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You are tuned into the Quitting Corporate Podcast with your host, Latoya Russell. This podcast is fueled by my experiences, the experiences of aspiring corporate dropouts and stories of corporate quitters who built successful businesses. Society tells us it's a risk to quit securing jobs, so I'll be bringing the good vibes to you. Since I believe the opposite. It's a risk not to quit if you're stuck in what you'd call a corporate mess. Keep listening so you can get all the motivation you need to get out with no stress. If you already left, stick around too. There's still lots in store for you.
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On episode 32 of the quitting Corporate Podcast, I have Ali Pasak here with me and I'm really excited to introduce her and have this conversation with her today. Before Ali jumped out of Corporate and became an online business manager, she served as a technical service rep. So this is going to be a pretty interesting conversation. I am really excited to learn more and stick with us as you see how Ali navigated from then until now. And as usual, Ali, go ahead and introduce yourself for us.
C
Hi everybody. My name is Ali Pasig. I am from the Philippines. I am a certified online business manager. I started way back in 2003 and worked my way up, up to now here in Philippines. I am so excited to be invited here in Putin Corporate with Latoya and I'm excited to have this fun conversation with you guys. So stick around.
B
Amazing. So before we get into your work and your job and all that stuff, tell us what you did in school. What was your dream? What did you want to be?
C
Oh, that's funny. I always wanted to be a doctor. Growing up, I'm like, I just want to be a doctor. You know, I think that's the most common dream of a Filipino child. Then growing up, I told myself I wanted to be a computer engineer. But there are scholarships here in the Philippines that I wasn't able to. I mean, I'm not allowed to do that because I applied for a course in University of the Philippines. So it didn't pan out like what I dreamed as a kid. Actually didn't get any closer to what I was doing right now or even in college.
B
I see. And once you got to college, tell me what happened there during college.
C
So I passed the Department of Science and Technology scholarship and I also passed the entrance examination of University of the Philippines and I needed to get a science related course. And at the time, the agricultural engineering was the course that I am able to get into. So from wanting to Be a doctor. I ended up taking up agricultural engineering, but I wasn't able to finish. I got married an early age and because of different priorities, I became a mom versus, you know, the college graduate.
B
Okay, so how did you shift that into, well, tell me, how did that go? You became a mom and then what, you entered the workforce? How did it kind of like give us the summary of what happened there.
C
So we got married really early. I was 20 back then and my husband was 19 at the time. I was like three months older than him. And then we decided that we're going to start this family. So we started the family. I tried to finish my college studies, but different priorities. So I wasn't able to juggle things because it's really hard becoming a mom and then studying and at the same time thinking about how you're going to progress without expecting something from your parents to support you. Right. So I delved into working as a salesperson, you know, in malls. Right. So I went there, I did a lot of jobs and then ended up in the call center industry. So that's where everything started, you know, like when I worked in the call center and then I started speaking with Americans and then tried to neutralize my accent and then got the confidence to finally speak out. And then after that the history started on my freelancing industry experience.
B
That's an interesting topic. Why did you think you needed to hide your accent a bit?
C
Oh, because back then, you know, like when you're doing a. Because I'm a customer service representative. Right. And the discrimination is really high at the time. So like when you're on the phone and then when the person in the other line hears like, oh, you have a Filipino accent, they wouldn't want to speak with you. Or sometimes they're not going to respect you or they're not going to believe in like what you're going to tell them. Especially I'm a technical service representative as well. So if you're going to give them advice and they're going to be like, where are you from? Those are like the questions that always comes up because for them the accent is weird. So we need to make sure that we could be understand clearly by the person in the other line.
B
Okay, so were you doing, were you a customer Service rep for U.S. companies or UK company?
C
Yes, for the U.S. company.
B
Have you ever had the experience where someone said, can you transfer me to someone in the United States, please?
C
Oh, a lot, a lot. It was a funny story. I even had a client because it's a Combination of an email support, like, on the phone support. So after giving them what they needed, this guy didn't know that I was copied in the email correspondence. Right? And they were like, I think he's, like, messing around with this other guy. And then he said, oh, someone from the. Whatever place that is actually spoke with me and her. Because my nickname was Sweetie. That. That's actually my nickname. And it's like. I think it's. It's some sort of, like a. He didn't actually mention the word poor, but something related to that. And it's like, I think that's like, their screening. As if. And I'm like, oh, my God. I was like, very kind to you guys. And then I responded to them. And I was like, I responded to that exact thread for them to know that I actually received that. And I'm like, I hope the service that was provided you actually helped you a lot. Please let me know if there's anything else that I can help you with.
