November 2020 - Mommy Ginger

I know that my chosen title “How I got my first 4000 subscribers on Youtube for GTV” sounds a bit clickbait-y, but I really wanted to write this article, not only for you, but for me. I wanted a way to document the things that I have done and the things that I am about to do.

Way back in 2015, I started creating YouTube videos. In that year, I actually had a team produce my videos. My best friend, April, helped me. The content that I wanted to share were videos that will inspire a lot of starting entrepreneurs and freelancers.

But that enthusiasm for creating videos was replaced by prioritizing the businesses that I was running and starting during that time. Don’t get me wrong. That’s not a bad thing. I just made my own decision on what things I needed to prioritize at that time. As you may know, 2015 was also the time that we thought of Taxumo, and I was also involved in creating two other startups that time. I didn’t have time to create videos for my YouTube channel, GTV.

Fast forward to 2017, the same thing happened again. This time, I wanted to create beauty vlogs. I love studying skin care products, that I created videos on different products. My subscriber base started going up again. But, again, I had to set vlogging aside as during 2018, we at Taxumo, had to prepare for the TRAIN law.

Looking back, I saw everything clearly. The things that I did and the decisions that I mad, and seeing my numbers now gave me clarity on what I could have done differently and what I can do moving forward.

So, I’m writing this blog today, to share with you what my thoughts are and also to remind myself later on what to do.

My Road to 4000 subscribers on Youtube

Tip #1: If you want to achieve something, it’s 100% possible. You just have to decide that you want it.

Looking back, I knew that I wanted to grow my channel. But, I wanted to grow my business more. And this was a decision that I made. I think there was no wrong decision (and I’m sure, as humans, we will justify our decisions regardless of how the decisions turn out… haha!).

Both of these things are important to me, but all of us have limited time, so we need to decide on what weighs more for you at a given point in time.

What I want to impart is that everything is 100% possible. All your dreams are 100% possible. You just need to decide to work on it if you want to turn it into reality.

Tip #2: Know where you are going, but celebrate small wins.

People don’t know the work that is done behind creating each video, no matter how short or long and no matter what the format is. For people like me, with no production team, I think of the content, I write down the script or questions (if it’s an interview), I think of the value the video might be able to bring, I look for the people to interview and invite them, I research about the products and I record the video.

After recording is done, I edit the video, fix the other elements and description on Youtube, check if it’s SEO friendly, monitor metrics, see if topic is engaging, promote the videos, and repeat the cycle.

I know that ultimately, at the end of the day, I want to help people learn something new everyday, especially when it comes to business, career and freelancing. Of course, I won’t let go of other things that I love talking about, too, like beauty, skin care, motherhood and cool, gaming, unique gadgets and purchases. I think that’s what the playlists are for really. Lol!

At the end of the day, what matters is if people get to learn from my videos. That’s what will make me smile. And to my point about celebrating small wins, I rejoice whenever I get to create a video. I celebrate that feeling, because this is what gets me motivated again to create other videos. I love the sense of accomplishment it brings (ako gumawa nyan!). Just take it one day at a time, and when you look back at your metrics (just like this one), you’ll be happy that you focused on creating value and moving the needle a little bit every day.

Tip #3: Be consistent.

We all know this. When we do something consistently, from aloting one hour a day to develop a skill or one hour a day to workout, it’s impossible that you won’t see any positive change. We will definitely get to the goal that we have set for ourselves.

Things that stop us from being consistent are these things:

You purposely chose to prioritize something else. (In this case, it’s fine. You probably realized that something “weighs” more in your life that you made that intentional decision.)
You are demotivated to continue, because you are not achieving the numbers that you set for yourself. (In this case, revisit your numbers as you may have set the wrong ones. If these are big targets, you may want to break them down so you’re not overwhelmed by the end goal).
You are doing this activity for the wrong reasons and give up easily because of this. (In this case, ask yourself why you are doing this. Is it for money, fame and popularity, selling another product or service, educating others, makes you happy, outlet for your emotions, to pass the time, revenge, etc. Be clear on why you are doing this.)

Tip #4: Look for things that you know you can do (skill) and will enjoy and provides value.

I have always admired people like Julie Nolke (she’s so funny!) because I always wanted to make people laugh. I just know that it’s not a skill that I have. Lol! But what I do have experience with and love talking about is business, entrepreneurship, creating and growing a startup, finance, productivity, marketing, and skin care.

