Seth: Hey folks, how's it going? Thanks for being here with me today. This is the REtipster podcast. I am Seth Williams. This is episode 232. And today I'm doing something a little different than I've ever done before.

So back in March of this year, I was at a mastermind event in Orlando with about a dozen other land investors. And two of the guys there were Mike Balcom, my business partner and co-founder of Stride CRM, and Meir Shemtov, who is another land investor I've interviewed a couple of times in the past. And we were just sitting around talking about the people on our teams and how we find good talent and how we manage our teams and create the right culture. And these things can be a big challenge, especially when everyone on your team is remote and most of them are from other countries and cultures around the world.

And as we were talking about this stuff, we kept coming back to one of Mike's star team players. Her name is Imee. And Imee is Mike's executive assistant or EA. And she lives in the Philippines and she's not your average EA. She's like a cut above the rest. And most people think of a VA as, you know, maybe a person in the Philippines or some other country overseas with a laptop working out of their house, getting paid four or five dollars an hour. They might do things like, you know, manage your social media or post property listings or do data entry or check your email inbox.

And Imee can do all of that, but she can do a lot more. And if you were to make an all-star team with all the best executive assistants, she would be like the star player on that all-star team. And according to Mike, a better job title for her would be more like "Magical Wizard that keeps his life in order." She's like the best of the best, almost like a business partner in that she knows everything about Mike's life.

And I wanted to interview Imee because, first of all, I don't have anyone like her on my team right now who has access to everything and can do everything. And for that matter, I also don't know that many other people who have somebody quite like Imee. And Imee has a unique perspective because she understands the needs of a high-level business owner.

But she also understands the needs and wants of employees, the executive assistants and the virtual assistants in places like the Philippines, Pakistan, Central America and India and other places. And she's actually Mike's team lead now, which means she finds and plays a really key role in hiring just about everyone on Mike's team. So she knows what Mike wants and she knows how to find the right people for the team and how to manage them and keep them motivated. And in some ways, she understands each team member in a way that Mike doesn't, because she is a team member, but she's also a leader in the company.

Finding and hiring and managing and motivating team members is something almost all of us will need to do at some point if we're not doing it right now. Whether we're hiring independent contractors for temporary jobs or long-term full-time team members to run entire arms of our business. Whether those team members are domestic workers in the U.S. or overseas VAs in another country, Imee has a lot of knowledge about how to find the right people and how to manage them, how to motivate them, and how to get the best out of them. Some of this boils down to just basic human relations and management, but another part of it has to do with the specifics of running a real estate investing business with people in other countries doing a lot of the legwork for you. Imee has a ton of insights into this. She's got a perspective that not many other people have and I wanted to spend some time just talking with her so that I can better understand how to find and manage and motivate people who I hire for the various roles in my business.

And hopefully you can learn a lot from this too. So now that you understand the basics of who Imee is and why I'm talking to her, let's jump into the interview.

Hey Imee, welcome. How's it going?

Imee: Hey, Seth. Everything's going well. First off, thank you so much for having me here. I'm so honored.

Seth: Yeah, appreciate your willingness to do this. I know this is probably an unusual request, something you've not done a whole lot of, but I'm glad you said yes so we can get a better understanding of the life and mind and the work of an executive assistant, a virtual assistant, and folks who are working in the Philippines or elsewhere around the world. This should be good.

And maybe to kick this off, help us understand your background. How old are you? How long have you been doing this kind of work? And what were you doing in your career before you started working for Mike?

Imee: My name is Imee. I'm 24 years old. I'm living here in the Philippines. I was actually a freshman graduate. Before that, I was a working student for a corporate industry. It was actually in the insurance industry. I was also an executive secretary at that time.

And then after that, I needed to move to another city, which is why I had to leave that previous job. That's actually how being a VA was first introduced to me. And when I was first introduced to that, I was really into the idea of having to work remotely. Because also that's something that would be very convenient for me at that time because I was trying to review for my licensure exam.

So yeah, when I first tried applying as a VA, I honestly didn't know what to expect or what I should even be looking for. So at that time, as long as it's connected to my previous role and connected to the degree I have, meaning I can confidently present myself, I'd apply for the job. And yeah, that's how I landed the job that I currently have right now.

Seth: Where did Mike find you? Like, did you put your resume on some website or something? Or what was the medium through which you two got connected?

Imee: Mike found me on onlinejobs.ph. When I was first looking for a job, the only platforms I knew were onlinejobs.ph and Upwork. After that, Mike found me there. I wasn't even the top candidate. I wasn't hired at first and then I stopped looking for a job for a month and then after that, Mike reached out to me, telling me that the first hire didn't work out and asking if I still needed that job.

So I did say yes, not because I needed a job, but because when I was not chosen, I asked Mike for feedback, like why I was not chosen for the job. And he actually filmed a video just letting me know the feedback that he has. And most of that was like, I just lacked the experience. It just shows the kind of leader that he is.

Seth: I know some of the background with you and him. I hear about you all the time. I mean, you're like Mike's right-hand number one person, somebody who it seems like he puts more trust in than just about anybody, which really says something about you. So it makes me wonder, how long ago was it when he hired you? And how and why did he start trusting you with bigger, more important tasks in his business? Maybe take us through the evolution of what you started doing? And then what do you do now? And how did you get to this point?

