My Journey From VA to Co-Founder
I've always wanted to start a business.
Ever since my mom and I got kicked out of our apartment for failing to pay our rent, I’ve tried to find ways to turn this dream into a reality. If I started a business, I thought, we’d be financially stable, and then we’d never have to worry about living in the streets ever again.
It took a while for this dream to come true. In fact, it took about 10 years of hard work, grace, and lots of help from the people around me.
Here’s the humble story of how I went from college dropout to VA to startup co-founder:
BPO Years
Like millions of Filipinos, I got my start in the BPO industry. At that time, working in a call center looked like a good opportunity for college undergrads like me — and in some ways, it truly was.
I’ve learned many things and gained life-long friends from my BPO experience. But I knew that there was more to life than commuting long hours to the office and working the night shift for 6 years straight.
So, I began to look into other options…
Taking the leap
That search for options eventually led me to remote work. Sometime around 2014, the concept of being a digital nomad blew up. I remember watching Youtube videos of digital nomads like Nomadic Matt and thinking to myself:
“Wow, this is what I want to do!”
Driven by curiosity, I researched a lot about remote work. I dug deep and asked:
What types of jobs can be done remotely?
What skills do I have to learn?
What businesses needed remote talent?
By that time, I already gained some video editing skills from volunteering in our local ministry. Using those skills, I took a chance and started applying for part-time or project-based work. It was a small step, but it would be the beginning of a life-changing journey.
From editing videos, I’d go on to take on customer service and admin roles, banking on the skills I learned as an operations manager. Slowly but surely, I gained my footing as a remote worker.
Then, a couple of years into being a VA, a rare opportunity came knocking on my door:
Hatching new ideas
As far back as 2014, I’ve followed a podcast called Hatching. It’s a show about early-stage ideas and products of a holding company called Need/Want.
To an aspiring entrepreneur like me, Hatching was a great source of inspiration. Then, something unexpected happened:
The business that I was working for got acquired by another company. That company turned out to be Need/Want! In a crazy turn of events, I went from being a podcast listener to working with Need/Want founders themselves, Marshall and Jon.
These guys were awesome. Marshall, in particular, has become one of my closest friends and has been like a brother to me.
Last May 2019, he and his wife Jaimie decided to travel the world and make a quick stop here in Manila.
Marshall, Jaimie, and I spent time hanging out together. They even met my mom!
While hanging out at BGC, I took the opportunity to pitch a business idea: an outsourcing company that would help small to medium-sized businesses in the US find remote talent from the Philippines. At the same time, it would help Filipinos find an amazing remote job with reputable US teams.
Co-founding Shepherd
Fast forward to today, that idea has evolved into a 7-figure business that has hired almost 2,000 Filipinos. That idea turned out to be Shepherd.
When Marshall and I were starting out, we did everything ourselves. He’d DM his network about our services while I encouraged Filipinos to apply for our open positions. It wasn’t easy, but we pushed through.
Today, Shepherd has grown to over 100 team members and has expanded operations to Latin America. We’ve even welcomed two new stakeholders, Nick Huber and Shaan Puri. And we’re still growing!
Related: Check out our open roles for Filipinos
From living in the streets to co-founding a 7-figure business
In just a couple of years of working as Shepherd’s general manager and co-founder, I’ve been blessed enough to purchase a residential lot for my mom. I finally fulfilled my promise from years back. Now, we finally have homes that we can call our own.
Shepherd has opened a lot of opportunities for our fellow Filipinos, too. Hiring almost 2,000 remote employees means 2,000 Filipinos who don’t have to sit in traffic everyday, go abroad to earn a living, or spend time away from their families.
More than the financial blessings, being able to share the gift of time with other Filipinos has been the greatest reward of co-founding this business. And for that, I’m truly grateful.
What’s next
Remote work continues to open doors that I didn’t think were possible. In the next couple of years, my wife and I plan to travel beyond Asia and, God willing, possibly visit Marshall in the States. I’m excited about it!
I also plan to let more people know about remote work. Right now, I’m building something that will make that possible, so please watch out for it!
In the meantime, I hope my story inspired you to take a chance and look for possibilities. The internet has leveled the playing field for everyone. It has empowered a college dropout like me to create something meaningful — and I’m certain that it will open up possibilities for you as well.
If this post resonates with you, it would mean so much to me if you’d share it with a friend. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you in the next post!
