Yo !

I know this sounds weird, but I literally paid to have the set of freelancing friends and besties that I have now.

Not in a creepy, “I have no friends” way. But in a strategic, “I need to level up” kind of way.

See, when I was starting out as a freelancer, I knew I had some skills. Di pa man world class, pero getting there.

Pero what I didn't have, was confidence.

The kind of confidence that lets you charge premium rates and handle clients like a boss. Maliit pa kasi psychological wallet ko noon. I was already a videographer charging 7 figures mind you, but in my mind I thought I needed to do a whole boatload of stuff just to earn that.

Found footage of me trying to pretend to not look cool while we were shooting a sequence on coral reef rehab using chickenwire. On paper it looked really really cool, and high-end nga naman.

I had this 2.2M deal for a 9-video series documentary for the GIZ, about how to mitigate climate change in coastal areas. It took 7 whole-ass months to plan, film, edit and produce. Each video was almost 30 minutes long. And may kahati pa ako sa producers.

Ang ending, after paying all the expenses and taxes, yung take home ko dito was 400k+ lang. (divide mo yung time sa final take home, and you'll know why)

I knew freelancing was the way to escape the 9-to-5 grind, pero ang tanong: How do I actually make this work?

I needed a shortcut. (There are no shortcuts to success, but yes you can shorten the learning curve)

So I did what any logical person would do—I bought my way in. I bought the confidence hehe.

Confidence is like a video game skill tree. You don’t just wake up one day with max-level negotiation skills—you have to earn XP.

And the fastest way? Learn from people who already did it.

So instead of spending years figuring it out alone, I joined a group of highly experienced freelancers—not just some free FB group where people ask “Legit po ba ang Upwork?” or "sapat na po ba ang 2 dollars per hour sa pagiging VA?"

Nope. I went all in.

I invested ₱10,000 (which was the price back then) to be part of a paid mastermind—a room filled with freelancers making ₱50,000 to ₱300,000 per client.

buti na lang I take screenshots of every transfer since forever hehe I came into the tribe pala on a Wednesday, just in the middle of open cart. Ikaw din, save mo yung transaction slip mo, hehe. It could be a great story one day.

Now, the old me would’ve thought, “Tanga. Sayang pera natin dyan. Ang mahal.”

But the new me did the math:

If I invested ₱10,000 and learned how to land just 3 clients paying ₱50,000 each, then sobrang sulit na.

Here’s the thing—people at the top won’t just hand you their knowledge for free. Even if it's so easy for them to do, pero historically and statistically, we almost never value anything if we get it for free.

And trust me, they've given it away before that. Nobody took it seriously.

So you really have to give them a reason. Or put some skin into the game.

Some people start podcasts to get high-level guests. Some build communities.

Some offer to work for free. (which I also did sa start)

Pero I also straight-up paid to be in the same room as them.

And you know what happened next?

Within weeks, my whole mindset shifted.

Before, I was hesitant to charge higher rates. But after seeing people close ₱100,000 deals like it was normal, it became normal for me too.

I started using their strategies. Their templates. Their confidence.

Then—boom! My first high-paying client.

Then another.

Then referrals.

Yehey! 20% partial downpayment pa lang yan for a short video project, direcho sa bank account ni Wifey. Check the date. It was 8 months later pa when I was starting to hit really premium rates. Tapos referral lang to. And 6 90-second videos lang pinagawa sakin. Take home, taxes lang and a two-man team shooting fees lang, yun lang halos nabawas.

Literally, I was making more money while working less—all because I was willing to invest in the right people at the start.

Yes, paying to meet people sounds weird.

But if you want fast growth, you need to shortcut your learning curve by surrounding yourself with those who are ahead of you.

Sometimes, all it takes is a ₱10,000 investment (este ₱9,995 pala) and one conversation to change the entire trajectory of your career. You need to ask me what that convo was if you really want to know haha.

So now, let me ask you:

Would you rather figure things out alone for 5 years or invest to learn in 5 weeks?

Matigas lang kasi uli ko from old bad habits kahit it took me almost a year to get my head straight. I've seen other tribemates make a whole lot more, a lot sooner.

Think about it, kasi this same room I joined is open again for a limited time. Link in the first comment.

As in really, really think about it.

Share mo na ito sa friend mo hahaha. Wag na ikaw, kasi member ka naman na ng tribe! hahaha

Osha,



Shoden "screenshot master" San

https://tfmt.ph/tfm2025

🎉 Pst. Don't Keep Me A Secret. refer this newsletter to your freelancer friends. This REALLY REALLY helps me a lot, thanks!