Imee: The job description was just being the EA of the CEO. Managing his calendars. And when I started, it was quite challenging because my role doesn't have a manual. It doesn't have a set of SOPs that I have to follow. So I think it's more like I grew into the kind of role that I have right now. When I first started doing it, I was just trying to do a great job. But little by little, I just see how Mike started trusting me with more. I found myself hiring, training, building out systems, refining SOPs, and eventually leading other team members.

And I think that kind of trust didn't happen overnight. It happened over the course of our daily calls, how we interact with each other, and how we just learn how each other works. And because of that, I was given more and more responsibilities and for me, I personally like that because it challenges me as a person to do a better job and, of course, to show up even more. I think it was about a year when most of that happened.

Seth: So you've been with him for a year or longer than that?

Imee: Almost two years now. I'll be with Mike for two years this September.

Seth: Do you recall if there was anything that like you said or did that seemed to trigger in him more trust in you? Mike could probably answer this better than you, but I'm just thinking like, was there anything that's like, you saw, oh, Imee just displayed her competence in this way? And as a result, now she can do this next bigger thing. Has anything come to mind for you? Like, a particular thing you're good at or that you did that made him have the light bulb go off?

Imee: For me, I think it would be last year. Because last year, I think it was about January when we needed some data scrubbing done. So we basically had that need last year in January. Mike and I are kind of thinking, what if we're going to provide this service to other investors? And then at that time, we started building out that kind of system. Mike was heavily involved in that. And I think over the course of at least two months, I've completely taken over our data operations with regard to data scrubbing from client communication.

Answer inquiries from our fellow investors. And, you know, having that conversation with other investors requires that you need to be careful with communicating with them because they're, of course, high-level people. From that, I was able to manage 30 scrubbers. And eventually at the end of the year, we've netted around $60,000 just because of that service. So I think that's also why Mike was able to at least trust me with everything, because all he needed to do at that point was send payroll to the scrubbers.

Seth: So how many different businesses does Mike run and how many of those do you have involvement with? Just trying to get an idea for how big his life and operations are and how much of that you are involved with.

Imee: First was, of course, the land investing. We have LBH for the land investing. And then just last year, we had the data services such as data scrubbing, data pooling, and skip tracing. And then afterwards, this year, Stride, of course. And I would confidently say I was a part of all of that, especially with building out the system. And then, of course, delegating tasks to specific VAs.

Seth: So what does your typical workday look like now? If you just take us through each hour of a normal day. I don't even know if there is a typical workdayfor you, but what exactly is the work you're doing? Are you finding and hiring and managing other VAs for Mike's team? Or is it that plus other things?

Imee: It depends. Because sometimes I'm deep in projects for Mike, like calendar structuring, CRM strategy, and system design. Other times, especially during hiring or when I need to onboard someone, I'm more focused on managing the team, such as doing one-on-ones and reviewing outputs. But I think no matter what, my priority as an EA is always to protect Mike's time and energy. So if that means handling the team so he doesn't have to worry about anything, that becomes my job.

Seth: How often do you meet with Mike? Are you, like, on calls with him every single day? Or is it like once a week? What is the normal cadence of just you and him on a call communicating about what needs to be done?

Imee: Honestly, those meetings are a huge reason that I can work the way I do right now. We hop on a call around 9 a.m. EST daily before we dive into our work. I usually open with what happened the day before or even a week before if that's Monday. It would cover what I got done, any progress updates, and anything pending. And then we look ahead at what's urgent during the day or even what's coming up the day after. Mike also shares the same—what he's working on or what he needs from me. And I think that's also one way for us to stay aligned on everything, on what we're doing. Just these calls help us understand each other and how we can support each other better every single day. It gives us our work structure. But I think more than that, it created this natural rhythm where nothing feels like it's hanging. So these calls are very important for us to have.

Seth: And how many of his calls are you just—you're just there hanging out in the background? Because I know with a lot of the calls that Mike and I do together regarding Stride, you're there and you don't necessarily say anything. You're just kind of there observing. I assume you're taking notes. How important is it that you're just around?

Imee: I think one problem we had was he doesn't have optics on what I do. So it also creates this problem wherein probably Mike would feel that I'm not doing anything. So I need to know what Mike is currently doing. I need to know where Mike is headed. I need to know where the business is headed. And that way I could support Mike better. I could support anyone on the team better. And I would also be informed on what the next steps are if I need to do some research on something just so I could be there and support Mike on a lot of his ventures.

Seth: One thing Mike has mentioned to me is just that you're able to find ways to help him in ways that he's not even aware of. Your mind is just always kind of looking for ways to fill in gaps that he either doesn't know how to fill or doesn't even know are there. How do you do that? Are you like using AI to like analyze conversations and understand where you can make things better? Or does your brain just naturally work that way?

