Roxy Jacenko says her other businesses are surviving after her main company Sweaty Betty PR lost 85 per cent of its clients
Roxy Jacenko has revealed her once-lucrative PR enterprise has taken a significant economic hit due to COVID-19, having lost 85 per cent of her clients in three days.
Despite making drastic plans to sell her luxury goods to stay afloat, the 39-year-old publicist is grateful she ‘diversified’ her businesses before coronavirus hit.
Roxy says her three other media agencies are continuing to serve different areas of the communications sector while her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, struggles.
Economic downturn: Roxy Jacenko has revealed her once-lucrative PR enterprise has taken a significant economic hit due to COVID-19, having lost 85 per cent of her clients in three days
‘Fortunately, we diversified and added other arms to my group of companies well before COVID-19 hit,’ Roxy told marketing website B&T on Wednesday.
One of Roxy’s companies is 18Communications, which facilitates communication between Australian businesses and Chinese consumers through popular messaging app WeChat and social media app Weibo.
She also has an online influencer agency (The Ministry of Talent) and a social media content creation agency (Social Union).
Every cloud: Despite making drastic plans to sell her luxury goods to stay afloat, the 39-year-old publicist is grateful she ‘diversified’ her businesses before coronavirus hit
‘Now the focus is to make sure we continue to grow these companies whilst we look at options for Sweaty Betty PR in the short term,’ she said.
As well as her media ventures, Roxy sells hair accessories and hosts sponsored content on Instagram. Her children, Pixie and Hunter, are also influencers.
It comes after Roxy revealed she was prepared to sell her Hermès Birkin collection and Aston Martin just to make ends meet.
Not giving up: Roxy says her three other media agencies are continuing to serve different areas of the communications sector while her main company, Sweaty Betty PR, struggles
She told Daily Mail Australia: ‘I have realised in my past 12 days of isolation, along with seeing my first agency [Sweaty Betty PR] near collapse, that my sanity and stability is more important to me than another Hermès Birkin bag or an Aston Martin.’
Like many others, Roxy has been struggling to make sense of everything that has been happening around the world lately.
‘I think it was pure shock watching something you started from nothing crumble in 72 hours,’ she said of Sweaty Betty PR’s dramatic downfall this week.
She is now working ‘with a very reduced number of clients’ after letting four staff members go.
As of midday Wednesday, there are 4,800 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 20 deaths.
Thinking ahead: One of Roxy’s brands is 18Communications, which facilitates communication between Australian businesses and Chinese consumers through WeChat and Weibo
Pandemic: As of midday Wednesday, there are 4,800 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 20 deaths