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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.

Check out the first few episodes in this series:

#028 – Introduction to Freelancing

#029 – Blogging as a Freelancing Opportunity with Flow Galindez of AngSaWariKo.com

#030 – The Beginners Guide to Online Freelance Writing with Stef Gonzaga

#031 – Exploring the Job of a Virtual Assistant with Jay Pasana

#032 – Freelance Graphic Design with Eli Avellanoza

#034 – Showcasing Pinoy Freelancers’ Skills with Lyle Jover of Raket.ph

In this episode, I chat with Celine Roque, who is one of the authoritative voices on freelancing in the Philippines since she has been in this industry for more than 10 years. But here’s the thing–she built her career, not on the bidding sites of oDesk and Elance as most Pinoy freelancers had done. Instead, she employed guerilla tactics that helped her find better projects that are better than average.

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And WE HAVE A SURPRISE! Listen up to the end of this episode because I am giving away 3 FREE SEATS to the Freelance Camp Manila on October 18, 2014 where Celine Roque and Stef Gonzaga (whom we interviewed in episode 30) will speak at.

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Celine Roque used to have a personal finance site, FrugalPinoy.com, but she noticed that more and more people are looking for information about freelancing. Before starting Pinoy500.com, she launched a successful course for freelancers. This course started out as a free product, now it is a paid product and Celine is working on the 4th version.

She didn’t really graduate from College. She became an adult early on because she had to help out with family finances and became the breadwinner. While studying, she already started writing for various online clients.

• 
  
• She started reading books on freelance writing.
  
• She submitted queries and articles to newspapers.
  
• She learned how to write cover letters and queries to potential clients.
  
• When she was in College, she started looking for “Writing Jobs Online”
  

For every piece you write, you should write for an “ideal reader.”

Freelancers need to level up to a higher-level thinking and see work as not just churning work and chasing number of words, but rather to influence and to enrich the work of the client.

Freelancing is self-directed work.

You’re the driver and the client is your passenger.

You have to control the money. As a freelancer, you’re the account manager, you’re the boss, you’re the accountant, you do all these roles.

If you agree to a deadline, make sure to deliver.

Most clients are not looking for the Albert Einstein of their fields, rather, they are looking for COMPETENT and RELIABLE freelancers.

Soft skills you will need as a freelancer:

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• Communication skills
  
• Negotiation skills
  

Be careful of the freelance rat race to the bottom because of the low rates of jobs in bidding sites.

You can start freelancing by joining the job boards like oDesk, Elance, and Freelancer. But you can also go directly to websites and blogs that need writers. The average pay per 500 words in 2012 is $5. The median, which is 50% of the jobs there merely is $2.

It’s better to get a referral from someone you know who is already freelancing.

“I don’t think freelancing is for everybody, in the same way that corporate work is not for everybody.”

“Isa sa mga motto ko sa buhay ay huwag akong magkalat sa Internet. If it’s not valuable, I’m not gonna blog just for the sake… dahil sinabi ng mga guru na mag-blog ako once a week.”

“I’m obsessed with being a being writer…. I accept criticism with grace.”

“I don’t see my job as writing words…. My job is to get some story across to the right person and get a specific action or reaction as a result of the thing I wrote.”

“Freelance work is self-directed and you cannot just sit there and wait for job to fall on your lap. Kapag may client ka na, you cannot just sit there and take their instructions. You have to be the driver of the carriage. Your client is the passenger and you have to make sure that the ride is as pleasant as possible and you’d take them to as far as they could go, they’re not the driver.”

“If you want to be a freelancer, test it part time for a few months. Kapag feel mo na hindi bagay sa iyo, okay lang. Pero at the same time, keep in mind that those who succeed, not just in freelancing, but in anything, are not successful dahil they are smarter, they have more money, or they have the right training, or whatever, usually they succeed because they stuck at it longer than most people.”

“A lot of clients have experienced the common phenomenon of the disappearing Filipino freelancer.”

Sign up at Pinoy500.com mailing list to learn more about freelancing.

• 
  
• Pricing strategy
  
• Field of work
  
• Clients
  
• Output
  

Follow Celine Roque’s work:

Podcast (with Stef Gonzaga): http://betterworkph.com

Personal website: http://www.celineroque.com

Freelancing Blog: http://Pinoy500.com

Email:

support [at] pinoy500.com

mail [at] celineroque.com