Imee: That's so funny, but it's kind of a hard time for me to think about that because I don't really keep track of it. But I know it sure happens because Mike also tells me that, let's say, for example, during meetings, if he somehow needed something, if he needed this type of material, before he could even ask me, I've already sent it his way. All of this happened because we keep on meeting every day. I kind of know how Mike thinks now because those meetings allow me to actually learn how Mike thinks and what Mike needs at this moment. My role is to stay two or three steps ahead of Mike so that when he needs something, I've already got it ready. That kind of anticipation doesn't come from guessing. It comes from being fully present, observing patterns, and understanding what matters to my CEO, Mike.

A part of that is also Mike created this culture where he trusts me to make decisions, which gives me the confidence to take action without waiting to be told. Another example of that is the data services. Mike doesn't know anything going on regarding that. He just pays whatever our scrubbers need. And then at the end of the month, at the end of the year, I'll just let him know the profit that we have. Yeah, I think that kind of trust also allows me to move the way I move today.

Seth: How are you using AI in your role? Is that a pretty big deal for you in terms of using AI tools or ChatGPT or whatever? And what exactly do you use AI for?

Imee: We use it every day. Tools like, you know, ChatGPT and Claude just help us do everything better and make everything efficient. I think the secret is knowing how to collaborate with AI, not compete with it. It helps us write SOPs faster, brainstorm workflows, and test ideas even before implementing them. One thing that I did with AI was I was working with the voice AI agents and then I used AI to write the prompt. And I think we need to know how to leverage AI more in the work that we do, because it would help us do our job effectively as well as efficiently.

Seth: Listeners out there, what Imee is referring to there is a voice AI agent that's built into Stride CRM, which is a pretty huge new innovation where you can have an AI voice answering calls. It sounds stunningly real, like a human, and it collects all the same information you would normally collect when you're on a call with somebody and it plugs it into your CRM. But a lot of what it does and getting it to do it correctly, is based on the prompt that you give it. So it understands what this conversation is supposed to look like. And so, I mean, were you basically in charge of writing that prompt to make sure the voice AI agent says the correct thing?

Imee: Yeah, absolutely.

Seth: So I want to talk a little bit about you as a person and as a professional. When somebody like yourself is looking for a job, what things have to be true for you in order to say yes to a job? Say if I want to hire you away from Mike right now and I'm trying to give you just an unbeatable package, something that's like perfect, everything you would ever want. Are you looking for more money? Are you looking for more time off or more autonomy? I know it's going to be hard to replace what Mike can do for you, but if I'm out there looking for the best of the best in the Philippines that I can hire, what do I need to come to the table with? What do I need to be ready to offer?

Imee: I think, given the current knowledge and experience I have right now, the very important thing for me first would be stability because it's something so difficult to have in this type of industry, like the whole VA industry. Apart from that, it would be the company culture. I want to work with someone who has clear vision and values the people supporting that vision. It's important for me that the work I do has meaning. I have the clear direction and the clear steps on what I need to do in order for me to actually say, "Yes, I'm contributing to the kind of success we're looking at in the end." So I want to be a part of something that's growing, something I can help build.

For me, in terms of incentives, some benefits that people might want. Personally, more money always helps, especially as a breadwinner. But again, the kind of incentive that, at least for me, keeps me motivated is being trusted and being treated like a partner in the work. Right now, Mike gives me a lot of trust and autonomy. I have the flexibility to structure my schedules and make decisions as I see fit. And I think that alone is such a meaningful benefit to have. I'm not micromanaged. Instead, I'm encouraged to take full ownership of my role. Like I'm running my own business. Mike always says that if we're going to do our job, make sure to think like you're the CEO of that business.

Of course, when you're given that much freedom, it comes with a responsibility to handle it with maturity and respect. So yeah, well, more money, time off, and recognition are always nice. In a job, for me, it's more like having that feeling of being empowered. I have a voice. I'm trusted. And I'm doing work that actually matters. And I think that kind of, yeah, environment makes me want to show up and give my best every day.

Seth: Which of those things are like, these are musts. This has to be true versus, like, oh, this would be nice to have. I don't need to have it, but it would be cool.

Imee: For me, I just want to be trusted because when you're trusted, it comes with that deep sense of accountability. And when we're being challenged with that responsibility, we tend to show up more. We tend to be more motivated on that job because we're given that kind of trust and we don't want the trust to be gone. We work harder to protect it. That's my non-negotiable for me. Not necessary for me would be the recognition. I think recognition, if you're going to expect recognition every time you do a good job, would hurt you in the long run. Because if you're not going to receive that, you would easily get discouraged, and you're not going to work effectively if you expect that. So for me, it's not necessary.

Seth: Did Mike run you through some series of personality aptitude tests or something before he hired you? And if so, which ones?

Imee: The one thing that was required for us to fill out every single time, not just for me, was the Enneagram test. Yeah, it allows us to learn about the people and learn about the kind of member that we're hiring. And thankfully, the kind of role I have and the results that were shown on my Enneagram were just the right fit.

Seth: And what is your Enneagram type?

Imee: Type one.

Seth: Yeah, my wife is also a type one. And I will say when hiring people, type ones are excellent, at least for what I would need them to do. Kind of perfectionist, like they just get things right. That's awesome.

