The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast (Scoro)

Agency ops can be lonely – you might be the only person in your agency that works in operations, and you might end up having to figure things out on your own – rather than having a team of people to support you and bounce ideas off of.

That’s where our new podcast, The Handbook: The Agency Operations podcast comes in. 

We’ll be talking to fellow experts and operations leaders about agency life – discussing the challenges keeping us up at night, as well as strategies that help make things run a little bit smoother.

Each episode, we'll have a guest speaker who brings a fresh perspective and gives us plenty of food for thought.

Our new podcast The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast endeavours to create more community for agency operations people – a place where we can hear from our peers and other experts on best practice, experiments, successes and sometimes failures – and also a place to celebrate our journeys into operations. 

Before we kick off with the interview series, Harv Nagra, our host, and former agency operations leader talk about his own journey into operations. 

Forget about revenue for a moment. Consider how much more profitable your agency would be if you optimized your team’s time and improved utilization. If you could reduce hiring costs by keeping staff for longer. If you understood the leaky buckets in your outgoings and reduced losses like over-servicing through improved best practice. 

Manish Kapur, who has over 25 years of experience in creative ops, explains how he streamlines agency operations and boost profit within agencies of all sizes. 

You’ll learn how to improve these 4 pillars within your agency:

1. Leadership - develop your leaders and improve staff retention.
2. People - create consistency in performance reviews and offer clear career progression.
3. Financial Management - plan for the future using forecasts and leading indicators.
4. Process - be agile and get your team following best practices.

Follow Manish on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkapur/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Agency Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Easy access to reports and dashboards is a game changer. But if your data is siloed in different systems, replicating data can be a daunting task, let alone accurate reporting. And with manual data entry, there’s the risk of human error. 

Imagine if you could consolidate tools to improve automation - gaining visibility, accuracy, and efficiency within your team. 

In this episode we’ll hear from Tyler Caskey, a chartered accountant and founder of TheBeanCounters. You’ll learn what to look for in a new tool to centralize more of the workflow and how to introduce this change to the business. 

Tyler will share: 

• The challenges agencies face with disjointed systems
• The importance of user-friendly and well-integrated technology
• Examples of successful consolidation

Link to SPI Research's Service Maturity Levels: https://spiresearch.com/psmaturitymodel/service-maturity-levels.html

Link to the May 2024 Agency Hackers State of the Nation webinar where Harv presented on business maturity (starts at 10 minute mark): https://bit.ly/4dQ4kvT

Follow Tyler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylercaskey/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

New tools and processes can transform your workflow. Especially when they’re well communicated, properly tested and correctly implemented. Successful change management motivates your team to adopt new practices. And makes them productive and happier - now and into the future.

In this episode, we’re joined by Claire Quansah, an ops expert in the agency space with nearly two decades of experience. Claire shares the steps to consider when implementing change within your agency. She gives advice on how to promote continuous improvement and set your team up for success.

Her 6 steps for successful change management include:

1. Communication
2. Planning & Preparation
3. Implementation
4. Testing Workflows
5. Documentation, Training & Support 
6. Continual Improvement 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to implement a new platform or process change within their agency.

Follow Claire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-quansah/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Why do agencies drop the ball on their own marketing?

In Agencyland, we understand the importance of impactful campaigns, yet we frequently neglect our own – particularly when things start getting busy. 46% of agencies don’t practice what they preach, according to Chime Agency’s latest benchmark report. This may not come as a surprise if you’re an owner or ops leader trying to oversee or take on the additional responsibility of marketing.

To grow your revenue and develop loyal clients, your agency needs consistent marketing. This can speak to both new and existing clients. Claire Hutchings, founder of Chime Agency, shares how agencies of all sizes can achieve consistently high quality marketing.

In this episode, we’re give our operations audience the practical strategies they can apply immediately at their own agencies to get things in shape fast.

