Community Highlights: Meet Monjoa Likine of Fako Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monjoa Likine. 

Hi Monjoa, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Storytelling has always been at my core. When I was six years old, my dad gave me an old laptop that I only used for Microsoft and Spider Solitaire. I could sit on that thing for hours, coming up with new characters, storylines, alternate endings to the shows I liked. This evolved to creating comic books, short videos, blogs, and verbal fables. It didn’t matter if I was good or not at all of those things, but I loved being a part of the process for each. 

Then, at some point, someone tells you your dreams aren’t possible and you believe them. A lot of times, when you’re in a creative field, it’s natural to get a lot of external doubt. The problem starts to arise when you let it seep into your own thinking. 

Last October, during the pandemic, I looked around at my life and realized how truly unhappy I was. That was a crazy part about quarantine, you had nowhere external to go and so you were forced to travel internally. I began to prioritize my need for self-actualization and discovery. After a series of events, I bought the first camera I’ve ever owned, a Canon Rebel T7, to be used as a creative outlet for personal development. 

I convinced a friend to let me create some portraits in 30-degree weather. While all of us froze (and I say all of us because even the camera stopped working) I was really proud of how the images turned out and completely enthralled by the experience. 

There’s nothing I can compare the feeling to that arises when I’m on a set. Even with the days that are over 8-hours, with the problems that inevitably arise; I feel like I’m on fire. The amount of presence, joy, and self-awareness is better than almost anything I’ve experienced. 

A new passion had been discovered and I ran with it. After another series of events, I started asking myself what I needed to do to receive more of those moments. During my time in advertising sales, I did find a strong interest in marketing. A lot of my clients, during that time, had limited budgets and not enough money for a traditional advertising campaign to really work for them. Digital seemed to be the right alternative. 

So, photography turned into brand photography, which turned into brand videography, which turned into copywriting. Then one day I woke up and realized that this company is bigger than me. It’s a chance to really involve my community and support the growth and revenue of businesses that are looking to leave an impact on the world. 

I’ve been building my book of business since I launched in June, but have taken a step back to reconfigure and focus on my internal affairs. I’d like to build a structured system in which everyone apart of it feels the economic support needed to pursue their passions. A lot of planning is happening, but there will be a lot of execution in early 2022. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! 

The biggest struggle for me has been my confidence in myself. Insecurity is like a corrosive acid: it burns through everything. Focus, discipline, strategies, credibility, potential partnerships. The amount of opportunities I missed I didn’t believe in myself. 

When there’s no defined path for you to walk in, it’s easy to feel like you made a wrong turn at some point. As an entrepreneur, you don’t always know where you’re going, but you have to have faith in your efficacy. Confidence in your training, experience, and intuition to handle whatever may come your way. Also, to have confidence that you are the right person to bring YOUR dream to fruition. I’ve learned a lot from that internal conflict. You’ll always face challenges and so now I just embrace it. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Fako Media is a communication design studio that supports the growth and revenue of its partners through digital marketing. 

In its essence, we are very focused on content. Creating content for brands and businesses that persuasively communicates their message to their audience. Content is at our core, it’s sort of like a web. Everything else we do is a component that spins off of making that work. Examples of that could be copywriting, social media management, or SEO support. Since I started the company as a one-woman band, I only did photography, which is what I’m mainly known for. However, as I grow, the brand will be more about a holistic approach to content. 

Data is crucial, but the soul always triumphs. Data doesn’t mean much without the minds that stir it into something meaningful. I value intellectual intuition, the deep mix of knowledge that comes from a collective source of experience, perception, and objective information. At the root of the company, is the desire to connect with incredible thinkers and be able to evolve alongside them. This gives the company an advantage because you have great people coming together to make great work. There’s an art in it, a feeling; which can rarely be duplicated. 

What I’m most proud of is our customer satisfaction. Our book of business is still growing, but everyone leaves our atmosphere with feelings of inspiration, astonishment, and bliss. I believe you should leave people better than how you found them, so I take great pride in exceeding people’s expectations, especially when it comes to the profitability of their company. 

I’d love for the readers to know that we’ll be launching new services early-2022. This year, I was very focused on building the company’s foundation. Next year, I’m focused on executing its brand. Not only will we be able to support a breadth of content marketing services, but we’ll also be producing our own content that will prove valuable to the growth of business owners, marketers, and professionals. They should follow us on social media to stay up to date. 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Ursula K Guinn said it best that, “The best part of the journey was the return home.” Every time I travel, I come back to Detroit and am able to recognize a little more of its beauty. Detroit is a city that really had to build its own name and I feel its people are the same. The amount of creativity and innovation in this area is incredible. A lot of it is made solely off a person’s will and out-of-the-box use of resources. I have a lot of respect for the city and don’t have anything bad to say about it; aside from politics. 

I love Detroit. It’s my home. My friends and family are all out here. It’s become an integral part of my journey. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://fakomedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fakomedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FakoMedia/

Image Credits
Jermaine Dalejuan Littleton
Scott Millington
Tristan Hall