Everything Started with ChatGPT: How I Began My Nomad Journey in Cebu

Everything Started with ChatGPT: How I Began My Nomad Journey in Cebu

In May 2025, I found myself asking a lot of questions to ChatGPT. At that time, I had no idea that this simple act of curiosity would spark a major shift in my life. I wasn’t planning to build a massive content creation engine. I wasn’t aiming to become a digital nomad. But somehow, the answers I received from ChatGPT led me to new realizations, ideas, and even business opportunities.

What surprised me the most was how natural and frictionless the process felt. I would type in my thoughts or business challenges, and ChatGPT would respond with ideas, strategies, and even sample content that far exceeded my expectations. It felt like brainstorming with a highly capable partner who never got tired, never complained, and always had something insightful to say.

I soon began to notice a pattern: some of the people who were inquiring about my services or content had found me because of the very content I was creating through ChatGPT. That realization fascinated me—and it marked the true beginning of my journey as a nomadic entrepreneur, powered by AI.

This wasn’t my first big wave in business. To understand how I ended up here, we have to rewind the clock back to 2005.

The Rise and Fall of My SEO Empire

Back in 2005, I experienced my first major business success, thanks to the rise of search engine optimization (SEO). It was a golden era—simple, tactical, and wildly profitable. Back then, everything in SEO was about backlinks. The more you had, the better you ranked. It was almost like a video game, and once you knew the cheat code, you could dominate the leaderboard.

When I cracked the backlink strategy, it felt like unlocking a secret system. The excitement was overwhelming, and the results came fast. I launched an SEO business that scaled rapidly, and by 2008, I was earning over $100,000 a month in pure profit. That level of income was beyond anything I had ever imagined. I built systems, hired staff, and helped clients rank for competitive keywords in Japan and beyond.

Life was smooth. The money kept flowing, and I began to believe that this would last forever. But in hindsight, I was overly reliant on a system that I didn’t control—Google’s algorithm.

In the early 2010s, everything began to change. Google started penalizing the very tactics we had mastered. What used to help rankings now triggered red flags. Updates like Panda and Penguin completely flipped the SEO industry upside down. Then, in 2012, Yahoo Japan made a decisive move to adopt Google’s search algorithm. Overnight, Google became the gatekeeper of nearly all search traffic in Japan.

The impact on my business was brutal. Our clients’ rankings dropped sharply, and despite our best efforts, recovery was slow or impossible. Each Google update felt like another blow to an already shaky foundation. By 2020, my once-booming SEO empire had faded into history. The $100k/month days were gone, and the landscape had changed beyond recognition.

The Pandemic That Wiped Out Everything

Still, I wasn’t entirely defeated. My past success had left me with capital, and I decided to invest that in a real, physical business—something less dependent on algorithms. I moved to Cebu, Philippines, and over the next few years, I built something I was truly proud of.

I launched three ESL (English as a Second Language) schools and opened over ten restaurants. Cebu was booming, and students from all over Asia—and even Europe and the Middle East—came to learn English in my schools. My restaurants became popular gathering places. I built teams, trained leaders, and created jobs for hundreds of people.

It felt like I was building an ecosystem of opportunity.

Then came COVID-19.

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, everything collapsed. International students stopped coming overnight. Borders closed. Visas were suspended. All of a sudden, I had dozens of empty classrooms and restaurants with no customers. The ESL industry in the Philippines—so dependent on global mobility—was one of the hardest hit.

I tried to hold on. I kept paying rent and salaries for as long as I could, hoping the pandemic would pass quickly. But it didn’t. Month after month, the losses piled up. By the time the dust settled, I had lost nearly everything—an estimated $2 to $3 million in assets, cash, and opportunity.

It was devastating. But somehow, a part of me felt ready to start over.

A New Chapter: Reinvention through ChatGPT and Nomadic Work

Losing everything forces you to reflect deeply. But it also creates a kind of mental and emotional reset. I had no choice but to ask: “What do I really want to do next?” And more importantly: “How can I rebuild in a way that’s more resilient, scalable, and aligned with who I am now?”

That’s when I returned to ChatGPT.

At first, I used it to organize ideas, test business concepts, and brainstorm strategies. Then I realized I could use it to write. Not just blog posts, but landing pages, sales emails, social media content—anything. Soon, I was creating 10, even 20 pieces of content a day. It felt like I had found a content engine inside my laptop.

This time, I wasn’t building classrooms or restaurants. I was building knowledge assets. My “products” were insights, guides, resources, and stories—delivered online, at scale, and with near-zero marginal cost.

Most importantly, I could do all of this from anywhere. All I needed was Wi-Fi and a keyboard. That’s when I realized: I had quietly become a digital nomad.

A New Chapter Begins

From this point forward, my journey with ChatGPT has only just begun. To make sure I never forget how it all started, I’ve decided to begin documenting my experience in real time.

It’s been just two months since I officially partnered with ChatGPT as a creative ally. And the results have been astonishing. My content is reaching new audiences. Engagement is up. Inquiries have tripled. And the best part? I’m enjoying the process more than ever.

For the first time in a long while, I feel truly energized.

This isn’t a side project. This is my new life. And I want to keep track of it—month by month—not only as a personal archive, but as a way to inspire others who may be searching for their own second act.

Stay tuned. The next chapter is coming soon. And I have a feeling it’s going to be even bigger.