Hey there —
My name is John Jonas, co-founder and CEO of OnlineJobs.ph. But I didn't set out to build a platform. I was just trying to solve a problem in my own business.
A Better Way
Back in 2005, my business partner Dan and I were fresh out of college (Brigham Young University), trying to keep our small online business alive.
Like a lot of entrepreneurs, we were drowning in tasks because we're trying to do everything ourselves. Emails, meetings, even those mundane tasks kept us busy but weren't giving us any room for growth.
One night, while helping put my two kids to bed, I had a terrifying realization that hit me harder than all the exhaustion:
I'm going to miss my kids growing up. And I don't want to. There has to be a better way.
A couple of weeks later, a mentor gave me advice that sounded… oddly specific. He said, "When you're ready to outsource, go to the Philippines."
That surprised me—back then, India was the default answer. But my mentor told me the real difference wasn't the price. It was communication. He believed the Philippines was different: strong English, an understanding of Western business culture, people who could actually run with what you gave them.
At the time, I didn't fully understand why that mattered. I just knew I needed help. And for the first time in a long while, I felt something I hadn't felt in months: hope. Hope that outsourcing wouldn't be a nightmare. Hope that maybe there really was a better way. Hope that maybe, this time, I could stop drowning.
Coming Up for Air
Joven — hire #1, 2006
So in 2006, I took a leap of faith and hired my first Filipino virtual assistant: Joven.
Truth be told, he knew almost nothing when he started. But he was willing to learn, eager to help, and incredibly dependable. I taught him what I needed, and he took it from there.
Almost overnight, it felt like there were two of me. It was like a gulp of fresh air after being underwater for so long. Finally, I had space to work on my business instead of being buried in it.
That one hire changed my business. Soon after, it would change my life.
When It Became Real
The true test came a couple of years later.
My wife, Kim, was seven months pregnant with our third child when we got terrifying news from the doctor: she had preeclampsia—a serious blood pressure condition that can be life-threatening. We were told that if she didn't go on strict bed rest immediately, she could have seizures, we could lose the baby, and she could die.
So I did something that would terrify most entrepreneurs. I stepped away.
I emailed my Filipino team and told them, "Guys, I can't work. I need you to do everything that I'm currently doing in the business." Then I focused on taking care of my wife and kids.
For the next three weeks, I worked a grand total of only one hour. And I waited for the business to fall apart.
It didn't. My team didn't just keep things going. They grew the business.
That was the moment I realized this wasn't just "outsourcing" to faceless workers. This was about building a real team. And what I had was a real team.
The Marketplace I Needed Didn't Exist
Once I saw what was possible, I wanted to hire more people like Joven. There was one problem: finding good people was hard.
I tried agencies. They were expensive, slow, and often bad at matching the right people to the work. I hated the markup. I hated the middleman. And I hated knowing that employers were paying a lot while workers were getting far less.
I looked at Upwork and Fiverr too, but they were built mostly for short-term gigs. I didn't want turnover—I wanted loyal, dependable people I could build with over time.
What I really wanted was simple: a place where I could see who was out there, search real profiles, contact people directly, and hire them myself.
- No middleman.
- No salary markups.
- No agency model.
- No barriers between employers and workers.
So I built it.
Why I Started OnlineJobs.ph
I launched OnlineJobs.ph in 2009 simply because I needed it to exist. At first, it was simple: a job board and profile database where employers could connect directly with Filipino workers—no middleman taking a cut.
From the beginning, OnlineJobs.ph was built around a different idea of remote hiring:
The best remote working relationships are not built like freelance transactions. They're built like real jobs.
That means direct contact. Direct pay. Long-term relationships. Mutual trust. Real opportunity for both sides.
Yes, employers can still hire hourly, project-based, or part-time. But the heart of OnlineJobs.ph has always been helping employers and Filipino workers build something stable and long-term. Because that's what changed my life.
What Hasn't Changed
A lot has changed since those early days. What started as something I built for myself became something used by millions of Filipino workers and businesses around the world.
But the premise hasn't changed since day one: Make it easy for employers and Filipino workers to reliably connect.
And maybe the clearest proof of that is this:
Still with us today
The people who started with us are still here.
20 years with the team — and counting
19 years with the team — and counting
17 years with the team — and counting
17 years with the team — and counting
16 years with the team — and counting
15 years with the team — and counting
14 years with the team — and counting
13 years with the team — and counting
12 years with the team — and counting
11 years with the team — and counting
11 years with the team — and counting
10 years with the team — and counting
9 years with the team — and counting
9 years with the team — and counting
8 years with the team — and counting
8 years with the team — and counting
8 years with the team — and counting
8 years with the team — and counting
7 years with the team — and counting
…and many more since
The list keeps growing — most of our team has been here for years, not months.
Today, Dan is in Idaho. I stayed in Utah. Nearly everyone else on our team is in the Philippines. We still live by the same beliefs that shaped this company:
- We don't outsource work. We insource it.
- We don't hire cheap labor. We hire team members.
- We don't believe in exploiting people. We believe in uplifting talent.
We walk the talk because this isn't theory for us. This is how we built our business. This is how we run our company. This is how we've seen lives change on both sides.
"meeting my original team, and the only time I've ever been to the Philippines...
I think I should go again"
Why People Trust Us
People trust OnlineJobs.ph because this started from a real need. I needed help. I found incredible people in the Philippines. I saw firsthand what the right hire could do, then built the platform I wished had existed when I was getting started.
That's why we care so much about helping employers hire well—and helping Filipino workers find real opportunity.
We hear life-changing stories every day from employers around the world and Online Filipino Specialists across the Philippines.
We hope this is the beginning of yours, too.
John Jonas
Co-founder & CEO, OnlineJobs.ph
Utah, USA — still working with the same team since 2006
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