What you’ll learn:

• What sets top performing agencies apart
• Practical tips for optimizing your marketing efforts
• Why you need a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
• Why you should develop a ‘Hero Moment’ of your own

Follow Claire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-hutchings/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Check out Chime’s Agency Benchmark report here - https://www.chime.agency/benchmark-report

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

Operations is a critical role within agencies today. But beyond the day-to-day, there’s a big opportunity to leverage this role as strategic driver of growth and efficiency. How can you develop both yourself as a leader and your agency to deliver better results?

In this episode, Ryan McNamara, Head of Operations for Rise at Seven, highlights 3 key areas that every ops director should focus on:

1. Financial rigor - what metrics you should be looking at and how often, to help you make strategic decisions.
2. Performance culture - how Ryan sets up performance development plans (PDPs) in his team and the importance of company culture.
3. Operational efficiency - what you should be optimizing to make things faster and easier.

Ryan offers advice on how to use your data for better decision making. He explains how to use metrics such as utilization, revenue recognition, and recovery to build better plans and inform your strategy.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Harv’s Presentation on Business Maturity Models - https://bit.ly/harvbizmaturity 

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanfmc/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Some platforms for niche use cases don’t require much consideration – you can try, and if it doesn’t work as intended, you can move onto something else. Other platforms, particularly those that are linked to your client services and business finances, require careful consideration. How do you ensure you’re making the right decision? 

In this episode, we discuss why growing and maturing agencies looking to scale make the transition from disjointed tools to professional services automation (PSA) platforms. 

You’ll learn how to define your needs, select the right platform, and implement it effectively to drive efficiency and growth in your business – with expert insights from Matthew Peng, a seasoned software advisor from consultancy Business Continuum. 

Key takeaways include: 

1. Building a list of requirements, 
2. How to research and select the right platform, 
3. How to approach the implementation phase strategically, and 
4. Leveraging data for future business growth.

Don't miss Matt and Harv's valuable guidance for ensuring a successful transition.

Resources mentioned in this episode: G2 and GetApp 

Follow Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-peng/ 

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Without financial results, we can’t see the impact of the decisions we make on our agency’s profit.

In this episode we’re joined by Alfie Wenegieme, a seasoned chartered accountant with over 17 years of commercial finance experience. Alfie shares important metrics for us to understand, report, and improve on. 

We explore the fundamentals of agency finances, common issues agencies face, and tips for improving your team’s understanding of key financial metrics. 

Whether you're a founder, ops person, or part of the senior leadership team, this episode will provide valuable insights into managing and optimizing your agency’s profitability. 

Don't miss Alfie's expert advice and practical guidance.

Follow Alfie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfie-wenegieme/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

We’re in the age of remote and hybrid working, and our physical distance from one another is having a huge impact on company culture. 

Previously, grabbing lunch or a drink after work was easy. But now, even small talk needs to be consciously brought into our scheduled Slack calls to avoid things becoming too transactional. 

This new way of working can lead to serious challenges like feeling disconnected from colleagues and the company mission, lacking motivation, and experiencing loneliness. 

So what’s the way forward?

In this episode, we speak with Julia Vastrik, an agile coach and team facilitator, about how we can strengthen company culture in a remote/hybrid workplace.

Julia offers loads of great advice, which we’ve summarized for easy reference:

Building Trust and Relationships

We’re a much more effective team when we like the people we work with. 

• Get to know people through small talk
• Use ice breakers, team rituals
• Virtual lunches, coffees
• Encourage silliness for personalities to shine
• Learning together e.g. book clubs, communities around certain topics like AI
• For big meetings, use breakout rooms
• Organize face-to-face activities - both for work and fun

Communication

A lot of information is lost in written communication. 

• Use a good balance of synchronous and asynchronous communication
• Have explicit agreements on communication and how to run meetings
• With written communication, the giver needs to be overly friendly (emojis, kind greetings), the receiver overly accepting that they may perceive the tone wrong
• Use audio and video to prevent misinterpretation

Productivity and Collaboration

• Set clear goals for teams and individuals
• Create working agreements e.g. working hours, punctuality, documentation, ways of working, etc
• Co-create - brainstorm solutions and make decisions together to boost a feeling of belonging

Continuous Improvement

Little changes sum up to bigger improvements over time. 

