Mommy Ginger
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The Freelancer Fair 2018 — My Welcome Remarks

It’s been a few days since The Freelancer Fair 2018. I wanted to share my welcome remarks, since there are three things that I want to impart to this community. I love that I am part of this industry and I will do whatever it takes to keep us united and bonded.

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the 3rd year of The Freelancer Fair! Wow! I can’t believe how amazing our turnout for this year is. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! Manila Workshops thanks you!

Before anything else, I’d like to thank the Department of Trade and Industry (DICT) for consistently supporting us. USEC Mon Ibrahim, Miss Emmy and the rest of the DICT team, thank you very much for supporting us for the three consecutive years that we have been running this. Also, I would like to thank the Digital Career Advocates of the Philippines (DCAP), especially to my dear friend and the president of DCAP, Genesis Reonico. I’d like to thank all of our speakers who took time out to share their knowledge with you all here today.

I’d like to thank all of the freelancing communities who are here today. I would have liked to mention you all, but you’re already too many to mention! I’d like to thank all our brand sponsors who have stuck it out with us for three years and to those who have supported us this year. Thank you, too, to my team, team Manila Workshops who tirelessly put up this event for all of us and to the attendees of this year’s The Freelancer Fair. May you pick up new ideas, learnings, gain new friends, and even new love today! Haha!

Kidding aside, I really wanted to start this welcome speech with a lot of thank you’s because my heart is truly filled with gratitude. I am so blessed to be part of this community.

Last year’s theme was Rise of the Free. And yes, we have truly risen and have made our voices heard. We made everyone know that the freelancing industry exists. And this year’s theme is Up Your Game. The reason why we thought of this theme is because we see what is to come, we see so much talent and we see the unlimited opportunities that await the Filipino Freelancer. We all need to be ready and pumped up to take on the world, Filipinos.

Today’s program is filled with a lot of amazing speakers who will give you the practical things that you need to be ready, and you will also be inspired by stories from freelancers who have succeeded during the past years.

So the things that I want to impart to you today are just three simple things that may be beneficial for you to take your freelancing profession to the next level.

Competency is useless without human decency.

Always treat others with respect and consideration. In the years that we have worked hard, we have all undergone hardships and challenges. Look at the person beside you. Nothing makes you superior enough to be granted a pass to disrespect your neighbour. We should all keep in mind that

Don’t mistake complacency for contentment.

This was actually mentioned to me by EJ, my better half and the CEO of Taxumo, while having a conversation on what would make this nation great again. We should constantly strive to be the very best we could be. We should seek for knowledge, know not only things that we are capable of doing, but get out, see the world. Learn about different things, and explore. Learn about other nations, but learn more about your nation. Strive to be a better version of yourself everyday.

No one rises without failing and falling.

When you stumble and fall, pick yourself up. When you see others fail and falter, help them pick up the pieces. When players quit, there’s no game to speak of. And this freelancing game doesn’t have to be one where there are losers. In this game, everyone CAN win. Everyone can win, because we make the rules.

I hope that today will be truly memorable for all of you. On behalf of the Manila Workshops team, welcome to The Freelancer Fair 2018 – Up your Game!

Joining The Freelancer Fair 2018? Here’s What To Expect!

Sitting here at CBTL on a holiday, working. But hey, I’m happily working! This week, my focus is on The Freelancer Fair 2018! First of all, I thought we could never ever top the number of attendees that we had last year. But we did!!! So my heart is filled with gratitude. Last year, we had 450+ paid sign ups, and reached around a little over 500 attendees. But this year… WOW! We already have around 617 attendees who have signed up online! I’m super excited to meet everyone! We still have slots available so you can register online until 11:59 PM, August 23, Thursday. For those who do not make the cut-off, walk-ins are welcome, but only regular rate tickets (Php 1000 each) will be available. We won’t have group rates anymore and promo codes will not be applicable.

