“Marketing Cloud Solutions”

Monica Chikhani, CVO, MEC workshop, graduated with a degree in Advertising design in an era where the internet and computer were not yet a big thing. And this did not stop her from honing all the skills she has today to update her knowledge and know-how. Monica started MECworkshop in 1996 with zero capital. It was more of a one-person do-it-all. But she was eager to show the world what she could create as a change. "I nailed several projects that needed extra resources that shared my passion and boundless creativity. So, I approached like-minded talents that wanted to work but did not have their network or sales skills to sell themselves," Monica elucidates. "Here, the idea of the freelance incubator has seen the light, and despite being told, 'you must be crazy, it will never work,' I persevered in my idea and concept, grew MEC's portfolio and relationships. We continued growing and soon were approached by an agency in Dubai to partner with them and lead their Creative and Experiential departments. I saw new horizons and expenditures for MECworkshop beyond the Lebanese borders" That experience inspired Monica to look for other areas of the advertising and marketing industry that would benefit from a novel 'cheaper, better, no worries' approach.

The steadfast leader's most significant career barrier was in the early days when she needed to manage a remote team and ensure they were delivered on time. Zoom did not exist, and she had a dial-up internet barely, so briefing the team and monitoring the deliverables was very challenging. "Nevertheless, I know I was very blessed to start my career as a graphic designer. Hence, I did have all the adobe cloud skills, so I managed to step in whenever / wherever needed to complete the job and keep the customer satisfied," says Monica. "I still do it today, but on infrequent occasions, all the new technologies, specifically the ones that boomed because of COVID-19, supported our business proposition in so many ways and made our lives much more manageable."

Monica has joined different NGOs where women empowerment was the center of their mission. She helped form the young women of tomorrow in understanding that diversity is essential in the workplace, and when they put their minds into doing something, they can if they deal with all their limiting believes. Her advice to all women is to lean forward in any meeting, discussion, or relationship they take part in. Lean-to speak up their ideas; lean-to speak up their point of view, learn to speak up what they foresee. "Do not be afraid of what you speak up as one has to learn from their mistakes, and a person who doesn't make mistakes is a person who is not trying and staying in the shadows of others. I continuously say to my team, "the day you stop learning is the day you stop living" hence celebrate your mistake and learn new skills, read and show up at events to grow your network." Armed with a different yet unique approach, Monica has been taking the company to new heights.

“MECworkshop combines strategists, designers, mentors, and consultants to deliver marketing cloud solutions to its clienteles. MECworkshop to introduce NFTs into its service model soon. This new digital currency will benefit both their clientele and their resources.”

MECworkshop, as mentioned earlier, was born in 1996 in Beirut when Monica knew that being an employee was not made for her. Although she works as a consultant for many organizations across the Middle East and Europe today, being part of their team, MECworkshop is still her top priority. MEC delivers on a need Monica saw in the market at that time, providing the quality of multinational agencies with the prices of freelancers. With MECworkshop's value proposition then and unique cloud structure today, it is considered today as THE solution for both businesses and freelancers, specifically during these unprecedented times we are going through. "Our rates are unbeatable given our unique structure that has close to Zero overhead cost," says Monica

So how does MECworkshop work? For businesses, MECworkshop ensures they have turnkey marketing solutions at competitive prices. They combine strategists, designers, mentors, and consultants to deliver marketing cloud solutions. While for freelancers, MECworkshop extends a complete solution to each expert who has either lost their job because of COVID-19 or are independent talents by ensuring they work on the right project that positively impacts and embraces their skills. "Currently, we are partnering with high tech professional organizations to introduce NFTs, or "nonfungible tokens," into our service model. This new digital currency will benefit both our clientele and our freelancers." Monica concluded when asked about what can we expect in the near future from MECworkshop. IEWL