How Some “Smart” Unemployed Pinoys Get By and Survive During the COVID-19 Pandemic

August 4, 2020

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With so many Filipinos now staying home in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the way we all work is changing before our very eyes. There are those who can work from home without any problems – as long as their companies continue operating. Yet, there are others who can’t. They are the ones who are now frantically looking for other ways to make money.

Many people have started side hustles while in COVID-19 lockdown. A side hustle can provide that extra bit of income to help you get by and survive until life returns to normal. For others, what starts as a side hustle for generating extra income could eventually become a very profitable full-time business.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, many Filipinos are looking for side hustles, work-from-home opportunities, and alternative revenue streams to help them earn extra money or cover day-to-day expenses. Below, we list down some ways that smart unemployed Pinoys get by and survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. This list includes online and work-from-home opportunities that Filipinos have gotten involved with.

Creating and Selling Goods
One of the most common types of side hustles is creating and selling goods. Many creative and artistic Pinoys have used their talents and hobbies (e.g. knitting, jewelry making, baking, etc.) to start a profitable business. Some have started selling baked goods, handcrafted accessories, and other goods on Facebook, Instagram, BigBuyBay, Shopee, Lazada, and other platforms.
Food and Grocery Delivery Services
Now, more than ever, there is a great need for food delivery. The COVID-19 outbreak is giving a lot of Filipinos new opportunities to work as delivery drivers. Between restaurants, grocery stores, and all sorts of retail venues, delivery drivers are highly in demand right now. Many Filipino motorbike owners are doing this as a side hustle – some drivers are signing-up as self-employed contractors making deliveries for JAS Intermodal Logistics, Grab Food, Food Panda Delivery, and Lalamove. Others have established their own delivery company and are creating their own hours – they deliver goods and groceries when there’s a need for their services.

The Rise of Online Resellers and Work-From-Home Online Work Force

The advent of internet technology has helped a lot to most of the internet savvy Pinoys to get-by on the unemployment impact of covid-19. Enterprising “smart” internet savvy Pinoys are now doing business online on the following platforms.

Affiliate Marketing
The internet has given rise to all sorts of business that didn’t exist a few decades ago – affiliate marketing is one of them. Affiliate marketing is a type of advertising model that depends on cooperation between top-level companies and third-party marketers.
As an affiliate marketer, you would use your online resources to sell the services or products of some other company. You would be compensated for every sale through a commission. Your success lies in how well you market the products that you represent. Does affiliate marketing really help you make a profit? According to statistics, 15% of all e-commerce revenue is generated by affiliate marketing!
Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money through the Internet here in the Philippines. Some of the top affiliate programs in the Philippines include Involve Asia, ZALORA Affiliate Partner Program, and The Affiliate Gateway – just to name a few.
Online Reseller Business
Shopping sites like BigBuyBay, Lazada, Shopee, eBay, and Amazon can be a gold mine if you like selling and reselling. You can start listing items for sale within minutes of signing up, and listing fees tend to be quite reasonable. Many profitable Filipino online resellers started out working a side hustle that turned in to a big business.

