PhilFAQS

No, you didn’t just see that blog post a title a couple days ago.  You saw Live In The Philippines by Blogging which was a little sort of ‘throw away; piece I wrote simply because I was exuberant about the way the traffic … mainly daily visitors … had increased here in recent months.  As part of the post I displayed a little ‘show off’ screen shot of my visits over a month or so.  Frankly I thought a lot of the regular readers would be bored by this, and I made a mental note not to do posts like that too often.

Well, nobody told me how often ‘too often’ was, so here we go again.  Take a gander at this graphic:

Aside from that little ‘notch’ around 18 July … which was caused by a mistake I made with the stats program, not by a dearth of visitors … the climb in readership looks pretty steady, doesn’t it?

What do you suppose that last big spike, almost to 1,000 represents?  If you guessed the previous article on blogging in the Philippines you would be absolutely correct.

Does Google love articles on Blogging?  I recon so, since you can see that there is no increase at all in the tiny little band of orange colored faithful daily readers down at the very bottom of the chart. All the readers in that ‘bump’ were folks who were searching blindly for some combination of “blogging” or “Living in the Philippines” and any or or and combination of those phrases.

Does Google like posts with large graphics in them?  Well, likely so, because I’ve written articles on the subject previously with never such a visible jump in single-day readership

Do the words in the title make a difference?  Probably.  I’ll let you know a few days from now.  There is a reason (which I won’t go into right now) as to my this one is titled “Living in the Philippines” while the one last week was titled “Live in the Philippines”.  This is not an experiment in human logic but indeed it is an experiment in Google logic.

Just so the reader doesn’t feel he or she has gotten this far and received nothing in return for the effort, let me say something useful regarding blogging in general and blogging in the Philippines in particular.

The idea that one can simply start a blog and make money from it is likely the most outrageously false belief ever perpetrated on the Internet.  It’s almost assuredly a lie, impossible, and is frequently step one of ‘buy this’ or ‘buy that’ scams which hurt a lot of people who might never have been hurt had they not been sort of ‘taken in’ by the build it and they will come’ blogging mantra.

But let me add a clarifying, or even perhaps opposing view.  The most common secret to making money online, and the one that is easiest to to, poses the least risk and has, by far the largest chance of success is, start a blog.

Did I just contradict myself there?  No, not really.  Making money from a blog itself, as some sort of pure altruistic “good thoughts” thing, along the lines if building the ball field in the corn patch, probably has very little chance of succeeding.  But as a mechanism for driving and ‘shaping’ the flow of traffic on the ‘Net, a blog has little equal.  or certainly no equal on a dollars and cents basis. 

I can easily drive 1,000 visitors to any address on the ‘Net I want to, tomorrow, with something like AdWords or some other form of Pay Per Click traffic generation, but it certainly won’t be free .. it will cost anywhere from a few dollars to a few thousands of dollars, depending on how Google ‘likes” the location I want the traffic to land on.

So one single few hundred word article on one single relatively obscure bog and then be worth, real world, hundreds or even thousands of real dollars.  That’s the hidden meaning behind the statement you can make money with a blog.

A week or so back I wrote about people searching for car prices in the Philippines and landing here … ahead of more than 1,4 million other sites that attempt to be found for the keyword or ‘key phrase’ “car prices Philippines”.  I commented that not only was this more than a tad incongruous, but it represented a great untapped resource and opportunity.

Several people even wrote me privately to say. “I missed something, what was the opportunity”?  Well, the hidden opportunity is, how much is ay 1,000 targeted, interested in buying car customers worth to a Philippine dealership who actually makes money on selling cars?  And how much does it cost to ‘drive’ those 1,000 potential clients there with conventional advertising versus a simple blog post? 

As an example (I think I used this before, but no one seems to have internalized it), why would I ‘far’ outrank someone like Mitsubishi Philippines, who spends literally millions of pesos per year on marketing and adverts when a person comes on line looking for prices or information about a Mitsubishi Adventure?  I man, if Mitsubishi Philippine even began to understand how to market online, there is no way I should even rank on the same page of Google results as they do.  They have three big advantages:

1. They won the name
2. They have the money to spend
3. They employ people with a lot of professional marketing expertise

So the is no rational way that I should outrank them so, but I do.  Not because I am smarter, but because no one has taken the time to show them how they are missing the boat, and offered them a solution (for a fee, of course).