You're a little bit unique, maybe different than what most people would find when they're hiring a typical VA because as an EA, you're not just hired by Mike, but you also hire other people. So you're almost kind of like mid-level management, right? Where, like, you're in charge of hiring and managing others and putting them through these tests and deciding if they're the right fit. Do you make the final decision when people are hired or do you make recommendations to Mike and then he makes the final decision?

Imee: Yeah, I first do all of the job postings, and then afterwards I'm the first filter of the applicants. I do all the filtering. And then I also decide which one I should go for for the first interview. So I'm the first interview. And then afterwards, if I see someone fit for the job, it's going to go to Mike for a final interview.

Seth: Now, in your current role, you work from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. in the Philippines. How difficult is that? Are you ever tired? Do you ever wish you worked during the day in the Philippines? Would it be a huge benefit to you if you could do that or does it just not really matter to you?

Imee: At first, like when I was first hired, it was a bit of a challenge, I would say that. When you're changing your body clock from Philippine time to US time, you know, it takes a toll on your sleep and your energy, like your whole mood during the day. But through time, I was able to come through with it. And right now, I would say I'm pretty much used to it. It was about a year after when my body clock totally changes to US time. So I wake up at 5 p.m. right here, and then I would sleep typically right after my work.

If you're going to ask me a year before Seth, I would say yes, because before, I would feel like I'm alone. I'm just working here. I don't have anyone to talk to. But I think as times go by, I was slowly appreciating the kind of peace I have during nighttime because that's when everybody's asleep. Everything's silent. It allows me to focus more on my work. So for now, I would say I'm good with the US time because it also allows me to provide support in real time.

Seth: Do you have many friends in your life that are VAs for other people? Who works in the U.S.? You said the prior career you had really had nothing to do with the VA world. But now that you're working in this role, do you know many people that are doing this kind of work?

Imee: Actually, the VA industry before wasn't as saturated as it is right now. Having social media allows people to be more informed of this industry. Because of that, actually, I've had several friends right now that are coming from corporate jobs that shifted into the VA industry. And most of them, like I have one who is in the medical industry. Some are still in the real estate industry.

Seth: Do you know of any struggles or issues that Filipino VAs have that most employers in the US don't understand? Like, is there anything that's frustrating to a VA? It's like, oh, I wish my employer understood that I need this and they don't get it. Does anything come to mind?

Imee: Yeah, because I think it's also one thing Mike and I sometimes struggle with. Here in the Philippines, electricity blackouts are sometimes very usual. And it's really hard for us to explain it to our clients because there in the US, your electricity rarely goes out. And of course, since you're required to show up in the day and you're suddenly MIA, of course, it would give frustrations to your client because you're just gone. And when electricity is gone here, the Wi-Fi signals are also gone. So it's really hard to at least communicate that to the client sometimes because again, blackouts here are very, very typical. You would need to have that power supply just to have that kind of backup.

Seth: Is there any plan B or plan C when there's no power, no Wi-Fi? How would you even let Mike know that that's happening?

Imee: When there's no Wi-Fi, there's no electricity. If there's a signal, I would of course let Mike know regarding that. One thing that most investors or clients should know is that since some VAs are in the province, it would be hard for them to go to the city, to actually go to a co-working space or a cafe that's open for 24 hours and just go somewhere else that has electricity. Because again, we're working US time, and daylight in the US is probably at dawn here in the Philippines. So it would also be hard for us to find public vehicles to like commute and go there. So that's also hard for us to do. But when it does, like right now when we have a motorcycle, I could easily go to an internet cafe, find where there's electricity and continue my work there.

Seth: Flipping the script a little bit. So I know a lot of land investors, including myself from time to time. Struggle to think of all the different things that a VA or even an EA could do for them. So like they spend all of their time doing lower-value tasks every day without realizing they could hire someone in the Philippines who could probably do the job just as well, if not better than they could. Can you think of any obvious jobs or maybe even some less obvious jobs that the average land investor might be overlooking in this regard? Like, hey, stop doing this. Go hire a VA.

Imee: What I've noticed is that a lot of investors struggle to really delegate. It's not because they don't want help, but because they believe they can do the job better or faster. But when it comes to the cost of doing it all yourself, I think that somehow often gets overlooked. Let's say, for example, coordinating transactions to title companies. Sometimes a transaction coordinator could do that. Say, for example, doing comps. There are a lot of VAs who are very trained to do comps. They're trained to look at several GIS, even MLS listing sites, just to get that comp. It often gets overlooked.

If you're spending an hour on a task that could be handed off to someone for $5 to $10, that same hour could have helped you land even, let's just say, a $1,000 deal. And I think that's not a smart trade-off. And there are a lot of VAs out there who could do several jobs. There might be an expert at that specific job. And if you're just going to look for someone who's really, you know, trading that off of your hour, it could have more loss to you than the benefit of actually doing it by yourself.

Seth: Mike's team—I don't know how many team members there are currently, but when you think of all the different roles there are to be filled, can you think of anything that you're like, "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend you hire a VA in the Philippines for that"? Like do that yourself, Land Investor. Is that true for anything in your mind or like, can everything be delegated if you're just willing to find and hire and manage the people?

