TransPinay TechPreneur and Author Amanda Valentine
By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
Discrimination is one of society’s most despicable diseases. Intolerance and bigotry lead to violence. Some opted to bear the trauma and scar, while others have used this as a springboard to become more productive and prove their worth.
As the Philippine commemorates its 122nd Year of Independence, how do we deal with various discrimination against age, gender, religion, region, and even and physical attributes?
In the Philippines, there some companies that have opened their doors to transgender women. However, not all of them are given an employment equal opportunity when it comes to taking a spot in the country’s workforce. Also, there are still some educational institutions that are not open yet to welcoming transgender students, and this posits a great number of unemployed trans people.
But acceptance for LGBTQ+ is changing gradually as the country has its own first transgender congresswoman, Geraldine Roman. In the airline industry, Cebu Pacific just recently appointed the first two transgender women flight attendants in the country in the last quarter of 2019.
While there is work in progress on the acceptance of transgender women and other members of the LGBTQ+ community, the inspiring story of Amanda Valentine, who was no stranger to discrimination has opted to focus on her passion which is writing and made her dream as a bestselling author come true with the help of self-publishing with Kindle Amazon, Teenage Love Spell: A Halloween Romance.
Speaking to THEPHILBIZNEWS, Amanda revealed, “Writing gives one a lot of opportunities because most writers are not tied down with 9 to 5 jobs. Here in the Philippines, the secret to living a financially-free life is self-investment and multiple jobs. If you have extra time, peruse the internet and you’ll find a lot of opportunities in making money online.”
“Graphic design and web design are quite lucrative jobs. You can take courses online and get certifications from universities around the world and most of these courses don’t cost a fortune. Look up Coursera and Udemy. The internet has truly provided me a life away from work discrimination,” Amanda added.
From lemons to lemonade
Having been working for the top transgender dating website as a dating coach and content writer, Amanda said that through the My Transsexual Date, her business-savvy idea of turning 7 years of her dating articles from her weekly column into a dating guide book, came to fruition after pitching it to MTD’s CEO Cyril Mazur.
Amanda Valentine with her book
“I have a huge collection of articles and my boss has more than 100,000 targeted audiences in his mailing list so why not? Added to that, my other boss Oliver Chanan, CEO of a technology company told me that it’s these times of pandemic that their software programs got a boost in sales and that it’s the perfect time to release a digital product,” she explained.
Her book Dating Transgender Women for Gentlemen is arriving on June 27, 2020 (Pride Month), in Amazon Kindle but is already available for pre-order.
When asked what the book is about, she said “I just got tired, most especially because from where I come from, the Philippines, we’re often trivialized or put in a box of clownery. Most people think that men who get involved with women like us are only after our money, have sick fetishes, pseudo straight, and more— but that’s far from reality. This notion has to stop and I know a lot of transgender women who know their self-worth and are quite selective when it comes to the men that they date.” Amanda revealed.
But Amanda explained that her book doesn’t only talk to men who are planning to be involved with transgender women as it’s also a 55,000-word resource that’s complicit into turning an “Average Joe” to the perfect gentleman that every single woman deserves.
Be productive, be creative
“Tis’ no time for sulking. We all should accept that what is happening now due to COVID19 has created havoc in the economy, taken so many lives, and disrupted our lives, hence the buzzword now is “new normal”,” the TransPinay added.
But for me, this is what I would like to suggest to our Filipino compatriots, use the internet to get a business idea, explore and chose the site you browse, instead of just watching anything that will either depress you or make you out of touch with the reality,” Amanda narrated.
Below are simple but practical tips from the TransPinay Techpreneur
1) Write your business ideas.
2) Do some research, there are vast resources available online.
3) Focus on what you want to do. You cannot be “Jack of all trades but master of none”
4) Think about how you will start your budget. Start small, and make it big. Better to start small and grow big, than start big, and downsize.
5) Find the right YouTube Channel for you. Like THEPHILBIZNEWS TV, you have more than 100 inspiring videos where they can learn and get inspiration from. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRQzlfLAasiD8QNzrZCT5A
6) Set a budget for your business idea. If you can start it alone the better. Don’t put all your savings in one business idea.
7) Don’t focus on negative thoughts. Focus on what you want to do and how to do it, because if not you will end up in a paralysis-analysis.
Message to Filipinos and the Youth
“I have been through a lot, and if I will share my struggle, we need several days. Needless to say, I don’t live in my past anymore. I live for the present, and this will determine my future. But here’s the thing. My attitude is so simple. If it has to be, it is all up to me. Don’t blame others for your misery. Stop playing the victim’s story. because to be a victim is a choice, and speaking from my very own experience, I can say post-haste, “I don’t want to live in my past, because I want to have a bright future ahead of me as I live my life in the present,” Amanda concluded.
To know more about the book, visit its official site https://dtwfgbook.com/
