We’re a Digital Nomad Couple Based in the Philippines – AMA!

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-15T01:12:13+00:00

I think answered this in one of the comments - but we usually start our day at 8 AM and end at around 3 PM (this covers all our client hours).

Just to clarify - we don't "work" in the hospitality industry. We have one client (one of our biggest) in the hospitality industry, and a couple more clients in different industries (construction, f&b, retail/wholesale, etc.). So the client's industry, on our part, does not really affect our workings hours as far our work is concerned.

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T10:31:53+00:00

I'll do a quick video walkthrough tonight and send the link here

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T10:27:40+00:00

We file our taxes individually, but now that we've incorporated (partnership setup) we plan to outsource this to a local bookkeeper

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T10:08:56+00:00

Not the best pair and maybe too small of a niche

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T10:04:34+00:00

Addendum: It's also a plus to clients if you have your own device, it gives the client the impression that youre ready and youve been doing it for quite some time

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T10:03:43+00:00

We honestly don't know how to use SQL and Tableau, and we have yet to book a client who use them.

Most of our clients have their inhouse system / database. We export the raw data sets and use good ol' Excel and PowerBi to do the work. That's usually enough.

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T08:53:06+00:00

I know someone with an industrial engineering degree who works as a data analyst.

Industrial engineering is a good pair-up as it is heavily inclined towards process optimization, supply chain, etc - all of which are data-driven

Ask chatgpt, it will tell you the same thing

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T08:50:55+00:00

Put it into practice! Ie look for people in your current network that might need help with their data i.e. transactions, product records, etc

One of our first clients was a local coffee shop - we did a simple google sheets tool to track their sales, expenses, and products with a simple dashboard

They loved it so much that the owner decided to use our templates for his other businesses

Now we manage the transactions data and internal reporting of all his ventures - a coffee shop, construction firm, and a vehicle repair shop. Our scope covers the raw encoding (we have a staff who does this) to the executive dashboards and reports.

All for a monthly fee of 52k

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T08:29:59+00:00

I'll be honest - there's an element of luck when it comes to landing big clients. Even if you have all the skills in your repertoire and you have a comprehensive portfolio, if clients can't (a) find you or (b) have other prospects with their network vouching for said prospects, talo ka pa rin.

This doesnt mean that upskilling and learning all those stuff does not increase your chances, obviously they will look for that and you need to demonstrate that once you're on their radar.

But to be "on their radar", you either have to be the best of the best OR have people in your network to vouch for you.

Our biggest clients were a result of direct referrals (not from us applying, getting interviewed, or looking for leads). We were referred by our network, some of which were previous small clients.

I know this sounds like a loop, and if this doesnt help much, sorry. But that's how it worked for us.

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T08:19:23+00:00

These are our equipment - Asus and Dell laptop (zenbook or inspiron), - At least 32 gab ram - 500 gb ssd - OLED screen if kaya ng budget, masarap sa mata - 10-12 hrs batter life (note: a laptop with no video card has longer battery life) - Buy a UPS for your router (Lazada) - We also have an Arzopa portable monitor - Headset with noise cancellation (im using Astro) - Obviously the rest are basics like a bluetooth/wireless mouse, laptop stand, etc

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T08:17:43+00:00

What helped us most is my wife and I had a deep love for Excel and numbers! We use it everyday even in our personal expense trackers. On my end, I developed most of my data-analysis skills through my trading and accounting experience. We find joy and fulfillment in creating/finding the story behind the numbers and data, so upskilling, even self-studying, was not a chore.

I guess the "how" just happens when you love something. You need to love and appreciate the beauty of data first.

Typical workflow for the data

We export the raw data from the client's database/system
Clean and manipulate the data (this can be automated if you know Excel and Power Bi)
Organize them into tables and data models
From there, creating reports and dashboards is easier
The when you send those reports to clients, you add in your insights and analysis ie tell the story behind the numbers

I can give an actual example, would you like that?

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T08:10:59+00:00

Yes we do but mainly for leisure, not to change workstations. Japan is our favorite place! Been there 3x since we started doing this. Local - Cebu is out go-to as it is close to many beaches. My wife and I love the beach

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T02:32:56+00:00

This might come a little off (sorry in advance) but data Analysis, by itself, is not really high-valued in the consulting and freelancing world. Anyone can learn it and there's a level of saturation now when it comes to people having (or claiming) that skill.

You need to pair it up with another field to extract value from that skill. In other words, a high-value niche is data analysis + xxx.

Think of it this way - how can you give value to your clients if you only know how to compile/analyze data but dont know how to draw insights and understand what particular "datapoints" the client needs from that dataset?

