Let’s switch gears this week and dive into more about Filipino culture. I had the opportunity to experience the Philippines for the first time along with getting to physically meet my co-founders and VAs. I traveled to Manila and Pampanga and, let me tell you, it was truly an immersive cultural experience like I’ve never had before.

The Philippines time zone is 12 hours ahead. You may be thinking, well how do VAs work for US companies then? Fortunately, our VAs work in the U.S. time zones so it doesn’t affect the working world here. From a travel perspective, the new time zone was quite the challenge for my body clock. The 100-degree heat was also an adjustment because there was very little AC, but that didn’t stop us from conducting team meetings and employee workshops.

I spent the majority of my time in Pampanga where I finally got to meet my partners in Strategic Assistant Staffing. Ever since I started with SAS, I have learned so much about a culture I was previously not as well versed on as I thought. You could have the same cultural learning experience working with a VA from Serbia or China or anywhere else in the world. It just so happens that the Philippines are the outsourcing capital of the world.

Working with a VA is not just a vendor-employer relationship. My VAs have become family and I love to take care of my team. I make sure to get them swag, I get their feedback, and treat them identical to how I would treat a local employee. It doesn’t matter if your team is located a few miles down the road in Detroit or 8,000 miles across the world in the Philippines.

I found that once I opened up my eyes and really immersed myself in their way of doing things, I came to appreciate the way they go about their daily lives and made me think of some things that I take for granted that I am so accustomed to living with. I feel as if I gained more depth and dimension as a person. You can get so caught up in your own box and way of living, but experiences like these make us open our hearts and minds. I get to work with a group of employees from across the world and hear about their backgrounds, challenges, and vision. It was so rewarding to be able to go on site and help inspire, get some real feedback, and build a one-on-one bond with these people.

You want to keep great people happy, you want to learn about them, and you want to really make them feel like they’re part of something. Together we were able to see where we were currently as a business and then say, “Now here is where we’re going. Here’s how you’re going to be a part of this culture and team moving forward.” After that team workshop, I never have seen that many people so motivated and fired up. It is an amazing feeling to build and be a part of an organization like this one with so many amazing VAs.

Business is not always ABC (Always Be Closing), which I do believe in, but it’s more important to Always Be Communicating. Really try to understand your employees through their lens and make it something that is mutually beneficial. When I learn about them, they learn more about me, and it’s a win-win in our relationships. Strength significantly increases in this way and I saw this first hand after just being there for a week. After really rolling up my sleeves and spending 10-12 hour days with all of our SAS , our bond was exponentially stronger and I think that’s going to make for an exponentially better business outcome.

If you hire a VA, get to know that person and get to know their culture. You don’t always have to go over the Philippines like I did, but take it upon yourself to learn about something new. You could have this similar experience with one of our VAs on your team and working together to make your business successful. Learn a new culture and I can assure you that it will have a positive impact and create change within yourself and your business.