The Secret Sauce of Outsourcing

Graphic design is one of those things that most businesses could use. Having a graphic designer really helps with marketing. It makes your product, packaging, and website look better. But a lot of people don't know how to hire a designer. There's more to it than looking at someone's portfolio.  What do you need to know when hiring a Filipino graphic designer? Let's talk about that in this epi...

Back in 2020, the eruption of Taal Volcano caused an ashfall that affected most of Metro Manila.  Recently, it's been active again, and people are anxious that it might cause the same damage two years ago. Hopefully, that doesn't happen. I'm praying that the activity it's showing now is the worst of it. I am just doing this podcast to let you know what could happen.

Occasionally on Facebook, I get people complaining that they can't find talented workers in the Philippines.  Yet, at the same time, I also get emails and Facebook comments from people saying that they've found great Filipino workers for their business. So which is it? Can you find great workers in the Philippines or not? Let's talk about that in this episode.

In the Philippines, there's this culture of helping called "Bayanihan." We see it regularly with our employees and other Filipino workers who go out of their way to help out when there's a disaster. People step in when they're needed. Bayanihan, in a way, helped shape the Philippines into a great outsourcing location. Want to know how? Let's talk about it in this episode.

The Great Resignation is happening everywhere, including the Philippines. It's not good for businesses overall, but this created a silver lining for us. Not only are we seeing more Filipinos sign up at Onlinejobs.ph, but we're also seeing more EXPERIENCED workers signing up. They're leaving their jobs because they want to work from home. What does this mean for you and your business? Let's talk ab...

It seems like there's news about data breaches every week. It makes you worry, right? If big companies are vulnerable to a data breach, what can I do as a small business? I used to worry about this with my OFS team. Could someone steal something? What are the consequences if I limit their access to data? I had to weigh these things.  Then I realized I was making less money worrying about thin...

OFS stands for online Filipino specialist. I've been using OFS for a couple of years now because I don't like using virtual assistants (VAs) anymore. I don't like it because most people associate VAs with admin or data entry work. The Filipino workers in our database at Onlinejobs.ph are more than VAs now. They're specialists. That's who you want to hire. In this episode, I'll explain why it makes...

We get this question a lot because we're so used to background checks here in the US. Everything from renting an apartment, buying a car, even volunteering requires a background check. It's hard to do background checks in the Philippines because they don't have a system like ours where there are companies that collect your data through social security. But if you need a background check on your VA...

When you're looking for a writer, the first and most important thing you need to look at is their English skills.  Don't settle for less. Find someone who fits the standards you want. On top of that, I also have a list of questions I ask to make sure the writer I'm hiring is creative and is up to the job's demands. Want to know what those questions are? That's what we will be talking about in...

I am not a big holiday guy. I know Chinese New Year is coming up because it's a special holiday in the Philippines. My team tells me it's the year of the Water-Tiger. If you follow Chinese horoscopes, they'd probably tell you whether or not it's a good year. But I don't believe in that. I think every year can be a good year if you're making progress. You can make this a good year for yourself by m...

I understand that when people hire their first OFS, they want that person to work in their time zone. It makes things like meetings and training easier. I did the same thing when I started outsourcing.  But it just made things harder for my OFS. He wasn't used to working nights, so his health and productivity suffered. Eventually, we worked out a system that allowed both of us to be really pr...

I made this episode to show you that it's not all roses for me. Even now, I still have problems with outsourcing. My team still makes mistakes.  I'll tell you what happened in this episode and what solution we implemented to fix things.

When I started outsourcing, I didn't want to share my passwords with my team. I was worried about what might happen. Would they make a mistake and destroy something? Would they take advantage of me? Then I realized that not giving them passwords was making my life harder. They can't work if they don't have access to the stuff they need. But I also need to make sure my stuff is secure.  How di...

Let's talk about Filipino culture and the barangay, their smallest government unit.  All Filipinos belong to a barangay. Knowing a bit about what happens there can give you an idea of what goes on in their neighborhoods. It's really fascinating, and I'll share what I learned about this piece of Philippine culture in this episode.

People sometimes stop themselves from doing the things they love or grab fantastic opportunities out of fear of making mistakes. I see this a lot in people who are hesitant in hiring online Filipino workers. Often, what they're afraid of is smaller than the benefits they can get when they outsource. So how do you overcome this fear? I'll talk about it in this episode. -----------------------------...

Things are getting back to normal despite Omicron. Hopefully, your business is recovering and growing. As you build your momentum, there’s going to be more work ahead. Want to build your business differently? Listen to this episode to know how to start doing it. ----------- You’ve thought about hiring an OFS but you have questions. Here are the answers. ===> https://www.ofsguide.com/

Why do natural disasters happen regularly in the Philippines? It's because of their location. They're situated right in the middle of the Typhoon Belt and Pacific Ring of Fire. This makes them more susceptible AND more resilient because they're used to it.  I'll talk more about it in this episode.

New Year's resolutions fail because we have a lot of unrealistic expectations of ourselves. We expect way too much without putting in enough work. Or we get easily frustrated when we don't see a lot of change fast enough. It's a lot like hiring an OFS. You got to be realistic about what you can do and what to expect. Let's talk more about it in this episode. ---------- You’ve thought about hiring...

When I started my business back in 2004, I didn't have time to hire someone. I worked 50-60 hours a week on my business to keep it running. I also didn't know how to hire because there weren't a lot of resources back then. But I knew I'd be stuck if I didn't hire someone. My business wouldn't grow, and I'll never have any time.  How did I get out of this situation? I'll share that story in th...

Before I hired someone, it was scary and a lot of work. I didn't know if they could get the job done. I didn't know if I could keep them busy full-time. I didn't know if I could afford it. The scariest part, for me, is that even if everything worked out, I knew it was going to take time to see some returns. Eventually, I got over it. I did the work, and I'm now enjoying the returns. How did I do i...

No. If you ask other business owners for recommendations, you're going to get the same answer. Why? Because if I'm going to take the time to recruit someone, I'm going to hire them myself. What's better than asking for a recommendation? That's the question we're going to answer in this episode.

Yes, but not anymore. It used to happen a lot, but now it shouldn't affect how you hire. You can hire an OFS from anywhere in the Philippines. Brownouts are the least of your concerns.  However, suppose you want to understand why brownouts happen in the Philippines and how the situation has improved. In that case, I'll explain everything in this episode.

Like most people, I first tried outsourcing by hiring through an agency, thinking they know what they're doing. They're going to find the best person for me. Big mistake. It was a mistake because the hiring people didn't really care about me or my business. They hired those they thought were good enough, not the best people for my business. I'll tell you more about it in this episode.

It's scary letting go of a difficult task. Sometimes things do go wrong. Projects don’t get done right. Work isn’t perfect and it gets published. But when you get it right with your new OFS, it’s like riding no handed. And the next time it’s easier. And easier. Let's talk about that in this episode.

December 30th is a regular holiday celebrating the national hero of the Philippines, Jose Rizal. Because it's so close to the New Year, most people start celebrating this time. But there's more to Rizal than just the holiday. In this episode, I'll talk about interesting facts about Rizal and why Filipino love him. ---------- You’ve thought about hiring an OFS but you have questions. Here are the a...