I took time out to write this post so that we will all be guided on what will happen during  The Freelancer Fair 2018. We all know that The Freelancer Fair 2018 will be on August 25 at Metrotent in Metrowalk, Pasig City. Here is the map to the event: https://goo.gl/maps/TBG3f8ngnsx Registration will open at 8 am and the program will start at 9 am and end at 5pm. We highly encourage you to come early so that you will have ample time to network and meet new people! That’s definitely one of the benefits of the fair. We also highly encourage the community heads and the sponsors to be done setting up by 8 am so that you’ll all be able to entertain guests and talk to our attendees. I’m super excited because we have so many partners and community involvement this year! There will be a lot of promos and surprises from our sponsors, so please check your email! Please also save these email addresses in your contact list so that emails from us don’t go to your spam folder (these are the email addresses to save: contact@manilaworkshops.com, manilaworkshops@gmail.com and ginger@manilaworkshops.com).

What is The Freelancer Fair 2018?

For three years now, we at Manila Workshops have ran The Freelancer Fair to gather, support and promote the freelancing industry. We gathered and gather not only online freelancers (virtual assistants, social media managers, content writers, etc.), but we have opened the event to offline freelancers like photographers, fitness professionals, videographers, event coordinator, etc.

Since we have started, we have seen this industry grow and prosper. We, at Manila Workshops, specifically chose the theme UP YOUR GAME, because we feel that the Filipino freelancers need to get ready to compete globally! We have talented freelancers here, and we need to help encourage and inspire one another to continue to learn and to be the best that we all can be.

What are the Official Hashtags?

The official hashtags are #UpYourGame, #TheFreelancerFair and #FreelancerPH. Kindly use these hashtags when posting. Also, please follow and like the new page that we have created on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefreelancerfair/

Do I need to bring anything to The Freelancer Fair 2018?

Aside from the details mentioned above, there is paid parking in Metrowalk and it can accommodate a lot of cars 🙂 The venue is walking distance from Robinsons Galleria. The event will start at 9:00 am, but registration will open at 8:00 am. We highly encourage you to purchase food from our food concessionaires! Let’s help our fellow entrepreneurs and freelancers!

Registration and Entering the Venue Proper

Please wear comfortable clothing, but please no shorts and slippers please. There will be different lines at the registration area. We will have the following lines:

a. Paid online – Surname or Last Name starts with A to L
b. Paid online – Surname or Last Name starts with M to Z
c. Walk-ins / Pre-registered
d. VIPS/Bloggers/Sponsors/Communities/Media

Children 15 years old and younger can enter the venue for FREE. Kindly present a proof of their age/birthday at the registration area.We have a play area for kids! Please do not leave your kids unattended. Also, let’s be respectful of other people’s intent to listen and learn. Any behaviour that is not conducive to learning is highly discouraged. 🙂 Hope you understand!

Upon signing up, you will be given an ID, which you need to wear at all times. We will be strict in implementing this as your security is our utmost concern. At the back of your ID will be a copy of the program. You will also be given a loot bag, which you will use to keep all of your belongings and all the freebies that you will get from our partner brands and sponsors. We highly encourage you to go and learn more about each sponsor and community. There are fun games and surprises in each booth! Go and make friends!

For those who asked, yes, it is advisable that you bring water tumblers/jugs, too.

For those who are breastfeeding, please do let anyone from Manila Workshops know. They will direct you to the room where you can breastfeed if you need privacy.

SOME SURPRISES FROM BOOTH SPONSORS!

Here are the list of the promos and surprises from our partner brands and communities! 🙂

LAZADA – Get a FREE Voucher when you sign up as a Lazada Seller!

ALFOX PRINTING SERVICES – Attendees get 30% OFF when you order your business cards from us. Use the promo code TFF2018 on our website www.alfoxprinting.com. For exhibitors, we are offering a special price for pull-up banners, flyers, stickers and business cards.

INVITATIONS BY TEN – Special prizes at Invitations by Ten booth when you like the facebook pages: Be Bizy Business Workbook and Invitations by Ten. Pick a prize when you buy the Be Bizy Business Workbook (limited prizes). Buddy Bundle Discount: 2 workbooks for 1,000. First 10 buyers of the Be Bizy Business Workbook will be receiving a special lootbag! 🙂

FHMOMS – Free Social Media Marketing Online Course when you visit Fhmoms booth.

