Darla Sotto - Social Media Manager

06/08/2025

04/08/2025

5 Things I Learned as a Freelancer / SMM💻
Akala mo madali? Girl, hindi ito walk in the park.
Here’s what no one told me when I started freelancing:

1. You don’t need to start fully equipped.
I swear, akala ko dati kelangan latest iPhone, MacBook, iPad, lahat-lahat. Pero no! I started with my old Fujitsu laptop na super bigat at dapat laging nakasaksak. As in, kapag nawalan ng kuryente, bye work! 😩
Pero if gusto mo talaga, you'll find a way you just have to be resourceful and just do it! Now, I have my MacBook + monitor setup. Pero sis, that came later. Trust the process. 🙏

2. We all deserve to be paid our worth.
TBH, I used to lowball my rates just para makuha lang yung client. Pero guess what? The right clients will never question your rate. And they’ll respect your work AND your boundaries. ✨
If hindi nila afford? Then maybe you’re not meant to work together and that’s okay! Hindi sila ang market mo.

3. Strangers will support you more than your friends & fam.
No hate, just facts. 😂 Sometimes it’s the random followers or new clients na grabe maka-support. Yung friends mo pa minsan ang tatawad ng todo. Pero okay lang. You’ll find your tribe eventually yung mga strangers turned long-term clients and believers of your work. 🤍

4. Freelancing is NOT for everyone.
Girl, it’s not just “post-post lang” or chill life. There are months na wala kang client. There are days na parang may mini breakdown ka. 😵‍💫 Pero kung gusto mo talaga ‘to, tuloy lang.
It's a test of patience, faith, and guts.

5. Work-life balance is possible
Akala ko dati, normal lang na laging pagod. Pero nung naging freelancer ako, I learned na pwede pala maging productive AND present sa life mo.
You can take a nap mid-day. You can work from a café. You can pause and breathe.
The freedom hits different when you learn how to manage your time. 🧘‍♀️ Don’t live to work. Learn to rest without guilt.

Still learning, still growing. If you're starting your freelance journey, I hope this helps you feel seen.
If you want more contents like this, follow me!🫂

02/08/2025

AI Visual & Graphic Designer bf vs. Social Media Manager gf be like🤣

01/08/2025

31/07/2025

Who would've thought that from being an ABM student 9 years ago who didn’t even want to take ABM in the first place (kasi mahina sa math at filmmaker talaga ang totoong pangarap)
Pero fast forward to today… I stood in front of ABM students, and shared my journey as a Social Media Manager and Small Business Owner and how I turned my phone and free apps into a career and how they can, too.

A full circle moment I quietly prayed for so thank you Lord!🙌

Today, I had the chance to speak at Ocampo National High School with the topic:
“Click to Start: Turning Social Media into a Business Tool.”
I shared how I turned social media from something I used to scroll on to something I now get paid for💸

I talked about the 3 investments that changed my life:
💡Mindset – Because how you think shapes how you act.
🎯 Skill – Because in a digital world, the more you learn, the more you earn.
💻 Equipment – But don’t wait to have the best. Start with what you have, and improve/upgrade along the way.

Thank you so much Ma’am Sue Ann Antang and Ocampo National High School, for having me po and letting me share my journey🙏
And to the students, thank you for listening and laughing with me. I hope you learned a thing or two that sparked at least a little inspiration for you to dream big, start small, and click to start📲

28/07/2025

Believe me when I say na being cringey can actually pay your bills, bestie.🤭💸

Yup, I said it because that is how my journey started.

Before I became a full-time social media manager running my own creative studio, I was just a raketera girlie... No connections... no rich parents... no generational wealth (trauma meron) it's just me and my diskarte, and my love for editing, thanks God talaga I was born creative😮‍💨

Back in first year college, I already felt the need to help my parents with my studies. When the pandemic hit, mas lalo ko naisip na I couldn’t just rely on them. So kahit wala pa akong alam masyado, I told myself: Try lang natin, tapos if it doesn't work, then atleast we tried😆

Here are the things I tried...

Alam niyo ba nagbenta ako ng Lightroom Presers. I started with this kasi I’ve always loved photo editing. I’d spend hours tweaking tones, fixing lighting, experimenting with vibes. One day I thought, what if I sell this? So I did. ₱10 to ₱20 lang per preset.
Nakakahiya minsan. People saw me selling, posting, messaging people kung gusto ba nila ng aesthetic feed. But I kept going. I was doing what I loved and turning it into income📲

Nag-resell din ako ng trendy clothes and I also sold my own preloved clothes online. Marami namang bumili, it even helped me for my dog's meds nong nagkasakit sya. Again, may times na nahihiya ako, but I still did it. Because kahit maliit, may kita👌

Then I started making resin accessories, kasi I couldn’t afford the jewelry I wanted. So I made my own. Eventually, people liked what I created and we turned it into a small biz. We started with only ₱2,000 capital. No team, no fancy packaging, just heart and hustle and now we're still growing, slowly but surely🤎

My shameful moment is when I also got scammed by a networking called "Unlishop". I was desperate to earn, and they promised fast returns. Akala ko yun na yung big break ko. Turns out… no. But I learned the hard way and I moved forward.

It was last year I tried selling digital products and saw how powerful passive income can be and very aligned sa social media management so pwede na rin!

And now, nagpaparent rin kami ng camera and i'm trying out TikTok affiliate marketing too. Because girl… more passive income = more chances at financial freedom. 🤑

At hindi lang yan, I manage my own social media creative studio, work with brands, handle our resin biz, and still explore new ways to go, grow and glow!✨

But if you think it all came easy — NAUR.
I was cringey. I was awkward. I was laughed at.
But that cringey version of me? She paid her bills. She built the life I have now (not yet there, but getting there)

So if you’re just starting, figuring things out, or feeling shy about posting, please know this:
Being cringey can pay your bills.
Cringe now, grow later. Post that product. Message that client. Make that TikTok.

You can try social media management too!
You’re already online all day, scroll scroll ka lang jan might as well earn from it, diba?
And if you need help, I’M HERE! I can help you, just slide into my DM and i'm willing to help you start your freelancing journey.

Start small. Start messy. Just start.
Don’t wait to be perfect. Don’t wait for the “right” moment.
What matters is you showed up for yourself.

Never be ashamed to sell something legit.
Selling isn’t bad, it's better than umaasa lang palagi sa iba, yon ang ang mas nakakahiya.

Sabi nga ni Bretman Rock, every video (might be a post or whatevery action you take) is a lotto ticket🎟️

One thing, one step can change everything🪄
WE'LL NEVER KNOW AND NEVER LIMIT WHAT GOD CAN DO IN YOUR LIFE☝️