Some times that are just holes in the cosmic fabric where strange things just happen.  Other times what appear to be anomalies are just opportunities people could take the ball and run with it if they just want to wake up.

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It’s certainly no secret that I make a portion of my income here in the Philippines by blogging.  Many other successful foreigners do as well.  And many Filipinos do also, although it often makes me wonder why so few Filipinos really get into it and make something out of their natural advantages.

Advantages you say?  Absolutely.  They were born here, raised here, schooled here, have gained a whole life time of experience here, yet a great many of them seem to act as if this is something only a foreigner could do.  Or that only a foreigner can write to engage other foreigners in thought, conversation or commerce.  This is self-defeating nonsense.

There are some Filipino bloggers who have cracked this code.  Two of them I follow regularly are www.yugatech.com and www.carlocab.com.  These are both real-life Filipinos, born and educated here and they don’t have an “old family” name, foreign wives or any of the other things some people think of when they hear about a successful Filipino. 

Basically, they took advantage of the online world, learned enough to get the basics accomplished, and (here’s the part many of you are going to gloss over) they did something, and then stuck with it!

An article or two ago I used this quote and I am going to shamelessly use it again today:

What would you say is the biggest single reason for your success?

The biggest single reason for our success is that we got off of our butts and took some action.   It’s really tempting to remain on the sidelines and endlessly gather information but at some point you have buckle down and tell yourself, “Alright, let’s do this”.

A lot of you reading this article were caught by the title and have read this far because many people believe “There is money in blogging”.  And you know what?  There is.  But it doesn’t come by magic and it doesn’t come without starting, sometimes revising, building more, and then building still more and above all, sticking to it.

A year ago or so, this bog was nothing but a veritable digital dustbin.  I think I used to get … on a good day .. 10 visitors, if that.  My income was on the order of not even pennies per day, pennies per week would be more accurate.

In November of last year, after I had been writing for my friend Bob for a while (thanks Bob) and taking advantage of a few other free helps that people kindly offered me, this is what my readership looks like since I got serious enough to put statistics tracking on the site:

By the way, I use www.statcounter.com (totally free, no affiliate link here, just a good tool I recommend).

The climb since last November may not look like much, but then again, how many other people get even these figures.  Many people haven’t even stuck at it that long, so I feel I have nothing to be ashamed of … and this chart looks a lot better than the profits of General Motors or Bear Stearns … with no government money needed to make up for executive greed and incompetence .

Each time a page loads here on PhilFAQS, where you get real answers about retiring in the Philippines and supplementing that retirement, I make a fraction of a cent.  I intend to grow this income substantially.  But assume I don’t?  This little site alone already pays my rent here in the Philippines …and free rent is something not many of you are going to find.

The real secret?  As Nike says, “Just Do It.”

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A great many of my searches here at PhilFAQS, the place where you get answers on living in the Philippines, revolve around “getting a job” here … normally from folks who are thinking about moving back to the Philippines, moving to the Philippines for the first time, and people unsure about opportunities for their children should they live here in the Philippines, or continue to live in the Philippines when their children reach maturity.

First of all, it’s no secret that i am not in the “jobs in the Philippines” business.  I consider traditional “jobs” to be something that is slowly but surely moving in the direction of the buggy whip and the dinosaur.  I also don’t necessarily equate “landing a job” as an “opportunity”.  Sure, there will be times when a conventional job might seem to be the only route that seems open to someone, but I don’t necessarily see that as “opportunity” … more like having a puncture and being able to put on a spare … it keeps the car going but it’s hardly something that most of us wants to happen. 

Where, for example, would we be today if Bill gates or Larry page or Sergy Brin opted for the undoubtedly high level job “opportunities” any of them were eminently qualified for?  They would now be middle-aged plodding corporate “staff”, juggling their finances every month to insure enough income to educate their children and plan a retirement and we, the world, would be eminently poorer.

Here are a couple things that people should think through regarding even wanting to “get a job” here in the Philippines.  especially if they are already employed in a foreign country.

