Media Buffet PR Is Ready to Welcome Investors in 2022

As 2022 begins, Media Buffet PR is facing this year of uncertainty with confidence. Given its sales growth of over 100% in 2020, and 60% in 2021, Bima Marzuki, CEO and founder of Media Buffet PR, began opening the door to investors willing to partner with him to accelerate Media Buffet PR’s growth early this year.

Founded in 2017, Media Buffet PR began as a PR agency in Jakarta without any major investors behind it. At that time, Bima founded Media Buffet PR together with a partner, armed only with an idea, courage, and capital of less than 10 million rupiah—enough merely to handle the company’s legal formalities and rent a small round table in a coworking space as their daily workspace.

But it didn’t take long for trust to come Media Buffet PR’s way. It all started with Tokopedia as their first client; William Tanuwijaya, who had known Bima personally for a long time, asked Media Buffet PR to help with a crucial public relations initiative for Tokopedia at the time.

Tokopedia opened the door for other clients to come on board, and the addition of several new employees in 2018 meant that Media Buffet PR was no longer a one-man show. Starting from working alone at a small desk in the corner of a co-working space, to three people at a co-working space desk in 2018, then growing to five, Media Buffet PR now occupies its own office in the Lebak Bulus area of South Jakarta with a team of 19 members.

The Right Timing

New funding opportunities opened up this year not because growth had begun to slow down and Media Buffet PR simply wanted to maintain its pace and play it safe. On the contrary, now is the right time for investors to come on board because Media Buffet PR has been growing consistently every year, is currently experiencing its highest growth, and is more than ready to take off even further.

“We’ve been growing all along, but we’ve intentionally held back that growth. Because I don’t want the company to grow too fast. I believe everything takes time, and I want to go through that process the right way. What I’ve learned in business is that growth must be sustainable, not rapid,” said Bima.

According to him, growth that’s too fast tends to crash just as quickly. That’s why, for over four years, Media Buffet PR has been moving slowly but surely toward its long-term goal: going global within the next five years. Bima envisions Media Buffet PR eventually operating in Singapore, Malaysia, or even Vietnam. But before getting there, there are several tasks Media Buffet PR must tackle first.

In terms of internal foundation, Media Buffet PR is already staffed with individuals who have proven expertise in their respective fields. With a team composed of relatively young members on average, staying relevant to the evolution of the public relations industry amid today’s rapid growth in digital technology doesn’t seem like a difficult task for them.

Of course, human capital is crucial in the public relations industry, which still relies heavily on its workforce. For this reason, Bima places a strong emphasis on a robust human resources system to strengthen the foundation—which is one of his top business priorities: people. He even provides overtime bonuses for interns.

The Final Piece of the Puzzle

People, technology, and finances are the three main pillars that Bima believes are essential for any company today. With the first two aspects already strong and stable, finances represent the final piece of the puzzle he now aims to complete to realize Media Buffet PR’s ambition of operating globally.

Eventually, these funds will be allocated to further strengthen Media Buffet PR’s structure at every level. Specifically, there are at least two main allocations for this funding.

First, the funds will be used to scale up the company. This scale-up involves hiring more employees, with the goal of further strengthening the team’s internal foundation. Adding employees will fill gaps in the organizational structure and ultimately boost Media Buffet PR’s business capacity in the future.

Second is the development of new business ventures for Media Buffet PR. To that end, Media Buffet PR plans to develop new products, namely training, research, and community initiatives.

In essence, innovation is Media Buffet PR’s mission this year. And to that end, financial support is a logical step to kickstart innovation—just as startups often secure funding from venture capital firms to continue innovating.

Innovation isn’t limited to products alone. Bima believes that innovation also encompasses things like how we do things, all the way to devising strategies for reaching new potential markets—in this context, such as how to expand into markets beyond national borders. For Bima, the ability to innovate is essential for every entrepreneur. Without innovation, any business endeavor will seem fleeting and futile.