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

The recent newsletter with my feelings about Upwork was the most responded to newsletter I've ever sent out. I think it’s a great platform, but contrary to popular belief: - It’s not easy to use. - You don’t really know or have any control over who you hire. - You end...

New Years Resolutions...what a sham. We decide that as of Jan 1 we're going to be a different person. We're going to go to the gym. We're going to stop eating so much sugar. We're going to quit ... Yet we know it doesn't work. It never works. Oh sure, we stick with it...

Can your small business really help make a difference in the world? I used to not think so about mine. But messages like this that I get from people like Shiela changed my mind. Like you, she’s a small business owner. Like me (and I hope you), she sees how hiring an...

I just want to give you guys the heads-up that December 30 is Rizal Day, a regular holiday in the Philippines. This day falls on a Saturday. This won’t affect you if your OFS has weekends off. But for those of you who have OFS that work on Saturday, they might ask to...

Merry Christmas! Here's a little bit of Philippines Christmas culture. My OFS Julia mentioned (and wrote about it) a while back that she finds Christmas stressful. It gives her anxiety. I recently asked her how she’s doing. She shared: One of the things I don’t miss...

Some quick reminders: 1. If you haven't sent the 13th month payment, now's the time. http://www.OnlineJobs.ph/13thmonth 2. If you want to send a Christmas bonus, that's separate from the 13th month. I call it a Christmas bonus because the Philippines is VERY Christian....

Recently, I did an audit of the tasks my team has been doing in the past year. I do this regularly to see if people are happy with their jobs. I ask them if they like the projects they’re currently doing and want to take on more responsibilities or reduce their...

If you’re considering hiring an OFS now, I suggest putting it off for January. December is not a great time to hire an OFS because too all the holidays. The holidays can keep a lot of Filipinos busy with holiday shopping, travel, and family obligations.  Specifically...

I love Christmas. I love giving. I love that so many people are giving. I love the spirit it brings to my life. I don't work around Christmas/New Years. As such, I don't expect my team to work either. We give our team the week between Christmas Eve and New Years off....

Mindanao and Visayas experienced a series of earthquakes early this December. Nobody on my team said anything to me about it and it appears it didn’t cause a lot of damage or affect a lot of people so I didn't send an email about it. But then, in the course of sending...

I wasn’t kidding when I said my OFS doesn’t like going on vacation. My writer, Julia, went out of town with her friends a few weeks ago. She texted me because of heavy rains and flooding and was worried about getting home. I asked her if she was on vacation? No, I'm...

Just when I thought I got the 13th month covered, I got more questions about it that I have never thought about. Like the questions that Ela just sent me: Hi John, My VA started work on 1.April  and worked fulltime until 18.6 when she went 14 weeks on maternity leave....

The holiday season is in full swing in the Philippines, which means it’s time for you to pay your Online Filipino Specialist the 13th month. If you don’t know, here’s a full explanation of the 13th month. If you already know about it and just want to know how to...

End of year is coming up. Let's talk about raises. Is there a right way to do it? What’s the best way to do it? How much should I give or how often? So rather than answer them again and again every time I get a new email about it, I’m going to answer all of your...

Here’s the 2nd part of my response to this email I received. I know you are presenting work from home jobs.  We were also approached by a firm who provides a nice office space and handles IT infrastructure, electricity, and some supervision.  Can you speak to pros and...

I got this email that I asked my OFS, Julia, to respond to. I know you are presenting work from home jobs.  We were also approached by a firm who provides a nice office space and handles IT infrastructure, electricity, and some supervision.  Can you speak to pros and...

There’s no such thing as perfection. But, if you know what you’re looking for in an Online Filipino Specialist and you have a good hiring process, you will find someone close to perfect for your business. That’s the case with Laurie. She knew she needed help with her...

I have oddly strong feelings about this. Upwork is good. It's a good platform. It serves a good purpose. But it's bad for entrepreneurs and small businesses. I know I'm going to get backlash from this. Go ahead and send it. Upwork makes it easy to find talent. That's...

November 30 is supposed to be Bonifacio Day, a regular holiday in the Philippines. For 2023, it falls on a Thursday. But a few days ago, the Philippine Government moved that holiday to November 27, which falls on a Monday. This makes November 25 to 27 a long weekend....

I remember the first time someone ever called me “Sir”. “Sir, Here’s what I worked on today 1. … 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...

Most people can't say their jobs improve people’s lives. If you’re a doctor, a firefighter, or a teacher (or many others), you can easily and proudly say, “Yeah, I make people’s lives better. I make a difference.” At first glance, most people would assume that’s not...

In the Philippines, in most places it’s easy to get out of the city and just get away. Most of my OFS team in Visayas and Mindanao live just minutes away from nice beaches. They tell me that sometimes they bring their laptop and internet connection to a nearby resort...

The Philippine government has finally released its official holiday calendar for 2024. We’ve now updated our calendar to reflect those dates. We will change the calendar once new holidays, like the Islamic holidays, are announced. The ones we have there are just best...

Iryn is not your typical Online Filipino Specialist. She works as a Spanish-speaking virtual assistant. She also has call center experience. So when the pandemic hit, it was easy for her to find a job immediately and make more than she made in a BPO company. But in a...

