Speaker 1: 0:31

My name is Karina Ong and I am a proud mom of three boys and a nurse turned entrepreneur, and also the owner of MyVIA Experts. Myvia Experts we service businesses and healthcare providers filling the virtual assistant role. As you know, here in America it's kind of expensive to hire somebody in person, so I started providing a virtual assistant out of the Philippines.

Speaker 2: 1:06

That is incredible. Now let's get a little bit of a backstory about you. So you were a nurse and now you turned entrepreneur with your own business. Talk to me a little bit about how you got started. How you got started being a nurse and then what made you decide from being a nurse to moving on to a virtual assistant to help other entrepreneurs and businesses. Talk to us about that, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:27

So I graduated as a nurse in the Philippines, Came here, did you know?

Speaker 1: 1:34

I was a certified nurse assistant for a little bit while I was starting, for my boards, and then I became a charge nurse when I passed my regular nursing license and then from there I kind of climbed the ladder, from there became a director and then became a VP of admissions and VP of marketing and development for a few companies.

Speaker 1: 1:58

And that's when I kind of stumbled upon the need of having, you know, virtual assistance and virtual help, because during COVID I couldn't really find any workers to work for, you know, for my office and even for my team to work for, you know, for my office and even for my team. And I said, okay, you know what? I have a pool of nurses in the Philippines that I graduated with, you know, and I grew up there, so our English is our second language and I figured you know what this is. This might be a good, good way to kind of help other businesses out there to grow and to kind of fix the problem of the hiring process and looking for that fit to the role kind of thing. If you can, you know, as long as you have a computer and a phone. We can help you pretty much.

Speaker 2: 2:55

That is incredible. Now there are probably some people I mean, I'm sure a lot of people know what a virtual assistant is, but if you could break down and maybe there's business owners out there who didn't even know that was an option, Let them know about maybe what that is, what the benefits are.

Speaker 1: 3:13

With my background in healthcare, I actually I know from behind the scenes what goes. You know with the billing and checking the clinicals, you know scheduling and all of that stuff. So with the business owners out there, I want you to know that you're not alone and that the virtual assistant can be your right hand. It can be a double you right, especially if you're starting a business and you want to tackle everything from marketing to cold calling to. You know putting a client on your schedule and then you still have to be with your family. So I want to let them know that they're not alone. Virtual assistants are here to be helpful. Know your workload and your workflow so we can understand it from behind and we can tailor the services based on your needs. As a business owner, I love that, thank you.

Speaker 2: 4:16

I'd like to ask you about your inspiration. What is your inspiration for your career, your work, all?

Speaker 1: 4:21

that good stuff. Honestly, my inspiration growing up is my mom. My mom is the biggest entrepreneur. She came from you know rugs to riches. She started selling you know, when she was young, she started selling you know sweepstakes. It's like scratch off in the Philippines and she used to tell me like she started having you know visions of having different businesses so she founded a pawn shop. Having different businesses, so she founded a pawn shop, a foreign exchange company, a water station, pretty much anything under the sun she did. And so my biggest inspiration is her. As she said, like you know, you don't want to work for anybody because you want to show your family and your kids how you know, how the world works. And right now, my biggest inspiration my biggest why are my three boys. So, and my husband.

Speaker 1: 5:24

Shout out family boys hubby and mama, yes, love it.

Speaker 2: 5:28

That's so beautiful.

Speaker 1: 5:29

I love that Go mom.

Speaker 2: 5:31

She totally instilled, like that girl boss in you.

Speaker 1: 5:34

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 5:35

Yep.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Even until now, she would say you know what, you can figure it out. If you can't, you know it's part of the growing pains. You just got to take the rest and I'm like, really, mom, I don't know. I don't know if this is the right thing. For me she's like you can do it and for me you know, surrounding myself with that power person and that you can do it mentality makes me feel like you know, powerful and I can do anything.

Speaker 2: 6:05

Wow, that is a great mom. I love it. And then let's see, talk to me about your company and the selling point. I'd like to know a little bit more about that.