• Retrospectives, post-mortems & team discussions
• Experiment
• We’re never in an ideal state - there’s always room for improvement

Psychological Safety

Feeling safe to be not perfect, to make mistakes, to be a human.

• Mistakes happen and they are a learning opportunity
• Have leaders model this behavior

Other Resources:

The book Julia recommends to read is called The Culture Map, by Erin Meyer.

The virtual ‘body doubling’ clubs Harv mentioned are flow.club and flown.com.

Follow Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-vastrik/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Part of the remit of an ops leader is to ensure they’ve got the right people, in the right place. 

In many agencies, account managers handle sales, client relationships, AND project management. However, this hybrid role often leads to trade-offs. 

Everyone’s got their own strengths and preferences – and these responsibilities seemingly require very different personality types. 

A great sales person might struggle with rigorous project management, resulting in issues like over-servicing. While an exceptional project manager might struggle with developing a sales pipeline, leading to stress, missed targets, and a shallow pipeline. 

So, should these roles be separated?

We'll explore this with our guest, Jenny Plant. With over 20 years of experience in agency account management, Jenny founded her consultancy, Account Management Skills, to share sales training skills with account managers.

Jenny will share:

• The pros and cons of separating account and project managers
• What value agencies seek in their account managers
• How sales training can improve client relationships, retention and business growth

Jenny's website: https://accountmanagementskills.com/

Jenny's podcast: https://accountmanagementskills.com/podcast

Follow Jenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Winning pitches is tough. 

Ghosting has become a common challenge, and even when you win, clients may be commissioning smaller pieces of the project rather than the full program.

But that’s only part of the struggle - crafting pitch decks takes a lot of time and energy. Surely there’s a better way than packing slides with your best creative ideas. 

In this episode we tackle these challenges and introduce a strategic approach to pitching. The focus shifts from pitching tactics to showcasing value and ROI.

Joining us is Freia Muehlenbein, an agency growth consultant and owner of Be Reyt Consultancy. With over 15 years of experience in agency operations, Freia is an expert in the sales and pitch process, known for closing large deals. 

Freia shares practical advice on:

• Developing a strong qualification process to truly understand your client's needs
• The concept of a war room and how it helps in crafting effective strategies
• Why prioritizing financials and ROI is more important than focusing on tactics

Follow Freia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freiamuehlenbein/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Sign up for Harv's webinar with Agency Hackers on productivity hacks taking place Thursday 19th September 2024: https://bit.ly/thehandbook24

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

As an Ops person, the role of IT expert is often part of the job. So how can you ensure your agency’s IT infrastructure is set up for scaling? 

That's the focus of our discussion with Dan Timmiss, Technical Director at Kaizen IT Solutions. With over two decades of experience, Dan has helped hundreds of creative agencies optimize and manage their IT setups, from audits to complete IT overhauls and supporting scaling teams.

In this episode, Dan shares essential best practices:

• The importance of implementing single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for security and ease of access
• How cloud storage can complement on-premise servers if you have heavy media files
• Using mobile device management solutions like Jamf to manage your fleet of computers, including ‘zero touch deployment’ and easy on-boarding and off-boarding
• Seeking security accreditations like Cyber Essentials Plus, CIS Benchmarks or ISO 27001 to help secure contracts with global clients
• How newer services like MDR (managed detection and response) and XDR (extended detection and response) go beyond traditional anti-virus solutions to monitor your systems for threats
• Why to educate your team on ‘social engineering’ scams that could cause financial and reputational harm

Follow Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-timmiss-486ab517/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Curious about how an agency experimented with new approaches and found their recipe for success?

In this episode, we talk with Trenton Moss, a former agency owner who ran his business for 15 years before it was sold. Trenton shares the key decisions that transformed his agency, along with some missteps along the way.

