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)

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.

Sam G. Winsbury

We Create Thought Leaders Through Personal Branding | 150+ Personal Brands Built | Founder & CEO Kurogo

-- DM for Speaking Enquiries --

We turn entrepreneurs into credible thought leaders through personal branding so they can scale their businesses, unlock untapped opportunities and outlast their competition.

If you’re anything like our clients, you’re an expert in your field. One of the best.   

But you just don’t seem to have the reputation you deserve.   

You want to be the go-to authority in your industry and become an opportunity magnet.   

That way you could…  

- Generate inbound leads consistently 
- Win clients and customers with ease 
- Attract media features   
- Attract top talent 
- Speak on stage  

The list is endless.   

We help our clients do just that through the power of personal branding, by: 

1. Giving them clarity on their brand and positioning them as industry leaders.
2. Blowing up their social profiles and landing them high-profile media features.
3. Helping them convert their new-found reputation into meaningful opportunities and ROI

And having built 300+ personal brands, we’ve got quite good at it, achieving results like these in the process:  

🚀 Jack generated 2.5M views and 6 figures in revenue in 90 days with us 
🚀 Joe and Olly generated millions of views and saw a record month
🚀 Guy added 5 figures of pipeline value in a matter of months
🚀 Olie added £50K of inbound revenue to his pipeline
🚀 Sue generated over 8.3 million views in 4 months
🚀 Jemma increased her views by 51,347%
🚀 James became an Amazon Best Seller 
🚀 Tom generated 5M views in 3 months 

Your reputation is your biggest asset.   

Take control of it! 

If you want to see how we could help you build your personal brand, shoot me a dm saying ‘Personal Brand’

If you're not quite ready yet, I post daily content on here showing you how to do it yourself.

Founder

The exec: 20+ yrs experience, industry expert, loved by team

Their profile: looks like a CV from when they applied in 2015

And that’s not trivial either…

Weak profiles cost you opportunities every week.

Worse, people go to competitors who aren’t as good as you.

(Yep, just because their profiles signal more authority).

Here’s the thing:

Your ‘Job Role @ Company’ tagline tells me nothing
Your stock photo cover image is losing interest
Your 3rd person outdates bio is costing authority
Your profile isn’t just a CV anymore.

It’s your personal business card, pitch deck, website and sales page all in one.

Want to use this later? Save it!

Personal Brand Advisor To Leading Entrepreneurs & Execs | 350+ Brands Built | Speaker | Sky, Entrepreneur, Insider | Founder & CEO Kurogo

6 years ago, I launched a business out of a spare uni bedroom.

Since then, I’ve

- Sacrificed a lot of time with friends and family.
- Spent thousands on personal development.
- Tested hundreds of ideas that didn’t work.
- Built systems that broke under pressure.
- Lost more deals than I’ve won.
- Worked 80+ hour weeks.

I’ve made mistakes.

Honestly, quite a lot of them.

But I’ve also:

- Grown an agency to a team of 18.
- Built an audience of 60K+ people.
- Serve 7, 8 and 9-figure entrepreneurs.

So I’ve got a few things right over the years too.

Ultimately, your price is decided on:

The years of experience.
The lessons learned.
The commitment.

And more importantly, the value you bring.

That’s what people are really paying for.

So never undervalue your journey.

I let slip and admitted it to a potential client: 

You won’t track 90% of the work we do for you.

Sure, you’ll see the 10% everyone on LinkedIn is obsessed with:

→ Increased visibility
→ More engagement 
→ Inbound leads 

But your personal brand is 10x more than that. 

→ Nurturing leads from other channels 
→ Generating leads who’ll convert elsewhere
→ Warming prospects in the sales process
→ Build authority to increase perceived value
→ Creating touchpoints for existing leads 
→ Maintaining confidence from current clients
→ Building your employer brand to attract talent
→ Indoctrinating leads into your way of thinking
→ Attracting future partners or investors 
→ Future proofing your career

We all love the inbound leads. 

But reducing a personal brand to just that is stupid.

If you don’t understand that, I’m afraid you don’t understand the modern buyer.

With me? Or disagree?

We're wrapping up our work with a client. 

One of the ones I’m MOST proud of. In 24 months we: 

→ Generated MILLIONS of views 
→ More than TRIPLED their following
→ Earned them a TOP VOICE award 

More importantly: 

We impacted, inspired and influenced thousands of entrepreneurs. 

So often I’ll be told ‘I love the content she’s posting, she’s amazing’

Pretty cool feeling. 

I take 0 credit for this btw. Everything goes to Megan, Liesha, Varun, Jake, Satwik.

Ps. As I was writing this I also realised how mental it is that we’re able to bring 5 people from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life to create such incredible results for one of the UKs leading entrepreneurs. Love Kurogo - Personal Branding Agency.

Trust is at an all time low. It’s not your fault. 

It’s government, the media and cowboys. 

But it is your problem. Here’s how to rebuild it: 

1. Position yourself as trustworthy

Easiest way to do this: cold hard proof.
Want to be trusted as a leading consultant?
Tell us how many people you’ve helped. 

Not got cold hard proof? 
Work harder to acquire it… 
Just how the game works.

2. Publish content regularly 

LinkedIn is the no.1 place for business owners. 
People trust companies when senior teams post. 
They’re also willing top pay a premium.

(Can’t cover all of this here, but my other posts do)

Ps. Don’t ignore: YouTube & Reddit.

3. Package your expertise

People trust ‘models’ more than raw ‘information’.
Their perceived value is higher.
More memorable = more trusted.

4. Partner with trust people/publications

Some people are already well trusted.
Collaborate with them on content/products.
You’ll gain trust through the Halo Effect.

5. Activate your people 

People are at the heart of all of this, not logos.

82% of customers trust companies more when execs are active on social media.

--

We’ve build 350+ personal brands now.

The most important thing is this:

It’s not about forging a false impression of yourself. 
It’s about creating a more accurate representation. 

If it’s not backed by a great product and solid proof, it’s pointless. 

Image: Edelman’s Trust Barometer (will link in comments)

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Jake Summerhayes

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The Battle

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Engagements

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jake Summerhayes's LinkedIn Performance

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