Imee: I wouldn't say so because most of, let's say, for example, our land investing right now. Before, Mike and I were heavily involved in our land investing company. But just this year, we've shifted it and handed it off to our COO, who is a VA, and she's handling the whole land business herself. The only thing Mike is doing is probably communicating to title companies when he needed to actually jump in and do the job himself. Most of the things in land investing can be handed off to several VAs, provided that they're an expert on that job and provided that they're the right fit. Everything would just work well, even if you're not involved.

Seth: Well, it's interesting because I remember this was probably like six or seven years ago now. I remember a very common thing that I would hear people saying is that when it comes to generating the lists and making offers to people, I'll never trust a VA for that. That has to be me. That's too complex of a job to hand off to somebody else. And now I know many land investors who have totally offloaded that job to a VA. Now the conversation is more about having these sales conversations where it takes a lot of negotiation and being able to be quick on your feet on the phone. You can never hire a VA for that. I have to be the one to do that or hire a very sophisticated, highly paid sales professional to do that.

So in this case, where there's a COO running everything, are there virtual assistants who are handling these sales phone calls? And does it work okay?

Imee: Absolutely. Yeah. Most of the people under her are VAs as well. That includes pulling the list, putting that to CRM, doing the outreach up until it becomes a lead, and then doing that initial call up until the closing. All of that is done with our VA. And I would say it's working well.

Seth: Up until the closing. So is that when Mike jumps in and he does some critical thing that has to be done by him? Or is that only in certain cases when he jumps in?

Imee: The involvement of Mike after getting that deal would be checking if it's actually a deal. That's where Mike actually takes over, checking if what we think it's worth is actually what it's worth. And then after that, it would be Mike's decision whether we proceed with that sale or not.

Seth: Do you have any insight into how often he checks that? And he's like, "Oh, this is a horrible deal. We never should have done this.” Like, is it a routine thing where he finds mistakes or is he usually checking? And it's like, yeah, this is fine. I didn't even need to check this. It's good.

Imee: It's a routine thing. He needs to check every deal that comes in. Of course, before checking in, it has to be checked by our COO. And then after that, Mike would take over the pieces that are left just to figure out if that deal is actually a deal.

Seth: I guess what I'm asking though is like, when he does that, is it a normal thing where he actually finds a mistake? Like, yeah, we shouldn't have done this. This is a bad deal. Or is it usually, no, this is fine. It's good. I don't know if you have any insight into the data and how often that happens.

Imee: I wouldn't say it often happens, but the land deals are not always perfect. So of course, Mike would sometimes find mistakes, but sometimes the deal is also great. Everything needs to be learned. If we make mistakes, Mike always provides that feedback to our team just so he will be more and more confident in the kind of comps and negotiations that happen.

Seth: In your experience, given that you see a lot of different virtual assistants that come through Mike's business, how much should a land investor expect to pay a VA in the Philippines or in Pakistan or somewhere else for this kind of work? What is the starting pay per hour, per week or per month these days?

Imee: That is such an important question. And I just wanted to be careful here because I myself am not that knowledgeable. But when I hire people, it's always a conversation. Let's say, for example, if you're okay with training somebody, you would typically see the rates around $5 to $10 an hour. But if you're looking for someone who already knows the space, who already knows the industry, the processes, how the CRM works, the rate first would be $5 to $7. And then if that specific VA already knows the space, it would be around $8 to $12. So again, it really is a conversation. It depends on the role. It depends on what's expected of that VA. And as long as both the investor and the VA feel good about the agreement, everything will be okay.

Seth: For someone who is a higher-level player like you, how much should they expect to pay somebody of your caliber?

Imee: Thank you for that, Seth.

Seth: I'm kind of asking how much you get paid right now. In case it's not clear.

Imee: Right now, I started actually as an hourly rate. When I was first hired here, I started at an hourly rate. And just this year, Mike transitioned me to a fixed rate every biweekly. I would say that my pay reflects the kind of value I bring to the company.

But if you're looking for someone, you know, strategic, proactive, and probably deeply committed, they should be deeply committed. I think it should be around $1,200 or $2,200 per month, which is a reasonable range in the Philippines or Pakistan, depending on the role. Of course, you could find people for less, but you always have to ask, are they thinking like an operator or are they just following tasks, waiting to be told what to do? So if you want someone to build systems, lead others, and protect your time, you really have to pay for that level of thinking. And if that person is the right fit, it's worth every dollar.

Seth: So beyond that, do you have any incentives or opportunities to get paid more? And if so, how does that work?

Imee: Before, actually, when we were very heavily involved with LBH, we had this quarterly bonus for the whole team. It will be divided for the whole team. But right now, as most of our operations shifted, Mike pays my health insurance and then he pays my gym membership when the team needs to work on our health. I'm given what I needed to thrive in the role, not just for my role, but also as a person. And I would say I'm fairly compensated.

Seth: It sounds like there is a quarterly bonus opportunity, but Mike is also paying for gym membership and health insurance, which I don't think is terribly common. Like, I didn't even know that was a thing that people did until Mike told me. Is that a big deal? I don't know what the norm is in the Philippines.

