Building A PR Firm Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint, Hassan Abdul Challenges Practitioners On Business Ownership
Lead Consultant/CEO of Drawbridge CM Limited and General Secretary of PRCAN, Hassan Abdul, has told communications practitioners that building a public relations (PR) firm is a marathon, not a sprint, noting that too many communications professionals are brilliant at PR but quietly failing as business owners.
He made this call at the just-concluded Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos State Chapter, monthly meeting and PR Clinic (May edition). He challenged practitioners to transition from thinking like service providers to operating as business leaders responsible for growth, systems, finance and organisational leadership.
Abdul noted that many PR professionals spend too much time handling day-to-day technical execution while neglecting critical CEO-level responsibilities such as business development, client acquisition and strategic planning.
The virtual session, powered by the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), focused on the theme, “Starting and Running a PR Firm from Ground Zero,” and delivered practical, experience-driven lessons for aspiring and existing PR entrepreneurs.
Speaking from over two decades of consultancy experience, Abdul revealed that he established his consulting firm in 2008 while still in paid employment, a decision he described as strategic rather than impulsive. According to him, many communication professionals make the mistake of treating agency ownership as an overnight success journey instead of a long-term business process that requires structure, patience and discipline.
“Many practitioners are excellent at PR but struggle with running a business,” he said, stressing that technical communication skills alone are not enough to build a sustainable consultancy.
He urged practitioners to rethink how they approach entrepreneurship in Nigeria’s evolving public relations industry.
The PRCAN General Secretary also urged communication professionals to stop depending heavily on friendship-based discounts and informal relationships to sustain their businesses, warning that sustainable firms are built on value creation and paying clients rather than goodwill.
On positioning within the competitive B2B market, Abdul emphasised the need for PR firms to define clear niches and align their services with the real business needs of CEOs and corporate organisations. He maintained that firms that fail to solve business problems would struggle to survive in an increasingly competitive industry.
Participants were also exposed to practical operational strategies required for long-term sustainability, including financial planning, regulatory compliance, contracts management, technology investment, professional indemnity insurance and building a financial runway capable of sustaining operations for at least six months.
A major highlight of the session was Abdul’s presentation of a practical 90-day roadmap for launching and stabilising a PR consultancy. The framework covered business registration, operational setup, systems development, team building, brand positioning, networking strategies and securing long-term retainer clients.
The interactive session also featured discussions around PRCAN membership opportunities and the importance of active participation in professional associations to enhance industry visibility and growth.
Overall, the clinic reinforced growing conversations within Nigeria’s communications sector about the need for PR practitioners to embrace entrepreneurship with stronger business discipline, strategic thinking and long-term vision.
The clinic, anchored by NIPR Lagos State Chapter’s Public Relations Officer, Oguchukwu Okeke, PhD, reinforced a message the industry would do well to absorb: technical excellence alone will not build a business. Strategic thinking, financial discipline, and a willingness to evolve from practitioner to leader will.