“From Vision to Voice The Jajabor’s Role in Defining the Future of Strategic Communication”
- What inspired you to start your own PR agency, and what were some of the early challenges you faced in setting up and sustaining the business in a competitive industry like communications?
I’ve always believed that communication is not just about storytelling—it’s about building trust, shifting narratives, and shaping ecosystems. But early in my career, I found that while many agencies were brilliant at execution, there was often a gap between strategic intent and lived impact. I didn’t just want to be a service provider; I wanted to be a strategic partner that could sit at the table when big decisions were being made. That’s where the idea for Jajabor began—not as an agency, but as a consultancy that could bridge this gap.
Starting up wasn’t easy. I was 26, without a safety net, a team, or a client base. What I had was conviction—that we could build a new kind of communications firm, one rooted in integrity, intellectual rigour, and cultural relevance. The early challenges were both practical and perceptual. Convincing companies to bet on a young founder. Convincing talent to join an unproven venture. And, most importantly, convincing myself on the hard days that building slowly and right was better than scaling fast and shallow.
There were moments of self-doubt, especially in an industry that often rewards visibility over value. But each time we chose depth over noise, strategy over speed, and people over process—we saw it reflected in the quality of relationships we built, both within and outside the company.
- As your agency grew, how did you balance creative excellence with business expansion and team building? What were some turning points in your growth journey?
Growth, for us, has never been about headcount or revenue alone—it’s about building depth, trust, and a legacy of work that stands the test of time. Balancing creativity with business meant institutionalising a culture where the two didn’t feel like trade-offs. At Jajabor, the best business decisions have always emerged from our strongest creative convictions. We’ve never chased growth for its own sake. Every client we’ve worked with, every teammate we’ve onboarded, has been chosen with intention.
One of the most defining turning points was when we chose to specialise—when we stopped saying yes to everything and instead doubled down on sectors we understood deeply and could truly move the needle in. This clarity allowed us to operate not just as executors, but as partners in growth. Another key moment was building a leadership structure that wasn’t hierarchical but empowered. We have people in their twenties running full verticals, making high-stakes decisions, and leading million-dollar mandates—because we trust them and because they’ve earned that trust.
The biggest unlock came when we stopped looking at team building as a linear function of experience, and instead started looking at drive, integrity, and ambition. That’s when we truly became a company that wasn’t just founder-led, but founder-inspired.
- How have client expectations evolved over the years, and how does your agency stay agile in adapting to these changing demands, especially in a digital-first world?
Client expectations have evolved from “Get me coverage” to “Help me build credibility.” Today, brands are no longer looking for short bursts of visibility—they’re looking for sustained influence, deeper stakeholder engagement, and crisis resilience. They expect their communications partners to be as fluent in business metrics as they are in brand language. And rightly so.
The shift to a digital-first world has only amplified this. With attention spans shrinking and scrutiny increasing, every message, every medium, every moment counts. We’ve responded by investing heavily in upskilling—ensuring that our teams are not only media-savvy but platform-native, culturally aware, and analytically sharp.
But more importantly, we listen. Whether it’s a founder in stealth mode or a unicorn heading for IPO, we build solutions that are specific, relevant, and deeply contextual. Our agility doesn’t come from chasing trends; it comes from understanding behaviour.
At Jajabor, we advocate for brands to move beyond selling products or services to instead build cultures. Because while necessities will always find a market, real innovation happens when you give people what they didn’t even know they needed. That’s the kind of value we help our clients unlock. From shaping narratives that drive movements to creating relevance where none existed, we don’t just help brands communicate better—we help them matter more.
The market will always evolve, but the need for thoughtful, strategic, and human-centred communication remains constant. That’s where we anchor ourselves.
- What kind of leadership culture have you tried to build within your agency, and how do you ensure the team remains aligned with the agency’s long-term vision?
Our leadership culture is built on three pillars: ownership, merit, and trust. We don’t believe in managing people – we believe in enabling them. Whether someone joins us with one year of experience or ten, they are given the space to lead, to make decisions, and to take risks. We’ve dismantled traditional power structures because we believe leadership is not about title or tenure, it’s about impact.
Alignment comes from clarity. Every single person at Jajabor knows why we exist, what we value, and what success looks like. We don’t operate with vague vision statements; we operate with clear intent. Our people aren’t just employees, they’re builders. And when people feel ownership, they show up differently. They’re invested. They push boundaries. They protect the culture because they’ve helped create it.
And while we give our team freedom, we also give them feedback. Radical candour is a part of our DNA. We tell people when they’re doing well, and when they need to do better. But always with respect, and always with the belief that they can rise to the occasion.
- What’s one piece of advice you’d give to communication professionals who aspire to start their agency or take the entrepreneurial leap in PR?
Don’t start an agency to be in charge. Start it because you see a gap you’re uniquely positioned to fill. This industry is glamorous from the outside, but real impact requires rigour, patience, and a relentless commitment to value over vanity. You will be tempted to scale fast, to follow the noise, to say yes to everything. Resist it.
Build slowly. Build right. Choose clients who share your values, not just your vision. Hire people who challenge you, not just compliment you. And most importantly, stay curious. The best founders I know aren’t the loudest in the room, they’re the most observant. They listen. They learn. They adapt.
Finally, never forget why you started. There will be hard days—days when the invoices are delayed, the team is stretched, and nothing seems to go your way. On those days, your ‘why’ is what will carry you through. Build something that matters. The rest will follow.