Jake Summerhayes

Working with founders and business Leaders to craft powerful and authentic personal brands. 

Why? Because reputation matters. 

- 82% of customers trust a company when their senior management members are active on social media

- Brand messages are shared 24x more on personal accounts compared to company accounts

- Customers are willing to pay 13.5x more for elite industry experts

Yet only 1% of LinkedIn's 700 million users share weekly content. 

Our mission at Kurogo is to solve that.

Kurogo is derived from the Japanese ‘Kuroko’ referring to the black clad stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre.

The convention of wearing black implying the invisibility of the wearer on stage. 

We are your Kurogo. 

Directing, driving and delivering your personal brand from the background. 

Giving you the spotlight to excel in what you do best.

Head Of Client Services

Client: “Content approved, no changes”
Me (a nearly 30-year-old man ):

Client Services Director @ Kurogo | We create thought leaders through Personal Branding

“Who the fuck is Steven Bartlett?”

That was the response my Mrs had a few years ago when I said I wanted to watch Dragon's Den, because it was his first season.

This marketing bubble is much smaller than you think.

Go and touch some grass.

Just admit it, you’re never going to look at that saved post again…

I’m 29. I lead client services at a remote agency. 

My day: 

7:00am-1:00pm Work
1:00pm-3:00pm Break
3:00pm-4:30pm Work

Honestly any structure other than this would be bullshit, because it changes everyday.

My metrics for success are:
- Client Retention
- Team Happiness
- Team Performance

And whilst there is a list of tasks and responsibilities that fall under the pursuit of those, every day, week or month ends up being different. 

Things come up, priorities shift and I’m given the freedom to be flexible.

As long as we’re growing the business, and making progress towards those metrics, nothing else matters.

I am really not looking forward to 2026 

It's going to be an incredibly tough year for myself and Kurogo.

We're going to be dealing with a lot of consequences of 2025.

- Hitting Record MMR multiple times
- Crossing the £1,000,000 ARR mark
- Having our largest team yet 
- Having our biggest social ever
- Signing a record number of clients 
- Records across all client delivery metrics
- Record campaign performance metrics 

These are all huge problems because now we have to beat them again this year.

AND I need to hire a bunch of people to help us do it.

My steak is too juicy and my lobster is too buttery.

If you can be arsed being a part of it, keep an eye out on all personal and company socials.

We'll be releasing some roles soon...

I once fired a client during their onboarding call. 

They spent less than 15 minutes on the books.

What did the job was they were throwing around phrases like:
”What guarantees do I have after the contract ends?”
”This other agency offered me x, y and z”
”Can we add a refund if I’m not happy?”

(Bearing in mind they had already been back and forth with the sales team for over a month)

But these things weren’t the issue; they never are. 

Just symptoms of someone who’s jumped into something before they were ready. The reasons for which ultimately don’t matter. 

As soon as it becomes obvious we’re starting off on that foot, it’s best we end it before we both have a shit time and the regret spirals into resentment.

Like my first relationship
- I didn’t actually fire them, it was ‘mutual’ of course
- They went with someone else and came back a few months later
- We had a great time for 6-months and parted ways amicably 

Alls well that ends well.

When people say social media is cyclical this is what they mean…

4 years ago, I joined Kurogo as their 4th hire.

We’re now up to 20 of us with over £100k MRR.

In honour of that anniversary here’s my 4 biggest lessons beginning with f….

- Fucking focus: 1 thing done well is better than 10 things done poorly.
- Fuck Hustle Culture: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast, stop rushing
- Fucking Plan: It will never go the way you think, but it gives perspective.
- Fuck being scared of feedback: It’s never personal, but it is necessary.

4 years, 4 f’s, very fucking worth it. 

Here’s to another year of doing what we do. Sometimes wrong, mostly right, never boring.

Bonus For 2026: Fuck your shit AI content (still)

It’s so easy to feel like every other business has a perfect product or service.

Then you buy a toaster from a leading UK retailer that turns out not to be deep enough to fit a full slice of bread, so now all your toast comes with 2 inches of bread OR you flip it round to create an ombre that would have 2012 jealous. 

Every single morning, I'm reminded that the world is full of incompetence.

And you're probably doing better than you think.

I check one number every week: client churn. If it's high, nothing else matters.

Most agency owners obsess over new leads.

But if your clients keep leaving, you’re running on a treadmill.

Acquisition feeds your ego. Retention feeds your bank balance.

Every Monday, I review churn with my senior team. If that number’s not low, nothing else in the business works. You can pile on as many new clients as you want-it’s like running a bath with the plug out.

Here’s what moved our retention from “average” to “best-in-class” in the last 6 months:

1. Set real expectations.
Tempting to promise the world in sales calls. But if you do, you’ll deal with unhappy clients and refunds. Be clear about what they get and what they don’t.

2. Nail the first 30 days.
Onboarding sets the tone. Give them a win in the first 48 hours. Show progress, no matter how small. Always tell them what’s next. Uncertainty kills trust.

3. Over-communicate.
We send weekly roundups: what we did, results, stats, next steps. Monthly reports give the big picture. Never let a client wonder if you’re working for them.

4. Do what you say, when you say.
Missed deadlines are worse than missed features. I left an agency once, not because they failed to deliver, but because they never did it on time. Consistency > fireworks.

5. Incentivise your team on retention.
Forget fancy bonus schemes. Reward your team for keeping clients. Simple target, simple reward.

