Work Experience
From SEO Link Builder to Unicorn VA: My 17-Year Work-from-Home Journey
A friend told me about onlinejobs.ph in 2009, which was the start of my online job journey. I made a profile and started applying since I was curious and wanted to make money. I wasn’t sure what to write in my bio, so I exaggerated my skills somewhat, like many new people do, in the hopes that someone would offer me a chance.
I can still remember my first Skype interview well. I was initially concerned that the interview would be quite formal, but it actually turned out to be a friendly conversation. He asked me about SEO, which I wasn’t very knowledgeable about at the time, but I had enough blogging experience to get by. He hired me right away, which surprised me. My first job was basic: every day, I had to write comments on other sites. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a start.
From Virtual Assistant to E-commerce Support
Someone got in touch with me about a virtual assistant job about six months later through onlinejobs.ph. I learned about WordPress and a whole new set of tools and ways to work. My boss was willing to work with me, helped me, and trained me. That freedom let me go to school, work, and even play games online while still taking on extra short-term freelancing jobs.
Over the years, I’ve done many different jobs, like SEO, updating blogs, doing research, managing social media, and answering emails. But the most exciting change came when I started working with Shopify and e-commerce.
Expanding My Skills as a Social Media Manager
Along with SEO and VA work, I was also a social media manager for a consulting firm that helped businesses expand their online presence for more than five years. I worked on a lot of social media accounts for businesses in many different fields, from lifestyle and beauty to real estate and tech.
I used tools like social media schedulers, generated branded and captivating content, ran sponsored advertising, answered DMs, comments, and messages, and made sure that every post sounded like the client’s brand. It was a fast-paced yet rewarding job that taught me how to adjust to diverse audiences, keep track of engagement, and manage content calendars for many platforms at once.
That experience helped me pay more attention to the little things and taught me even more about how digital marketing and engagement work together. I continue to utilize these skills today.
My E-Commerce Experience: From Product Listings to Customer Support
As a Unicorn VA, I’ve helped set up and run several Shopify companies, many of which use dropshipping. I did everything, from setting up stores and making product categories to writing descriptions that were suitable for SEO and uploading photos and listings that were optimized. I took care of every store as if it were my own, paying special attention to the little things and making sure the branding and customer experience were always in sync. I also helped customers by email and live chat, answering their questions and keeping a friendly and helpful tone. I worked with several marketplaces, mostly in Australia and New Zealand. The work provided me a lot of experience with how foreign e-commerce platforms work.
Those experiences made me more sure of my ability to run online stores and know what sells in diverse areas. The experience made me open my stores in the Philippines through Shopee and Lazada. I continue to study how local customers behave and how to set prices effectively. Although I’ve deactivated my Shopee and Lazada accounts for now, I still plan to reopen them soon—most likely after attending the Canton Trade Fair this October of 2025, which has been repeatedly postponed over the past two years due to unforeseen events.
As an introvert, I’ve learned that working from home is the greatest thing for me. Talking to strangers makes me uncomfortable, and occasionally I even panic during job interviews. As a result, I have missed opportunities for positions that I genuinely desired, despite my confidence in my ability to perform tasks that typically require the efforts of two or three individuals. Some people close to me frequently tell me to leave my comfort zone to grow, but I personally believe that I can grow while working from the comfort of my home and that I am constantly out of my comfort zone by taking new tasks that I am not familiar with, tools and challenges.
Where I Am Now
I’m truly thankful to all of my past employers for believing in me, teaching me, and helping me grow into the person I am today. I owe them a lot for everything I’ve learned and every problem I’ve solved.
My friend and I signed up for a two-week training and internship in medical billing last June. It’s a niche in which I have never worked. Am I going to change jobs? I don’t know yet. But I do know one thing: I really like working from home. I’d love to keep expanding in the e-commerce business if I could. It’s a field where I feel most motivated, challenged, and fulfilled.
Why I Choose Working from Home
It’s not just the job; it’s the way of life that matters. I enjoyed the freedom to set my own schedule, the variety of jobs available, the constant opportunity to learn new things, and the opportunity to work in an environment where I felt comfortable. Working from home has been my main source of income since I was in college. After I graduated, I never really wanted to follow the usual job route that went along with my degree. Working from home may not provide me the same sense of security and stability as a regular job, but it does give me what I really wanted: the freedom and growth on my terms.
In this field, you can’t always count on having a job. However, if you have motivation, dedication, and a willingness to learn, the opportunities are truly limitless. I didn’t have any distinct skills at first; I just had willpower. I worked diligently, learned rapidly, and took in everything I learned along the way. I’m still learning, growing, and looking forward to what’s next.