About the Founder
Built for the Businesses That Deserve to Be Seen
I’m Alexis Santiago, founder of Mako Waves. I started this company for the owners who pour everything into their work and still feel invisible online. You built something worth noticing — my job is to make sure the right people notice it.
The Journey
A path that circled back to marketing
My career didn’t start in marketing — it started in security and management. Those years taught me how to read a situation quickly, stay calm under pressure, and take responsibility for outcomes that mattered to real people.
Management eventually led me to social media, and social media reconnected me with my marketing roots. I have a Master’s in Marketing with a concentration in Research Analytics — and suddenly the data, the storytelling, and the people all clicked into place at once. That’s when Mako Waves began.
The Why
Most agencies miss the “why”
I started Mako Waves to help small businesses reach the audiences they deserve and to strengthen the local communities they belong to. That’s the whole point.
Too many agencies skip past the deeper purpose and the people behind a business. They sell tactics without ever learning why the doors opened in the first place. I believe the “why” is where the real strategy lives — and it’s the first thing I want to understand about you.
When I understand your why, the rest — the site, the search, the marketing — finally has something true to stand on.
The Name
Why MakoWaves
Mako
From my love of the ocean and sharks. The mako is powerful, precise, and always moving forward. That’s how I approach every brand I take on — with focus and momentum.
Waves
Impact, momentum, and visibility. A wave doesn’t ask permission to be noticed — it arrives. That’s what I want for your business: to make waves people can’t ignore.
Expertise That Backs It Up
Master’s in Marketing
Research Analytics concentration
Social Media Strategy
Built from the ground up
Digital Marketing
Data-informed campaigns
Community-Focused Growth
Local impact, real results
Ready to make waves?
Tell me about your business and the “why” behind it. The first conversation is low-pressure and always about you — not a pitch.