Retention is not just about service. It’s about trust, clarity, and doing the basics right every time.

Want to scale? Obsess over churn.

ps. Save this post for the week you feel like you’re losing clients faster than you gain them.

Every business has three core systems:

1️⃣ Acquisition (get attention and leads)
2️⃣ Value Delivery (give clients what you promised)
3️⃣ Infrastructure (everything behind the scenes)

Most people scale the first one too early. 
They pour fuel on the fire before fixing leaks.

Here’s my rule: Don’t scale until less than 10% of your clients have problems. 

If you ignore this, you only scale the headaches.

Client experience is the same. 

Call clients at key points. 
Ask where the process broke. 
Use their feedback to smooth the journey.

Acquisition feeds your ego. Retention feeds your bank balance.

Everyone loves chasing new clients. Feels good. Makes you look busy. But if you can’t keep them, you’re running a business with the plug out.

Here’s what I see all the time:

- People refuse to work for free, saying they’re “worth more.” They spend 6 months searching for that first paid client.
- Meanwhile, the ones willing to work for free land their first client in 30 days, get proof, and start charging real money within 60.
- The ego crowd is still arguing about their value. The others are building a real business.

You don’t need to quit your day job to start. Validate your offer. Get a few case studies. Then focus on what actually matters: keeping those clients.

Retaining clients is where the real game starts. Most people obsess over acquisition. But acquisition is vanity. Retention is sanity.

Here are 5 things that have doubled our retention rate in the last 6 months:

1️⃣ Set real expectations. Overpromise in sales and you’ll create unhappy clients who leave fast. Be honest about what you deliver.

2️⃣ Nail the first 30 days. Give your client a clear win within 48 hours. Remove uncertainty. Let them know what happens next. First impressions stick.

3️⃣ Weekly communication. Every Friday, we send clients a roundup: what we did, what worked, and what’s next. If you don’t remind clients of your value, they’ll forget it.

4️⃣ Do what you say, when you say it. I’ve left agencies-not because the work was bad, but because promises weren’t kept. Reliability beats over-delivery every time.

5️⃣ Incentivise your team for retention. Tie bonuses to client stickiness, not just acquisition. The team cares about what you measure.

If you can’t retain clients, you’ll never scale. It’s that simple.

Acquisition is loud. Retention is quiet-but it’s where the money is.

Save this for the days you’re tempted to chase shiny new leads.

Big O Media

We are building the next generation of advertising that embraces its roots, but more importantly, where it should go in an ever-changing digital landscape

Founder and Creative Director

Freelance (Self employed)

Digital Marketing Specialist

I was a freelance digital marketer and web developer in the e-commerce space. I provided my clients with high converting landing pages, e-commerce websites. I wrote copy to speak directly to their ideal customer as part of my web development bundle services.

As a digital marketer that is Google trained and certified, I took them from zero to one with my digital marketing bundles or improve an already existing digital marketing campaign.

Freelance Web Developer

Commercial ICT

Learned the ins and outs of computer networking at a practical level and applied myself to various degrees of networking infrastructure, auditing, building virtual machines and so forth.

At the end of this journey, I have seen an opportunity to automate networks with Python to streamline recurring tasks inside a network.

Network Engineer

Centrax Systems

Was the head of API development for integrating Zoho products with custom software solutions and part of the solutions team that scoped out these projects to assess and decide on the viability and practicality of proposed solutions

Back End Developer

Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi)

Front End Web development internship that stretches one's current ability and simulates a work environment to prepare one for the industry.

Web Development Intern

none

Self teaching and learning the ins and outside of the industry

Software Programmer

Founder & Creative Director of Big O Media| I help home & office ecommerce stores gain and retain customers so that they can build an enduring business. Want to know how? Let's have a FREE chat on Zoom 👇

I Specialize in Unlocking Your E-commerce Success: 

In the ever changing world of e-commerce, "Build it and they will come" is a dangerous myth. I've been there, having created exceptional products in the late 2010s. 

What I've learned throughout my short 7 year career is that building is just the beginning; making it known through strategic marketing is the real game-changer. 

It doesn't matter if you have the best product since sliced bread, if no one knows about it, you're toast. 

That means it doesn't matter if your product is the best there is if no one knows about it.

💼 About Me:
With 6 years of digital marketing experience and 7 years of programming expertise respectively, I specialize in guiding home & office retailers through the intricacies of e-commerce success.

My journey into marketing and advertising began with a passion that has only deepened over time.

💸  I've successfully built and monetized communities leveraging Instagram to sell digital products in the past. 

Now, my focus is on helping home & office retailers gain and retain clients, mitigating the impact of rising ad costs while fostering sustainable business growth.

My unique approach maximizes the bottom line while minimizing the top line. 

Me and my team at Big O Media, use psychologically backed tactics and evidence-based marketing strategies to strategically position our client's products, ensuring they reach the hands of their target audience online.

💼 How Can I Help You?
If you're struggling with getting new customers or keeping them as a home & office e-commerce business, look no further. 

My team and I offer personalized holistic solutions that help you gain and retain customers. Let's connect for a personalized strategy session.

✉ For Inquiries:
Email me at george@big-o-media.com

📩 Ready for a Quick, No Strings Attached Conversation?
Send me a message here on LinkedIn

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The Battle

Jake Summerhayes

George Hlongwane

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