Jay Janes, founder and current CEO of xpandly, an IT Marketing Agency, unveils that the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey was rooted in the creation of a marketing agency within the IT industry that encapsulates the complexities of the sector. With his expertise stemmed in IT, he identified a gap through which no agency had the depth of knowledge he possessed and remains stagnant on this notion; “there wasn’t any agency that had the in-depth knowledge I had and… apart from us [xpandly], there still aren’t any good ones”.
Founding a company, however, goes beyond identifying market needs. It incorporates the layering of a culture from the ground up, something Janes was particularly passionate about. Having worked under established corporate structures, he recognised that pre-existing cultures often didn’t promote the level of autonomy and innovation he wanted to see in his own business. “I wanted to create a culture from scratch,” he says, noting that “established culture isn’t always great”. He sought to create an environment where his team had the freedom to make decisions, drive change, and contribute meaningfully; in the absence of processes and procedures that typically handcuff employees, keeping them from achieving optimal rates of growth within the workplace.
As a CEO, Janes established that leadership extends beyond vision and that it consequently requires adaptability. His biggest challenge wasn’t managing a team, rather it was mastering areas that weren’t previously in his wheelhouse. When addressing the biggest challenges of being a CEO, he commented on “having to upskill in areas where you may have not needed to in the past”. As the head of a growing company, Janes successfully upskilled in many disciplines he once left to specialists. He continuously emphasises discipline is imperative, not just in strategy, but in execution. Managing finances, maintaining efficient processes, and ensuring the right inputs are in place are what keep the business running. For Janes, leadership and micromanaging do not correlate; rather, it’s about “empowering people to make their own decisions and improve based on that”.
When it comes to work-life balance, Janes doesn’t subscribe to the traditional notion of an even split between personal and professional life. Instead, he believes in a balance that contextually shifts, contingent on the demands of the business. “I don’t believe in work-life balance, I believe it’s just balance,” he states. “It doesn’t always have to be 50/50. Sometimes it’s 80% work, 20% life and vice versa.”
A common misconception, he says, is that CEOs don’t do much. While their role remains dependent on the size of the company, he firmly believes that a CEO should always have their finger on the pulse of their business. “They will always have a handle even if they’re not going too deep,” he explains. In the context of Janes’ line of work, this strong grasp of operations extends to tackling the unique challenges of IT marketing, one of which is earning the industry’s respect. Establishing credibility in a field where marketing expertise is often underestimated has been a challenge, but one he’s met head-on.
xpandly’s largest campaign experienced astounding engagement. Their Microsoft Copilot campaign “achieved over 70% CTR (click-through rates) and engagement rates reached over 100%. [We] generated over 1800 leads,” Janes shares. The success of this campaign highlights the power of strong marketing strategies in expanding an organisation’s reach. “The biggest misconception is that IT companies can actually market,” continues Janes. “They lack resources, tools, data and the specific skillset needed. They try to merge too many specialised roles into one team. They lack consistency”. He adds, “marketing programs require at least six months to flourish. But they don’t believe in it, so they don’t commit to it.”
Janes believes that what sets xpandly apart is his background in distribution and executive-level experience in the IT sector. “I worked at an executive level in the IT sector. I know the ins and outs of the ecosystem, the channel, and commercial programs.” This knowledge differentiates him from competitors within the industry and adds unique value to his clients, ensuring that marketing strategies align with industry realities rather than surface-level assumptions.
For those looking to take the leap into entrepreneurship, Janes offers one key piece of advice: “work in the industry you want to open an agency in. It’s hard to add value to clients when you only see things at the surface level”. Without deep industry knowledge, it’s difficult to add real value, hence, by understanding the nuances, the challenges, and the opportunities from within, entrepreneurs are given a critical advantage when establishing themselves within a market.
In an industry where marketing is often misunderstood and undervalued, Janes is proving that expertise, strategic execution, and a deep understanding of the market can make all the difference. By building a company rooted in knowledge, autonomy, and adaptability, he’s not just filling a gap, he’s reshaping the way IT marketing is done.