B
Right?
C
And then there's the trend below that, him saying that it's that I'm like, from whatever place. I was wrong. And there was like, oopsie. I guess that's one way of, like, shutting them down.
B
I mean, it always kind of is. So tell us, how did you get online? What made you dive into trying to figure out how to leave your job and start working online?
C
Okay, there's this client, and when I was working, there's this client who was like, I helped him with his accounting because it's an accounting software, the one that I'm actually working with before. And he was impressed with how I handled his account and how I went the extra mile for him. We actually spent a lot of hours working on his account. It's accounting and it's tax season, so he's very problematic. So when I finally helped him, he was like, do you want to work with me? And I'm like, of course I can't say yes. I wanted to work with you because it's on the phone. It's like. And then he told me, no. Like, there are Filipinos who are actually working with Americans. And if I wanted to work with him. And then he realized, oh, you can't give this information. Here's my number. And then he gave out, like, all his personal information to me. And I'm like, I'm not supposed to do this. But then it gave me the idea that, oh, there's a possibility. So I tried searching the Internet on, like, work from home opportunities and see how it's gonna pan out. And then back then, there's no upwork. There's no old desk yet. I started 2003, so the only resource that I have is Craigslist. Remember Craigslist, right? And, you know, like, going in there. So that's where I actually started looking for jobs. And then, you know, I kind of got, you know, some opportunities there. And then when I ended my work in the corporate job, I kind of reached out to that guy who actually sent me this information. And I worked with him for a little bit, but I was already working with a different client.
B
How did it go working with him?
C
I think it's more an alignment. He thinks that he needs help with regards to setting things up. Back then, there's no digital marketing. It's not like how it is right now, like Facebook ads and so on and so forth. And he has this. What do you call this, like, product that he wanted to promote. And I'm helping him with all the administrative work and what's not. But the problem is he wants one thing in the beginning and then change it up, and then once a different thing and then change it up again. So the efforts that you're doing are not really completed each time. So you don't feel like you're fulfilled because you're not able to give them, like, the final output. And then it just felt like he's paying you for work, for the hours, but you're not able to give him what his money's worth. So I told him, I think you're not ready yet for a virtual assistant. I was a virtual assistant back then, and I was like, I don't want you to just spending money on me because I don't want it to be treated as an expense. I want it to be an investment on your end. So since then, we actually made a great relationship after that, so we're still communicating. And I think that's good because you're able to set your work ethics on how you work with clients and all.
B
And he also sees that you are some person that can be trusted. You just didn't want to take the money. In an instance where he was constantly unsure and then you not having stuff to do that made sense for the business at the time. So it works. It also shows that no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, you are able to find the client. You weren't looking for it, but someone admired you and they wanted you to work with them. It's just like when you're working in a corporate job. Sometimes you deal with people and they love you so much, they come back trying to figure out if you would leave your company to start working with them. And this is normally what I mean when I say you have to kind of let people know what you're doing because you have no idea what that person is doing. You might be working at a call center or you might have a bunch of people around you, or you have a lot of friends where with your kids, school or wherever you go, whatever group or community you're in. You sometimes do not know how many of those people have businesses and stuff that they need help with that you can need, that you can help with. It doesn't matter what you're doing right now, because if you are an administrative assistant in a traditional company, you can still assist that person. So you see, Allie was in a regular job. Someone thought she was awesome and that's how the conversation strikes up. So after that you did some researching online and whatnot. How did that journey go for you?
C
So doing it in Craigslist is kind of hard because there's like a lot of scams posting. And then I tried researching for other opportunities like work from home jobs. And again I got scammed. Scammed. It was really hard back then, you know, getting into in front of the clients. But then Odesk came in. So there's the Odesk. And I was able to get in and look for clients in Odesk. And I was able to work with a real estate agent, which actually paved the way into the more freelance work. So when I started working this real estate agent, I became his appointment setter, like making the phone calls. And then he was impressed again with how I was able to handle the account for him. And then that's when he was like, they want to be my partner. Because he wanted to start a virtual assistant agency with me. Of course, it's like an opportunity. And I'm like, yeah, definitely, I wanted to be partners with you. And then we started this virtual assistant agency and we worked together on the agency, but it didn't last long, that working relationship with him.
