HUSBAND. FATHER. DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.
ENTREPRENEUR. MEDIOCRE GOLFER.
I’m John Jonas. I live in Utah and I founded OnlineJobs.ph. My life is better because of my Filipino OFS (Online Filipino Specialist). My team.
I had a normal “job” for 8 months after college and my biggest goal at that time was to be able to quit that job. I managed to quit back in 2004 and worked from home for myself ever since then.
When I first hired someone from the Philippines in January of 2006, I knew I was onto something special. Since then I’ve learned that for most people, life is definitely better with Filipino workers on your team.
Yes, because of my Filipino workers I get to play a lot of golf, spend a lot of time with my wife and kids, and get out backpacking in the middle of the week. I work for about 17 hours a week because of the amazing work they do. However it’s not just better for us; it’s better for them too.
P.S.
I DON’T DO SOCIAL MEDIA…
MY OFS DO IT FOR ME.
An Attorney’s Perspective On His OFS Team
by John Jonas | May 30, 2023
Aaron Hall is an attorney.
He also makes educational videos to help business owners avoid legal pitfalls and grow their companies.
He outsources a lot of work to his Filipino team. He’s been outsourcing to the Philippines for over 14 years.
Like any business owner, he was concerned about how hiring Filipino workers could affect his business. Over the years, he has had ups and downs with his team. He has had rough patches with Filipino workers. He also had concerns about data security, which is a BIG DEAL if you’re running a law firm. Work quality is also a significant consideration for him because if his staff make a mistake, his company, clients, and even their livelihoods could be at risk.
So how does Aaron ensure that his clients’ information is secure and that his team always performs to the highest standard? He talks all about it in the video below.
https://youtu.be/DlQppmjHV2U
Want to know what else an Online Filipino Specialist can do for your business? Check out OFSTasks.com
John
My Newsletters
How I Outsource Writing To My OFS
One of the things I regularly outsource to my OFS is writing. It’s not that I can’t write. It's that I hate it. And it's super time consuming. When I started my online business, one of the things I did was regularly write articles and submit them to article...
How To Use A Project Management System With Your OFS
I started using Basecamp to manage projects in like 2005. It was just me. I didn't have anyone working for me. It was my organization and task list. Things to get done soon and ideas for later. Since then I've gotten super comfortable with how project management...
Wacky And Wonderful Filipino Superheroes
I'm not a big movie guy. I'm also not a big superhero guy or superhero movie guy. I haven't seen the latest [insert any superhero movie name here] movie. But Julia (and most of the world it seems) is. So here are some Filipino superheros according to Julia my OFS:...
August 29 Is National Heroes Day In The Philippines
Just giving you guys a head’s up that Aug 29, 2022 (Monday) is a regular holiday in the Philippines. A "regular" holiday is like a bank holiday in the US. The holiday is National Heroes Day in the Philippines. It’s celebrated every last Monday of August and was...
Tropical Storm Florita Hits The Philippines
Tropical storm Florita is the 6th typhoon that entered the Philippines this year. I'm letting you know about this storm because it’s really strong. It’s causing a lot of rainfall in most of Luzon, increasing the risk for landslides and flooding. In case you don't know...
How My OFS Team Does FB Ads
I hate FB...but you already know that. I've said it multiple times. I don't have it on my phone. I don't login to the website. I didn't see the news that blah blah blah... So how do we run so many FB ads? To be completely honest, I don’t know. I mean, I know in...
What’s The Ballpark Cost For OFS Benefits
Many of you have been asking how much I pay in benefits per year per person to my team. I did some back-of-the-napkin math, and here’s what it looks like. Your OFS can pay more to their SSS (since they are paying as voluntary members, not under a company). The bigger...
What About The Tasks You DON’T KNOW How To Do?
The best (and fastest) way to succeed with outsourcing is to get stuff off your plate and outsource the things you know how to do. That way, you know what to look for. You know what looks good and what looks terrible. If your OFS needs help, you know how to help them....
My OFS Only Takes PayPal But I Want To Pay Through Bank Transfer
Jonathan emailed me an interesting question that I think is relevant to everyone hiring OFS. It will give us some good insight into what banking is like in the Philippines. Hey - do you have a post on banking? One my OFS doesn’t have a bank account and says there...
What Are Houses Like In The Philippines
I’ve mentioned how Filipino homes are small, how they clean their homes, and how they use tsinelas. All these topics revolve around Filipino homes, and I just realized I haven’t talked about the actual houses yet. I will fix that today. The most iconic architectural...
6 Ways To Fail When Hiring An OFS
When it comes to outsourcing your business (or yourself!) to the Philippines, there’s definitely a learning curve. Here are 6 ways you can guarantee failure for yourself : (Hint: Don’t do these things!) 1. Try To Hire Someone To Do Everything Here’s an example of an...
Superstitions Some Filipinos Still Believe
We have superstitions here in the US. - Don't walk past a black cat - The number 13 is bad luck (Friday the 13th, most high rise buildings don't have a 13th floor...) - Don't walk under a ladder There's more of this in the Philippines. Julia (my content OFS) writes:...
Can Your OFS Recruit For You?
You’re ready to hire another OFS for your team. Should you delegate that process to your OFS? That’s the question Corey asked in his email. John, Gotta confess - most of the time I can't stand people's weekly emails and usually unsubscribe. Your emails haven't met...
Reimbursing Your OFS PhilHealth And SSS Payments
What I'm about to say is totally optional for you. But it's also really good. I give my workers at Onlinejobs.ph additional pay for insurance premiums. I pay for their PhilHealth, health insurance, and SSS. Because I don’t have a business entity in the Philippines, I...