• First, you don’t need a job here that even approaches what you are making in your current position.  Let’s say a foreign worker and/or husband and wide working together clear $100,000 USD annually.  That sounds pretty “successful” in most people’s book, although in some places in the US that couple might not be living near as well as some might think.  But the bottom line is, the couple needs nowhere near $100,000 USD to live a very comfortable lifestyle here in the Philippines.  My wife and I live very comfortably on an average of $1200 USD  per month, (Say $14,400 USD per year)(including a generous amount going to savings, reserve for replacing our car in the future, sending one “surrogate daughter”, our niece, to college and eating plenty American-style pizza ordered in (too much pizza, judging by my waistline)).  We also hop on an airplane whenever we want to, visit friends in Davao, fly to Macau to renew my free visa, etc.  We are not hurting in any way.
• Secondly, jobs, even jobs in the Philippines, cost money as well as pay money.  Suppose I had a job working for a firm here in the Philippines who employs foreigners … perhaps a big call center in Makati.  I’d be spending several thousand dollars a year on business clothes, commutation costs, gifts, socializing at the office and a big thing … Philippine income taxes.  Makes the ‘gross” of a job a heck of a lot more attractive than the small amount I would actually “net” from working for someone else, that is for sure.

So what could take the place of a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) for someone wanting to live here in the Philippines?  One thing that jumps right into my mind is, earn money from outside the Philippines while you live here in the Philippines.  How on earth could one do that, Dave?  Well, of course regular readers will know what I’m going to say next … the Internet.

Now of course you could honesty and ethically earn money directly via the Internet.  that’s what springs to most people’s minds as soon as the ‘net comes up in conversation.  And the next thing that comes to mind is … “Oh I couldn’t do that, I don’t have the technical skills, I am not an engineer or a “geek” and all sorts of self-defeating thoughts along those lines come into play.  You would, of course, be wrong.  But how would you bridge that gap between what you could accomplish and what you think you can’t accomplish?  Here are some resources you could start with:

• The Portable Lifestyle   This is a company run by a young couple (Jon & Kathryn).  Originally from California they now travel the world, pretty much continuously, on their own schedule.  They have two small children with them, by the way, they are not waiting until the are “old enough”, when perhaps health issues or other constraints will time them down.  I have sold several of their products (which are fully money=back guaranteed, by the way) and have nothing but good reports.  They also publish an excellent free Portable Lifestyle Newsletter. Recommended.

• My Online Income System. This is a complete. no-tech business system authored and distributed by a young American single-mom, Kimberly Hoffman.  As many of you know, I earn income by promoting products online … those which I consider worth the effort, that is.  I’ve been promoting this for a couple weeks now and sales have been gratifying.  The methods Kim teaches are sound and her income potential realistic … several hundred dollars a week, honest profit.  With that you can live in the Philippines full time quite comfortably.  Since you have a full two months to try the system out with return privilege if it doesn’t work for you, I recommend those of you My Online Income System

Now, as many of you also know, I try not to heavily promote in this blog, so I promise you won’t see a steady diet of ‘click here and buy’ posts here, but I truly believe these two programs are well worth a look-see. 

In the spirit of providing you the best in totally free information applicable to life in the Philippines, retiring in the Philippines and earning a living in the Philippines, here is the reason I was inspired to write this article today.

Fellow blogger Michael Dunlop over at the Income Diary published a great interview yesterday, from a couple who cut their chains and learned to become successful and independent without the bonds of a J.O.B.  It’s entitled “My Wife Quit Her Job and became an Internet Entrepreneur” and it is well worth a read and a thoughtful review.  If I had to chose one single quote out of the whole interview it would be this one:

What would you say is the biggest single reason for your success?

The biggest single reason for our success is that we got off of our butts and took some action.   It’s really tempting to remain on the sidelines and endlessly gather information but at some point you have buckle down and tell yourself, “Alright, let’s do this”.

The couple in question, based in California, took themselves from zero income to over $100,000 USD online in just one year.

(There’s that magic $100K I mentioned earlier, if you still think you need it, heck, just earn it). 

How, I am sure you are asking.  Superior technology?  Selling the ‘next big thing’ in electronics?  Some sort of esoteric magical self-improvement formula gimmick?  Multi-level marketing of magic berry diet pulls.  Writing eBooka about writing eBooks? 

