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Lyra is an entrepreneur based in the Philippines and Southeast Asia where she has helped founders and CEOs scale their businesses through the power of social media and branding and runs businesses of her own. She is a top executive when it comes to project and business management. With many years of experience, she has the knowledge to advise any company and drive businesses to success and beyond.
Tell us about The Homebased Worker How did you come up with this idea?
Lyra Almoite: I had been holding onto thehomebasedworker.com domain for a while telling myself that I would create a blog out of it in the future. I began documenting and providing resources on how to work online. When I lost my job working remotely I decided I needed to start applying for remote jobs again. Due to the COVID-19 situation, interviews and processes were moving so slow and I knew I had to act quickly. So, I started reaching out to previous colleagues, clients, and friends telling them that I decided to start The Homebased Worker as a business instead.
It took a whole week of thinking because I knew that I wanted to brand myself as The Homebased Worker but I didn’t know what to call myself, was I a social media manager? Graphic designer? Virtual Assistant? Project Manager? Executive Assistant? I felt like what I do blurs all the lines together and after a lot of thinking, I realized that I should be an Online Business Manager. And that is the whole concept of The Homebased Worker — Online Business Management Service for Women Entrepreneurs and Business Coaches.
“I started tapping into the new entrepreneurs who needed help but either didn’t have the budget to hire part or full-time employees yet or those who didn’t have enough workload to outsource. Those businesses who needed 15 to 20 hours of support per month I would help them manage their business and grow from there.” Lyra explains
How did you promote your company in the early days?
Lyra Almoite: Most of my clients came from Instagram and client recommendations. I would say getting the first client was the hardest. I would connect to my “dream client” on Instagram and LinkedIn who were business coaches and just engage with them there, sometimes, I would randomly check their sites, shoot them some suggestions. It’s really about building connections. I treated being on social media and connecting to these people as if it was my full-time job, Until now, I am still doing it but not as often.
How have you been able to grow your business/businesses?
Lyra Almoite: I make sure to communicate almost everything, all of the updates, documentations, and overdeliver as much as I can. When my clients are happy, they send more clients my way. I began seeking help and started hiring additional team members to make sure that everything on the back end is running smoothly and my clients get the best support possible. My clients know that they can always rely on me and they can sleep at night peacefully knowing that things are being taken care of. I believe this is the best business strategy that works well for me.
“Right now, we’re already at full capacity and working with multiple business coaches and entrepreneurs under our portfolio and have many clients already waitlisted for the month of September and onwards.” Lyra states.
What are some secrets to virality/sales in your most successful platform?
Lyra Almoite: Most of my clients come from Instagram. It’s a platform that I have been avoiding for a very long time because both Instagram and Facebook are both incredibly oversaturated platforms. The key is to know your audience, what kind of profiles they have, what’s in their bio, what do they call themselves, and to genuinely engage with them. Build relationships. Of course, do not cold pitch them, they won’t give you a cent of attention. Build a relationship, comment on the photo of their dog, ask questions, take an interest in what they do. People like talking about themselves, so make them talk about themselves and listen.
“Like really listen, find what they need and when you find a gap to put yourself in, that’s where you strike.” Lyra details.
What do you think you do better than most people? How are you able to do it?
Lyra Almoite: I think I am really good at figuring things out. I have trained my mind to find solutions. They say train your mind to see opportunities, and that is what I have done. Now, my first thought is how can we better structure this process? Where are the gaps that need filling-in? How can I improve or solve issues? After working with people and managing a remote team from all over the world, I notice that this is something that not everyone has. A lot of people get stuck when there is a problem and often brings them and their business to a screeching halt. With this ever-changing world, with all the new digital trends and all, being able to figure things out efficiently will really take you places!
What are some of your most favorite books you’ve ever read?
Lyra Almoite: My current favorite book is Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. It’s a pretty good book where Sutherland helps me realize that there’s A LOT of change that will be driven by creative thinkers in this data-driven world. He explains that data can only help us have predictable results.
Where do you see yourself and your product, company, or brand in the next couple of years? What is your dream?
Lyra Almoite: I hope to see The Homebased Worker become bigger, helping more entrepreneurs kick start their business or side hustles until it grows enough for them to solely work on the things they love, their whys, and the reason why they started the business in the first place. I am also looking at The Homebased Worker as my avenue to help people be able to work from home, especially women, those who lost their jobs during the pandemic, those who wanted to get away from corporate because they have to be with their child. I wanted these driven people to be on my team and help them keep their financial independence even if they’re working from home. And together, we help more entrepreneurs thrive, and even quit corporate to build their own business too!
“I wanted these driven people to be on my team and help them keep their financial independence even if they’re working from home.” Lyra mentions.
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Tell us about your company Blushing Gifts how did you come up with this idea?
Lyra Almoite: Blushing Gifts is a one-stop gift and surprise online boutique which caters to the local market of my hometown. I have been looking for a “side-hustle” or a hobby that can make me money on the side just to keep my income streams open. I have always been working and could really use a break, and have other hobbies to focus on other than my main line of work.
The idea of having an online flower shop strikes me because during my travels and whenever I take workshops overseas, flower arrangement workshops are what strike me the most. So, I gave it a try to see if it would be a profitable business for me.
How did you promote your company in the early days?
Lyra Almoite: I began selling to personal friends. From that I got recommendations and soon came my first real clients outside of my circle of friends. With the help of the outstanding reviews from my friends and past clients, I received new clients from Facebook ads. And since then has gained more attention!
How have you been able to grow your businesses?
Lyra Almoite: I’ve been able to grow my businesses through Facebook Ads. I also use my strong work ethic to get new clients and retain loyal clients by trying my best to deliver above and beyond, prompt communication and offering quality and beautiful products. I often continue to work with repeat customers to accumulate good reviews and recommendations.
What are some secrets to virality/sales in your most successful platform?
“My most successful platform is Facebook and I would say that aside from knowing who to target as your clients, the other secret is Branding, So when people see my arrangements, they know it’s from Blushing Gifts.” Lyra recounts.
What do you think you do better than most people? How are you able to do it?
Lyra Almoite: I would say that I keep looking for new ideas and I am quite particular with the quality and materials that I am using. The flowers must be of a certain standard in order to be used, as well as the packaging, and the fillers. These elements are non-negotiables for me.
Teach us something we don’t know!
Lyra Almoite: When branding your products, make sure to keep things consistent. But also have specific sets of variations. Your branding goes a long way aside from your logo so try to be as particular as you can. Always document when outsourcing, so it’s easy to follow. Document the colors, their codes, the fonts, it’s variations, logo, the materials, the specifics of it, the only possible alternatives. Be very specific on this because your branding is how people know and remember you. Your branding largely factors into your price points.
Where do you see yourself and your product, company, or brand in the next couple of years? What is your dream?
Lyra Almoite: I definitely see this growing into more than just a side hustle — and hopefully within a couple of years, I will be able to add products into our catalog that can be shipped nationwide. I dream of seeing my company grow into one that brings happiness and excitement to millions all over the world.
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