Quick Fire 🔥 with Jessica Tee Orika-Owunna

Jessica Tee Orika-Owunna is an experienced SaaS content marketing specialist who has worked with global brands such as Vena Solutions, Softr, Contentsquare, Foundation Marketing, and Hotjar, while based in Nigeria. Her work focuses on content strategy and production: creating buyer-first content that drives conversions and supports go-to-market (GTM) teams.

She has also served as a judge on international panels such as the 2025 U.S. Search Awards, U.S. Agency Awards, Global Digital Excellence, and Global Search Awards. Her work has been featured in national and international publications like Moz, Punch, The Nation Nigeria, BusinessDay, Smarketers Hub, and Entrepreneur.com.

Outside of client work, she also mentors newbie content marketers on ADPList and GrowthMentor, where she reviews portfolios, provides actionable feedback, and shares practical tips on how they can attract local and global SaaS opportunities.

Explain what you do to a 5-year-old.

I help software companies teach their target buyers what their product does and how to use it, so people can decide if it’s the right fit for their needs.

I do this by learning what buyers are trying to get done, what frustrates them, and how they work. Then I create content based on the patterns I see—showing, step by step, how the product helps with real examples and practical tips, or how it compares to other options—so choosing feels easy. I also make sure these explanations show up in the right places and formats, so the people who need them actually see and use them.

When did you first realise that there is a huge career opportunity in the global SaaS industry and how did you prepare for that?

I first saw a career opportunity in the global SaaS industry in 2020, shortly after the pandemic began. At the time, I was juggling multiple roles at a local company in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. When the lockdown hit, I was asked to stay home without pay. That pause forced me to slow down and think about what I wanted long-term.

I was already doing a lot of writing—from website copy for oil and gas companies to non-fiction ghostwriting—but I was burnt out, and my work didn’t scale. I also wanted writing that directly influenced business results, not just told good stories, and that could improve my earning potential.

Exploring other options led me to a role as a business writer, which became my first real exposure to the B2B SaaS world. The founder, based in Nigeria, was attracting both local and international opportunities via LinkedIn, and I was curious how. What stood out was how global the space was: companies hired and paid writers based on skill, not location, and the work directly impacted revenue and growth.

Even though the role paid less than my ghostwriting gigs, I focused on building the right skills and experience for a long-term career. That experience gave me my first solid foundation in SaaS and led to my first international role less than a year later.

What’s been your biggest career win, and what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned along the way?

One of my biggest career wins has been building a thriving business after a layoff. I’d never experienced a layoff before. I woke up to a message asking for a “quick chat,” and before the meeting even happened, I’d already lost access to Slack and email. It was shocking, and I still remember that moment clearly.

Once the shock had settled, I realised a couple of earlier decisions protected me and made bouncing back easier. First, I had built an additional income stream alongside my full-time role. It was exhausting at the time, but that extra income became a foundation when my job ended.

Second, I learned to document my work properly. I used to assume good work would automatically lead to promotions or opportunities, but that wasn’t enough. Tracking results, saving proof of impact, and being intentional about presenting my work helped me secure promotions, negotiate better pay, and eventually transition to solopreneurship.

When the layoff happened, I wasn’t starting from zero. I had proof of my value, an active pipeline, and the confidence to keep going. The biggest lesson: never rely on a single income source, and don’t leave your career story in someone else’s hands. This mindset still shapes how I grow my career today.

What is your ‘GOAT moment’ in tech? Tell us a short story.

One of my biggest GOAT moments was at Foundation Marketing, a marketing agency, where I co-owned the B2B software growth case study program from 2021 to 2023.

I researched and created in-depth breakdowns of how product-led companies like Slack, Loom, Hootsuite, and Webflow grew from a marketing perspective. The goal was to uncover what really drove their growth and present it in a way other founders and marketers could learn from and act on. That meant digging into each company’s story, analyzing the data, and highlighting the strategies behind the results.

Those case studies earned hundreds of thousands of views, were cited by leading SaaS publications like HubSpot and ClickUp, shared widely on social media, and opened partnership conversations with some featured brands. They also helped establish Foundation Marketing as a trusted name in B2B SaaS.

At the same time, I took over the company newsletter, growing it from 4,000 to over 14,000 subscribers in 15 months, generating revenue through sponsorships like Marketing Brew. Seeing those results helped me overcome impostor syndrome and completely changed how I view content.

What is one hack you swear by when finding global SaaS jobs?

Be good at what you do but make sure that you’re easy to find and easy to trust online. That’s the one hack I swear by.

Most global opportunities I’ve landed didn’t come from applications. They came from people already having a sense of who I was and how I think. That starts with something as simple as your LinkedIn title. I treat it like a keyword, not a job description, so recruiters and potential clients can actually find me when they search.

I’ve found that going beyond your day-to-day work makes a big difference. Guest posting, joining industry conversations, or collaborating on visible projects builds a network that knows and trusts your expertise, often opening doors faster than a CV. I recently experienced this myself, so I know it works.

What’s something you’re interested in but bad at?

I’m really interested in personal branding and visibility, but it doesn’t come naturally to me. I’d much rather do the work than talk about or promote it. I’ve had to consciously learn to show up online, share my thinking, and document my wins, even knowing how important it is for career growth.

I’m strong at execution. I can take a content strategy and deliver on it. I enjoy understanding buyer needs, shaping content direction, and working closely with other teams to bring it together. I’ve been very intentional about leaning into this over the past year.