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Public relations (PR) has never been short on bravado. Agencies talk about reach, impressions, and “impact” in ways that sound impressive but rarely reveal what happens behind the curtain. The truth is, most of PR’s supposed magic depends not on data dashboards or media contracts, but on something less measurable: people.
At Ascend Agency, one of the fastest-growing firms in America, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Amir Bakian has built a leadership philosophy that proves growth follows culture, not the other way around.
From Small Tasks to the C-Suite
Bakian’s entry into PR was hardly scripted. He started by helping a friend with minor tasks, such as admin work most would overlook, before realizing the industry’s potential and his own affinity for it. Today, as COO and partner at Ascend, he manages internal systems, guides strategy, and keeps the engine running at a company that reached $20 million in revenue within three years. The lesson Bakian carries forward is simple. He believes that careers are not always linear, and curiosity often beats credentials.
Why Relationships Trump Metrics
When algorithms change overnight and client demands shift by the hour, Bakian insists that trust and relationships are the only constants. His approach gives equal weight to three constituencies: the team inside the agency, the vendors who make campaigns possible, and the clients who expect results. “The work is unpredictable, but loyalty built on trust makes you steady in a storm,” he says.
This perspective is an operational strategy. Ascend’s retention rates, along with its reputation for long-term client growth, show that focusing on loyalty has measurable financial benefits. In other words, people are the profit center.
Adaptability as a Competitive Edge
Ascend’s trajectory offers proof that agility pays. The agency has thrived while others faltered by leaning into à la carte PR services and performance-driven campaigns. Yet, adaptability at the organizational level starts with adaptability at the leadership level. Bakian treats vulnerability and curiosity not as soft skills, but as professional weapons. For young professionals, he advises, “Ask questions you don’t know the answer to, admit when you’re stuck, and then work like hell to figure it out.”
In practice, this has shaped a culture where feedback flows freely and autonomy is encouraged. Teams are trusted to own their work, but they are also expected to learn quickly and pivot without ego. That balance has given Ascend resilience in a volatile market.
Building Growth Beyond Numbers
The headlines about Ascend focus on its explosive growth. No. 18 on the Inc. 5000 list, No. 2 in the Pacific Region with a 7,534% two-year growth rate. Those numbers are impressive, but Bakian sees them as byproducts of something less tangible: the daily practice of empathy, accountability, and respect. The agency’s philanthropic work through Ascend Gives Back illustrates this point, extending free PR services to nonprofits worldwide. Growth, in this sense, is not just financial but reputational and cultural.
Growing Sustainably into the Future
Seasoned entrepreneurs will recognize the trap of chasing scale for scale’s sake. Bakian’s story offers an alternative blueprint. Start small, build relationships before revenue, and never outsource the human side of leadership. Success in PR, or in any business that relies on credibility, requires more than clever strategy. It requires building a company that people actually want to work with and work for.
PR is not immune to industry clichés. Many agencies still lean on lofty pitches and vague metrics. But Ascend Agency, under the operational hand of Amir Bakian, demonstrates that sustainable growth rests on the basic yet overlooked element of caring for people. For entrepreneurs reading this, the message is clear. Data matters, Strategy matters. But without loyalty, empathy, and adaptability, none of it lasts.