O2SPACE – Get a chance to win free day pass when you visit their booth.

THE FULFILLED WOMEN – Get P400 off when they sign up and enter the coupon code: TFW400 (https://www.facebook.com/events/262792224452991/ and https://goo.gl/forms/S3SNq3VGLvBNOfuT2)

TAXUMO – Drop by our booth and let us introduce you to our new tax concierge service TAXUMO Premium! We will also be offering a special discounted rate for our TAXUMO Business Starter Package (almost 40% off). Sit down with us for a FREE consultation on how to go about registering your business with the BIR. You can submit your requirements for business registration at our booth. Check out the requirements by visiting: https://www.taxumo.com/business-registration

CODESKITCH –

1. Exclusive discounted price for ALL our digital services for attendees – Web Development Package – Social Media Marketing – Graphic Design / Multi-media – Audio-Visual / Photography Services

2. Drop Your Business Card and Win Selfie Ring Light – one winner every hour from 11AM-5PM – Participants to drop their business card on our fish bowl – Winner will be contacted and should claim the prize on our booth during the event personally and present ID – Winner must follow our Facebook & Instagram account

URBANESSENCE – They are now open for franchise!

SUNLIFE – Those who will visit our booth and register with us will receive a token!

REGIE.PH – From Pen to Pixels: Brush Lettering and Digitizing Workshop on Sept. 29, 2018 Regular Price: Php2000 inclusive of workshop materials Special Rate for TFF Attendees: Php1750 Bring-a-buddy Rate: Php1500 for each attendee Only 10 slots available. We’ll accept a downpayment of 500 pesos today to secure a slot. Visit us at the REGIE.PH booth to learn more. Freelance Life Doodle Shirt, yung prices are 400 for the White and 450 for the Black

ALLCARE – ALLCARE will be giving out raffle prizes such as Php 200 Grab coupons, Php 500 Honestbee delivery vouchers and some free co-working space passes from our partners. All they have to do is come by our booth and sign up for our platform for free. Our platform offers discounted benefits like healthcare, insurance and other items. Each sign-up is one raffle entry.

ANN/NINA – Freelancer Fair weekend promo They will be selling their e-book bundle for P997. Nina’s Basics ng FB Masters – 5995 yung price, 40% off Promo will be from Friday to Sunday

JASS ONLINE SOLUTIONS – Build Your Freelance Website in 5 days for Php2,000.00 only! Avail Domain + Hosting Package and Get A Free Tutorial on How To Build Your Own Website For more information, please visit this page: http://www.jassonlinesolutions.com/why-you-need-a-website-for-your-freelancing-career/

SOCIAL MEDIA ACADEMY – Games and Activities:

– Spin the Wheel of Social: Get a chance to win amazing prizes (books, gadgets, courses) by trying your luck and spinning for your favorite social media platform

– #SMAisLyf Photo Contest Take a photo with the official Freelancer Fair Hashtag of Social Media Academy to win surprise goodies!

– Special Social Media Academy Batch 4 Launch SMA will be launching Batch 4 at the Freelancer Fair and we are offering a special, on-the-day only discount and payment plan to enrol in the leading social media marketing school in the Philippines And more! Simply hang out in the Social Media Academy booth to chat with mentors and other SMA alumni. You can try to hustle for some stickers and exclusive shirts that will be available ONLY in their booth.

Healthy Baby Food Ideas PH – We would like to promote an online webinar called “FAQs to FACTS” where we will talk about the most asked questions by working moms about Complementary Feeding, Healthy Baby Food Ideas and Baon Ideas. There’s no time and date yet but it will be exclusive to members only so they need to join the group Healthy Baby Food Ideas Philippines

LaVie Essentials – For the first 20 customers they get 5% discount in leather goods and 20% on beauty products plus free cable snaps!

UNIONBANK EON – UnionBank EON will be giving away an EON card to 5 lucky winners! Giveaway: Post in your Facebook or Instagram “Let’s talk a selfie at The Freelancer Fair” and use #SelfieBanking #TheFreelancerFair. Winners can pick up the prize at the EON Booth at the Freelancer Fair.