When I started embracing these topics, people naturally gravitated to my channel because they knew exactly what they were going to get. They knew exactly what to expect. So this helped me a lot.

Tip #5: Learn and try out new tools, and invest in tools that works for you.

It was only this year that I got to learn about TubeBuddy. TubeBuddy is a tool that helps you optimize your videos. Honestly, it has helped increase the chances of my videos being seen on Youtube.

You can sign up and test it out: TubeBuddy.

You can learn more about how to get started from this video:

This tool really helped me a lot since I’m the only one preparing, editing, posting and marketing my videos. Check out TubeBuddy; it’s super worth it!

Tip #6: Learn from the most recent video that you did.

During the latter part of reaching 4000 subscribers on Youtube, I watched my metrics because data tells me the story of my viewers. I get to see what they love viewing, and what topics are most engaging for them. With the things that I learn from the previous uploads, I iterate and adjust content, topics, editing, etc.

These are the 6 things that I wanted to share and I, personally, wanted to take note of.

I’ve created 260 uploads since the time that I started and have 336K views so far. I have 4000 subscribers on Youtube as of date. More than these numbers, I’m more excited by the thought that I’ll be sharing the stories of more business owners and enablers in the MSME ecosystem. Looking forward to a great 2021 for all content creators, business owners, freelancers and entrepreneurs!

Prutas Pilipinas… a good way to teach your kids about local fruits, our language and to love what we have in the Philippines!

We had a meeting with Zeeka’s Filipino teacher; the school has this occasional meeting of parents and teachers. Zeeka’s doing well in her class but the suggestion was really to have her practice more in the house.

A good way to practice with your kids is through singing. The remember things better when taught in a fun way. I remember that the first song that she sang in Filipino was “Bahay Kubo”. Recently, came across a new Filipino Folk song about our local fruits called “Prutas Pilipinas”. The music was created by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, lyrics by Noel Ferrer and performed by The Company (I love The Company!!!). The song was created in collaboration with local juice brand, Locally, and aims to educate and celebrate one of the best things we as Filipinos can be proud of – our fruits.

Click on this link to listen:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3QZDoYk4PjqIPZXU4egnQl?si=khjY54-XQhKMlPFHXyrA7Q

Locally’s mission is to honor our Filipino farmers and their crops. This is very admirable as we need to support the agriculture industry in the Philippines. Also, our kids need to be aware of the different fruits that we have in our own country.

“Nature, music, and science come together in our song “Prutas Pilipinas”. What better way to celebrate life than to sing a song about our fruits that give us life!” says Ryan Cayabyab.

A way to spread more knowledge about something we all eat every day, “Prutas Pilipinas” not only names popular fruits, like mangoes, melons, and grapes but also more unique ones like chico, mangosteen, and dragonfruit. The song also mentions how nutritious and good these local fruits are, Locally’s way of championing what is proudly our own.

“I thought that it would be a good opportunity to start from basic fruits and expand it to a collective push for a healthy nation – para sa masigla, magaling at masayang Pilipinas. The genius of our National Artist Mr. Cayabyab, as shown in the excellent music, and the exceptional vocal quality and harmony of The Company made the song truly fun, dynamic, and meaningful,” shares Noel Ferrer.

“Prutas Pilipinas is that rare moment in OPM where we get to tick all of the right boxes. This contemporary folk song is entertaining, educational and edifying. Transcending merely sensory enjoyment, this song becomes a pro-active participant in nation-building,” says The Company founding member, Moy Ortiz.

The song has three versions – the first is the main song which has already been released and is quickly growing in popularity on Spotify. Set to be released soon, the second version integrates a little bit of “bugtungan” at the song’s beginning, while the third version is short and easy to memorize, made to be shared in schools nationwide through DepEd.

I love that Locally is helping out in this initiative. I used to pass by the stall near Mind Museum to buy Locally juices for Zeeka. You can buy Locally juices from all leading convenience stores and supermarkets. For more
information, you may visit @Locally_PH on Instagram and Facebook.

With this initiative, I hope our children will appreciate our language and the resources that we have in the Philippines more!

My family has been living in a condo unit since 2012. We made this conscious decision since it turned out to be cheaper than buying a house (cheaper to own and rent one) and the location was great (at least for the choices that were presented to us). The reason why real estate investing is popular is because of the fact that there is a huge market of buyers. In business, we call this the target addressable market (TAM). The bigger the TAM is, the better for the business, since you have an ocean of paying customers whose need needs to be addressed.

