How I Ended Up Founding SidekickBee: SEO & Website Design
People often ask me how I shifted from being a licensed Electrical Engineer to becoming an SEO Specialist and Website Designer. The short answer? Curiosity, boredom, timing—and a brain that refuses to rest. The long answer? Well, story time. From Board Exams to Boredom Sixteen years ago, right after graduating, I immediately took the board exams and passed both as an Electrical Engineer and a Master Electrician in the Philippines. When the results came out, I went back to my hometown in Northern Samar to rest, celebrate, and yes, drink for about two weeks haha. But after that short break, reality slowly started to sink in. Most of my friends were already asking, “Have you applied for work yet?” So I went back to Manila. I landed a job almost immediately. On paper, everything looked perfect. I had the license, the title, and the job. But honestly, I was not ready yet. Two weeks of rest after such a major milestone did not feel like enough. Two months into the job, I was already bored. The truth is, I did not really have big dreams back then. I did not have a grand vision of success. I just wanted to be happy in life. After I passed the board exams, I kept asking myself, “What’s next?” I had achieved the goal I set for myself, but I did not know what to pursue after that. Discovering Online Work Out of boredom and, of course, with only a few pesos in my wallet, I started looking for online work. Back then, remote jobs were not really a “thing.” Most people thought working online was either fake or a straight-up scam. One day, I saw a post from a Greek company looking for help with a Civil Engineering thesis. I bid on the project, and surprisingly, I got it. I worked on it for two weeks, submitted it, and got paid. That moment changed everything. I realized that I could make money by writing and that I was earning more than my current salary as an engineer. Soon after, I started taking on business papers and research projects. This was way before ChatGPT, and online resources were limited. Every project required real, thorough research. It was time-consuming, but it built my discipline and strengthened my writing foundation. My First Taste of SEO A few months later, I landed my first SEO content writing projects for agencies. That was when I unknowingly started building my SEO career. From writing SEO articles, I became curious about: How rankings work Link juice and authority Keywords, optimization, and algorithms I didn’t just write—I studied. At that time, many Western clients were not yet familiar with Asian professionals, so I partnered with more established team members to secure projects. I have always believed that perception and familiarity play a major role in building trust. People naturally trust those they know or feel closer to, rather than someone living far away. I experienced this firsthand as a Filipino working in Singapore for seven years. For example, a Filipino client would often feel more comfortable—and sometimes even secure a better deal—working with another Filipino. This was one of the practical insights I shared with my juniors during my time in the construction industry in Singapore. I also noticed that if the main contractor was from Myanmar, it was often more effective to assign a Myanmar team member to handle negotiations. Cultural connection and familiarity truly matter in business. Yes, I was managing two full-time roles at the same time. How did I do it? I was young, driven, and constantly thinking. During the day, I worked as an Electrical Engineer, handling the technical and on-site demands of construction projects. At night, I put on my SEO cape and stepped into the world of digital marketing. Digital marketing became my creative and intellectual outlet from the physically demanding and high-pressure environment of engineering. While electrical engineering challenged me technically and required precision, digital marketing challenged my strategy, creativity, and analytical thinking in a completely different way. Digital marketing became my outlet from the physically demanding and stressful construction work, a field dominated by testosterone. I loved the contrast. One built structures in the physical world; the other built visibility and influence in the digital world. Both careers shaped how I think today—combining technical discipline with strategic marketing insight. Singapore, Lay Low, but Never Stop When I moved to Singapore to work as a full-time Electrical Engineer, I had to slow down, but I did not stop. I maintained three digital marketing clients while working abroad. After almost seven years, it was time for me to go back home. I officially retired—at least mentally—as an Electrical Engineer. I joked about becoming a hermit crab, but in reality, I wanted to do something different. I felt that I was no longer growing professionally. I had been part of more projects than I wanted—SEA Games, schools, mixed-use developments, factories and plants, airport. The career ladder was full, and I realized it was time to move on and start a family. As my mom said, I was already getting old. From Engineer to Entrepreneur (and Everything in Between) I ventured into businesses. That experience taught me a lot—but it also taught me how incredibly hard the food industry is. On top of that, pregnancy forced me to slow down physically. I couldn’t keep up with demanding physical work anymore. That’s when everything became clear. Choosing Digital Marketing After a year, I decided to go full-time in digital marketing, not just as a freelancer but as a business. That decision gave birth to SidekickBee. This time, I was not doing SEO and web design as a side hustle or an outlet. I was building something intentional, something sustainable, flexible, and aligned with the life I wanted. Looking Back From Electrical Engineering to SEO, from construction sites to Google rankings, my journey was never linear, but every step mattered.