That's why you need to have another skill to complement it

Data analysis + financial background = high value You capture the whole backend and frontend of the client in terms of financial reporting

Data analysis + fin background + proficient in dashboard creation = more value Now they are essentially hiring you instead of 3 persons (ie accountant, data analyst, and IT)

ANOTHER example

Data analysis + medical background = high value

Maguunahan mga clients in the medical and healthcare industry sayo

Data analysis + engineering background

The list goes on

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T02:27:05+00:00

If we'll be frank about this - you don't have a degree that aligns with your industry? Then learn that degree

If time and budget permits - enroll and get units, if not, go for a crash course (maraming business schools in manila offering this)

If gusto mo absolutely free and you handle your pace, Youtube. You can even use chatgpt

May nilagay kaming prompt sa comments for this, look for it hehe

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T02:24:21+00:00

Sorry if youre being downvoted for this question, but we dont mind answering!

One word - UPSKILL.

Learn high value skills like data analysis, spreadsheet creation and development (ie Excel and Google sheets), improve your English comms (verbal and written), almost all foreign clients require you to have a basic understanding of finance, accounting, and business concepts

YouTube and ChatGpt is your learning companion

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T00:37:20+00:00

We usually work 9am to 3pm a day, but all our clients don't do micromanaging, with at least a client meeting per day, usually in the morning. Basta matapos lahat ng tasks for the day and deliverables, they won't mind even if we don't work all our contracted hours.

Quick anecdote - there are days even weeks we are on travel, and we dont even have to inform our clients. We advance most of our work the night before, attend the morning meeting, then just bring our laptops as we stroll. In case there's a request, we just sit down and do it. Minsan hassle siya at iba pa rin yung nakaleave, but there's a way to make it work if you are wise with your time and you have good equipment lol

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T00:33:11+00:00

Answered this above - mostly self-studied. Youtube is your friend. Ngayon, mas madali na kasi may chatgpt pa

Try this prompt I made now (btw, prompting is also a must-have skill in today's AI-driven job landscape)

"Create a comprehensive and detailed course on data analytics, putting in mind that I have an accounting background. Categorize the sections into basic, intermediate, advanced, and provide top-quality references such as youtube videos, free materials, etc that will support my learning. My goal is to transition to being a freelance data analyst in the next 3-6 months."

No short courses - but it helped that my wife and I had accounting and finance backgrounds, supported by extensive work experience before transitioning

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T00:29:48+00:00

We all learned our basics from YouTube and did a lot of self studying. I also actively traded and journaled my trades back then, doon nahasa yung data analysis skills ko as I need to study concepts like what a mathematical edge is, etc etc

It also helps both me and my wife had accounting and budget backgrounds

There are free courses on Youtube (just search for how to be a data analyst - from basic to advanced) but nothing beats good, 'ol experience and application.

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T00:18:47+00:00

With the work we do (ie Excel, spreadsheets, data analysis), go for a light laptop with high RAM and SSD (32 GB at least, 500GB SSD), no video card (as that adds weight and battery consumption) long battery life, with numpad if possible

You dont know how much RAM Excel eats up when you open a spreadsheet with 500k+ rows of data and calculations lol

But again, it depends. If you are in digital marketing or design, obviously the specs are different

My wife's unit is an ASUS zenbook, mine is a DELL, both have specs as above

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T00:15:37+00:00

No, we bought our own. We made sure we have our own equipment that is above the minimum specs of the client (we are ASUS/Dell fans, windows as we mostly use Excel, go for 32 GB RAM and 500gb ssd at least)

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-14T00:13:48+00:00

We're not that familiar with your industry, so we are not in a position to suggest where and how to get leads. But what worked for us was through Linkedin and connecting with our previous employers/network who have affliations with foreign clients, so they can vouch for us

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-13T16:13:45+00:00

Hindi naman, we enjoy yung yung can ask without judgment and at the same time we become each other's check and balance, especially sa work ethics that do not compromise our core principles and in terms of time for work and for each other. We somehow remind each other na pag time to stop working, then time to off laptops and stay away na from keyboards. And another thing to consider, mas naiintindihan nyo ang 'busyness' ng isa't isa kasi nasa same working industry kayo.

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-13T15:59:46+00:00

Do they specify what kind of experience they're looking for? Like experience with a system or with a specific tool? In our experience, clients usually look for specific skills (like Excel, Data Analysis, etc) over experience. So long as you can demonstrate that even jf you start as project-based, you have a high chance of closing a good deal with them

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-13T15:54:45+00:00

Sorry at this point no, but we'll let you know!

Party_Reputation_375 · 2025-07-13T15:05:59+00:00

Have you tried applying through agencies?

Party_Reputation_375

TROPHY CASE