BRING CALLING CARDS OR COPIES OF YOUR WORK (JUST IN CASE)

Network, network, network! It’s good to be prepared with calling cards. Alfox Printing Services will have a special discount for those who order during The Freelancer Fair. Also, be sure to use the hashtags when posting, since a lot of the attendees will follow the event by searching for the hashtags. They might find you and your services by going through the hashtags. Also, update your Facebook, Linked-In, and other profiles prior to The Freelancer Fair 2018.

BE SURE TO INTERACT WITH THE SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS!

We have an interesting line-up of speakers, and these people are very open and willing to help you jumpstart your freelancing career. Don’t be shy to approach them!

The list of speakers and their pictures are on this page: http://thefreelancerfair.com. Some of the speakers will offer great deals for attendees of the Freelancer Fair. I will also drop my consultation rate from $100 dollars per hour t $50 per hour. You can book a consultation here: https://www.gingerarboleda.com/consult  This will be available only until the end of September.

This event is about building relationships and focusing on personal development.  I’m excited to meet you all. I’m also excited to see friends and reconnect with past attendees. We really hope that you enjoy your time at the fair.

Let’s start living the life we want to live!

Love,

Mommy Ginger

 

 

 

 

P.S. For those who haven’t bought a ticket yet, you still have time! Please visit this link: http://thefreelancerfair.com ONLY PREPAID ATTENDEES THOUGH WILL GET LOOTBAGS 🙂 🙂 See you!

P.P.S. Please join our newly created The Freelancer Fair Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thefreelancerfair/

 

How to Maximize your Time at The Freelancer Fair 2017

Thank you for your overwhelming response for this year’s The Freelancer Fair that will be held on September 2 at the Bayanihan Center, Pioneer, from 8 am to 5pm. I hope that you are as excited as I am! I hope that you learn a lot, meet more co-freelancers and aspiring freelancers, meet new clients and people you can collaborate with, be inspired to be one (if you aren’t already) and get to see if the freelancing life is for you! For my readers who have just heard about this event, it’s not too late. This long post will tell you what it is about and at the same time, give advice to those who have already purchased a ticket on how to maximize your time at the The Freelancer Fair.

What is the Freelancer Fair?

In the Philippines, we have around 1.5M freelancers who are working online. Most of these freelancers are virtual assistants, graphic artists, programmers, marketers, animators, etc. This number does not include the freelancers who are working “offline”, such as photographers, videographers, make-up artists, fitness coaches, consultants, etc.

Both of these numbers are growing, as the “gig economy” is now being widely accepted as a viable option for a career or a profession. Manila Workshops has always believed that we have talented people in the Philippines and we want to make it widely known that being a freelancer is a legit profession. The successful people who have made it in this industry took it to heart to always be ahead of the curve by learning new skills and by adapting to the changes happening.

But more than a profession, we also want to educate people on how Freelancing is the door to many more possibilities you can do with your life whether it’s simply having more time with your family, or finally getting started with that business or passion you’ve always dreamed of.

With this year’s theme Cultivating Relationships, the event promises to give you a full day of learning through a series of talks, panel discussions and networking with freelancers, industry experts and businesses.

What are the Official Hashtags?

The official hashtags are #RiseOfTheFree and #TheFreelancerFair. Kindly use these hashtags when posting. Also, please follow and like the new page that we have created on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefreelancerfair/

Where and what time is The Freelancer Fair?

The Freelancer Fair will be held at the Bayanihan Center. It’s along Pioneer. Please CLICK HERE for the map details. There is FREE parking beside the venue that can accommodate a lot of cars! 🙂 The event will start at 9:00 am, but registration will open at 8:00 am. Please come during this period (from 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning). This is to avoid long lines in the registration area.