How Filipinos Beat The Heat: Food Edition
I have a friend who lives in Chile. The other day he sent me a photo of his kids: Everywhere else in the world it's HOT! (at least...it seems that way) Here are a few typical Filipino cold desserts according to Julia: Halo-halo. This beloved dessert is now known...
The Case For Hiring Newbie Workers
Everyone wants to hire experienced workers. I get it. An experienced OFS can get to work right away. They require less training and onboarding, giving you a faster investment return. ...in theory. But you know what? Some of the best people I've hired were newbies....
The Best Way To Keep Your Data Secure When Working With An OFS
Security is one of the biggest concerns people have when working with an OFS. What if my OFS gets hacked? How secure is the internet in the Philippines? I understand these concerns. We often see it in the news and in movies about how hackers can steal your...
Why Your OFS Doesn’t Want To Take A Vacation
Vacation!!! Such a happy topic. But not so much in the Philippines. It comes with stress there. We’re pretty generous when it comes to giving paid time off here at Onlinejobs.ph. We tell our people they can take as much time off as they want. But I have always felt...
How My OFS Help With Lead Generation
Our lead generation isn't the same as your lead gen. My business is different than yours. But lead generation is still critical to almost all businesses, so here are some ideas for you from ways my team does it for me. - participating in forums - they regularly make...
Magnitude 7 Earthquake Hits Northern Luzon
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Luzon, with Abra, a province in Northern Luzon, as its epicenter, last Tuesday (July 26). This earthquake was so strong that the effects were felt all the way in Manila, which is 270 miles away. This has reminded a lot of people of the...
Mistakes Happen And That’s Okay
Mistakes are a part of life. There are a lot of things in my life that I wish I could change. But the one thing I’ve never regretted is doing something and failing at it. Most of my regrets are things that I didn’t do or started too late. Like with my business, I made...
Philippines To Use Plastic Polymer Banknotes
I've always found foreign currencies interesting. I'm so used to the green USD that when I first saw other money I thought it was strange. Now I often use foreign currency as a bookmark souvenir of where I've been. Most of the world uses paper and linen for their...
Current Covid Situation In The Philippines
Remember back when we used to think that in the future, we’d finally be rid of COVID and get back to normal? Those were the good old days. Now, we look at COVID like it’s the flu or the common cold. You don’t want to get it, but you’ll get it sooner or later. When you...
How We Overcomplicate OFS
I'm the type of person who asks for forgiveness rather than for permission. I tend to jump in, before I know exactly how to make it work. I rarely read instructions. These were all good things helping me figure out how to outsource to OFS. There was no manual when I...
The Naming System In The Philippines
A few of you will remember this photo: It's from when my 3rd baby was born. The baby who gave my wife pre-eclampsia and caused "strict bedrest" for my wife. The baby who set me on a path to work 17 hours/week for the past 12 years. The baby who forced me to really...
How We Deal With Holidays And Paid Time Off
I'm all about family time. And, if I can include family time with friend time, even better. That's one of the reasons I love Lake Powell. I just got back from a week at Lake Powell, where we taught a bunch of little girls how to braid hair, and how to surf: Including...
Follow Up On Traditional Filipino Breakfast
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...
House Cleaning In The Philippines
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...
My OFS Living In Cebu
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 Recruit Someone For Me?”
“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...
The Impact Of Inflation In The Philippines
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...
3 Easy Steps To OFS Social Media Content Creation
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%...
Improvements On Onlinejobs.Ph For You!
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 Went To Europe For A Month Without A Laptop
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....
Retirement And Nursing Homes Are Rare In The Philippines
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...
Follow Up On Should You Have Regular Meetings With Your OFS
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...
Latest Update On The Philippine Elections
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...
Weirdest Places Your OFS Has Worked In
While my family and I were biking across Europe, I’d check my emails and Basecamp on my phone. It’s work, but it’s only a few minutes every other day. The best part is I’m able to do it in places with the most amazing views. This is one of the good things about having...
Minimum Wage In The Philippines
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...
Basketball Is Bigger Than Boxing In The Philippines
A lot of people know that boxing is big in the Philippines because of Manny Pacquiao. Boxing is a big sport in the Philippines. There are boxing gyms all over the country. Whenever Manny fights, the crime rate in the Philippines virtually drops to zero But you know...
Baybayin – The Philippine Script
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...
When Your OFS Can’t Take Praise Or Criticism
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...
The Interesting History Of The Barong
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...
Pay Your Newly Hired OFS Weekly
I didn’t grow up watching “The Sound of Music” like my wife did, but I’ve seen it a number of times since we’ve been married. As we climbed these mountains in Austria I just couldn’t help but sing “The hills are alive, with the sound of music…” over and over again....
The Typical Filipino Breakfast
Breakfast in Europe is different than breakfast in the US. In the US I typically eat pancakes or cereal or potatoes and eggs. Since we’ve been in Europe, I haven’t eaten any of those things for breakfast. My breakfast almost every day has looked like this: Here’s...
Have An Online Filipino Receptionist For Your Business
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...
June 12 Is A Regular Holiday
I’m on holiday right now. In the past week we rode our bikes from Germany to Switzerland to Austria. The Bodensee borders all 3 countries and is beautiful: This coming Sunday, June 12 is the Philippine Independence Day. It’s a regular holiday celebrated all over the...
Mt Bulusan Eruption
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...
Should You Have Regular Meetings With Your OFS?
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...
Trust, Consideration And Kindness
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...
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