The Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow of Kaizzen

Kaizzen, an Indian public relations firm with a global footprint, recently celebrated its 16th anniversary. In celebration of this milestone, Founder and CEO Vineet Handa took a trip down memory lane to reminisce about the past, deliberate on the present, and reflect on the company's future. With even bigger ambitions on the horizon, Kaizzen continues to make its mark and set new benchmark of success in the industry.

Q) What were the driving forces and motivational factors that drove you to become an entrepreneur?

Once you become an entrepreneur there is never a dull moment in your life because every day you must dig a well and only then drink water. It was the monotony or the comfort level at my earlier jobs that forced me to take a plunge. But I can assure you that from that very moment, there has never been a dull moment in my life. At that time, I could sense an opportunity to create an organization that works on result-oriented comms strategies and not merely on cosmetic ones. 

Q) Starting a new business venture can be both exhilarating and daunting. Please share your fears and concerns regarding this journey.

The greatest fear for me has always been the fear of failure. Even today, I stress about the failure of an employee in delivering a certain task to a client, of having an unsuccessful press conference or a botched-up press release. Fear of losing an employee or losing an award etc. are my constant fears. These apprehensions will always be there no matter how big Kaizzen becomes. Unhappy employees and reputational risks to Kaizzen are my other fear factors. These fears are also our strengths, which have inspired us throughout our journey.

Q) Were there any moments and situations when you wanted to give up? If yes, how did you manage to soak up the pressure to continue?

There was only one time when I wanted to give it all up, which was the second year of the launch of Kaizzen. I had less than a couple of hundred in my pocket, with a sizeable chunk of the money locked up in receivables. It was indeed an extremely tough situation. But what kept me going was the validation from my family and friends, who remain my biggest strength, and my responsibilities to the Kaizzen family, colleagues who have stood by time through thick and thin and remained a source of strength and motivation. At the back of my mind, there was also a desire to prove my naysayers wrong and have the last laugh.

Q) How has your experience been with Kaizzen so far?

Like every other organization, ours, too, has seen many highs and lows, twists, and turns, which has made this journey interesting and worthwhile. In the past three years, we have grown five times—from 34 employees to 170 now. During the pandemic, when bigger agencies were downsizing, we saw it as an opportunity and hired people. That practice has continued ever since because we believe that every individual brings certain qualities and good luck with him or her, which helps the organization to grow and shine. Today, we are accredited as a “Best Place to Work,” organization which is a dream come true for me. We started our global journey from the Middle East, which makes us the only India-origin independent agency with global footprints, apart from other milestones. 

Q) What is your vision for Kaizzen when it turns 20? 

The pace of change in our industry is so fast that aligning Kaizzen’s vision with those of a fast-changing world will continue to be our top priority, while not losing sight of our DNA, core values, and cultural ethos. The plan is to ensure that Kaizzen remains a fun place to work where employees will also have an opportunity to sharpen their knowledge and skill sets as professionals.

We will focus on technology, creating a diversified workforce to cater to emerging areas like artificial technology, sustainability, and green technologies, among others. Adding new services like investor relations and public affairs. Being a part of the government policy-making process and incorporating global and diversified players in our client list will be very much a part of our “to-do” list. Similarly, it will be also about providing a varied portfolio of unmatched services to delight our customers. 

Q) What is your vision for Kaizzen at 25?

By the time Kaizzen turns 25, the obituary of many of the traditional PR firms would have been written. The only way for us to survive is to adapt and innovate to meet the world’s consumption patterns, which remain highly unpredictable even today. To remain relevant, we have built our organization to be nimble enough to adapt, innovate, and deliver.

Newspapers would have become a luxury and people would be consuming their daily news, views, and entertainment on hand-held devices mostly through the service providers. 

When Kaizzen turns 25, my vision is to see the company transformed into a one-stop shop and a solutions provider for Indian and global corporates across sectors and industries. We will not only be among the top three PR in terms of revenues but will be competing with consulting firms to provide the best-in-class services to diversified global conglomerates. For those willing to adjust to the “new normal” of the PR industry, I envision an extremely bright future for the industry and industry mates in the coming years.