26/08/2025
Most people think success in freelancing means instant freedom.
Isa ako dun.
Wayback 2014, I believed quitting my stable engineering job would open the door to clients and income right away.
Instead, hindi nangyari yun.
11 months have passed since I started to jump as a Virtual Assistant. I did not have a steady flow of income.
Ang meron lang…steady flow nang self doubts.
But here’s the twist..
Pag balik ko sa corporate after 11 months of failing, it actually opened a new era for me.
It is actually the start of a new beginning…
It gave me the stability to rebuild and keep going, and I work on two jobs…
1 sa corpo and 1 as a virtual assistant.
Daig ko po si James bond. Double Agent ako.
Work sa umaga and then work sa gabi…
I wake up 4am in the morning and sleep 11 pm at night. Without the benefit of pasyal…
Puro work lang ako, ndi ko nagawang mamasyal kasi nga need ko mag focus.
The Risky Leap and Crushing Failures
So bago nag karon nang bold leap..(At bago paman din akong sumakses)
Hindi nanging madali ang lahat.
Kasi,,,nung 2014 palang…I spent two years preparing.
I read guides, webinars, and learn the basics of Google Workspace, email marketing, online marketing, social media, and content marketing.
Nasa office pa ako nito ha…
Itong mga to, inaaral ko na, at medyo pina-practice ko narin. Nung nasa office pa ako.
Kaya nung pag jump ko…
Mejo siempre feeling ko confident nako… Kasi nga meron na ako, unti unting nalalaman at pag V-VA eh.
So I resigned.
The first few weeks felt exciting. No more corpo jobs, no more commuting, no more long overtime hours.
I said to myself, now this is the time to work at my own pace, and build my work-from-home dream.
I said goodbye to my previous job.
Then…
Yun na, dun na ako nag start mag apply as Virtual Assistant. Punta ako sa craigslist… Sa online jobs… Sa Odesk (yung dating upwork)
Nag apply apply ako.
Sometimes, I got replies, pero yun nga, dahil wala akong experience pa back then, although nag a-aral na ako mag VA.
Wala parin talaga akong confidence pala…kahit may knowledge na ako.
Ang meron lang akong confidence, yung gumawa gawa nang graphics, like posters, quotations etc.
Pero yun nga…Nakakuha ako nang mga ilan-ilan na gigs.
Pero Hindi sapat, kasi mga short project lang ang nakukuha ko nung mga panahon na iyon.
Short graphic projects, parang isang kahig, isang tuka lang ako.
So sa 11 months stretched na nag jump ako…
Puro short projects lang talaga… Naranasan ko pa, na mag work as ESL teacher, just for me to earn money and have some for food and pay the bills.
Pero tag-tipid talaga. Nag turo ako ESL teacher I think mga 3 months kasi ala na akong projects.
Mga chinese students yung mga tinuturuan ko…I earn $5 dollars per hour. So mga 2 hours yun per day. So pwede na, atleast may pang kain nung mga time naun.
Pero tuloy, tuloy parin ang application ko.
Pero yun nga madalas ang denial, madalas replies lang narereceive ko na hindi ako pasok sa mga application.
Minsan naman trial project pero after two weeks, chugi na agad ako.
Hindi talaga naging madali.
Yung mga times nayun…Sobrang stress talaga ako.
Nasa bahay lang, and hindi rin ako makalabas kasi ala naman akong pera masyado.
And pag niyayaya ako nang mga friends ko.
Hindi ako maka oo, kasi nga wala akong anda.
Tsaka nahihiya rin ako na sabihin na VA ako, kasi nung times pa noon, VA is not a thing. Parang scammer ang labas mo pag sinabi mo ganyan work mo.
So it was heavy for me…
Those 11 months na nag start ako.
Sobrang test of faith talaga.
At duon na dumating yung point na sinuoko ko na.
Sabi ko sa sarili ko…
I think there's no point in doing this. Sobrang hirap eh.
Feeling ko talaga nag sasayang lang ako nang oras nung mga panahon na iyon.
Malaking factor pa siempre, nakikita ako nang parents ko na nag free-freelancing ako.
At hindi parin nila nakikita na successful ako kasi nga…
Ultimo sabong panlaba nang hihingi na ako.
At I really can’t pay the bills, so paper weight ako sa bahay nung mga times nayun.
Kaya dumating sa point na I decided to quit and ask for my Uncle’s help para makabalik sa corporate job ko.
So he helped me.
I was working back then at Republic Cement… As a buyer engineer.
So nag pasa ulit ako nang application…
And one of the HR, na naging best friend ko si Jona.
Nahire naman ulit ako…
Pero yun nga, during the onboarding…
Dun na may nag reach out sa akin.
On one of my applications. Na nag hihire nang graphic design.
Asking me to create quotes for a page.
