What’s next for me?

Early this year, we sold a controlling stake at Somewhere for a life-changing amount of money. While I consider myself essentially retired, I also know that early retirement looks different for everyone.

Now after a much-needed break. I am excited to finally start a new chapter.

Here are some of the things I look forward to after “retiring” from Somewhere:

Angel investing

This year, I started investing in small to medium Filipino-owned businesses. One is Florentias, a cafe that combines one’s love for coffee and art. It is fast becoming a destination in Nueva Ecija. Another is my go-to sneaker store, Autokicks, where I’ve been buying footwear for many years.

Both businesses are run by young passionate entrepreneurs brimming with potential. With the right support, I believe this potential could flourish into thriving ventures.

While our local venture capital system is still growing, I hope to support these businesses through angel investing instead.

I’m looking forward to investing in more businesses in the future!

Mentorship

I was pleasantly surprised when some founders approached me for mentorship. In Somewhere, mentorship was expected of me as a general manager. I didn’t expect this influence to extend outside of my immediate circle!

That said, I’m happy to take on this surprising new challenge. I had a lot of stumbles at the start of my entrepreneurship journey. During those challenging moments, would often wish for a mentor to guide me. Being in this position now — offering mentorship to others — feels like a full circle moment. Now I can be the mentor I wish I had. Now, I can pay the blessing forward.

Creating content and resources for aspiring remote workers

After a long hiatus, I’m excited to create educational and inspirational resources for Filipino remote workers again. One of my biggest content goals is to tell the stories of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from different parts of the world — and I am happy to share that this is already underway.

The Ember team recently flew to Hong Kong to tell the stories of two OFWs: Kath, a young mom, and Ate Car, who has spent 17 long years as a domestic helper. Hearing their stories — and being able to share them with others — inspires me to build something that will eventually be bigger than myself.

The Ember team with ate Car in Hong Kong.

Aside from content, I’m also looking forward to develop affordable but actionable resources for Filipinos who want to start building a remote career. This could come in the form of bootcamps, masterclasses, or even our very own Ember Academy. I’m really excited to develop this and I can’t wait to share more details as we continue to work on this project.

New business ventures

Last but definitely not least, I’m excited to share that I’m building a new agency - this time for creative work. We’re currently finalizing details but just like my mentorship project, building a creative agency feels like a full-circle moment for me.

Many years ago, I started my remote work journey in the creative field as a video editor. To dive back in — this time as a creative agency owner— feels like serendipity.

My final thoughts

It’s been a busy couple of months But it’s a good kind of busy. It feels good to jump back in and work on things I’m passionate about.

How about you? What are you working on?