started in Paris and cycled east.  We moved into Germany and the Black Forest: The riding has been amazing.  As has been the food! We’re here for a month and I didn’t bring a...

We’re on day 4 of 30 as we passed through the gates of the medieval city of Provins. I  wondered what life must have been like 1000 years ago for the people here. The primary focus of daily life was still survival for most people. After 52 miles of riding survival was...

When we arrived at the Paris airport I really thought we were making a scene. 7 people, 5 bike bags, an obvious family all walking in a line together: It was a mild scene compared to when we put our bike “kits” on (“Kit” is what we call a cycling uniform): I didn’t...

I haven’t been in Paris for about 10 years. The last time I was here we saw all the big tourist sights. Notre Dame, Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Catacomsbs, sewers, museums, Seine… This time…not so much. I have my 5 kids with me. They weren’t interested in going into the...

Filipinos don’t want to steal data. In my opinion, you’re more likely to have your data stolen by someone who’s working with you in your office. I know it’s a pretty bold claim. I have no empirical data to support this, just anecdotal, so you can take everything I’ve...

My OFS, Jamie, sent me this link last week. It’s a news article from the American Journal of Transportation, and it mentions Onlinejobs.ph as one of the websites last-mile carriers use to help them with their labor shortage....

The Philippines just concluded its elections and it looks like Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is going to win. This was a really controversial election for them. Emotions are running high because there’s so much history with his family. Some are really happy about the results...

This email probably should have happened 2 weeks ago, but that's not how the Philippines does it. May 3rd was Eid'l Fitr or the end of Ramadan. It was a regular holiday in the Philippines (full day off for almost everyone).  But they didn't announce it was a day off...

I've always been driven by freedom. It's a primary motivator for me. Time freedom. Money freedom. Responsibility freedom. I always work towards systems which will provide me freedom. Like, if there’s a task that takes too much time I either outsource it or say no to...

Earlier this week I talked about security with OFS. Let's go a little deeper. Like, deep into your business with a bookkeeper.  They're likely to see everything! Here's an email from Tatiana: Hello, I have hired my first OFS at the beginning of the year and it's going...

This is going to be weird. After I sent out the newsletter about balikbayan boxes, I got a great response from Edward. His wife is from the Philippines, so they regularly send balikbayan boxes to her relatives in the Philippines. He had a lot of good tips that I want...

I previously talked about how training can help your OFS improve your life and business. After I sent out that newsletter, Billy responded. He talked about how he empowered your OFS and built a stronger work relationship with her. Aloha, John! I appreciate your...

My favorite thing to do outside is to ski in the backcountry. It's exhilarating and requires both physical and mental strength and awareness. Last week we skied 3 steep lines of fresh powder. Part of skiing in the backcountry is managing risk. - What if someone gets...

I spent last weekend in Fayetteville Arkansas at a bike race for my daughter.  It was an important lead-up race to mountain bike national championships which are in July. Friends kept taking pictures of Addie on the big screen which they had at the start/finish line...

On May 9, 2022 (Monday), the Philippines will be holding a general election for the executive and legislative branches of the national and local government. What does this mean? It means that on May 9, the Philippines will be electing a new president. It also means...

Health insurance...yuck. This is one of my least favorite topics. If we (in the US) thought of it as an insurance product rather than as a charity that "must" pay for our health costs it would probably be different... ...but I don't want to get political here. I want...

If you're in the US, Daylight Saving time started a few weeks ago (unless you live in Hawaii or Arizona). Never really been a fan myself.  In the summer months it doesn't get dark until 9:45pm at my house.  Try putting kids to bed when it's light outside.  It's almost...

Our last inbounds ski day was last week.  Instead of being a warm spring day (like normal in late April), it was a stormy winter day.  I loved it! I got some feedback from my wife: "I'm a fair weather skier! I don't like winter storms!" This is our 8yr old who got to...

Once upon a time I commuted to work. I was fresh out of college and rode my moped to work, 30 minutes each way. It only lasted 8 months.  I quit the job and have worked at home running my own businesses ever since. I don't really know the pain of commuting. Others do....

Should you be providing health insurance to your OFS? Here in the US, having health insurance is required.  But it's not required for companies to provide it. In the Philippines, it's not legally required. Private health insurance is a perk for businesses that can...

Ah yes, the 80/20 principle. Everyone has heard of it... 20% of the work produces 80% of results. It's true in almost everything we do. I worked all year to get my 8yr old to like skiing. - I made him ski almost every Saturday - I got him good skis - I let him pick...

Every once in a while, my OFS team and I talk about our kids. Most of mine are older than most of theirs...but not all. I have 5, with a 19yr old and an 8 year old. That's a big span. My OFS Julia mentioned recently that her daughter would be starting high school this...

I’m happy when I get thank you emails from business owners. But it warms my heart when I get emails from people who make it their life’s work to make the world a better place. “I do my podcast in the day "my time."  He edits it and uploads it in the day "his time”,...

I grew up near the beach in California.  I grew up wearing flip flops. But it wasn't a cultural thing like it is in the Philippines. Filipinos really love their flip-flops. My OFS, Julia, explains why. ----- Like other Asian countries, we take off our shoes here in...