Imee: Before working with Mike, I didn't have any insurance. And to be honest, most people I know don't either. Here in the Philippines, especially among families like mine, we usually only go to the hospital when it's absolutely necessary. When Mike offered to cover full health insurance for me, it gave me peace of mind, given the fact that I'm the breadwinner in the family. So if anything were to happen to me, it wouldn't just affect me; it would affect everyone I support. So knowing I'm covered if I ever need care lifted this huge weight off of my shoulders. It's not about the price of the insurance. It's about the message behind it that made me feel like I'm being cared for, not just as an employee, but as a person. So it definitely deepened my trust in Mike and made me want to show up even more.

Seth: It sounds like if somebody really wants to go above and beyond and make their employee feel valued and taken care of, that is one thing they can do that is not the norm. Do you know what that costs for you? Being a 24-year-old female in the Philippines, is there an annual dollar figure tied to that?

Imee: My annual health insurance is around $350.

Seth: Okay. So that's not that expensive. I mean, my monthly health insurance premium is like $1,500 for bad insurance. So it's not a huge ask to provide that and it could go a long way for someone. And tell me about the 13-month pay in the Philippines. What is that and is it expected?

Imee: Here in the Philippines, 13-month pay is mandatory. Actually, before, when I was first hired with Mike, I was hired in September. So in December, I was actually like thinking, "Oh, are we getting 13-month pay?" You know, growing up, I remember a lot of my relatives counting on their 13-month pay just to get through the holidays. When I got hired by Mike, I expected it only because I was new and I'm still thinking with a local employee mindset. But eventually, I understood that since I'm not working for a Philippine-based company, it's not something I should assume will be given. And I think that's okay. Foreign clients aren't always aware of the benefit. And it's not standard in most countries. And as I heard from Mike, it's the first time we heard that. And I guess for you too as well, Seth. Yeah, but if someone's hiring a VA and wants to make them feel supported, I think this could be something to consider. That said, I also believe that there are so many other ways a company can show appreciation. And for me, again, as long as I feel valued, I'm compensated fairly. That doesn't matter as much. In case people didn't catch it. So the 13-month pay—this is something where whatever you would normally pay an employee for a month, just pay them that again as a 13-month extra payment.

Seth: If somebody were to just not pay you that, would that be like a devastating thing? Is that like, ooh, that hurts?

Imee: If we're talking here in the Philippines, yeah, I would say that because it's something that is expected. Again, it's mandatory. It's mandated by the law. But if we're talking about the employment I have right now, you need to adapt to the culture of the company you work for.

Seth: Is there anything that annoys you or anything that would annoy you? I don't know. Maybe if you're not trusted with something or anything comes to mind?

Imee: I wouldn't say I get annoyed easily, but there are little things that can make work more frustrating, especially when they happen repeatedly. One example is when there's already a clear SOP or tutorial on how to do something and somebody asks me how to do it or, worse, asks me to do it myself. I know they probably didn't mean it that way, but it can feel like the work I put into building that process isn't being valued. That's the only thing.

Seth: How free do you feel to tell your boss, Mike, when you're upset about something? Like, say, if he did something that upset you or he just doesn't understand, do you feel like you can just tell him? Or do you feel like, “Oh, it's not really my place. I can't step on his toes.”

Imee: Mike created a really, really safe environment for me from the beginning. And I think that's one of the reasons I've grown so much in this role. I never feel like I have to hide how I'm feeling and not just in my work, but also in my personal life. I know a lot about Mike's personal life. And Mike also knows a lot of what's going on in my personal life. Again, I never feel like I have to hide how I'm feeling. He listens without judgment. And that kind of openness didn't happen overnight. It came from the trust that has built up. Over time, when I've been stressed and overwhelmed, Mike has given me the freedom to just talk it out. And I think every VA needs that kind of emotional safety right now. And every leader should really aim to create it. But also, I believe in keeping that communication respectful. No matter how close you are, you can be open and still be professional.

Seth: Is there something Mike says or does that makes you feel so free to do this? Like, does he have some mantra or a thing he says in every meeting? Like, so, I mean, what's wrong today? I don't know. Just how does he prompt you and make you feel safe to talk about that stuff?

Imee: It just happens so naturally. Like, if I were to, Mike, notice if something's going on with me. And I also notice that with Mike because every single morning, we always ask what's going on. How are you doing? Everything's going on with our life as well as with work. Yeah, I just ask. And then I never heard Mike telling me that that is not something you need to do, that is not something you need to tell me during work hours, and so on and so forth. So I guess that also helped create this kind of trust with him as well to be open with anything.

Seth: Yeah, it almost sounds like maybe it's not so much what he says, but almost how he reacts, like emotional intelligence, like when something comes up, not shutting you down, but like making room for whatever's going on. The reason I ask that is because I know a lot of us are not that emotionally intelligent or we might not even understand Filipino culture, where maybe it's not the default norm for a VA to just like spill their guts and tell them everything that's going on.

And what I'm trying to get to the bottom of is, like, how could somebody in Mike's position or my position or one of the listeners—what can we do to make somebody like yourself feel safe to share this kind of stuff? I'm getting the answer, but does anything else come to mind that we should be doing to make sure we understand where our employees are at?

