We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Uduak Ekpo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Uduak below.
Uduak, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job
One of the valuable lessons i learnt in my previous job is how to manage time and keep stock. When i worked in the bank it was a rule not to carry over work to the next day. We were made to respond to all emails and tasks that cannot be finished must have a holding response and timeline to finish.
This has helped me stay grounded in my business. I developed the habit of finishing all tasks per day and avoiding procrastination. I am able to manage my time effectively and also teach my staff to manage time and resources.
They always tease me by repeating what always say ” why will you postpone work till tomorrow when you can do it today, you don’t know the tasks that tomorrow will bring”
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Uduak Ekpo, I am a social media influencer and a fashion business woman. My companies are on social media with these handles @suesignature_ and @mapacha_ng respectively.
Suesignature is a unisex fashion store that feeds the fashion needs of male and females where we offer retail, drop shipping and wholesale services. We sell different ranges of shoes, clothes and bags.
Mapacha is a made in Nigeria premium clothing brand that is all about trendy fashionable pieces. I partner with my friend Yvonne for this and we design and sew these unique pieces even though we are situated in Lagos Nigeria, we deliver worldwide.
I got into the fashion space because I have always liked fashion from when I was a teenager and so the more i grew and could afford the things I loved people would always ask where i got the things I wore and so I decided to make a business out of it.
I am proud of how far I have come as an individual and also as a business woman. for someone who started out with almost nothing to fight for a space and continue winning in a thriving industry gives me so much joy and hope for better days.
I want potential clients to know that we are committed to serving them and our integrity and their satisfaction is of utmost importance
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I met my business partner through a mutual friend and our love for fashionable pieces birthed our business as we would always redesign and rematch clothes we buy off the rack. We couldn’t seem to find exactly what we wanted so we either made alterations or created a brand new design altogether.
Its been a year since we started and it has been challenging and interesting.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building my social media audience was a step by step work which is still a work in progress. I decided to stay consistent knowing that giving up is not an option. This helps me stay grounded and not bother about the metrics.
I post consistently while engaging and building a community alongside. We also post high quality content which helps viewers to stay entertained and glued to our social media pages. This is double productive because we keep them entertained while they shop and pay for the item we advertise.
Our clients are also encouraged to take pictures and they are usually so gracious to do so by wearing, taking cute pictures and referring their friends.
Contact Info: