I’m starting a set of articles for September called The Courage Series featuring women who have pursued their dreams with courage, persistence, perseverance and devotion so you can be inspired to pursue yours.
SeektheUniq, an online shopping experience of seeking and finding the uniq (as it’s described in their Instagram account), is my go-to online shop for standout fashion pieces. Founder and Commander-in-Chic Mikka Padua has always had bohemian blood and entrepreneurial dreams running in her veins. Mikka takes us along with her from the time she started selling mangoes to her first day of launching SeektheUniq. She also gives advice to women—especially wives and moms—who are afraid of even starting on their own entrepreneurial dream.
1. How did you get here? How did the path of entrepreneurship begin for you?
I’ve always thought I was born to be an entrepreneur. I never thought of myself as being a doctor or having a profession. I grew up in Bacolod and I spent summers selling mangoes. I would sell them outside the house. I was about the age of my daughter Mischka now when I started [editor’s note: Mischka is eight]. I would turn the unsold mangoes into ice candy. I looked forward to it every summer because I could make money. I wanted to make money not to get rich but because of personal fulfillment, of having achieved something given so little.
I was looking forward to going to college in Manila. I took up Business Management with specialization in Entrepreneurship in La Salle. Because of my course, we had to make something and sell it. My group made a magazine rack called Hard Rack.
I realized early on that I wanted to work in fashion. I started working on the selling floor in Mango Power Plant Mall. I then worked in Jewelmer for a year doing merchandising. After, I found an opportunity to work in Luxasia doing Visual Merchandising. In between my jobs, I would be joining bazaars selling caftans and kimonos. In half a day, I would be sold out—my rack would be empty! But I didn’t stop working. I really wanted to learn pa.
When the opportunity to work in Crossings [editor’s note: a department store in Shangri-la Mall that has unfortunately already closed] came, I took it because I really wanted to go back to fashion. The idea of building this new concept called The Ramp which featured independent Filipino designers was so exciting. I was there for three years. It was there that I met suppliers, people in fashion, magazine editors—people who I still work with until today.
I realize that everything is connected. You don’t know it then but it’s like a piece to a puzzle.
I got married, moved to Singapore, and had Mischka. I was so uninspired when I was in Singapore. As a career woman, I wasn’t feeling it there. I was looking for something to do for myself—not just be a mom. I couldn’t do what I was doing previously which was design and make clothes and sell it there.
I wanted to go home and meet my suppliers and make stuff. I started blogging about motherhood, about raising Mischka away from home and trying to make a creative environment for her. I wrote about finding ways on how to raise her creatively without having to enroll her in Gymboree. We were in Singapore for almost two years.
After we came home, I built a website with some friends but the market wasn’t ripe yet. I started designing bags and making them also.
The opportunity to work as a senior buyer for Zalora came. To be part of that start-up energy and be one of the pioneers was exciting for me. Our target was to bring in as many brands to Zalora within three months. Everything moved so quickly. Sales reports would come in daily and weekly which was great because you could do something about it instead of waiting for the month to end. The energy was amazing! I saw that you can work without cubicles and still be productive with all the open space.
After a while, it got tiring and I left Zalora. It’s a job and environment for a single person.
My boss also left and told me his plan to build a website— a more curated one compared to Zalora and that he wanted us to work together. However, he founded another startup and never did find the time to launch the website.
While waiting for him, I was doing my caftans and bags again. My husband told me that if I really wanted to build a website, I could choose among the different platforms of Magento, Bigcommerce and Shopify. I chose Shopify because it was so easy. I wanted something I could manage on my own. I didn’t want to be at the mercy of the developer.
I launched seektheuniq.com on April 13, 2013.
The day before the launch, I thought “what if walang bumili?”
The first order came in and it was tuloy tuloy. I was in awe.
In a week, I made P300,000. I finished all my inventory. I thought—now what? I thought I could retire but my husband told me to use the money to build my inventory. So I started buying locally. That’s how it all started.
It was all very organic. I didn’t spend on advertising. The market was waiting for a more curated site. The timing was perfect.
We really started on a shoestring. I worked with people I had known in my previous jobs. Even the packaging department was composed of my daughter and her yaya. To pack the first orders, I just bought Manila paper and had some stickers made. But when I saw the final packaging, I felt that parang kulang. So that’s when we stamped on the names. Stamping the customers’ names made it feel like a gift.
2. What did you wish you did when you were just starting out?
I wish I could have been more organized in the sense that I wasn’t keeping track of the receipts. I’m a creative person. I’m OC only with aesthetics but not with details like that. I wish I started bookkeeping and keeping records earlier.
3. How did you cultivate the patience and perseverance when things were slow, when business was harder than you thought it would be?
2014 to 2015 was tough because that’s when a lot of people were copying us. There was a point when a lot of curated sites opened also. They were similar to us, carrying the same brands as us. There’s also the rise of so many Instagram sellers. They just grab photos. They’re selling it for so little.
The minimalist normcore trend also became uso. That was not Seek at all.
To get past the hurdles, you have to have the tenacity. It takes a while to build a brand. You don’t expect it fly right away. You have to be patient. You have to stick to what you believe.
I was stubborn with my concept. Bohemian for me is a lifestyle, not a trend. I live it and so do a lot of women. The whole team lives it. This is a creative outlet for us. It’s a means of livelihood. What we do also makes other women happy and inspired—from showing them something simple as how to do a table setting, set up a backyard party or DIY a pair of pompom sandals. It brings positivity into women’s otherwise dull or mundane lives.
I’ve had customers tell me, “Every time I wear this skirt, I get compliments.” And these are regular women—not fashionistas. I feel that that’s an accomplishment.
It’s not all about making money. It’s about making women feel good.
4. How did you push past your fear of failure, fear of losing money, fear of putting yourself out there?
I’m not afraid of failing. I would rather have failed than rather not tried at all. I know it’s a cliché but I would rather fail fast and learn from it.
In terms of putting myself out there, Seek the Uniq is really from my core. It wasn’t forced or anything. I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not. Of course now I can’t go anywhere wearing shorts and slippers but I like dressing up anyway.
5. What would you say to someone who’s just starting out in their business?
Do not be afraid of failing because at some point you will. That’s fine. That’s how you get better when you fail.
Don’t wait until you’re ready because you’ll never be ready.
Don’t waste your talents, especially wives and moms. You’re not just a wife or mom. You’re you. You have to do stuff for yourself. Don’t let your talents go to waste. Sell earrings on Instagram. Have a blog. Do something for you. Your children will see it. You’re setting an example to them. That’s the most effective way of learning from you. They look up to you and it’s important that they see someone they want to be when they grow up. They have to see that not everything is easy, that you have to work hard to get to where you want to be.
6.What advice would you give to someone who can’t get over the fear of starting?
Start small. Take baby steps. You always hear, “think long term. Think big picture.” That’s all true but you don’t have to. Take a small step. And then take another small step tomorrow. And little by little, you realize you’re not scared anymore.
Thank you for sharing, Mikka. Check out her Instagram account where you will find inspiration to not only look chic but live chic.
Rest in peace, Mikka Padua. She passed away after a full, glorious and courageous life on 20 June 2021.
Thank you for reading The Courage Series. It was a gift for me to meet and talk with these women and share their stories with you. If these have inspired you to pursue your own dream but need the support to find the confidence and take courageous action, then I would love to be your coach. Click here to learn more about working with me.
Love your blog