B
You are the first person I've had on this podcast that admitted to being scammed when you got started. So let's talk about that. Tell me how and why. What type of scam was it so that we can tell people what they need to look out for?
C
Oh, there's this experience of mine. Anyway, I was already telling this story with other castings that I have. There's this company before where they're looking for chat Support. And I'm like, okay, you're just going to chat with clients and they gave you the orientation, the normal kind of process on onboarding. So when I got in, they're like, okay, you're going to log into this account and you're just going to go with the flow and type it in. When I was like, working already, I see there's an image on the right side of the screen with the lady that's nude, and it's like, doing a lot of stuff. And then the person in the other line that I'm, like, chatting with is like, this guy is like, saying all this, like, sexual conversation. You know what I mean? And I'm like, oh, my God, I'm married. But I am not used to having that conversation. And I'm like, this is not what I signed up for.
B
What was it? A call center for what?
C
It's a chat support company.
B
Okay.
C
So when they actually posted it, it's more of like a normal chat support that you're going to be supporting a product, but when you get in, they're going to be like, okay, this is what you need to do. And in order for it to get paid, this is this, this is that. I actually didn't think that it's going to be like that because I got a training with them, like, for one week.
B
Okay, hold on. Are you comfortable saying what this is?
C
This, and this is.
B
That is because I'm confused. And I'm sure the listeners are going to be confused. So what was this thing that you needed to do?
C
I needed to chat with the other person and fulfill their needs. Sexual needs.
B
Okay, so I was thinking that you needed to, like.
C
No, I don't need to, like, strip in front of them. They're scamming the person on the other line, pretending that I am an American. Right. And then the lady who's doing, like, a lot of stuff in her, like, buddy, I'm gonna match the chat with what she's doing.
B
Oh, so she's doing her thing and you were supposed to be her voice. Yeah, I misunderstood it because I thought that you were needed to do it. No, no, no. I thought that they signed up for whatever service and they're having issues with the service and you were supposed to help them fix their account or something, but you're supposed to be the voice for the person doing these apps.
C
Yeah, I thought I was just a customer support representative, but then there's this lady doing that and I'm like, what are you doing, girl? What is that? And then she starts taking off her Andes, and I'm like, no, this is not going to happen. Not on my clock. That's crazy.
B
So then you were supposed to say, oh, my God, I want to take it off.
C
Now I feel embarrassed. And you know what's crazy about that? While I was working, my little kid is behind me, and it was just like. And I'm like, get out of there, because you don't want your kid to see what's happening on the screen. That's really crazy. I mean, that's just one of, like, the journey. And then I immediately, like, turned it off. And I'm like, no, I just wasted, like, one week of my time for the training. Of course, I didn't get paid because the person in the other maybe think what happened to her? Because it shut down. And it's like, I quit.
B
That's the biggest joke I've ever gotten. Oh, my God. During these conversations now. So you quit and then what happened? How did you find success?
C
After I quit, then I, you know, like, I looked for. I never went back. I didn't communicate because I know I'm not going to be paid for it. And so I looked for another job. And then I got a. Like, a job for a sales company. But this sales company is paying by performance. And you're going to be selling them, like, this coin, like a big coin memorabilia. What something is that? And then in order for you to get paid, you need to have people buying those stuff. And I'm like, how the hell would I be able to sell them this coin? And I was given a list, but the list, it's like a raw list that you need to scrub. Some are, like, outdated, you know, like, some are, like voicemails and what's not. So it felt like I'm just scrubbing this for you for free. It didn't work well as well. I worked with them for, like, a week, but in that one week, I wasn't able to get even one person to speak with me. So I'm like, this is just grabbing the list for you guys. And then I told my team leader back then, and I told her, maybe this is not a good fit for me because I don't know how to sell coins. And then she's like, oh, would you like to try, like, another account? And I'm like, maybe I'll just search for service that's gonna fit what I actually can do for my clients. So it's not really a scam, but it's just, like, something that's really Hard to get income from because it's service based and there's no basic compensation on top of, you know, like what you're gonna be earning. So if you won't be able to get sales and as you know, like when you're doing outbound calls, right, if the list is not good, that's one factor. If the which call this a script is not good, that's another factor. And then the product, if you don't believe in the product that you're selling, it's really hard for you to convince other people to sell to buy from you.
