The Payoneer Forum held at Park Inn by Radisson in Davao City on February 4 gathered together over a hundred freelancers, online entrepreneurs, startups and professionals and empowered them with the latest in online payment solutions and other digital business tools.
Organized for the first time in Davao, the Payoneer Forum was organized by global cross-border payments company Payoneer, graced by an all-star cast of digital marketing, freelancing, and online business experts as speakers.
These included LinkVistaDigital Inc. CEO and President Patrick Panuncillon, Opposed Media Director Mitch Miller, Freelancer Karla Singson, Mr. Outsource and Dreamwork Coworking Space CEO Regina Evangelista, and Payoneer Philippines Country Manager Miguel Warren.
Payoneer Country Manager Miguel Warren, who gave the session on “Payoneer: Connecting Businesses, Professionals, Countries and Currencies”, said they wish to impart knowhow about how global online connections can help freelancers and startups build sustainable businesses at low cost.
“We just launched our Payoneer Philippines office in Manila in November 2016. With our work we hope to empower freelancers, startups, entrepreneurs, and professionals with practical knowledge about online payments and related business tips,” said Warren.
Headquartered in New York, Payoneer provides online payment solutions to leading brands such as Airbnb, Amazon, Google, Upwork and millions of small businesses around the world. With over 3 million users worldwide, Payoneer can send money to more than 200 countries in over 150 currencies.
“Domestic digital advertising revenue reached $60 billion in 2016 but only 20-30% of this amount went to big agencies. The rest went to freelancers and startups, giving ordinary folks room to become digital business successes,” said LinkVistaDigital Inc. CEO & President Patrick Panuncillon.
Panuncillon gave a session on the topic “Becoming a Digital Marketing Success” during the forum, where he advised those wishing to be proficient in the digital marketing world to focus on efficiency, quality, and building relationships.
“Am I spending & investing enough to fuel growth? How much do I devote to innovation? Is my digital marketing strategy and methodology clear? These are some of the questions that we need to ask ourselves if we are to become successful digital marketers,” said Panuncillon.
Mitch Miller, Opposed Media Director, gave a session on “Freelancer Equality 101”, an orientation on how to make the most of freelancing with such practical advice like not being easy to get, charging higher, and building a reputation as an expert.
“Freelancers, online workers and entrepreneurs, don’t have to be exploited by bigger fish. People want what they can’t have so don’t be so easy to get. The more you charge the better they believe you are good at what you do. Be known as an expert to a small group for one specific thing,” said Miller.
Karla Singson, who discussed “Fast and Furious: How to Fail Swiftly So You Can Succeed Faster” is a renowned Davao-based freelancer. Regina Evangelista, who gave a session on “How to Get Clients Online”, is Chief Executive Officer of Mr. Outsource and Dreamwork Coworking Space.
The Payoneer Forum is also supported by TechTalks.ph. “Online work is a great opportunity for Filipinos across the country to participate in the digital economy and uplift their lives outside of the traditional in-person employer-employee relationship. Payoneer’s solutions will help make online payment transactions more efficient” said Tina Amper, Founder of TechTalks.ph