Registration and Entering the Venue Proper

Please wear comfortable clothing, but please no shorts and slippers please. There will be different lines at the registration area. We will have the following lines:

a. Paid online – Surname or Last Name starts with A to L
b. Paid online – Surname or Last Name starts with M to Z
c. Walk-ins – Surname or Last Name starts with A to L
d. Walk-ins – Surname or Last Name starts with M to Z
e. VIPS / Sponsors (including Booth Sponsors) / Media

Children 17 years old and younger can enter the venue for free. Kindly present a proof of their age/birthday at the registration area. Please attend though to your children at all times. Also, let’s be respectful of other people’s intent to listen and learn. Any behaviour that is not conducive to learning is highly discouraged. 🙂 Hope you understand!

Upon signing up, you will be given an ID, which you need to wear at all times (since Bayanihan security is strict). At the back of your ID will be a copy of the program. You will also be given a loot bag, which you will use to keep all of your belongings and all the freebies that you will get from our partner brands and sponsors. It will also contain the Booth Stamping Game Sheet / Feedback Form. IF YOU PRE-ORDERED FOOD AND DRINKS, be sure also that you get the food stubs from the registration area.

PRE-ORDER FOOD AND DRINKS

The venue does not allow cash transactions for food and drinks inside the venue. If you want to order food and drinks, please PRE-ORDER from our partner merchants. This is highly recommended as restaurants, cafes, etc. are across the street. The time spent to buy and line up may have been time spent networking! 🙂

Here is the list of the partner food and beverage merchants:

BEVERAGE PARTNERS

ORDER COFFEE FROM BLACK BRIDGE: http://bit.ly/BlackBridgeTFF2017

ORDER MILK TEA FROM NITRO 7: http://bit.ly/Nitro7TFF2017

FOOD ORDERS

For those who asked, yes, you can bring water jugs, too, and it is advisable to bring water.

For those who are breastfeeding, please do let anyone from Manila Workshops know. They will direct you to the room where you can breastfeed if you need privacy.

BRING CALLING CARDS OR COPIES OF YOUR WORK (JUST IN CASE)

You’ll never know if a someone in the fair would be interested to avail of your service. It’s good to be prepared and ready to network. Be sure to use the hashtags when posting, since a lot of the attendees will follow the event by searching for the hashtags. Also, update your Facebook, Linked-In, and other profiles prior to The Freelancer Fair.

There will be different communities that will be present. They will have booths during the event. Be sure to network and get to know people in these booths! The community leaders and members will be there to help answer any questions that you may have and will be open to welcome you with open arms into this industry! 🙂

BE SURE TO INTERACT WITH THE SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS!

We have an interesting line-up of speakers, and these people are very open and willing to help you jumpstart your freelancing career. Don’t be shy to approach them!

Here is the list of speakers:

PROGRAM & SPEAKER SCHEDULE: 

Hosts: Marv de Leon and Jieneb Kho

◊ Part 1: FREELANCING: AN OVERVIEW
9:00 am to 9:15 am: Opening Remarks: Cultivating Relationships w/ Ginger Arboleda, CEO of Manila Workshops
9:15 am to 9:35 am: The Freelancing Industry in the Philippines w/  Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim, Director of Department of Information Communications & Technology (DICT)
9:40 am to 10:00 am: Freelancing Association: Introduction of DCAP w/ Genesis Reonico, Founder of OnlineJobsUniversity.com and President of the Digital Career Advocates of the Philippines

◊ Part 2: FREELANCING AS A PROFESSION: SUPPORT & SERVICES 
10:00 am to 10:20 am: Business Registration and Taxation w/ Dandy Victa, President of Manila Civil Service Review & Mark Ong, CFO of Taxumo
10:20 am to 11:00 am: Freelancers’ Funds Flow w/ Paolo Baltao, EON & Miguel Warren, PAYONEER
11:00 am to 11:20 am: Freelancers: Finding Your Purpose w/ Jackie Cañiza, Founder of Haraya Coaching
11:00 am to 11:40 am: Talk from Facebook with Paolo Lacuna, SMB Business Development Lead, PH at Facebook
11:40 am to 12:15 pm: Freelancing Opportunities and Tools w/ Lory Desuasido (Bizmates.ph), Fitz Villafuerte, Founder of 199jobs.com and Julia Jamie Madrazo, OnlineJobs.ph
12:15 pm to 1:00 pm: Lunch Break

