My Open Letter to the Iligan ICT Council

Thank you to the Iligan ICT Council and the Leadership of the Great City of Iligan, for inviting Sonic VA to take part in the ILIGAN ICT COUNCIL Capacity Development Workshop 2.0 and 2023 Strategic Planning session.

Although I cannot be there in person, my heart beats with pride knowing that the great work we started continues forward.

As I look back on where we started in our collaboration just a few months ago, it is worth noting how far we at Sonic VA have come in such a short time.

From the moment I first heard that Iligan was home to over 10,000 digital workers, I knew it was a place where I would dedicate a significant percentage of my time in 2022.

From conducting virtual assistant trainings which lead to the hiring of several local VAs, to attending DICT events to share our vision on how Filipino VAs can be even more successful in Landing American Clients, to strengthening partnerships with local companies like Styrm Global, it has been a very successful year for Sonic VA in Iligan.

This week’s event has been designed to further strengthen digital citizenship, digitalization and ICT industry development towards a transformative LOCAL DIGITAL ECONOMY.

As I think about what that bold mission statement means for Sonic VA in 2023, I get even more excited.

It has always been a passion of mine to be part of a nationwide movement to upskill the Filipino workforce in order for them to earn better livelihoods and have better career prospects.

First with the BPO industry, then with Data Analytics and now with Virtual Assistants, I have spent most of the past 12 years here in the Philippines connecting Filipino Talent with American Employers. And, I have never been more bullish when it comes to the great opportunity, we have in front of us to strengthen the digital citizenship for millions of Filipinos.

When I look at economic and demographic trends in the United States, it is clear to me that we do not have enough domestic talent to fill the jobs of today, let alone the jobs of tomorrow. There are thousands of American businesses struggling to hire and millions of entrepreneurs desperate for help in launching or growing their business.

At the same time, we see here in the Philippines a wealth of young, tech savvy talent who are uniquely positioned to help. There is nowhere else on the planet that has a workforce that speaks an American style of English, has a strong affinity for American culture or is so social media driven.

It is a combination of these factors, demand and supply, that fill me with an undying optimism and the reason why we are all here today. Each one of you is committed to uplifting the people of Iligan to be at the vanguard of the digitalization of work done here in the Philippines.

And today it is clear that out paths have crossed.

At Sonic VA, our single focus is this… providing Filipino virtual assistants with the training, coaching and mentoring they need to be successful in working with American business clients. In short to help them land jobs.

To that end, I’d like to share with you some of the plans we here at Sonic VA have for Iligan in 2023.

· More Face-to-Face trainings for aspiring VAs including one coming in January 2023. I envision doing at least one per quarter in 2023.

· Working closer with our key business partner, Styrm Global, to direct more American business owners to outsource work to the Philippines.

· As well as enter into additional partnerships with other local BPOs.

· Partner with local Facebook community groups like AdroitPH and Freelancers of Iligan to offer free Virtual VA Trainings.

· To partner with local entities who are spreading the message that Iligan is a great place for Digital Nomads.

· A commitment to hire even more VAs from Iligan beyond the 5 we have hired to date, especially video editors and graphic designers.

As I often say, there has never been a better time for Filipino Virtual Assistants to Land American Clients.

The jobs are out there, and it our duty, no, it is our purpose, to connect the citizens of Iligan with these opportunities.

Thank you for your time.

Now get out there and do even more to connect our citizens to the digital job market that is waiting for them.

Sincerely,

Daniel Meyer

President & Founder of Sonic VA

Mr. Dan Meyer is the President & Founder of Sonic VA, a virtual staffing agency which specializes in matching Filipino Virtual Assistants with American Small & Medium Business clients. Mr. Meyer holds a master’s degree in Education, has over 25 years of business process outsourcing experience and has been a leader in the virtual assistant industry since 2011.

Dan is also an accomplished public speaker and corporate trainer who has personally trained over 10,000 Filipinos in areas such as virtual assistance, data analytics, business process outsourcing and social media marketing & management. Dan’s passion is upskilling the youth with 21st Century skills like graphic design, video editing, & data analytics to empower them for the dynamic job opportunities that lay ahead for millions of Filipinos.