Nope .. take a look here at their online store.  They sell wedding linens.  Yep, handkerchiefs and such with the fancy trappings that go with a formal wedding.  Not only are they doing this (sales up 70% during the so-called ‘global financial crisis’), but, although they seem to be happy living where they are, I don’t see a single thing that would prevent them from running their established business from the Philippines instead of the US.  (actually, since I have a suspicion many of their products are made in Asia anyway, they might even have an advantage in being based here).  I may cover that in another article.

I recommend their blog, it is very informative and has lots of actionable thoughts … the step by step story of how they built their business from ‘zero’ to ‘hero’.  I particularly liked this post, Five Reasons To Quit Your Job.  Enjoy.

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As always, another week with many searches and private inquiries about starting a business in the Philippines has come and gone.  I refer many people to this fellow, Rudolf Kotik at Philippine Franchise Opportunities.  I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting personally with Rudolf, but he’s a friend of a friend and a long term, legitimate businessman here in the Philippines.

One area of opportunity Rudolf always has new opportunities in is the food cart business … there’s about 10 new offers listed since the last time I checked.

When I go to the mall I always see lines at certain kiosk or pushcart vendors, rain or shine (by the way, it’s hard for Americans and even for some Filipinos to believe, but there is no ‘global economic crisis’ here in the Philippines.  The Philippine’s GDP is higher than ever, second highest in Asia I believe, remittances from overseas workers are up substantially since last year, so if you don’t think there are people in the Philippines lining up to buy food (with the right taste and for the right price) then you would be sadly mistaken.

Another item that often catches my attention is hamburgers.  Even though few would ever list hamburgers when making lists of Filipino favorite foods, Filipinos consume a lot of them.  On the short trip (2 lm or so) from my house to the nearest mall (which has at least 10 different hamburger outlets itself, including Jollibee, the hottest food business in Asia), I pass at least a dozen local “hole in the wall” mom and pop hamburger places, as well as one of these franchises, Burger Machine.  (I particularly like Burger Machine because the outlets are built on a trailer, if you pick a bad location, just find a different spot to try and any jeepney could tow your business there in an hour for a few Pesos).

On that same trip to the mall I pass a large high school and the street in front of that school when it in session is absolutely packed with food vendor stands and puss carts and, what else, teenagers buying food.  Anyone who ever raised a teen knows what that market is all about.

But you know what I see very few of?  Hotdog vendors.  Filipinos love hot dogs.  The meat cooler section in local super markets is just jammed with a bewildering assortment of hot dog and things that masquerade as hot dogs … way more variety than you’d find in the US. 

Many brands are cheap … a key planning factor when thinking about a potential business.  If burger machine can make good money all over Luzon selling hamburgers for P20 or less, I know an energetic person could make money selling hot dogs at P10 or less … profit margins could be even higher, considering the cost of cheap dogs versus the cost of ground beef.

My dear wife (who knows a lot about business and marketing here in the Philippines) has told me in the past she doesn’t think hotdogs … from a vendor, on a bun, American style will sell well here.  Maybe she’s right, I don’t routinely bet against her.

But on the other hand, I think she could be wrong.  Ready made market.  Low startup costs. High profit margins.  Low-skill preparation, etc.  All sorts of good predicates to a successful business are here except one primary one I could think of … marketing.

I have bought many a hot fog in the US, but you know what?  I don’t even care for them all that much.  But with the right presentation, marketing ploys and so on I have certainly bought my share and very likely you have too.

I am very taken by this fellow’s outlook on life , his down to earth business competency and his “all in one” knowledge practice and his very reasonable (fully refundable as well) a veritable “masters degree in hotdog-ology”.

If you are really interested in starting a business in the Philippines, especially if you are in the low-investment low-risk area of interest (aren’t we all), I think you could do a lot worse than to get this course and study it seriously, especially the marketing principals.  There are ways of making people want that hot dog now, it’s not just a matter of having hot dogs available and hoping someone will buy.

This course is not specifically geared to the the Philippines, but 90% of his business ideas translate directly from what I can see.  And in general, no one in the Philippines really knows how to market hot dogs this way, anyhow.

A heck of a lot less risk and chance of failure than the perennial “Internet cafe” query.  A much more “meaty” idea in my view. Hot Dog Cash, a paid, non-political announcement

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