I’ve mentioned several times in the past that I have OFS in different parts of the Philippines, and several of them, including Joven, my first OFS, live in Davao City. Due to nonstop rains, several areas in Mindanao, including Davao City and Iligan, had floods...

Got this sad email from Ali. Do you have any content or insight on how to layoff an OFS? I need to close my business and cannot afford an OFS at this time.  So sorry to hear that. It's never fun to let someone go. It's never fun to be let go. Here's my advice: - Let...

I’ve talked about public transport in the Philippines a while back. The most iconic of them is the jeepney. Its loud designs and ubiquity make it one of the recognizable parts of Filipino culture. But the jeepney might soon become a thing of the past. Julia explains....

The following is a common scenario in my house. I spent most of last week bikepacking in Wisconsin with a couple of friends. It was amazing. It's not always bikepacking, but this time it was. (my bike fully loaded) Then when I came home, I just had overnight. And we...

I get asked about a good VPN regularly. You want to know about - how your OFS can access certain sites that are filtering by country - how your OFS can log in to specific online tools - how your OFS can access content restricted to your country only. Years ago, I used...

There are 3 holidays in the Philippines this week: - Today (Oct 30) is Election Day. If your OFS didn't work today (you didn't get a report from them), this is why. I've talked about voting in the past, but just as a reminder, lines to vote in the Philippines are VERY...

I bought some bamboo toilet paper recently 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...

My son, who’s on a mission in San Pablo City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, told me that Taal volcano is still active and affecting people nearby (including him). One of my writers, Seagz, goes to Tagaytay often. They recently had an event to...

All Saints' and All Souls' Days (November 1 and 2) are considered holidays in the Philippines. They’re not regular holidays, but special non-working holidays. It’s when most Filipinos remember their dead relatives by visiting them in cemeteries, similar to how...

On Oct 30, 2023, Monday, the Philippines will be holding the Barangay and SK elections. I’ve talked about the barangay before in a newsletter way back. This is their smallest government unit, and in this election, they’ll be voting for their local executive (the...

I hired a new writer recently and I had Julia show her the ropes. One of the things they bonded over was having a home office. Apparently, a pretty home office is something a lot of OFS aspire to have. My new writer, Seagz, is working on building a beautiful,...

I went to Lake Powell a couple weeks ago. I didn't tell anyone at work I was going. Every few weeks or months, I go on a trip and I don't tell my team about it. And I don't bring a laptop (I never do anymore). Not one person on my team knew I was going to be gone for...

One thing that makes my day is when my OFS email me pictures of their life and tell me the good things that were made possible because they work from home. I get pictures of birthdays, graduations, first homes, first cars, vacations, etc. It feels good knowing that...

Louise (a customer) on pregancy, maternity leave, and culture: We took on a cost tracking VA about 3 months ago and she is AMAZING!! She is working in with our bookkeeper VA - who is also AMAZING and they've been great at creating systems and processes. We catch up...

I got this email from Mark: I am in Australia and have someone working for me via Upwork’s in the Philippine’s. They are full time. Can you please tell me the cost of having them employed through you? Mark I’ve talked about this in greater detail in why Onlinejobs.ph...

Let me start by letting you know this isn’t a volcanic eruption. It’s not a big natural disaster. Most of the Philippines isn’t affected. But if your OFS lives in Luzon, you may want to check in on them. Taal volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the...

When is the right time to help an OFS? Ben G. Said: —– I got this message from an editor that I’ve been working with since January now: “By the way Sir, can I ask for your help, just $60? I just really don’t have enough money to pay for my medical bill. Maybe a cash...

I’m no stranger to medical issues. When I turned 30 the pain in my stomach started. It took me 10 years and lots of doctors to figure out I have a dairy allergy. When I turned 40 I realized my brain wasn't working right.  It took me a few years to figure it out and...

Atiba has been successful with OFS. Really successful. He sent me a video talking about it. We chopped it up into smaller segments so we could focus on specific things. When discussing company culture, most people think about ping-pong tables in open-layout offices....

Employee costs can be super high, especially if you want to hire the best. Or is it? I know where you can hire the top 1% of workers at an affordable rate. Workers who graduated at the top of their class. Workers with years of experience and are recognized for their...

Every once in a while, we get a request for a "Certificate of Employment" (COE). It's a letter stating the person works for us, including how much they get paid. The usual reason for getting a certificate of employment is something that really makes us happy: they’re...

A few months ago, one of my OFS, Jam, talked about taking care of his mom and how he would accompany her to doctor’s appointments. I mentioned in my video and podcast that we do it differently in the US. We mostly take ourselves to the hospital.  Same thing when we...

We’re trying to build an exterior detached garage at my house right now. When we met with the designer he said, “What do you want with this?” “Well, we want this much space. We want *this thing*. We want *that thing*...but we don't really know.” And he said, “Well,...

I know this is a really late email, but I have to talk about it because this typhoon was huge, and its impact is still being felt. Hanna had packed a punch, with peak winds reaching 155 kilometers per hour near its center and gusts of up to 190 kilometers per hour. It...

I get a lot of questions about how we implement paid time off (PTO) at Onlinejobs.ph. We offer unlimited PTO. We don't track it. We don't really care. I know unlimited PTO isn’t for everyone. The best way to implement PTO really depends on your business and what...

One of my OFS, Kiel (the one who visited me in 2019), emailed me 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 could focus on grieving and settle whatever needed to be...