Imee: Yeah, again, this kind of relationship was built over time. So it's not something that there's no actual formula to do. I think it's more of how you guys interact each day, how you guys create this open space by first asking how everything's going, not just in the work setup, but also what's going on with their lives. Another reason why Mike usually asks that is because, of course, VAs are humans too. What's happening in their lives also affects how they show up at work. Your knowing what's going on with their life allows you to actually understand why this person is doing this type of performance.

Seth: Mike has flown across the world to meet you in person, right? I don't know if he's done that once or multiple times, but just the act of him doing that—how big of a deal is that? Does that say something or mean something or is it something that those of us with employees in the Philippines shouldbe doing? Like, does that make a big impact?

Imee: I wouldn't say it's something you actually need to do, but I would say if you do that, it would actually create an impact. Say me and Mike, the meeting we had was amazing. At first, I was so nervous because it was my first time meeting him in person and I wasn't sure how different it would feel compared to our daily Zoom calls. So when we first met, somehow the conversation and the way we talked with each other were so natural. It's like we've known each other for so long.

Yes, meeting in person would make so much of a difference, but the same level of communication and the way you guys interact with each other are pretty much the same thing when you guys meet. But what made it really special or impactful was being able to see parts of each other that don't always come through on screen, like how we interact with people and how we move through the day. It helps us understand each other more deeply, not just as an employer and employee, but as a person. And I think that trip gave us a better sense of how each of us thinks, what drives us and how we show up in the world, which in turn actually helped us work together even better.

Seth: Along the lines of management, are you okay with your employer tracking your computer? I know this is a thing, like with Upwork, where it can take snapshots of what the person is doing to make sure they're actually working. There's other software you can use that is specifically built for this purpose, just to monitor your employees. If Mike were to do that for you, and maybe he does do that, I don't know, but how does that make you feel? Does that conflict with the whole trust thing you were talking about earlier?

Imee: When I first came in with Mike, yes, I was tracked—my time, my screen, all of that. And at first I was a little nervous, but honestly, now I barely think about it. And actually, when Mike shifted me to a fixed salary, he also told us that we don't need Insightful because he barely looks at our Insightful at all. I also told you about the kind of issue that we have, like he doesn't have an optics on everything I do. So when that happened during this year, it was all taken off. And when Mike says that, I don't know what you're working on; we need to be aligned on everything. I actually turned in Insightful myself just so he would know what I'm doing, just so he would have that optics on everything if he had some questions about things here and there. And I think as long as you're doing your job well, I don't think you have to be worrying about having these tracking tools from your employer.

Seth: In terms of, like, work environment, if you had the choice, would you rather work alongside other VAs or EAs in a work environment, like going to an office where you're all hanging out together? Or would you rather work at home alone? Do you have a preference on that?

Imee: I tried working with other team members in my corporate setting. Like right now, again, at first I felt alone. But right now I'm kind of becoming a homebody. Right now I like working in peace, having my own flow, and just knowing I can focus. But I also love collaborations. We could always have virtual touchpoints with other team members to help fill that gap. But if I had to go to an office every day, I'd probably say no for now.

Seth: Would you ever hire a VA to work under you for even less than you're getting paid? Like, is that something that ever happens? And if so, like, where would you go to find them? And what would you expect to pay them?

Imee: Actually, fun fact, I already have that. I have an assistant under me who's been working with me and the kind of rate I'm paying her is just above the minimum here in the Philippines. I was looking for an assistant because at that time, I was juggling multiple projects. I need to clear up more of my time to focus on high-value tasks. And Mike asked me to delegate things here and there. So he told me to get an assistant or at least an admin for everybody. I posted an ad on Facebook so that it's going to be advertised here in our community. And then I added a rate that's a bit higher than the current minimum rate here in my area. And actually, I got a lot of applicants for that role.

Seth: Well, I'm curious. Just thinking about your own personal hopes and aspirations and dreams, if you could just like wave a magic wand and have everything you ever wanted, what would your perfect life look like? Assuming you still have to work a job. So you can't quit, but like everything else, it can be taken care of in your life. What does that look like for you?

Imee: I'm so much of a family person. So if I could wave a magic wand, I'd start with a home because that's been our greatest struggle for so long. I love to have my own house as well as give my parents a home where they can rest and enjoy their days without worrying about bills, food or anything. And right now my family's situation is a bit complicated, but that's another story. But if I were able to, I would just want to give them comfort, stability, and most importantly, peace. Beyond that, I dream of financial stability, of course, as we all do. Not luxury, but just enough to know we're safe. I'd love to have passive income coming in so that we're not depending on one job alone. And if I could, I'd also love to help others, especially aspiring VAs. Because life's hard enough already. If there's something I learned or a door that I could open for someone else, I'd love to be that person.

Seth: Has Mike done anything that's made a huge difference to you? I guess when I say that, I'm talking about with regard to these dreams and aspirations, like, does he know about this stuff that you want? And does he like actively try to help you get towards it or anything? Or is that just kind of, you guys don't go there with your relationship?

