In early 2010, I migrated to the Middle East to start working as an auditor and business process consultant for a Saudi steel company and its subsidiaries. The benefits offered was overwhelming that I thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to hone my craft overseas while having the privilege to bring my family with me.
A few months later, the law for labor localization in Saudi Arabia was implemented. This prompted me to start a few business startups in the Philippines that would help provide new sources of income for my family in case my contract abroad expires.
All of a sudden, I realized that I would need to manage my online and offline businesses remotely since my overseas job contract was renewed for another 3 years.
Good thing there were several digital tools and hacks that helped me to start and manage both my online and brick-and-mortar businesses even through I was away from home.
Hiring The Right People Using Online Assessment Tools
When you are unsure of the people you are about to hire while you are abroad, you can let them take a personality test using Kolbe. This assessment tool will significantly help you in determining whether the person you are hiring is a good fit for your business.
If you are looking for a new assistant or a marketing person, have your candidates take this test and be confident that you are building your dream team even though you are out of the country.
You can also take a look at other personality profiling tools like StrengthsFinder or MBTI.
Documenting Tasks and Processes
When I started running my businesses remotely, I did literally everything on my own in spite of having volunteers and staff available anytime back home.
Eventually, I realized that simplifying everything you do by delegating will do the trick to make your business grow. One program that I tried is called Basecamp. This online tool made it easier for me and my team to organize tasks, visualize objectives, create a process or upload a video or presentation that explains each task to do.
Aside from Basecamp, another tool that has helped me during my collaboration with my staff and officers is Slack. It’s a web app where you and your team can collaborate and share important information anytime right from the very first hour of your business day.
Time-Ins and Meetings
Obviously, you are out of the country. But that is no excuse for you to keep in touch with your team back home.
It’s also important to have frequent face-to-face time-ins just to ensure that your employees are not missing things or overlooking any other pending project.
That’s where my GoToMeeting video conferencing tool contributes immensely in this kind of situation. Using GoToMeeting (and the bundled GoToWebinar), my team and I can have some face time, share presentations and reports on screen with anyone from the team in real-time.
Cloud File-Sharing and Storage
Two of the most popular cloud storage providers today are Dropbox and Google Drive. Although these two are both effective in terms of productivity, I have chosen Google Drive to store most of my files for sharing to my staff and co-officers.
By using any of these online file-sharing and storage facilities, sending emails with large attachments and waiting for forever before your staff receives them is minimized.
Of course, you can maximize its other benefits as well such as using the Sync function where you can transfer files to another computer or smartphone or do file edits in collaboration with other users in your team.
Payment and Collection Gateways
When paying suppliers and contractors or collecting payments from customers, you can actually easily use your online banking facilities via their web or phone apps. However, disclosing your credit card and bank details in the internet can expose you to hackers and fraudsters.
Since most of my businesses are online, I always use PayPal when transacting with customers and suppliers. In some cases, I use DragonPay for bigger transactions to save on fees. Using PayPal and DragonPay protects your buyer and you as a merchant.
Buyers can rely on a much more secure online transacting environment while merchants are protected against fraud involving easily-stolen credit cards.
Filing and Paying Taxes Online
One of the most critical responsibilities in the life of a Filipino entrepreneur is paying the right taxes to the Philippine government.
If you are an OFW, the income you are earning abroad is tax-exempt. But the business you established in the Philippines are not. And this can be quite challenging in the past since you need to be back home very often to settle your tax dues.
But a local startup called Taxumo has changed the color of the game by providing an online facility for OFWs to pay their taxes.
Taxumo solves all your tax worries by saving you time and effort so you can stop worrying about going to the Philippines to pay your taxes and focus instead on your work abroad and your passion. It does this by providing business registration /renewal services + easy automated tax filing for self-employed individuals, professionals and businesses.
Today’s Technology is Simply Awesome
There was a lot of kidding going around our business community as to whether I am a real person, a bot, or just a figment of their imagination. I never got to meet most of my staff and volunteers I recruited in 2013 in person until two years later during one of the biggest events in the Philippines which I also co-organized virtually when I was abroad.
If I tried running a brick and mortar business before 2010, there is surely no assurance that I could accomplish everything as I can today.
Today’s technology is simply awesome that you can get in touch with your team, share client files, do conference calls, or record video and sync it with your team’s inboxes for easy messaging.
With these tools, you can almost run your business completely without even being there physically.
Technology Isn’t The Lone Cure-All Solution
Using tools and apps may help you in running a business while abroad. But expecting your business to thrive in this situation requires more than just technology.
Remember that there are far more important factors to consider in order for you to successfully manage your business as an OFW.
This includes communicating clearly and more often with your team members, leveraging partnerships with other entrepreneurs, and creating and maintaining good professional relationships with your employees, your suppliers, and your clients.
A Reminder To Get Your Business Registered and Pay Taxes On Time
If you are an OFW who has already started a business or a Balikbayan who’s planning to launch a startup company and have not been registered yet, then it’s high-time that you get registered soon and file your taxes with the help of Taxumo.
Taxumo is an online tax app that lets you FOCUS on your passion, and stop WORRYING about Business Registration & Taxes. It does this by providing business registration / renewal services + easy automated tax filing for self-employed individuals, professionals and businesses.
Learn more at taxumo.com and sign up for free. Use my code Rock2RichesPH and get Php 100 off from your first tax filing.
Rock your way to abundance!
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