Interested in what it’s like to be a freelancer? We talked to four freelancers from the Philippines to share their story.

Meet Ron, a freelancer for over 8 years. He’s a dad who wanted greater control over his time so he can prioritize his kids. He took the leap and tried freelancing. Hear Ron’s story below:

Q: As a freelancer now, tell us about your passion. What does a typical day look like for you?

Q: What’s the best part about being a freelancer?

There’s basically two things. First, freedom sa time, I’m not tied down to an eight-to-five job, [and] I don’t have to commute to the office. I work at home or in a coffee shop, a restaurant with Internet or I bring my own mobile data so you have flexibility of time. Pangalawa, unlimited up to a certain extent ‘yung earning potential, kasi I’m not tied to a fixed salary on a monthly basis. I know a designer who earns $75 per hour, sa bahay lang siya nagtatrabaho. So those two things are very important for me especially because I have kids.

Q:What was the turning point that made you decide to be a freelancer?

When I was working, I remember nasa KFC kami ng officemate ko, tapos I saw this dad come in at 12 lunch time. He had his child with him, and sabi ko I want to be like that, ‘yung tanghali pwede ko kasama yung kids ko, so after I left my job at Clinical Trials, nakahanap na ako ng freelance gig, sabi ko, ang sarap ‘yung I can spend time in the house, I can be the one to actually rear up the kids, palakihin yung mga bata. Then if you have enough skills to do what you want to do, keep getting projects, and you have the drive, freelancing actually works.

Q: What advice would you give to those who are considering freelance?

Don’t do freelancing if you can’t discipline yourself. Kasi nasa bahay ka or nasa labas ka, so if tinamad ka,nothing’s going to happen. I also don’t recommend newly grads to go into freelancing right away, especially if they’re not mature enough. You need to experience corporate life, ‘yung masigawan ng boss mo, ma-stress sa boss mo, kasi marami akong natutunan sa corporate life ko na I’m using now sa pagiging freelancer. So andun ‘yung disiplina, kahit wala kang tulog, tatapusin mo yung job mo, ‘pag wala kang kliyente, maghanap ka ng kliyente. One of the questions freelancers ask me, in seminars is, “How do I get started?”, “Where do I find clients?”, “How do you keep your clients?”. If you’ve never had corporate work, ‘di mo alam gagawin mo eh. I’m lucky I came from sales and marketing so I was mentored by very good people. Of course you need your own set up, your own work at home spot, kailangan meron ka.

Q: What do you look for in a payments partner?

First, ‘yung ease of use for me and my clients, especially ako may clients ako na matanda so ayaw nila yung matrabahong sistema kung pano ka padalhan ng pera. Second, kung gaano kabilis mapunta sa’kin ‘yung cash. As a freelancer, given micro small businesses, the key factor for you to survive in the market is liquidity, so cash flow. Hindi pwede ‘yung 30 days bago mo makuha yung pera or five days to 10 days, tapos nakuha mo yung pera, ang laki naman ng kaltas. It’s the speed and efficacy and of course access, dapat madali.

Q: How has Maya made your life easier as a freelancer?

Well , when Maya first came out and I saw it was Visa, nag-email agad ako sa customer service. I asked, “Can I withdraw my PayPal funds to Maya?”, and they said yes. Triny ko, and ‘yun mabilis. If you withdraw from PayPal to bank, that’s three to fiveworking days, kapag minalas ka pang mag-withdraw ng Thursday, Monday or Tuesday pa ‘yun papasok sayo. Nag-withdraw ako ng $100, ‘pag refresh ko ng Maya app nand’un na kaagad eh, so malaking tulong na you don’t need to wait na matagal pumasok ‘yung pera sayo.

Get 80% off PayPal withdrawal fees

Good news! Transfer your PayPal balance to your Maya account and save PHP200 on withdrawal fees*. You can then use your Maya app to shop online at any Visa-accepting merchant or withdraw your cash with a Maya card at any Bancnet ATM. Promo period is from September 22, 2016-March 21, 2017.

*Maya will credit PHP 200 to your Maya account within three (3) business days
of PayPal fulfilling an eligible withdrawal. Terms & conditions apply. Read more about the promo here.