B
Did you get paid for that?
C
No, because I wasn't able to close any deal, so I wasn't paid for that as well.
B
This one was just commission.
C
Yeah, it's just commission based.
B
Okay, perfect. So at this time, Ali, you could have given up because in the average person's eyes, trying to get started remotely, you now have what we would consider two sales at this under your belt. What kept you going and what was next?
C
I was traveling like for three to six hours every day, going back and forth, including traffic. Because when I was working in a call center, I'm working graveyard shift. I would then need to get up early because I'm in graveyard shift. So say for example, if I reach home at around say 10 in the morning, I would need to sleep and then get up at around like four to get ready again. And then at five o' clock I need to make sure that I'm already en route going to the office because the last trip is around like 7, 7:30 in the evening. And on top of that, I still need to be a mother to my kids. So it's not like when you get home, you sleep right away. And I actually had some health condition back then. I have chronic UTI because of the traveling and it took a toll on me. And I'm like, I need to find a way wherein I can work near my family and be able to be there for my kids while they're growing up. Because those early years are really critical. You need to be there because that's where you're going to form their personality, right? Their dreams. That's when they needed someone to be their model. And if you're not there, then you won't be able to give that to your kids. So I'm like, I need to be there for my kids. And at the same time I saw the opportunity that I can earn more working online. So I'm like, I just kept pushing and pushing until I'm able to get to the place where I want to be.
B
How quickly did you surpass your income online versus working a traditional job?
C
When I started applying for jobs, I actually didn't get hired right away. It took some applying and then interviews. You didn't pass. And then when I passed the interview, I was just earning, I think $2 an hour at the time. But it's already a good amount of money for someone working in there. And back then if you're earning $5 an hour, that's like 2003, 2004, right when you're earning $5 an hour at the time, it's already a big amount of money. It felt like I'm already rich. So I think it took me around like six months before I was able to get that amount of money because I was working with my client for just like a month when he already know that he wanted to work with me as his business partner. So from there on, the rates actually went up because from becoming just a virtual assistant, I am now like handling accounts. And then I also took an operations manager position handling like multiple people, multiple accounts on a personal level different from the agency level because I wanted to make sure that I am aware of like, what the trends are.
B
Okay, so an interesting topic that always comes up for people. There is this versus that. When it comes to what you should charge. Living in different countries, especially places like the Philippines and whatnot, where people in the United States and people are not in the Philippines or whatever, there's always this throw up. You should not get paid. You should get paid this amount versus this amount. Don't let anybody pay you $5 an hour. Don't let anybody pay you$3 an hour. Don't work for anything less than $25 an hour or $20 an hour usually. How did you feel about that coming online in the beginning?
C
In my early years working as a virtual assistant, I'm the kind of like, all right, whatever is that you're going to be paying me for. I'm grateful because I started from earning just this amount of money, and now you're giving me this amount of money which is like higher than what I'm usually receiving. I'm already grateful for that. But you know, as you grow, as you get acclimated to the process, as you get acclimated, you know, like with what's happening in the online world, I saw that people would want to pay you based on your location, but not based on like how much you should be charging. And then when I got that confidence and I know Myself, I know that I'm qualified to provide the service. I always tell them straight up, what I am doing for you is not based on my location, but rather based on what I could put on the table and what service I could provide you and the output that I'd be giving you the value that you're going to be getting from here. The price of an Apple product is not different. When you're in the United States or where you're in the Philippines, it's still the same because this is based on the value, not on the location. Some clients may understand that and they would like, yeah, definitely, they would admire you and they would see that if they feel like you are used to charging this much, they would pay you that much. And then they know that you have the confidence and you can live up with that. But if they see that you're like, oh, you know, sadly, they're going to take advantage of that or they're going to lowball you. Experience before, when someone asked me, I was a certified OBM already at that time. Just like, can you help me with this, like, project management tool? Like, set this up. I was using Smartsheet. There's no airtable back then. It's just Smartsheet. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Smartsheet before. It's like. So I was like setting them up property preservation company in Smartsheet. And then they're like, I want you to set this up just like how you set it up with other clients. How much are you going to be charging me for that? And I'm like, would you be willing to pay on an hourly basis or on a project based. Because it's different. And she's like, no, hourly, okay, I charge $65 an hour. She's like, what? You're not even a graduate from the US you're not even in the US And I'm like, how is my service influenced by my location? You saw the setup that I did with the other client. The reason why you reach out to me is because you like what I did with the other client, right? And then that is already a proof of what I can do for you. And it's not based on location, but based on value. And then I was like, if you wanted to find other services that's going to fit your budget, you are free to do so. But as far as I'm concerned, this is how much I charge and take it or leave it. And then she apologized. She was like, yeah, I think that came out wrong. So no harm done. But yeah, I'm not going to work with you.