◊ Part 3: ONLINE FREELANCING
1:00 pm to 1:20 pm: Building Relationship Through Email w/ Allan Ngo, Founder of Digital Solopreneur
1:20 pm to 2:00 pm: Building a Brand and Relationships as Freelancers (Panel) w/ Nix Eniego, Marketing Head of Sprout Solutions & CJ Maturino, Founder of Online Freelance Community, together with successful & seasoned freelancers – Allie Pasag, John Pagulayan, Nina Mendoza & Liberty Baldovino
2:20 pm to 2:40pm: Fitness Freelancing Opportunities and Tips (Panel) with Rach Bonifacio of Treehouse Yoga, Toni Nicolas (Yoga / Zumba Instructor) & Allan Enriquez, Fitness Blogger

◊ Part 4: SOFTWARE & SERVICE FREELANCING
3:00 pm to 3:15 pm: Financial Freelancing w/ Bong Fajardo, Jr., Regional Sales Manager of SunLife Financial Philippines
3:15 pm to 3:30 pm: Real Estate Freelancing w/ Icel Dy of Spectrum Investments

◊ Part 5: CREATIVE DESIGN & FREELANCING
4:00 pm to 4:20 pm: Creative and Design Freelancing w/ Francis Miranda, CEO of Tagline Communications Inc.
4:20 pm to 4:45 pm: Creative Freelancing: Opportunities and Tips (Panel) w/ Ria Lu, CEO of Komikasi Games Charlie Aquino, Managing Director of SophieCreatives; Dennis Abad, Co-founder of SHOOT! Practical Videography School
5:00 pm: Closing Remarks

JOIN THE BOOTH STAMPING GAME (RAFFLE)!

There will be some raffle prizes from some of our sponsors. To join the raffle, you will need to join the booth stamping game (BSG). The BSG sheet will be your raffle entry. All you need to do is to interact with 20 other people (ideally, people whom you have just met at this event!). 🙂 Come on people… no cheating! This will be to your advantage! Once completed, fill out the feedback form at the back of the sheet and write your name. Submit your sheet to any of the Manila Workshops event directors at the reception area.

Please visit the booths of our sponsors, too! They have mini surprises at their booths, so go and visit them, too!

KEEP A SOUVENIR! ORDER OUR LIMITED EDITION RISE OF THE FREE SHIRTS!

 

To order these nice shirts, please fill out this form: http://bit.ly/2wMcYtl

This day is about learning a few things about being a freelancer in today’s times. It’s also a day of cultivating relationships. Won’t it be more fun and exciting if you go on this journey with other people? I’ve been a freelancer since 2008 and let me tell you that I have made friends and these friends have been with me, supporting me through the “thick and thins” of my freelancing and entrepreneurship career!

Let’s show the world the power of the Filipino Freelancer. Get ready for the Rise of the Free!

Love,

Mommy Ginger

 

 

 

 

P.S. For those who haven’t bought a ticket yet, you still have time! Please visit this link: http://manilaworkshops.com/events/thefreelancerfair2017 Online registrations will close on August 30, but we will accept walk-ins. ONLY PREPAID ATTENDEES THOUGH WILL GET LOOTBAGS 🙂 🙂 See you!

P.P.S. Please join our newly created The Freelancer Fair Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thefreelancerfair/

 

Do you want to be a Freelancer?

If you are scared to take the leap into entrepreneurship, I suggest that you try out FREELANCING first. To those who don’t know, I was a content writer in ODESK (now Upwork) way back in 2010. I got a lot of foreign clients, and actually learned from my experience as a content writer. Starting this Friday, before The Freelancer Fair 2017, which will be held on Sept. 2, 2017, I will be writing a lot about freelancing, how to start freelancing, what you need to do to sustain a freelancing career, etc.

The ultimate benefit for me when I went into freelancing was really to learn more about the industry and to see if it was actually for me. I love writing, so the immediate thought for me was, why not earn from my passion? But honestly, the ultimate benefit of having a freelancing career is to be flexible enough to manage your time and to have no cap in terms of the pay that you get. If you want to earn more, you can manage yourself (your time, your resources, your rates) effectively so that you can achieve the dreams that you have.

