🎙 If you're considering hiring a remote worker from the Philippines, or you already have a Filipino team, this episode is a must-listen. I interview Nicolas Bivero, who’s spent over a decade helping companies build teams in the Philippines. I’m also a long‑time advocate—my entire team is based there.

We dig into the real‑world pros and cons of Filipino remote teams: the cultural differences you need to adapt to, and how those differences can become a huge advantage for your business.

If you want to get more from your Filipino team, or you’re wondering how this could work in your company, keep listening to hear exactly how we make this work in practice.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

💡 Treat Remote Hires as Core Team Members, Not Cheap Labour: If you see Filipino hires as “warm bodies” to throw tasks at, you’ll fail. Treat them as a true extension of your core team with proper onboarding, involvement, and long-term investment, and they repay you with commitment, quality, and stability.

💡 Lean into Cultural Strengths—and Manage the Gaps: Filipinos’ warmth, empathy and team-first mindset make them brilliant for customer-facing and collaborative roles. But that same desire to please can mean they say “yes” when they should push back. As a leader, you must explicitly invite disagreement, make it safe to say “no,” and coach for direct communication.

💡 Use Global Talent to Fill Dream Roles: Because Filipino talent is more affordable and more readily available, you can create roles you’d never have the budget for if you only hired in your local country. Use remote hires to accelerate growth.

BEST MOMENTS

15:30 - 💬 “If you go in there with the mindset of 'we're going to do this the German way,’ you're going to fail.” — Nicolas

29:30 - 💬 “There are massive cost benefits for hiring from the Philippines, because the cost of living is significantly lower than in many countries.” — Steve

34:42 - 💬 “In Germany, there are half a million people retiring every year. There are not enough young people coming in to actually replace all those roles.” — Nicolas

TIMESTAMPED OVERVIEW

00:00 Hiring Remote Workers

15:41 Adapting to Cultural Differences

29:00 Filling Skill Gaps Affordably

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Our flagship Recruit Right Framework: https://sys.academy/guides

LINKS TO CONNECT WITH THE GUEST

Website: https://penbrothers.com/
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasbivero/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Over the last 10 years, Penbrothers has been built in the Philippines with the mission to help start-ups and SME drive growth, reduce operational costs, and optimise staffing efficiency. Penbrothers achieves this by building tailored remote teams and aligning the recruitment process to the needs of each client. By building teams in the Philippines, our clients leverage the deep, highly skilled labour pool, enabling them to scale smarter and improve their bottom line.

LINKS TO CONNECT WITH THE HOST

Podcast: https://www.systemizeyoursuccess.com
Website: https://systemsandoutsourcing.com/
Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/systemsandoutsourcing/
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/systemsandoutsourcing/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/systems_and_outsourcing/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@drsteveday42
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsteveday42

ABOUT THE HOST

Steve moved to Sweden in 2015 and transformed how he ran his businesses—switching to a fully remote model. A former NHS doctor, with a background in computing and property investing, he now helps overwhelmed business owners systemise and outsource effectively. Through his courses and coaching, Steve teaches how to automate operations and work with affordable virtual assistants, freeing up time and increasing profits. He runs his UK-based businesses remotely with support from a team of UK and Filipino VAs, and is passionate about helping others build scalable, stress-free companies using smart systems and virtual support.

Why Most Remote Teams Struggle—and the Leadership Shift That Fixes It with Nicolas Bivero, Co‑founder of Penbrothers | Ep 263