Speaker 1: 6:16

Yeah, so the selling point of my company is we tailor fit our service to your needs and with my background in healthcare, I try to really understand. You know what the patient needs and what the doctors need and what you know if it's a skilled nursing facility, what they need on their operation side. So I try to always put myself in the client's shoes. And you know, virtual assistant is there's really a lot of virtual assistant services out there, but it's not as tailored as you think it is. When our unique selling point is really you know, we get to know, we want you to walk us through your process of you know of your office, and then we can help you from there.

Speaker 2: 7:04

I love it. And what are some of the clients looking like that are coming to you for help? Is it all kinds of fields? Are you finding that maybe it's one particular industry that's coming to you, or is it all kinds?

Speaker 1: 7:27

So right now I have a lot of healthcare providers dentists, cardiologists and skilled nursing facility where I came from and that's really my background. So I do a lot of like referral management, you know, looking through insurances and clinical reviews. So that's kind of like one of my specialty, as myself myself and the others are. You know I have my husband is a CPA, so he helps me with the billing side and the bookkeeping side and everything with the other side of like for the dentist and we do transcribing as well. I have other businesses like an auto shop. Actually we do the cold calling for them. It's really a lot of different kinds of businesses but I find I find that I have a lot of healthcare providers, that that's under my service right now.

Speaker 2: 8:13

Okay, and in the future, do you think that maybe you'd want to expand absolutely? That's something like more different industries that are getting more knowledgeable about an AI virtual assistant. Yes, Not AI, but you know it can.

Speaker 1: 8:27

It can be. We are actually utilizing AI in our field. Tell us more about that. Yes, that's so interesting. So right now I am actually in talks with other people to build my own kind of AI with the referral system review, to build my own kind of AI with the referral system review, because the referral system review is really time-consuming for one person, and why not utilize the tools that we have now right, so, trying to kind of systematically I don't know if that's the right word, but we want to systemize everything that we do so a virtual assistant can be more effective in what they're doing. There's the AI that can do from clinical review down to medical decision, down to the payer, like if it's a Medicare, medicaid or a managed insurance. So it's. I know it's in-depth, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2: 9:31

Yeah, no, we want that. Yeah, the more we know, the better.

Speaker 1: 9:33

So thank you.

Speaker 2: 9:35

I would like to ask you what keeps you inspired in your industry and for your career? What keeps you like, oh my gosh, this is exciting. Let me see.

Speaker 1: 9:46

Let me take a look at this here. Oh my gosh, I am a curious human being. It is a good thing, and sometimes my husband is like what are you thinking now? Like now you're like you know, you just got to focus on one thing. I'm like I know, but you know that's kind of interesting what they're doing out there. So my inspiration is really again my mom dabbling onto different kinds of businesses and while making sure that one business is secured before the other is secured. So my inspiration is to really help businesses out there to scale without breaking the bank Because, as you know, having a small business or starting a business, first you don't have a roadmap.

Speaker 1: 10:31

You don't have. You know, there's only you, and sometimes you get overwhelmed and you start doubting yourself and when you start doubting yourself, you don't continue the business that it's the dream that you wanted. So I'm here and my company's here to make sure that you know you're not alone doing that and that's really my inspiration, because I dabbled with a lot of. I dabbled with a lot of businesses myself, and having pregnant and then doing a full-time job and also starting a business, it kind of took a toll on me and really this is like my fifth business and this is sort of like Now that I have my three kids and I'm kind of done having kids, as my husband says. You know, this is kind of like my youngest and I'm trying to culture it, trying to grow that baby.

Speaker 2: 11:36

Yeah, that's so beautiful. I mean, I love how honest you are and you're like you know what. This is my fifth business and that's part of an entrepreneur. Sometimes things work, sometimes things don't Absolutely. Sometimes things work, sometimes things don't absolutely. This is why we love having all kinds of backgrounds people with different industries, come in here and talk about this, because a lot of entrepreneurs listen to this and they take a lot of inspiration.

