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Jonathan Makonnen
FOUNDER
About my business
UNFAZED is a unique streetwear/athleisure brand that focuses on empowering all human beings to be their best as often as possible by having a strong, powerful mindset when adversity arises.
When you speak to Founder Jonathan Makonnen, you're immediately drawn in by how compelling the founding story of UNFAZED truly is -- and made aware of why this brand is more than a fashionable moment; it's a movement.
Moved by the lack of positive messaging in the streetwear and athleisure industry, and wanting to represent an essential mindset that would allow everyone to be the best version of themselves, Jonathan formed UNFAZED. He's on a mission to be the most impactful, inclusive streetwear and athleisure brand and the reason individuals of the UNFAZED community tap into their ability to become the best version of themselves.
UNFAZED offers a counterpoint to more well-known, large brands in streetwear and athletic wear, which often highlight people of color as the "faces" and "creatives" that generate billions, but lack diverse and inclusive representation amongst the founding teams. Jonathan seeks to create a successful brand that will inspire the younger generation, so that all young people who wish to realize their dreams will have the motivation and opportunity to create businesses in the same spaces as Nike, Adidas, or Lululemon -- even if they are not athletes or influencers.
Manteca | CA
FOUNDER, UNFAZED
My Mentors
- Shayna Michel, Marketing Transformation Manager at Accenture
- Amritpal Singh, Senior Marketing Consultant at Accenture
Business milestones achieved
- Bank Account
- Business Plan
- Funding
- Business Website
- First customer
- Annual sales
- Became profitable
- Tested idea
- Designed product/service
- Business license
- Purchased equipment or supplies
- Manufactured first products and ready to sell them
- First customer testimonial or review
- Named Business
Business mentoring story
Jonathan's motivation to keep working on his business stems from the potential to inspire and motivate millions of people through the brand. With 50 million organic uses of #unfazed, he sees an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum. He's driven by a deep desire to leave a positive impact on communities globally and shift the youth's mindset towards understanding that they can accomplish anything with the right attitude. His daughter is also a personal inspiration for him to continue building the business and creating wealth for future generations.
Jonathan reports having had tremendous help from the Sky's the Limit staff, he also worked with two individual business mentors: Shayna Michel and Amritpal Singh, both from Accenture, to help take his brand to the next level. From discussing marketing strategies for his business and arranging legal resources with Shayna, to partnering with Amritpal to devise an SEO game plan and handle backend Shopify-related matters, Sky's the Limit mentors have helped Jonathan to continue to turn motivation into momentum for his business.
Like many founders, Jonathan's business journey has not always been straightforward: life and business do not always operate on the same timeline. Jonathan experienced a temporary setback when he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2018. In hindsight, he views his diagnosis as a blessing in disguise: at the same time, his father discovered he needed triple bypass surgery and came to visit Jonathan while he was recovering out of state, which allowed him to get the necessary care and support to survive his situation.
These health and family experiences reinforced Jonathan's belief in his brand, and enabled him to demonstrate the values that he preaches, including being UNFAZED. He focused on controlling what he could, which was his mindset, and this made him realize that UNFAZED was a major part of his purpose.
He now works to spread this message through his merchandise, and reports that this keeps him going as an entrepreneur.
With the mentors help, I can say more than anything they have given me the confidence that no matter what resources or questions I may have, I know I can present it to them and it will get figured out.
Jonathan Makonnen
As an entrepreneur, I think the hardest thing is going through a situation and not having the resources or knowledge to correct your mistakes. With their resources and help, it sounds cliche, but " Sky's The Limit" for my business.
Jonathan Makonnen
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