In recent years, a new trend and investment option in real estate investing has been widely talked about, considered and jumped into by both experienced and new investors. It’s called Condotel Investing. And this form of investment has quickly gained popularity due to the fact that this opportunity promises passive income.

Since I know that a lot of you, my dear readers, are looking for a safe haven on where to invest your hard – earned money, I took it upon myself to study condotel investing. I took a closer look at investing in Hotel 101, condotels from DoubleDragon Properties Corp.

Before we jump into it, I’m sharing this investment checklist that you can use to assess different kinds of investment opportunities. Left 3 blanks at the end, just in case you want to add more factors and questions.

Guide to Real Estate Investing — Investment Checklist that you can also use when considering real estate investing

Together, let’s go through assessing Hotel 101 as an investment opportunity. In looking for a good investment, let’s go through the things that you need to check.

Who is behind this business? How is the company doing?

For those who don’t know much about real estate investing (and I for one didn’t know this until I researched about it), Hotel 101 was developed by Hotel of Asia, Inc. which is a subsidiary of DoubleDragon Properties Corp. DoubleDragon Properties Corp. may have rung a bell for you since they are 35% owned by Jollibee (Honeystar Holdings Corporation; the Tan & Ang Families), 35% by Injap Investments Inc. (made their name when they established Mang Inasal) and 30% by the public (since they are a publicly listed company).

They also have other projects like CityMall, DoubleDragon Plaza, CentralHub, etc. They have assets worth Php 113.55 Billion with 37% year on year growth from 2018 to 2019. With the information that we have gathered, it looks like a stable company that’s far from folding and bankruptcy.

What is the investment vehicle? What is Hotel 101?

Hotel 101 is a brand of condotels of DoubleDragon Properties Corp. which offers a simple and hassle free investment. Basically, investing in condotels is like investing in your own condominium unit, without the hassle of looking for people who will rent the place. It being a “hotel” comes into play, because Hotel 101 has a full-service staff, housekeeping (so you or the customer/renter need not worry about cleaning the unit), concierge services and amenities that guests can share.

Now comparing Hotel 101 with other condotels, the former does not charge the investor maintenance costs, repair costs and association dues. With Hotel 101, the property developer takes care of all the operating expenses, unit repairs and maintenance.

Also, Hotel 101 has project locations nationwide. Hotel 101 – Manila is operational. Hotel 101 – Fort and Hotel 101 – Davao will be completed in 2021. They will also have projects in Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan and Libis.

How much do I need to Invest?

Since we are in the aspect of comparing, I love how simple it is to invest in Hotel 101. First of all, they have just one size for the Happy Room which is 21 square meters. All of the investors invest in the same size of unit. Other condotels have different sizes so it’s hard to monitor and track your revenue. Different computations make investing harder to understand for the beginner investor. Having one room size also allows all unit owners to own an equal share in the hotel revenues, so income share is distributed equally across unit owners regardless of whether their actual unit was used that month.

These are the four different payment schemes for Hotel 101, specifically for Fort. If the four payment schemes are hard to read, feel free to email Hotel 101 at inquiries@ddsales.com.ph.

In comparing it to 10 year Government Bond yields, you will see that the yield is significantly higher.

Real Estate Investing on Hotel 101 versus Government Bonds

How do I invest and how do I Earn?

When you invest in Hotel 101, it’s just like purchasing your very own condo unit, and Hotel 101 takes care of the rest. The property developer looks for people who will rent out the unit. They will take care of maintaining the unit, upkeep and making sure that the unit is clean and sanitized.

What’s nice about it is that you can also transact and make the investment from your home. You need not meet frequently with the property developer, as how it usually is when you purchase a condo unit. It’s really hassle free; you can invest while in the comforts of your own home.

How much is the return on my investment?

These figures below are approximate projections based on assumed figures for Hotel 101 – Fort. Occupancy rate is basically how much of the units are occupied by renters / customers. And just to give you an idea, Hotel 101 – Manila (current project) had an 89% occupancy rate last 2019 and 82.53% in the first half of 2020 (BPO companies would rent rooms for their employees to keep them safe and so that they don’t need to travel).

It’s very important to note that Hotel 101 also bases revenue share on the Gross Room Revenue and not on the Net Room Revenue. Be sure you check on this also when you’re seriously looking at condotel investing. The gross and net amount can make a huge difference on your projected or target return.

