Jannie Liboon – Bookkeeping

Hi, I am Jannie Mauren Liboon but you can call me Mau. I am a 23-year-old virtual assistant from the Philippines. I studied Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy at the University of Santo Tomas. I have always thought that I would work and retire in the health allied industry. I have never imagined myself working with various people from different parts of the world in the comforts of my home! But life is full of surprises, it can be scary and intimidating but in time, everything will come into place. So here I am braving and powering through a different path from what I have always known.

I used to work as a physical therapist but when the pandemic started, the clinic I was working for closed down and since I was just new and wasn’t a regular employee yet, I wasn’t included in the roster of PTs they would transfer to another clinic. It was an unfortunate event but I had to adapt and work with these changes. I think it was also for the best as it led me to the world of remote work.

Initially, I started working as an ESL teacher for Japanese students. It was nerve-wracking and it was fun at the same time. But teaching really is not for me. So while working as an ESL teacher, I tried applying for virtual assistant job openings I came across with. The rejections were heartbreaking but it was understandable. I lack the experience and clients prefer applicants with commendable portfolios and extensive experience. But I did not give up. I have always believed that everything can be learned and I trust in my ability to learn things in a fast and accurate manner. I have always been compassionate in everything I put my heart and mind into. After the third time, fortunately, a client believed in me too. That’s when my VA journey started.

My first client is in the bookkeeping industry. Initially, I was only assigned with managing the social media and email aspect of the business and was assigned a few bookkeeping tasks for 1 of their clients. The bookkeeping part was a huge challenge at first as it was very unfamiliar to me. But the passion to learn is my fuel and the willingness to learn is my drive in order for me to achieve my goals. So to expand my knowledge and sharpen my skills in bookkeeping, I took various certification courses such as the FVA’s Online Bookkeeping course wherein I learned the basics of bookkeeping, and the basics of Quickbooks Online, the FVA’s Xero Certification course where we learned and worked with various accounting software such as Wave Navigation, Freshbooks, Zipbooks, and Xero. To top it all off, I also took and passed the Xero Advisor certification exam. In addition to all these, I have also attended training for using the MYOB software. As a result, I am now well-versed in doing bank reconciliations, accounts payables, and receivables, making sure the accounts are balanced at the end of the month, and generating various financial reports such as balance sheets and profit and loss statements. I am also proficient in using the MS excel of google sheets to manually track the transactions that come in and out of the business. From handling just one account, I am now trusted with more than 10 accounts to make sure their books are up to date and accurate with the help of various accounting software!

After more than a year of working as a VA, I have understood the importance of consistency, trust, and accountability in the field I am working in. I believe that transparency and honesty have always been the backbone of working remotely and these traits hone us to become accountable and reliable to our clients. In addition, working independently is a plus but it is never bad to always come from a place of help, trust me it works wonders!

The future is still full of surprises and out of our control, but one thing is for sure, I will do my best to improve my skills, connect to more people and learn the best values of life to make myself not only a better VA but also a better person.

For a copy of Jannie’s resume please click here.