Founder-led is a phase, not a model. If the company stops when you do, you don’t have one

In e4m’s Corp Comm & PR ‘Too Young to Start?’ series, we look at a new generation of agency founders who are entering the business early, but are not necessarily trying to replicate the agencies that came before them. In this edition, we explore Nikhil Singh Sumal’s journey of founding and building Growth Jet Media. He started with a simple idea that being visible is not enough; brands need to be visible in the right places, with the right story.

That thinking has shaped the way the agency has grown. Speed has become part of its proposition, while variety has been deliberately built into its client portfolio, spanning names such as Yes Madam, Enso Group, Gleeden, Wow Momo, Redbyrl, Della Group and Luminous Batteries. There is also a deliberate restraint to that growth. The agency recorded 32% quarter-on-quarter growth in the last quarter and 216% year-on-year growth.

So, what does it look like to build a PR agency young, while resisting the pressure to grow simply for the sake of scale? How do you turn a belief about better communications into an operating model, and what does client expansion tell you that new business numbers cannot?

In this conversation, Sumal speaks about the gap he saw in the PR business, why he chose to build Growth Jet Media around relevance and speed, the discipline behind its growth, and what building an agency early has taught him about clients, people and the business of communications.

Excerpts:

What convinced you there was room for another PR agency in an industry already crowded with established players? What opportunity did others overlook?

The industry wasn’t short of agencies, but many were offering a similar approach. Clients were getting coverage, but not always the business outcomes they were looking for

I felt there was room for an agency that thought beyond media placements. Founders don’t need to be everywhere; they need to be in the right places with the right story. We also built around speed because news moves quickly, and communications teams need to move with it.

For us, PR isn’t about chasing coverage. It’s about helping businesses build credibility, conversations and long-term traction.

How difficult was it to win your first few clients, and did your age or experience ever become a hurdle during client conversations? What almost made you quit?

It wasn’t easy. Most clients naturally preferred agencies with years of experience and a long client list. We couldn’t compete on that, so we focused on what we genuinely understood better: how modern media works. We understood how today’s audiences discover and engage with brands.

My age came up a few times, but once we delivered results, it stopped being a question.

What came closest to making me quit wasn’t in rejection. It was the early days when the work was good, but the revenue wasn’t.

Where do young agencies genuinely outperform established firms?

Young agencies move faster because we don’t carry legacy processes. We also think differently about distribution. Publishing a story is only the first step; getting it in front of the right audience is what creates impact. That’s why we’ve invested in our own network of startup, business and creator communities instead of relying only on earned media. In today’s media landscape, A story has value only if it reaches the people who matter.

Does the industry give enough room for first-generation founders? What assumptions about younger agencies do you wish clients would stop making?

The opportunity is definitely there, but first-generation founders have to earn trust a little harder. Clients often judge you by how long you’ve been around instead of the value you bring.

One assumption I’d like to see change is that younger agencies can’t deliver meaningful coverage. Many clients come with a fixed wishlist of publications, but good PR isn’t about chasing logos. It’s about getting the right story in front of the right audience. That’s the conversation more brands should be having.

How do you measure your agency's contribution to the industry, whether through employment generation, supporting startups, creating new specialisations, or building talent?

I measure our contribution by what we’re building beyond client work. Alongside PR, we’re investing in our own media IPs because we believe the future isn’t just about relying on rented platforms. Owning distribution and building communities creates long-term value for both agencies and brands.We want to create media assets that continue creating value independent of client mandates.

We’re also creating opportunities for young talent to learn modern communications, where storytelling, content and distribution matter as much as media relations.

For us, success isn’t just the number of campaigns we execute. It’s about building assets, developing people and creating a more sustainable communications ecosystem.

Coverage is the proof. Distribution is the point. Most agencies celebrate the proof and skip the point.”

Many independent agencies begin with the founder's personal reputation. What systems have you built that don't depend on you?

Two things run without me now.

The distribution network is the first. It is infrastructure, not a relationship. It works whether I am in the room or on a flight, and it is the reason a story moves at the same speed on a Tuesday as it does when I am personally chasing it.

The second is acquisition, which most independents never systematise. We do not wait to be shortlisted. We track categories, we watch for the moment a company actually needs communications support, and we show up then. Timing does more for conversion than any credentials deck. A brand under pressure does not want a pitch, it wants someone who already understands the situation.

“Founder-led is a phase, not a model. If the company stops when you do, you don’t have one.

How do you measure your agency's contribution to the industry, whether through employment generation, supporting startups, creating new specialisations, or building talent?

We’re a team of 16 today, and that’s been a deliberate choice.

 We have turned down work that would have forced us to hire faster than we could train.

Clients include Yes Madam, Enso Group, Gleeden, Wow Momo, Redbyrl, Della Group and Luminous Batteries. Consumer, industrial, hospitality, category creators. The range is intentional. A story structure that works for a QSR brand won’t work for a battery manufacturer, and figuring out why keeps the team from getting formulaic.

Growth was 32 % quarter on quarter last quarter, and 216 % year on year. Most of it came from existing clients expanding scope, which is the number I actually watch.

Looking ahead, how do you see young independent agencies becoming significant contributors to the PR economy?

I think young independent agencies will contribute by changing what success in PR looks like. We don’t just chase media coverage, we chase traction. A great story should lead to conversations, customers, talent or business opportunities, not just headlines.

That’s why many younger agencies are combining PR with content, social media and owned media. The industry is moving from measuring coverage to measuring impact, and that’s where independents have an advantage because they’re built for today’s media landscape, not yesterday’s.