Real Estate Investing: Hotel 101 Revenue Projections — If you need a copy of this, you can again email inquiries@ddsales.com.ph

So checking on the location of the condotel investment (with any property in real estate investing) is crucial, because you need to foresee what the occupancy rate will be. For the two new projects of Hotel 101 in Fort and Davao, you can check out their website Hotel 101 to ask for more information.

Real Estate investing in the Philippines

I personally have seen the location of these two projects and these are good locations for condotels.

And in terms of Return on Investment or ROI, you will always have an annual return for as long as the hotel is operational. What varies is the rate of return. With Hotel 101, you will also be given 10 FREE nights to stay in the hotel and enjoy the amenities. It’s good to use it and test it out, too, so that you can give constructive feedback to the property developers. The 10 free nights compose of 5 free stay vouchers to be used in the project where the unit is located and the other 5 free stay vouchers can be used in any Hotel 101 anytime you wish, subject to room availability for free voucher use. Comparing it to other condotels, the others give out 15 free nights, but you can’t use it on peak days.

Revenue is also paid out every month! Can you believe that? For other projects, they only distribute revenue share annually or quarterly.

Aside from that Unit owners receive 30% of Gross Room Revenue every 16th day of the succeeding month, and the 30% of Gross Room Revenue is divided equally among unit owners, regardless if their unit was used (unlike traditional rentals).

What do you need to continuously check?

In my opinion, if in your investment plan, you plan to invest in vehicles that need not require too much attention, investing in Hotel 101 is a good investment. I think the things that you need to monitor are (1) news about DoubleDragon Properties Corp. and Hotel 101; and (2) ask about Occupancy Rate every so often.

The reason why you need to monitor news about Hotel 101 is because branding and a good reputation matters to the end consumers. How they keep their units clean and sanitized, what are they doing to protect the safety of all renters, etc. matter to people especially during these times.

Conclusion

They say that those who become successful during times of recession are those who can spot good investments. Investing in condotels, specifically in Hotel 101, is something that you may want to consider. It’s simple to understand. Investing in Hotel 101 also doesn’t require much effort so you can focus on spending time with your family while earning passive income.

If you have more questions about real estate investing, particularly this investment, you can reach them at:

Website: Hotel 101

Mobile: +639175078111

Email Address: inquiries@ddsales.com.ph

Hotel 101 Facebook

Singlife and GCash Cash for Dengue Costs

The fear of getting sick, the fear of losing a loved one, and all other fears related to our physical well-being became more REAL during the pandemic. It’s not something that we should panic or worry about. Since these types of fear come from potential future threats, we can fight fear with proper planning. And what I am amazed with is that unique and convenient tools to help us plan for our future suddenly pop out! One that comes to my mind is the Cash for Dengue Costs from Singlife and GCash.

During these months in the Philippines, Dengue is prevalent. For those who don’t know, Dengue is caused by a mosquito bite. When I had dengue before, the symptoms (sintomas ng dengue) started three to fourteen days after you are bitten. It’s so hard to have Dengue nowadays because you’d think it’s COVID-19 especially when you have some dengue hemorrhagic fever symptoms like high fever. So just to share a few of Dengue’s symptoms, aside from high fever, you’ll probably have really bad headaches, vomit at times, have muscle and joint pains, and skin rashes. Recovery is also quite long since it takes two to seven days.

I briefly discussed this partnership between Singlife and GCash in this post: SINGLIFE AND GCASH LAUNCHED NO-FUSS PROTECTION. I was happy to see that a lot of you really wanted to learn more about Cash for Dengue Costs. In this article, I will give you a comprehensive guide on what Cash for Dengue Costs is, how to avail of this product and other details that you may be curious about.

What is Cash for Dengue Costs?

Singlife is a mobile-first digital life insurer that makes savings and protection products accessible to more Filipinos and their families. Since they leverage on technology, they can make plans more affordable and most importantly, hassle-free for each individual. These things are seen and experienced in the first product that they launched with GCash — Cash for Dengue Costs. This product gives Filipinos protection from unforeseen medical costs due to having Dengue and COVID-19.

How much do I need to pay and how much is the coverage?

Let’s go straight to the thing that surprised me the most! When I actually mentioned this to my husband, he thought I made a mistake when I said that these were the costs per year. He said, “You mean Php 700 per month, right?”. I double checked and these amounts are really what you need to pay yearly!