B
So what do you say to people who are again, sticking with this topic a little bit? You know, there are a lot of different perspectives out there and I believe that. I know there are people who are going to say, okay, this is not fair and people should be paid fairly and we know what fair wages. But what about individuals who are comfortable accepting that? Because as you said, you thought it was so much more money, so you were willing to take it because to you it was more what is your take on that? Or how do you feel feeling in circumstances such as those?
C
For me, it's always about rediscovering joy. So to each his own. Whenever they ask me, what does success looks like to you? It's different based on like, different perspective of like the people. If for you, you think that amount of money would help you already and that fits what you need and it's going to help your family, then you're free to do what you wanted to do. Your own, your own, you are your own self. So if you feel like this is going to help me, I'm okay with this. I'm contented with this. Then do what you need to do. You don't need to listen with the standards that's being set. Like online, for example, if they say you're a certified obm, you should be charging this, this, this and that. If you feel like you're not qualified yet to charge that and you feel you're more comfortable to just charge like $30 or $25, do it your way. As long as you're confident that you're able to provide value based on like what you're getting that's going to make you feel good, then do it. I remember telling, you know, like before because I was like also teaching here in the Philippines and I told them, if you are going to pay for your own services, would you pay yourself that amount of money? If you say yes, then go on. If you feel like no, I won't, then don't charge that much. Because if you don't believe in yourself that you can provide that money, I mean, you can provide that service that's going to be aligned to that charge that you're going to be giving, then how do you think the client would feel about that? I think that's just how it is for me.
B
I love that perspective and I love that you also believe that people should do what they're comfortable with, because that's how I feel. If you're not comfortable calling that number, then you're not going to feel confident in doing it. And that's where you need to be at the very beginning. So I always tell people as you go on, you know, you can increase it by $5 when you realize, okay, I have a little more expensive experience. Continue to increase by $5 or $10 with the next person until you get to the number that you want. So I wouldn't go by what's happening online. There's a lot of noise sometimes out there. Just do what again is best for your family, yourself and what you feel comfortable with. Because if you follow all the rules or all the things that people tell you in the online space, you'll get confused and you'll never get started and you're going to think that everything you're doing is wrong or questionable.
C
Yes, we're on the same page at that.
B
Tell us what you're doing now and how it's going.
C
Right now I'm working as a integrator with a company, so I'm working as a part time integrator with a company, helping them with systemizing their business. Because I'm a certified OBM and I'm focused on the systems. So that's actually what I normally do, like the operations. And then I also do digital marketing in a sense that like funnels, I love workflows. I create workflows. Like client acquisition blueprints is actually what I do. I think it's called funnel mapping on a different level. So I do that. And then I also do freelance coaching here in the Philippines. So I have some agency owners who wanted to be agency owners or who wanted to become like better freelancers. So I'm guiding them in their journey with the focus of rediscovering like what I mentioned, rediscovering joy and their success. Because I see that most of the freelancers, they're like, oh, I need to hit this kind of goal or I need this, I need that. And then the wants keeps on going and going that you're no longer grateful with what you have because you're all stuck with what you actually see in other people's plate. So for me it's more of like helping them gain clarity and then creating systems and strategy for their growth.
B
Okay, so you did all this, you're here now, you have a successful business before you got to this point. How did your family and your husband make you feel about leaving a traditional job to take this on?