At dahil marami na tayong mga samples…
Nag karon ako nang chance mag pakitang gilas.
So even nag work-na-ulit ako sa corporate.
I still did it…
So nagawa ko nang maayos yun trabaho…
Pero this time, parang may ibang nangyari…
Ano yun????
The Double Life That Changed Everything
Ito na yung turning point…
So habang nag wowork ako as Virtual Assistant doing graphics for him.
Duon narin ako tinuruan about ibang mga skills pa.
Tinuruan na ako mag manage nang mga pages. Duon narin ako natutong mag manage nang website.
So I learn how to manage wordpress websites.
Natuto rin ako mag manage nang mga email marketing tools, like kit.
At complex funnel builder like…
Clickfunnels.
So kahit mahirap talaga tsinaga ko.
kasi okay narin…
Way back, I was earning $8 dollars an hour doing that stuff.
At hindi lang yun…
Kumikita kana sa part time job mo. Kumikita kapa sa full time job mo.
So double pay ka everyday.
And I actually learning all the skills needed in order for me to understand this complex thing…
I learned Digital Marketing —- Doing it on an Actual Job.
I was trained to build funnels….
Yung mga ina-aral nang mga tao ngayon, paying courses like GHL.
I learned it actual.
And nakita ko siya realtime experience kasi siempre, while you’re building those funnels.
You actually see the results of those funnels.
Nakikita mo yung leads na pumapasok…
Yung benta…
So hindi kolang natutunan talaga siya sa courses.
Nakikita korin ung resulta nang ginawa ko….
And because of that, I slowly build up my confidence.
So back into my routine sa double agent life.
I was split into two…
So mahalaga rito sobrang aga ko gumising.
4 am palang…gising na ako nyan, kasi kailangan ko mag check if ever may VA tasks akong gagawin na urgent.
Or if hindi naman urgent.
Ang gagawin ko nyan…ilalagay ko yan sa To-DO list ko bago ako pumasok sa corporate. Para pag tapos nang work ko as an Engineer-Procurement officer.
Alam ko na ang gagawin ko later.
Madalas ang working station ko as VA ay sa starbucks. Sa Makati marami kasing starbucks na may internet, so nakiki free WIFI ako.
Basta order lang ako nang coffee…2-3 hours nandun ako.
Pag ndi ko natapos pag uwi ko sa dorm, duon ko gagawin kasi may free internet din don. Kasama na sa bayad. May pa mineral water pa yung landlady ko.
For two years, this was the story of me…
So lahat nang leaves ko mapa Vacation Leave man yan or Sick leaves…
I used it to work sa VA career ko.
I’m slowly building my strong foundation. Building sidelines, getting more part-time jobs.
That steady flow of income from my corporate job + VA jobs. Nag karon ako nang emergency fund for the next jump.
But this time…
I’m ready! Dito sigurado na ako..
So I quit my job again.
But this time, I had samples, experiences, and confidence that I could handle client expectations.
The combination of a stable job and small freelance projects had prepared me in a way na handang handa na ako sa pangalang beses.
Kasi I have a steady part time income. And yung mga applications ko for part time jobs, are less rejection na kasi nga may proof na ako at alam ko na talaga ginagawa ko.
So when I choose to resign again…
It wasn’t about running from the corporate life na hate ko.
This time…
It was moving toward something and is proven to work.
So nag left ako sa corpo life with a smile in my face.
With momentum, not desperation.
And that choice set me up na ito na ako…
Freelancer na at may bonus pa…
I was able to learn Youtube Marketing pa…
And I have my own youtube channel with over 120,000 SUBSSS :))))
It was the setback that prompted me to what am here now.
Yung journey ko, sobrang may malaking detour.
Very tiring…at sobrang stretched talaga nang patience ko.
Sobrang haba nang aral stage… Sobrang haba nang application stage…
At sobrang haba nang pinag daanan kong puyat at pagod at disappointments talaga.
But yun nga, it doesn’t matter where you start.
It matters how you’re going to end.
Training ground lang yung mga rejections at setbacks.
So to end this with a Positive note…
If you’re experiencing setbacks or mga challenges like rejections, doubts, or inconsistencies sa journey mo as Virtual Assistant.
Treat it as training.
Kasi yung mga pag hihirap mo ngayon, yan ang magiging storya mo pag naging successful kana.
And then, be always grateful sa kung ano man ang narating mo at natutunan mo at sa mga taong tumulong sayo, wag na wag kang makakalimot na mag pasalamat…
Yun lang…
And by the way…
Sa September po…I’m going to launch my first ever “Youtube Marketing Course” Kung saan matututo kayo mag build at mag manage nang youtube channel.
This can be a part-time income opportunity sa inyo or if you want to build a legitimate portfolio…
Join us in learning how to build a profitable YouTube channel.
If interested ka check the comment section to join the waiting list.
Chad Godoy