Trenton covers three major changes he implemented and explains exactly how he did it:

• Setting up team pods with a highly effective reward system
• Developing ongoing client services training and putting the learnings into practice
• Creating an advisory board to guide the agency

Trenton shares plenty of inspiring stories and practical tactics you can apply in your own agency.

Now a leadership coach, Trenton has been coaching and training teams for nearly 20 years. You can check out his website, Sterka, his book Human Powered, you can also subscribe to Human Powered: The Podcast via his website.

Follow Trenton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentonmoss/ 

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Do you ever get to the end of the working day and wonder, ‘What did I actually get done today?'

You’re certainly not alone. 

We’re interrupted about every 8 minutes. And it can take up to 20 minutes to get back to what we’re doing. Imagine the impact of that on an 8 hour day.

In a recent Agency Hackers webinar, Harv spoke about productivity – including the flow state, trends that have had a negative influence on our ability to focus, and strategies that have given him and his colleagues a big productivity boost.

We're resharing that content for you here in case you missed the webinar.

You'll learn Harv's advice including:

• Scheduling your day in advance, so you're not staring at your to-do list in despair.
• Using a combination of 'office hours' to reply to messages and DND to minimize distractions.
• Techniques to make your meetings more efficient, your team more focused, and encourage clear communication. (Including meetings that no one actually shows up to)!

View the presentation with visuals on Youtube.

Learn more about Agency Hackers.

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Which metrics should you track, to run your agency as efficiently as possible?

In this episode we speak with Richard Brett. Rich is a seasoned FinOps professional with 15+ years of experience, including a decade in the agency world. Rich has played a key role in scaling agencies, setting up financial processes, and supporting sustainable growth.

Rich will take us into a deeper dive of agency finances, starting with revenue recognition – recording revenue when it's earned, not when payment is received – and explain why this is so important.

Next, we’ll discuss key metrics and the kind of decisions you’ll be able to make using each:

• Utilization: see how effectively your team’s time is allocated to billable work, helping identify resource optimization opportunities.
• Recovery: shows the actual revenue generated from billable hours worked, highlighting areas of over-servicing.
• Billable paid: shows the proportion of billable work that is successfully paid for, helping assess the financial health of client engagements.
• Future month work value: projects the expected revenue from booked hours in upcoming work, allowing for proactive resource and budget management.

Finally, Rich will tell us 5 ways we can influence margins through agency rate cards.

Rich now runs his own consultancy, Rich Brett FinOps, providing bespoke financial services to agencies.

Follow Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-brett-36903590/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Individuals thrive when they’re equipped to handle challenges.

Amy Hopper is a former agency owner and now founder of the business consultancy TOA. In this episode, Amy opens up about her journey through some serious challenges. She shares how those experiences helped her create a system that keeps teams (and individuals) focused, engaged, and productive.

Amy dives into practical tips on:

• Planning your day in a way that energizes you instead of draining you.
• Letting go of perfectionism so you can delegate more and grow faster.
• Overcoming resistance to change, both personally and within your team.

Her insights are packed with real-world lessons for leaders looking to build stronger, more resilient teams.

Follow Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhopper/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Hiring and training new employees is a big commitment - and getting it right will have a lasting impact on your agency.

Kicking off The Big Agency Club series, we chat with Sarah Brougham, VP of Operations at GenFlow. Sarah’s helped multiple agencies go from start-up to established, having a big hand to play in their growth and maturity journies. Sarah has spent the past six years at GenFlow, helping grow revenue there by 5x and headcount 16x.

Sarah gives us her best tips on:

• Hiring the right people for your agency
• Creating onboarding programs that new hires love and gets them off to a running start
• How offboarding goes beyond formalities and systems removals, and includes decisions on retention
• How to decide whether to fight to keep an employee that's thinking of leaving

Follow Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbrougham/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Agency8x: https://www.agency8x.com/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Are you battling with inconsistent processes, bad practice and poor staff training? 

In this episode, Harv Nagra explains the benefits of documenting and embedding best practices – to take your agency one big leap forward in operational maturity.