C
Oh, I am very fortunate to have a great support system. My Husband is my number one fan. So whenever I feel like I'm not good enough. Because sometimes you would feel that, right? Especially if you're doing great with the company and then suddenly they cut you off because they already got what they need from you. And it's going to bounce back to you as if, like, what did I do wrong? And it feels like you're just stuck. He's the one who pushes me up and brings me back to that pedestal. You're this person. You don't let anybody dull your shine. So when it comes when I decided to just, like, move in to this freelance work, they're like, yeah, tell me what you need and I'll be able to support you. So I have 100% support for my family and from the beginning until now. So then that's really awesome. I'm loving my life because of that.
B
Amazing. Give us your top three tips for now. I have so many things to ask you. I want you to tell the people top things to do to avoid getting scammed. I want you to tell them the top three things to do to keep pushing when you feel like you failed. So you pick one of the two.
C
Okay. First and foremost, I want them to not be afraid to fail. I actually wanted them to embrace the fact that they're going to fail. Because once you fail, you're going to gain experience and lessons that you will not find in any book or course. I always tell them that if there's one thing that's going to hurt you the most, the most painful experience will give you the most important lesson in your life. But if you will not learn from that lesson and you're just going to keep doing it the same way, then there's no point in, like, doing the things that you do because you need to learn from those mistakes, right? So don't be afraid to fail. It's part of your life. And keep on pushing. Remember your biggest why? Why are you doing this? Who are you doing this for? And then last but not the least is get a life, because this is very tempting. You're from the Philippines and you're earning what, $50 an hour? You're earning like, hundreds and thousand of pesos and you're going to be like, oh, my God, with this money, I could, like, buy everything that I wanted. So you're just going to, like, keep pushing forward and pushing forward until you reach your limit. And then you're going to think like, oh, my family would understand because I'm doing this for them. Yes, you're doing this for them, you thought. But you're not doing it for them anymore. But you're doing it for yourself and for your own reasons, for your selfish reasons. Because what they need is to have that mother, to have that daughter. You don't have that what you call the sex wife. I know it's really hard to do that. Easier said than done. But you still need to make sure that you still balance your work and life. And you need to find that point where you can be contented. Because if you will not find that point where you're going to be contented, then you're just going to keep on pushing and pushing. And when the time that you feel like, oh, I've already got this amount of money, you're already old, you missed that time that you should have been spending with your family and you can't do the things that you should be doing back then. Because money, you can earn it. If it's lost, you can regain that. But time, once lost, it's lost forever. You can forget it.
B
Amazing. Ali, this was such a good chat. Appreciate your time. Appreciate you sharing all of these interesting stories. Tell all the listeners where they can find you.
C
Oh, you can Find me on LinkedIn. My name is Ali Pasak on LinkedIn. My website as well is Ask Alipasak. So just in case you did like, I'm also a consultant by the way, so if you need some consulting on your business, then you can just book a call with me and then I'll be there for you.
B
Amazing. And I will have all of Ali's information in the show notes so you don't have to worry about trying to remember it or write it down. And it's right down below for you so you can click on those links. Ali, again, thank you so much.
C
Thank you as well. It's been an honor to be in the show.
B
If you've been around for a while,
A
you know I love tech and automations and by now, if you feel as though it's an area you want to specialize in, you might be looking for where exactly you can get more information. So I want to invite you to head over to quitting corporate.com forward/register and sign up for my free info session so that you can find out if becoming a tech and automation service provider is going to be for you.
Episode: Finding Balance and Joy with Allie Pasag
Host: LaToya Russell
Date: January 18, 2024
This episode features Allie Pasag, an experienced online business manager (OBM) from the Philippines. Allie shares her candid journey from early aspirations of becoming a doctor, through unexpected challenges in the corporate and freelancing worlds, to building a fulfilling independent career online. The conversation delves into navigating scams, setting boundaries with clients, redefining success, and balancing work with personal life—empowering listeners, especially those considering quitting corporate, to pursue joyful and sustainable self-employment.
This episode is an inspiring, practical, and honest look at starting over outside of traditional employment. It reminds listeners that setbacks are inevitable but growth, balance, and self-worth should be at the heart of any journey out of corporate life.