Before getting married and moving to Iloilo, Trixie Reyna-Benedicto was at the helm of major websites in the Philippines. Today, she tells us how she found a new calling as a freelancer and how she juggles work, married life, and giving back to her new community.

Before launching my own blog and embarking on remote work full time, I started my publishing career as the Managing Editor of FemaleNetwork.com back in 2008 before being tapped to create Cosmopolitan Philippines’ digital platform, Cosmo.ph. After serving four years as the founding editor, in 2012 I transferred to TV5, where I was editor-in-chief of the TV network’s lifestyle portal, Kristn.com, and its subsequent iteration, Hitlist.ph, which has since been merged into the entertainment portal, TV5.com.ph.

I was still working at TV5 when I decided to launch my own lifestyle blog, trixiereyna.com, back in 2013 so I can create my own content about topics close to my heart: travel, food, beauty, fashion, fitness, entertainment, and everything fun in between. It was an opportune decision to eventually go freelance and become a full-time blogger at the start of 2015 because I got into a long-distance relationship at that time. As long as I had internet connection wherever I go, I could update my blog and meet deadlines for clients even as I traveled more frequently to see my then boyfriend (now my husband).

The Start Of My Freelance Career

Aside from my blog, I have been writing and editing stories and copy for a number of local and foreign websites like Deal Grocer’s DG Traveler online magazine and print publications like Speed Magazine, among others, since 2015. I also write press releases and articles for a number of corporate clients and PR agencies.

Because of my experience in building websites and social media teams from the ground up, I sometimes do consulting work for clients who need help creating or improving their websites and social media presence.

When I got married in December 2017, I packed up my life in Metro Manila and moved to a remote farm in Iloilo province an hour away from the city, so there’s really no other option for me but to continue to do remote work. Clients email me assignments, and I send my deliverables via email as well. I still fly to Manila almost every month to attend events, business meetings, and gather material for my blog.

How I Discovered A New Calling

Living in the province and working remotely from my husband’s family farm (where we live) an hour away from Iloilo City, I discovered a new calling: helping promote Iloilo province through my blog, social media, and my writing assignments, as well as giving back to our rural community through outreach activities, especially for school kids. My husband and I are both into this, and we’re constantly thinking of ways we can help out the community.

My husband has also been encouraging me to help out in his business by creating some sort of system or filing for his company’s output. He’s currently following the ways that have been set by his dad before him: everything, quite literally, on paper. We’re both trying to create soft copies of everything, at least on Excel spreadsheets for his own records. It may take a while to implement the use of spreadsheets to the rest of his employees, but I’m positive we’ll get there.

The Most Challenging Part: It’s A One-Woman Show

When I have too many projects overlapping, I sometimes have a hard time balancing them with household chores and spending time with my husband. It’s easier when I only have my blog to update, but when I write for several clients, all with strict deadlines, it’s harder to find time to cook better meals, do household chores, or run errands in the middle of the day—not to mention squeeze in a workout.

My business is a one-woman show, whether as a blogger, as a freelance writer and editor, or as a content consultant. I write and edit articles, shoot and edit photos and videos, post on social media, handle sales and marketing (including creating rate cards), attend meetings and events, and manage finances all by myself. When I was working for a company, I worked with different teams for all of that!

While I have more control over my time as a freelancer, I also have to answer to a lot more people than I used to as an employee—with no leaves! On days I feel sick, I find it hard to ask clients for a deadline extension so I can rest; if I were employed, I would have taken a sick leave.

I sometimes miss the structure of the corporate world: having an actual workspace in an actual office building, having a 9-to-6 schedule, having a team to work with, and primarily knowing I’ll get a paycheck every 15th and 30th of the month. Every so often, I’d consider going back to full-time employment, and at one point in my freelance career, I did—when I took on the role of social media head for Coca-Cola. It didn’t take very long for me to realize that once you start freelancing, it’s really hard not to miss the freedom, flexibility, and potentially bigger income it could afford one.

So when the going gets tough, I just remind myself that I’m blessed to have the flexibility to do what I want, choose projects, work whenever I want to, take breaks when I want to, and earn within the confines of my home or wherever it is I choose to set up my trusty 11-inch MacBook Air, connect to the internet, and earn a living remotely—sometimes all I need is my iPhone 8 Plus and Globe Telecom’s strong mobile internet connection.

A Remote Career Requires Grit

I believe having a remote career is not for everybody. Honestly, I’m still uncertain whether it truly is for me or if I’m in it just because my circumstances dictated I get into it. I’m not even doing it for the money; I’m doing it to keep busy, to keep sane, to have something for myself.

I can’t confidently say my kind of remote work is the most stable form of earning income, so if you can’t afford to not have a stable income or the security of a full-time job, you might want to rethink doing similar remote work. That said, starting a remote career or business involves a lot of introspection (Is it for me? Why am I really doing this? Am I just getting out of responsibilities? Do I have any other better options? Can I commit to this?), determination, commitment, and most of all, grit.

Personally, I’d say don’t do it for the money. Do it because you’re passionate about it and can only see yourself doing this. Do it because it gives you purpose and meaning. Without this kind of motivation, you might not last long in this kind of business.

Interested in working with hundreds of experts like Trixie?
Check out Connected Women Jobs!