Speaker 2: 11:56

They take some inspirational nuggets or tactics or even like methods that are working and use it with their own businesses and systems and I would like to say that I think you're doing great and I think your mom has like really like made a wonderful human being out there who's trying to help and better other entrepreneurs, and you're also giving back to your team back in the Philippines.

Speaker 1: 12:21

Yeah, that's also my inspiration and my goal because, you know, in the I guess in the whole world, right, but mostly in the Philippines opportunities are very scarce and it's hard to make a living. If you know, using virtual assistant and remote work opens a big door for everybody, a big opportunity to better themselves and, to you know, give a better life for themselves as well.

Speaker 2: 12:57

Absolutely. With that being said, where do you hope to be with your business and with yourself in the next five years?

Speaker 1: 13:05

I honestly want to be worldwide.

Speaker 2: 13:08

Oh yeah, I love it.

Speaker 1: 13:09

So I have a few clients that I'm talking to in Australia and UK. So trying to see if that is something that you know would benefit me as well, because US is really big. But you know there's also a need elsewhere and I just want to spread the love and see if I can help in any way. And you know I love learning about other businesses and you know how the operations work and makes me really, you know, kind of grow my horizon too.

Speaker 2: 13:45

Absolutely yeah, and I'd like to ask about marketing what's working for you, what isn't working for you. If you could share that? And are you an avid believer in using social media? I know some people aren't, some people are, and that's totally okay. I'd like to hear different opinions on all of that. Could you share?

Speaker 1: 14:02

Yes, so right now, most of my clients are actually referrals. Beautiful, that's the best kind, yes, and you know, because I have a relationship with them and the people that refer them. I have a relationship with them too, so it's a better working environment With social media. My goal actually for 2025 is to really be out there. For 2025 is to really be out there and I finally, you know, left the workforce in September and so I'm doing this full time and 2025 is sort of like me coming out of my shell and, you know, putting my face out there. I think you should.

Speaker 2: 14:47

I think you would do so. Well, I can see you like getting ready or getting your curlers. I'm like what does it take to be a girl boss, or what people think look like? It looks like being a girl boss and it's just, and then you put like all the things like this, this, this, and you're just like I could totally see you doing that.

Speaker 1: 15:12

Oh, thank you. Oh my gosh, I you know, my husband did say that before and until I started stop, stop working. He's like um, all right, the kids. I'm like, I know, I know, I'm getting there, I promise, I promise I get. I'm almost done, I love it.

Speaker 2: 15:20

I love it. What do you like to do on your free time? I know family is a big and important thing for you. What is something that makes you happy when you are like alone, like for self-care and taking care of your mental health?

Speaker 1: 15:31

Honestly, right now is like listening to worship songs and looking at motivational quotes, because, you know, a lot of times it does take a toll on me, with you know, sometimes I feel like a failure with how I raise my kids or how my business is going, and sometimes my business is plateaued and sometimes it's up and sometimes it goes down. Believer that, you know, if we don't have a high, if we don't believe in anything higher than us, I feel like it's what's the point you know, and I always want to better myself by, you know, reading self help self help box and I know it's like it's weird, but I do it.

Speaker 2: 16:38

No, that's good self-help is so good find what makes you happy, find what is helping you better yourself and give you knowledge. Some people find that in self-help books that is a tongue twister. Look um, some people find it in music, taking out walks in nature, all kinds of things. So I just always like finding out about the person, because everyone has has different things. And now a really important question that I would like to ask you is how did you get your hair to look so good? Like what did you use? Was it hair?

Speaker 2: 17:03

curlers seriously, did you just do the curl? This is a good question, you know it's.

Speaker 1: 17:09

I did a curler and I was like I did not brush it. I was like you know what, let's keep it like this it's cold or else it's gonna come down. So so yeah, and I showered it yesterday.

Speaker 2: 17:19

So you showered it. Perfect, I need to shower. I showered it yesterday.