Harv shares his best tips on:

• Creating an agency handbook – to create a single source of truth for your business, and help your team work consistently
• Choosing the right documentation tools – specific tools that are helpful in documenting and communicating workflows
• Creating a team of best practice champions – by providing learning resources that let them build confidence from day one

Ready to future-proof your agency? Join Harv in this episode as he explains how to take your agency to the next level.

Harv's preferred tools mentioned in the episode:

• coda.io
• scribehow.com
• loom.com

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

How do you create a highly efficient agency without losing flexibility or quality?

In this episode, Harv Nagra sits down with Jinny Mitchell-Kent, Joint Managing Director at Great State. With nearly 20 years of experience at agencies big and small—including global powerhouse AKQA—Jinny shares how she’s applying lessons from her big-agency days to a 100-person team.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

• How moving from COO to MD changed her focus from internal projects to building client relationships, while maintaining her focus on performance and excellence.
• The strategies Great State uses to compete with much larger agencies by staying lean and adaptable – from scaling up the team quickly when required, to creating a flexible delivery framework.
• Practical tips on managing costs, tracking profitability, and keeping teams running smoothly.
• How Jinny is championing inclusivity with initiatives like the Great Women’s Network.

If you want to learn how to streamline your operations and scale smarter, this episode is packed with insights you can put to work right away. Give it a listen!

Follow Jinny on LinkedIn. 

Follow Harv on LinkedIn.

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

In a tight market, sales become a big concern. Relying on repeat business or referrals no longer cuts it, you have to put in more effort. 

Often in agencies, the know-how on how to get this done is missing; few people come from a formal sales background. So a haphazard approach is implemented and we hope for the best. Only that slapdash approach rarely gets the results we want. 

Is it time for the sales engine to be looked at as an ops challenge? We think so. 

In this episode of The Handbook: The Agency Operations Podcast, Harv Nagra speaks with Ryan Hall, founder of Friday Solved and a seasoned expert in building sales systems for agencies. With over 23 years of experience generating revenue and growing agencies—including two successful exits—Ryan shares practical insights on how to operationalize sales for consistent results.

Here’s what Ryan shares in this episode:

• Why agencies struggle with sales: The pitfalls of relying too much on inbound leads and referrals.
• How to build a scalable sales engine: Breaking the funnel into actionable stages (top, middle, and bottom) and tailoring strategies for each.
• The importance of systemization: How the right processes, tools, and technology create predictable results.
• Sales as a blend of art and science: Why finding the balance between relationship-building and data-driven strategies is key.

Ryan also explains how operational leaders can play a pivotal role in creating a culture of sales excellence and offers practical tips for getting started, including low-cost tools and strategies to build momentum.

If you want to take control of your sales process and future-proof your agency’s pipeline, this episode is a must-listen.

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

Follow Harv on LinkedIn.

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

This year, Gen Z are due to make up over a quarter of the workforce – a huge proportion. But both the negative headlines and moaning around the watercooler have commenced. Claims of entitlement, laziness, and unreasonable expectations abound. 

But is any of it true? And is their approach to work really that detrimental to an efficient workplace? 

In this episode, Harv speaks with Isobel Camier, founder of Camier Communications and a training consultant with 15 years of experience in PR and communications. Drawing on her commissioned research into Gen Z in the workplace, Isobel debunks stereotypes and offers actionable strategies for creating a thriving, inclusive environment.

Here’s what Isobel shares in this episode:

• Why values matter: Gen Z is big on purpose and ethics, and their focus on these can help create a more open and accountable workplace.
• Balancing work and mental health: Flexible working and offering mental health resources can help prevent burnout.
• Clear career growth pathways: When you set clear expectations and actually deliver on training promises, it keeps people motivated and excited about their work.
• Technology’s role in engagement: Gen Z’s digital skills are a big asset—embrace AI, tidy up clunky workflows, and let them help your team work smarter.
• Diversity and inclusion: Creating a culture where differences are celebrated and everyone’s voice is heard isn’t just good for Gen Z—it’s good for everyone.
• The power of recognition: Giving regular, meaningful feedback (both the good and the constructive) builds trust and makes the team feel valued and motivated.