Imee: Oh my gosh. Actually, when I still talk about this with someone else, I usually get emotional. But there's one thing that changed not just my life but my whole family's life. It was when our leadership team was in Thailand. Right around my birthday, during lunch at a barbecue place, Mike gave me a bonus that helped our family buy the home that we'd been living in for years. So it had always belonged to my grandparents and the situation caused a lot of tension in our extended family. But that one moment when he said we could finally call it ours, it gave us peace. So yeah, that act didn't just give us a house. It gave us stability, it gave us pride, and it gave me this deep motivation to, you know, show up even more because someone believed in me that much to invest in me.

So I think that's just who Mike is; he leads with trust and he sees people, not just the job titles that we have.

Can I have a quick shout-out to Mike? So Mike I know you're watching this. I just want to take a moment to thank you for everything. I know you've heard this from me a lot, but I am so grateful to you. Thank you for being my boss, my mentor, and my friend. You're the best.

Seth: Oh man, I'm going to start crying here. Well, I mean, on that whole thing, giving you the money you needed to buy the house that you're in. So why do you think he did that? And how did he even know that you needed that? Like, do you regularly talk about things like that that are going on in your life? So he's just like, he's looking for ways to help or was this kind of a fluke that it came up?

Imee: We're very open with our personal lives when that's happening. Like there's a tension in the family. Sometimes I wouldn't be able to come in because the whole problem is just within our home. So Mike knows that. Mike tries to understand what's going on in my personal life. So every single time we talk about what's going on, like how things are in the family, Mike knows when my mother is sick. I would also know when Mike is dealing with something. I think we're just so open with each other about what's going on with our personal lives. And that helps a lot with working together because we just know what drives us to continuously show up each day.

Seth: Well, I am curious, given everything you know about the land business, that you've played such an active role in building and managing and running and all this stuff, do you ever think of starting your own land business, given what you know? And if not, why not?

Imee: Honestly, I've never thought about it. I've learned so much working behind the scenes in this industry, from creating systems for our own team to acquisitions to marketing. But right now, I think my focus would be on refining what we already have and making it world-class. Again, Mike has given me that trust. I also need to trust the vision that Mike is going for. And I need to support that kind of vision. I want to be fully present where I am right now and see how far we can go with this. And who knows, maybe we'll build something that complements what we're already doing right now.

Seth: It's kind of a catch-22 that I've seen firsthand, and I know many business owners who have seen this, not just in the land business, but in any business where they find a star player and they hire them, and then that star player ends up going away and then competing with them. Or if they don't hire a star employee, then they're just not that good of an employee. So the question is, how do I find this star employee that doesn't actually want to leave and compete with me? Like they'll just stick with me and remain a star employee. And you kind of seem like that perfect, happy medium. It'd be interesting to, like, really study your brain, like take every possible personality test there is, to understand how I create a carbon copy of Imee, who's going to be exactly what I need and nothing that I don't.

Imee: Thank you, Seth. That's so nice of you. Right now, the kind of loyalty I have with Mike was just built over time by me being able to openly trust him and him openly just trusting me as well. That kind of relationship that we have right now—it was because of a lot of circumstances that have arisen from the past and it shaped the kind of relationship that we have right now. So right now, if I were given by somebody else a chance to be a part of them and offered a greater salary, I would stick with Mike. I think he's done a lot of things for me already. Like I've had this deep sense of, you know, loyalty for him because aside from that, he's the one who shaped my career. He's the one who molded me with everything I know right now. I just have this loyalty to Mike that I just can't explain.

Seth: Well, it's a really important point that I think a lot of people should understand if they don't, in that it's not just about how much you're paying a person. A lot of people seem to assume, yeah, if I just offer to pay more, I'll get the best person. But I think that is true in some cases. But I think back to the job that I used to have 10 years ago, it wasn't the perfect job. And it definitely was not the highest paying job I ever could have gotten. But I stuck with it for years because it offered other non-monetary things like a sense of safety. There's a lot of stability with it, acceptance, things like that. I think in some ways it depends on the employee and who they are and what they value and what they need. But it's worth acknowledging like you cannot pay the most and still overcome that and get a really good person if you offer other things. Like instilling the sense of loyalty and understanding a person and rising to meet their needs in other ways when the time calls for it so it's just a good takeaway i think from this conversation.

Imee: Fun fact, I never asked Mike for a raise; all the value I bring was fairly compensated.

Seth: You know, Mike is clearly a very gifted leader and he sees things that definitely not every boss or leader is going to see. To your point, I mean, when you find somebody like that, you don't want to just flippantly walk away from that. I mean, that's something you may never find again on that level. You seem to understand that. I mean, it's been awesome to talk to you. Thanks for being open and honest. I know this is not a normal thing that you come on podcasts and just spill your guts about the way you actually feel and the way things work and all this stuff so thank you for your willingness to share.

You don't have to volunteer anything but if anybody ever wants to get ahold of you or ask you follow-up questions or anything like that, is there any way they can do that?

Imee: Yeah, if they have questions, they could reach out to me at my email, which is [email protected]. Or they could also follow me on my social media, facebook.com/imeepearl.pat16.

Seth: Yeah. Sounds good.

Imee: Thank you so much.

Seth: You bet. Thanks again, Imee. Again, if anyone wants to see the show notes for this episode, go to retipster.com/232. Thanks for listening. And we will talk to you next time.