Freelancing offers flexibility in all aspects. If you are a mom like me and you want to be there for your children, you can fix your freelancing schedule to allow that. You can earn for your family, while being able to be present during your child’s milestones. Also, freelancing can allow you to pursue your passion and to earn from them. You will be able to work whenever, wherever and even choose tasks where you can apply your skills and take on roles that interest you.

So what jobs or tasks can you actually take on? You can choose from countless jobs available online today such as teaching English to foreign students, clerical work, social media management, writing, customer service responders and more! If you want to explore the world of freelancing and the opportunities you can get to earn while staying at home with your family, here are a few jobs you may want to try out.

Virtual Assistant
If you enjoy organizing schedules, emails and taking care of your client’s day-to-day tasks then this job may be the best fit for you! Virtual assistants have a fixed schedule or work at the time given by their client. You can work at the comforts of your home while having a client/boss via Skype or other messaging platform giving you instructions on what they need to be done.

Teaching English or other subjects
There are students from around the world who are looking for English tutors from different websites. There are numerous sites here in the Philippines such as RareJob or 51talk.

Transcriptionist
If you enjoy typing and are actually great at it, then you can earn from using that skill! There are clients who need transcribing in different kinds of fields such as medical or legal fields. As a transcriptionist, you can get paid per word, per line or each audio minute you transcribe. This job doesn’t require a fixed time schedule so you can choose to work anytime you want.

Writing
If you’re more on the creative side and enjoy writing then you will also be able to find different kinds of tasks from blog writing, copywriting, business writing. There will always be a need for this skill. You’ll just have to find clients at the right websites or get referrals from your own connections. You can be paid per word or per article, and usually this does not require a fixed schedule from you but would have deadlines instead.

There are a lot of other things that you can do, and a lot of tasks that people outsource. Think of any process or any tasks in a business, and i’m sure it can be something that a freelancer can do.

If you want to learn more about FREELANCING, you can attend the annual event called The Freelancer Fair (http://manilaworkshops.com/events/thefreelancerfair2017).

What are you passionate about? What are your skills, your strengths? After identifying these, which job do you think is the best fit for you? Share your thoughts with us and let us know which you think are the best freelancing jobs out there for Moms like me!

The Freelancer Fair BTS: A Post of Gratitude, Learnings and Why’s

First of all, I want to thank all of those who made it to The Freelancer Fair 2016. Thank you so much to all those who signed up (all 350) people and to the 280 plus who made it a point to show up on that day. Thank you to our Major Sponsors: Payoneer, Paymaya, Taxumo and Uber. Thank you also to our Minor Sponsors: Alfox Printing, Ideaspace, A Space, Evolve Yoga, Bean & Barley and Pioneer Mighty Bond. Thank you also to all the booth sponsors that we had. Most of all, thank you to the Department of Information, Communications and Technology team (Sir Mon, Miss Emmy, Merlin and Joy) for supporting us, and to all our speakers, our two lovely hosts (Marv and Jieneb), to our media partners and community partners who were present. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! This will be the first of series of posts that will highlight or feature the people and brands who have joined us!

*photo by George Buid

*photos by George Buid

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Some of the photos of the event are here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1270331956342924.1073741938.392499244126204&type=1&l=c7c995a670

*Thank you George Buid for the pictures!

The Truth about The Freelancer Fair and our Why

We started conceptualizing and implementing The Freelancer Fair early this year. The Freelancer Fair was supposed to be a project of a big brand and Manila Workshops, but after a few months, we faced our first challenge. Manila Workshops had to shoulder all or the expenses and efforts to build the fair by ourselves. I had the option to drop and just let go of the project, but I decided to push through with it, because I knew that this will really help the freelance industry a lot.

To tell you honestly, I did not earn from this event and lost a pretty big deal of money implementing this event. Obviously, I knew about this a few months back during planning, and yet the team decided to still pursue the project. Why am I telling you this? I want you to know that this is how much we believe in this community. We know that this community will grow and in the future, a lot of individuals will opt to work from home and will start a freelance career. This is how much I want all of those freelancers, solopreneurs and small business owners to have the opportunity to learn more about different things so that they can grow their businesses and freelance careers. This is the reason why I am so proud of my team — Team Manila Workshops.