There are different ways to approach online selling and reselling. For instance, some Pinoys sell their own products online (e.g. handcrafted jewelry, original soap, etc.). On the other hand, others choose to become resellers. As a reseller, you are not making your own products; instead, you are listing products you acquire from other sources.
Contact us if you want to start an online reseller business.
Freelance Writing
In today’s digital era, freelance writing has become a good source of income for many Filipinos. Many Filipino content writers make a full-time living churning out news articles, blog posts, social media content, and all sorts of online content. It is not as easy as it sounds, but earning good money as a freelance writer is entirely possible if you have good writing skills. The tricky thing about being a freelance writer is finding the right avenue. You can go about it in different ways:
- Blogging.
  Many Filipinos have started their own blogs. When starting a blog, you can write about whatever interests you – then pitch your blogs to advertisers who are willing to pay to place ads on your website.
- Writing Services.
  You can work as a home-based writer for different companies. Or, you can sign up for platforms like Writers.ph, Freelancer.com, Writers Labs, and other such services.
- Guest Posting.
  There are many websites that offer writers the opportunity to produce paid guest posts.
- Feature Articles.
  Monthly periodicals, newspapers, and websites are always looking for relevant, quality content. Pick a few and pitch your article ideas. You can make a decent amount of money if you pitch the right ideas to the right publications.
Online Courses
Many Filipinos who are considered as experts in their fields, or have pursued a specific hobby for years, have amassed enough information to pass on to others – they do so through online courses. The point of an online course is to teach others what you already know.
Maybe you are very good at designing websites and want to share your knowledge with others. Maybe you are very good at managing finances to the extent that you live nearly debt-free. There are a lot of people who would love to know how you got to where you are with your skills and knowledge. Once you choose a topic you would like to teach online, you can present it through written content, audio files, YouTube videos, and so on.
Dropshipping
Many Filipinos have gotten into the dropshipping business. Essentially, dropshipping is an order fulfillment method that allows entrepreneurs to start an online business and sell products to their buyers without actually stocking the items themselves. Instead, when a dropshipping entrepreneur sells a product, they purchase the item directly from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. Interested in starting a dropshipping business in the Philippines? Here’s a quick guide to help you get started:
- Choose a dropshipping business idea.
  What niche do you want to be in? What products or services do you want to sell?
- Do your research.
  Once you identify the market you want to enter, do your research. Educate yourself on who your potential competitors are, what they sell, and how they sell it.
- Find a reputable supplier.
  Choose a reputable supplier that has the products that you want to sell.
- Choose your sales platform.
  Build offline and online platforms where you can market, advertise, and sell your products. Your online platforms may include your own ecommerce website, Facebook pages, and even blogs which integrate your online store. Your online platforms may include direct promotions to relatives and friends.
Do Online Surveys
Did you know that you can earn money from answering surveys? Many Filipinos are earning extra income through this method. Right from the comfort of your couch, you could be earning money from answering surveys on websites, such as Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars, iSurvey World, and more!
Virtual Assistant Services
One of the most popular freelance gigs in the Philippines is working as a Virtual Assistant (VA). Compared to other online jobs where the client will pay you on a per-project basis, working as a VA is more like a regular job where the employer will most likely hire you for a definite period of time.
A VA is a self-employed worker – either part-time or full-time – who specializes in offering administrative services to clients from a remote location, usually from a home office. Typical tasks a VA might perform include making travel arrangements, managing email accounts, social media management, scheduling appointments, and more. Some Filipino virtual assistants even specialize in offering blog writing, marketing, graphic design, and bookkeeping services.
Becoming a virtual assistant in the Philippines is easy! First, visit a website like OnlineJobs.ph, Task Bullet, Virtual Staff Finder, or VirtualStaff.ph – these are Philippine online job websites dedicated to connecting Filipino VAs with businesses and employers from around the world. Then, create an account and go apply directly for virtual assistant jobs.
Start a Subscription Box Business
Did you know? The online subscription box industry grew by more than 100% over the course of just five years! That impressive growth has led to the emergence of new direct-to-consumer brands targeting this niche. Essentially, subscription boxes are physical and recurring deliveries of specific products which are packaged with the goal of offering consumers additional value and a unique experience, on top of the actual product contained within each box. You can start a subscription business from home. Here is a quick step-by-step guide to help you launch your subscription box business.
- Find a niche that you are interested in.
  Educate yourself about the competition, target audience, and growth prospects in that field.
- Research and price your products right.
  Do some research and closely examine the budget for your subscription box business. See how you can make a profit without pricing your subscription box too high.
- Create a sample box.
  Create a sample subscription box to find out what packing materials to use, what box dimensions and packaging design looks good, and how best they will be packaged when the customer receives them.
- Create a website.
  Create a website with engaging content about your company – this should include eye-catching images, links to your social media channels, and a simple buying and checkout process.
- Market your subscription box business.
  Start marketing your subscription box business through blogs, social media posts, and paid advertising campaigns.

Conclusion

Thousands of Filipinos infected. Millions of lost jobs. We are currently living in uncertain times with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. During times like this, our faith can be challenged, and it can be difficult to see how we can recover from the health and economic devastation it has caused.

However, despite the uncertainty, fear, and challenges that this pandemic has brought to our country, we are staying strong. Filipinos are a resilient people. The greatest minds in the world are working feverishly to solve the COVID-19 problem, and all the resources necessary to combat the virus have been made available.

Contact us if you want to start an online reseller business.

There is nothing that Filipinos cannot overcome. This too shall pass.

“We have a chance to do something extraordinary. As we head out of this pandemic we can change the world. Create a world of love. A world where we are kind to each other. A world where we are kind no matter what class, race, sexual orientation, what religion or lack of or what job we have. A world we don’t judge those at the food bank because that may be us if things were just slightly different. Let love and kindness be our roadmap.” – Johnny Corn

Contact us if you want to start an online reseller business.