When does Christmas start? Like, in my family, we have this friendly debate on when to start playing Christmas music and putting up the decorations. Do you begin after Halloween? Thanksgiving? First day of December?

I get asked all the time how to give gifts to their OFS in the Philippines. Sending stuff to the Philippines is not simple because of shipping issues. But sending digital gifts like ebooks or games can be an option if you know what your OFS likes. Let's talk about it in this episode.

One of the things people look forward to during the holidays is the food. I don't have that relationship with food. But I understand why people would feel that way. According to my OFS Julia, most Filipinos have that relationship with food, especially during Christmas. I'll share with you what she told me about the food traditions in the Philippines.

It's not that Filipinos don't want to own businesses. The process of opening and closing a business is just so complicated. It's easier to stay employed.

Just last week, we had a major SEO crisis. We couldn't find Onlinejobs.ph on Google or DuckDuckGo. So I emailed my guys in the Philippines and within the day, they figured out the problem and fixed it.

When your OFS (online Filipino specialist) isn't working as much as they should or as well as you expect, it's easy to assume that they have another job. But before you accept that, there's one thing you should do first: Ask.

Just so you know, now's a good time to send the 13th month. Filipinos depend on it.  They expect it. They worry when it's late. You'll want to send it early rather than later. I'll answer some of your questions about the 13th month in this episode, but check out the links below if you want more information. 

I mentioned in my last episode that Filipino funerals are complicated. Just how complex is it? I will tell what goes on at a Filipino funeral in this episode. Once you hear this, you'll start to understand why Filipinos ask for several days off to help out with the funeral.

"Please don't fire me!" 

That was the email Dylan got from his OFS when she told him that she had a death in the family and needed to take some time off. Dylan had no intention of firing her. But his OFS almost expected that he would because Filipino funerals are so complicated. 

Why is this a thing? I'll explain in this episode.

We did a great case study with John Abbas. He runs a podcast where his OFS manages it and helps him stay on track. They built the website for the podcast, do graphics, do SEO, manage the YouTube channel, etc. It's a really classic example of an OFS helping to grow a business.