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People are quick to judge about the little things, but what they don’t see is the time and effort that these individuals in the team give in order to make your dreams come true and in order to give you the opportunities that we know you deserve. I hardly mention my team in any posts, but for just this once, I want to share how amazing they are. All of them know that their goal is to make your entrepreneurial and business dreams come true. We know that we need to provide an avenue and create opportunities for you to pursue your passion. We all want to help you achieve that, through the little things that we do.

To my little team, thank you. Always remember that humility, honesty, and that drive is what will make the difference.  Always be willing to serve and learn from the things that you do. Strive to be better by learning from mistakes. Pursue your dreams and make a mark!

We got a lot of feedback from participants that going to the Freelancer Fair was worth it. Some of you even approached me, and thinking of those people make me tear up (haha! yes, I am a cry baby!). I was deeply touched and moved  by your words. These moments make all of these things worth it!

We also know that we have lot to improve on. First of all, we will find a more accessible venue. Yes, the venue was too big. A really intimate venue would have made it more conducive for interaction.  If you have other comments and suggestions, please do email me directly at ginger@manilaworkshops.com.

For the brands and people that truly supported us and genuinely helped us build this event, thank you! I will mention a few of them here, because I really saw something that needs to be highlighted. We can all learn from how they did it!

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First of all, Miguel from Payoneer, thank you very much! You truly are the embodiment of what a brand partner should be. I saw Miguel going around and genuinely talking to people and learning more about their business. This is what I love about the people behind Payoneer. They don’t think about metrics alone, but they really find ways to help build the industry and use these events to learn more about us — the people. Thank you also for that well crafted presentation. I learned so much about transferring payments. So on the 29th, for the Payoneer Forum, we will definitely be there. Everyone, please sign up here: http://register.payoneer.com/register-payoneer-forum-manila-29nov-kat/

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Next shoutout is for JP or Orbitrr! I really love your booth and the activities in the booth were really engaging. I love how the team took time to talk and engage everyone in a conversation! Plus, I really love your stickers. Please share your supplier with me. haha!

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For Marv, thank you so much for all the help! Thank you for even offering to lend your clicker. These small things matter!

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To the communities, especially the Online Filipino Freelancers or OFF, thank you for the unwavering support! Thank you for always being there to support events for the community. Thank you to CJ, Althea, Liberty, etc. I love you all!

Thank you to DM, Sherry and the Yuneoh team! Thanks for all of the tips and the pro-activeness. You also embody what a media partner should be!

But still, to all of our partners that made this event happen, thank you so much! Again, thank you to our Major Sponsors – Payoneer; the easiest way to receive Cross-Border Payment at the Lowest cost, Paymaya – PayMaya is your app to pay online so you can buy the things you’d love to have, without a credit card; Taxumo – making it easy for every Filipino small business owner and professional to prepare and pay for their taxes! and Uber – the safest way to get around the metro!

Thank you also to our minor sponsors, Alfox Printing (Thank you so much, Abby!), Mighty Bond, Ideaspace, A Space, Evolve Yoga, and Bean and Barley. This event also wouldn’t be possible without our our media partners: WheninManila.com, POP Inquirer, Yuneoh, Manila Bulletin, Voice of the Youth Radio, Creativoices, and MommyGinger.com.

Thank you also to our community partners: OnlineJobsUniversity.com, Freelancing.ph, Freelance Blend, Tycoon.ph, Zarangola Media, Online Filipino Freelancers, The Virtual Nomad Podcast, Bloggers ng Pinas, Raket.ph, Work in Freedom, and Graphic Artists Philippines!

This is our first big event for the Freelancing community and I promise you that this will not be the last. We will continue to help this industry grow. We will continue to support and connect freelancers and clients. Manila Workshops will continue to create learning events and networking events for you!

Again, thank you everyone! I’ll be sharing the lessons that I have learned this week on Freelancing and starting a business. Watch out for it!