	Bronze	Silver	Gold
30 days old to 16 years old	Php 750 per year	Php 1375 per year	Php 1750 per year
17 years old to 54 years old	Php 300 per year	Php 550 per year	Php 700 per year
Benefit:Test Allowance Confinement Allowance Medical Cost Reimbursement	500 Up to 40,000 Up to 100,00	1000 Up to 80,000 Up to 200,00	1500 Up to 120,000 Up to 300,00

Let’s talk more about the Benefits!

Basically, purchasing any of the plans allows you to reimburse medical costs or expenses related to Dengue (and even COVID-19 for the first 10,000 customers who avail Cash for Dengue Costs on GCash).

The three benefits are:

Test Allowance: You can reimburse the costs for tests taken to determine if you have Dengue or COVID-19. This has a limit and varies depending on the plan that you availed.
Confinement Allowance: If you are confined due to Dengue or COVID-19, you can reimburse the cost of confinement. Again, this is up to a certain limit as indicated on the table above. And take note, this is on top of reimbursements from your HMOs or Philhealth if you are planning to avail those, too.
Medical Cost Reimbursement: You can reimburse the medical costs due to severe Dengue and COVID-19 up to the limit indicated above.

Again, the FREE COVID-19 cover is just an introductory offer for the first 10,000 customers who will avail of Cash for Dengue Costs on GCash from Singlife.

Who can purchase or avail Cash for Dengue Costs?

Only those with a fully verified GCash account and in between the ages 18 to 54 years old can buy Cash for Dengue Costs. You should be in good health and not a confirmed COVID-19 case. You are a Filipino citizen or a foreigner who is a legal resident of the Philippines. If you are qualified, you can receive your policy in less than 5 minutes.

Just follow these steps:

Click on the GInsure Icon.

Go to the Marketplace and click on the plan that you like.

Click on Buy Now at the bottom of the page.

Choose if you’d like to protect yourself or you and your family.

Make sure that you have chosen the plan that you like with the correct coverage level.

Key in the details of your family members. For individual plans, no need to enter anything.

Singlife Cash for Dengue Costs: Enter Details

Review the plan and details. Once you are good, click on “Confirm and Pay”. That’s it!

Singlife Cash for Dengue Costs: confirm page

Note that customers are entitled to only one (1) policy each, either an Individual Plan or a Family Plan which includes qualified dependents.

It’s so easy that you don’t need to talk to anyone or have a face-to-face meeting with anyone just to avail of this product. As you can see, the process is purely digital from signing up and availing the plan to filing claims and securing payouts.

To renew your plan, the amount will automatically be deducted from your GCash wallet on the day of its expiration.

How to File Claims and Secure Payout?

Just in case (and we wish that you and your family won’t have to go through this) you need to file a claim, filing claims and receiving payouts all happen within the GCash app as well. This makes things all the more convenient, especially now that outdoor movement is still limited because of the pandemic.

You can submit the details of your claim and upload supporting documents through the Manage Insurance page on GCash. Just scan and upload these references.

The benefit for Dengue and COVID-19 positive test allowance claims will be paid out within 24 hours. Other benefits will require thorough review but once approved, payment will be issued within 3 banking days.

If Singlife needs more documents or needs to clarify something, they will contact you.

All payments will be credited directly to your GCash wallet or to your nominated bank account.

Aside from answering the questions above, here are some of the frequently asked questions of Cash for Dengue Costs:

Singlife x GCASH Cash for Dengue Costs FAQs from Ginger Arboleda

For answers to more questions, please visit: https://www.gcash.com/singlife-cash-for-dengue-cost/

So did I purchase the Singlife and GCash Cash for Dengue Costs? Of course, I did!

I got the Gold Plan (Family plan). One of the features that I like is that it’s convenient to purchase a plan. I can just read about it and I don’t need to talk to anyone. The entire process is online. The product is simple enough to understand.

What made me decide to get Cash for Dengue Costs for my family is that I’ve realized many times that good health for family is what I value most. When Zeeka was 6 months old, I got Dengue. I had to pay Php 60,000 in hospital fees and medication, because I didn’t have insurance. The question for me is simple: Am I sure that I won’t get Dengue and possibly pay Php 60,000 again or should I just pay Php 700 now?

For me, good health, safety and security of my family comes first. I would put that as my top most priority, and the last thing that I want to scrimp on is healthcare. With this, I’m assured that I get quality healthcare in the hospital of my choice.

If you have any questions about the product, feel free to contact Singlife: Email them at help@singlife.com.ph, or call them at +632-9299-3737. Their customer service representatives are also available from Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.