Speaker 1: 17:23

I'm like maybe I hold my curls better the next day. It did. It looks wonderful.

Speaker 2: 17:27

Thank you, yeah, you're so welcome. And now, what have been some challenges for you? I know we talked a little bit about them, but for entrepreneurs who are listening like was it hard to find? I know. Know, for you it was maybe a little bit easy because you had some great people that you had in the Philippines, but when it comes to running a business, some of the challenges that people have found have been finding the right workers or the great team, or maybe just finding a location or being able to put themselves out there. What do you think is a piece of information that you could give to others, that you have been able to overcome and share that?

Speaker 1: 18:01

That you don't have to do it all Because you know, as a business person, you want to control everything right and I'm a biggest, I'm a control freak and, honestly, building my virtual assistant, my VA experts, was a little tough for me because I'm a control freak by nature and I did not want to utilize my own virtual assistant because I'm like I want you to do this for the client and do this and do that, but for me I was having a hard time letting go until I finally let go and I'm like you know what I can trust them. I can. You know I can trust them. I don't have to do it alone because there's other things in a bigger picture that I can do. I can do more marketing because they're doing the.

Speaker 1: 19:08

You know, if they're listening that you you really don't have to do it alone and you know I would love to be a part of that journey with them If they want to. You know, just understand, like how I did it and how my other clients are doing it, like I have clients from until now, from the very beginning. They're still with me. So you know it does, it does help to kind of, you know, let go of some tasks that you don't really have to worry about because it's very minuscule of the tasks that you need to do. Yes, on the bigger scale absolutely, thank you.

Speaker 2: 19:46

Is there anything that I have not touched on that you would like to share, whether it's about yourself personally, your business, your industry, maybe some misconceptions, anything that you would like to share?

Speaker 1: 19:59

Misconception is, you know, with the virtual assistant world, yeah, you get good ones and you get bad ones, and it's similar to hiring somebody here. Right, you train them, for you know, the misconception is, when you hire a virtual assistant, they should know everything. And unfortunately, it's like also when you hire somebody here you have to train them. Yes, they know the basics, but there's still a learning curve there, because every business they have different workflow, absolutely, and they just need to know your workflow so they can efficiently do the work. They just need to know your workflow so they can efficiently do the work. And if you lay it out to them exactly as a schedule, it's a better working relationship with your virtual assistant. And the biggest point that I learned doing this business and you know, just navigating through life is you know, and what I always tell my kids if you put yourself, you know, don't ever underestimate yourself you can do anything that you want to. As long as you put your mind into it, you can achieve anything.

Speaker 2: 21:14

Yeah, yeah, I love it. No wise words there. Now my final question I know you said you like quotes, and this is a question that I do like to ask a lot of people is do you have a quote, a saying, a mantra, maybe a Bible verse that has inspired you or keeps you going, or really resonated with you, and would you mind sharing that with us?

Speaker 1: 21:34

Um, huh, you caught me off guard there. That's what I like to do. Um, you know, practice is practice, makes progress and it's not perfect. No, nothing is perfect in the world. And, um, always give yourself some grace, and that that's what I live by. Or else, you know you live in, you know we live in the society where social media shows you you have to be this and it puts you in this. You know, mental state of I have to be perfect and, honestly, state of I have to be perfect and honestly, you don't have to be perfect, you just have to. You just have to make progress little by little and you'll get there absolutely.

Speaker 2: 22:26

Yeah, it's hard for us sometimes because we're just like we think we can be perfect and that it's attainable and maybe for some people it finally maybe is but most of the time it's just that little string that's hanging above us that we're trying to get, and we can't right, so I'm glad that you touched on that and take it easy on yourself sometimes. It's already tough out there.

Speaker 1: 22:47

Don't make it harder on yourself.

Speaker 2: 22:49

Yep, I want to say thank you so much for coming on the podcast, sharing a lot of wisdom, your story, your inspiration, sharing about your mother, your business. It was all great. I appreciate it so.