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We continue with the Happy Yuppie Podcast series on freelancing. But before that, a quick announcement.

I have a book coming out: “May Powers Ka to be #SuperEpic†published by OMF Literature, which will be launched on September 20, 2014 at the Manila International Book Fair, SMX Convention Center, at the Mall of Asia. Written in conversational Taglish, my book helps guide young people in taking on positions of leadership. I used Superheroes such as Spiderman, Batman, the Hulk, and Superman, among others to highlight the lessons we need as leaders. Please do check out the book at http://BeSuperEpic.com.

This is a part of our podcast series on freelancing, where we explore several “raket†or sources of income on the side for Filipino yuppies. But if you decide to pursue this full time, you can check out several stories of freelancers who are making it big and showing the world that it’s highly possible to survive and thrive through freelance opportunities online.

Here are the first few podcast episodes in the series:

Part 1 – http://pinoyyuppie.com/028/ – Introduction to Freelancing

Part 2 – http://pinoyyuppie.com/029/ – Blogging as a Freelancing Opportunity with Flow Galindez of AngSaWariKo.com

Part 3 – The Beginner’s Guide to Online Freelance Writing with Stef Gonzaga of TheFreelancePinoy.com

In Part 4 of our Freelancing series, I interview Jay Pasana about his journey as an online freelancer–from his first year as a virtual assistant for entrepreneurs on Multiply and Sulit.com to his Virtual Assistant stint, and how he eventually transitioned to become an entrepreneur. We talk about the job and tasks of a virtual assistant, the range of income you can expect, and what you need to do to find work and become great at what you do.

If you find this podcast helpful, please leave an honest rating and review on Stitcher Radio so that more people can discover the show.

image credit: BJI via GettyImages

Mr. Jay Pasana started as an online freelancer back in 2007. After merely two years, he made the jump and became a “full-time freelancer.” Jay is a licensed Physical Therapist, but the salary of a PT is not that big (8,000 to 9,000 back in 2007). While working as a PT, he explored some online opportunities in Multiply.com and eventually on Sulit.com.ph.

He started posting advertisements on Multiply and Sulit. His clients were local businesses from the Philippines back then. He started developing his skills on Photoshop and Web Development. Eventually, he discovered oDesk.com and Elance.com.

• 
  
• Creativity is important.
  
• Learned via YouTube.com
  
• Bought some tutorial CDs from Greenhills.
  
• Within two years, he made the decision to quit his job when he felt that he had enough clients to
  

If you want to really grow in your Virtual Assistant career, concentrate on one niche and develop expertise.

A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office. – definition from Wikipedia

VA is an umbrella term for online workers providing services online. Skills needed by a VA:

• 
  
• Administrative and Office management skills (Secretarial and clerical tasks)
  
• Graphic Design
  
• Web Development
  
• Writing and Blogging
  
• Online Research
  

Jay started looking for international clients on oDesk and Elance. Eventually, he founded the Philippine Virtual Assistants Network on Facebook.

Most of clients come from the United States of America and from the United Kingdom

They are hardworking and dedicated to the job.

In addition, they are also resourceful.

If you are employed as an entry-level VA, you can earn at least $500. As a freelancer with a lot of income, you can also earn around $2000.

Jay also says that you can earn six digits! One freelancer from Cavite earned around P7.5 Million last year.

A VA works around 10-12 hours per day. But VA’s need to keep after their health.

Equipment needed: Computer and internet connection.

Odesk.com

Elance.com

VA Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PhilVANetwork/

Network with other Virtual Assistants

Virtual Assistant website: http://virtualassistant.ph

Personal Website: http://jaypasana.com

Mentoring: http://webinternshipprogram.com

If you want to learn more about becoming a virtual assistant, do check out the book written by Jay Pasana. It’s available on Amazon. Check out the book here: http://www.bearockstarva.com

Find your passion.

Stay focused.