Isobel also highlights how open dialogue and listening to employees’ lived experiences can transform workplace culture, making agencies not only better for Gen Z but for everyone.

If you want to attract and retain the best talent in a competitive market, tune in to learn how agency and operational leaders can bridge generational gaps, align workplace practices with modern values, and create a culture that fosters collaboration and success.

View a video summary and get a copy of Isobel’s Gen Z research report on her website

Follow Isobel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isobelcamier/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

We’ve all had those moments, we land that huge new client – first comes the elation for winning the mandate that will transform our fortunes, and then the mild panic at how we’re going to deliver.

There’s also times when what we do is simply just not that well understood across the organization – there might only be one internal expert, which creates a significant amount of risk for the business if they were to leave.

That’s where assessing – and improving – your business capability maturity becomes critical.

The good news? A business capability maturity model gives you a steer on how you can go from ‘figuring it out’, to something that’s a solid part of your agency’s remit and expertise, then to true innovation – through the prism of people, process, technology and information.

In this episode, we’re chatting with Mike Della Porta – an award-winning tech and operations leader who’s been a COO, CTO, and CIO at one of the top independent marketing agencies in the US. Mike shares practical advice and lessons for agencies looking to scale sustainably.

Here’s what we dive into:

• What each stage of business capability maturity looks like and what to consider at each 
• Using tech and tools to scale smarter
• How to get buy-in from your leadership team if they don’t understand the value of ops
• How ops roles can become billable and provide value to clients

Follow Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-della-porta/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Your agency’s operations can either fuel creativity, or kill it.

And you can focus on the big picture that drives real financial impact, or get stuck in the weeds.

Preston Chandler, WPP’s Global Practice Lead of Strategic Operations has a point of view, and the experience to prove it. In fact, Preston’s role at WPP is all about advising agencies in the group on how they can operate in a better, smarter, and more strategic way.

In this conversation, Preston shares how agencies can design their operations to be smarter, leaner, and more effective, without slowing down creativity.

Whether you're fine-tuning your structure or scaling innovation, this conversation will challenge you to think about how your agency is run—and how to take it to the next level.

Here’s what we dive into:

• Why your agency model (not just your talent) defines your success
• How governance can empower teams instead of creating roadblocks
• The ideal team structure to boost efficiency and collaboration
• Smarter ways of working—moving beyond outdated processes
• Why continuous improvement (not just annual reviews) is the key to long-term growth

Plus, Preston shares insights on AI’s impact on agencies, the pitfalls of hierarchy, and how to make change stick.

Follow Preston on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonchandler/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Are performance reviews a waste of time—or your agency’s secret weapon?

Too often, agencies treat performance management as a checkbox exercise, bogged down with vague feedback and awkward salary conversations. But Zoe Elizabeth Blogg, Operations Director at Reboot Online, has built a system that actually works. 

From structured performance reviews to proactive (quarterly!) salary reviews, Zoe’s created a process that keeps teams engaged, managers confident, and top talent sticking around—all in a fully remote, four-day workweek agency.

In this conversation, Zoe breaks down how to make performance management meaningful and scalable.

Here’s what we dive into:

• Why performance reviews fail—and how to make them useful (without the admin burden)
• Why Reboot runs salary reviews four times a year—without turning them into negotiation battles
• The key to training new managers so they lead with confidence, not confusion
• How Reboot creates equally rewarding career growth paths for both individual contributors and managers.

Plus, Zoe shares impressive details on her line manager playbook, and structured career pathways.

Follow Zoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoeelizabethblogg/

Visit Reboot’s website: https://www.rebootonline.com/us/

Follow Zoe on TikTok: @fractionalzo

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Most agencies add value far beyond execution. They develop methodologies, frameworks, and strategic thinking that help clients make better decisions. But too often, they give that thinking away for free. Only to compete on price when it’s time for execution.

Max Traylor has spent years helping agencies break this cycle. He’s an expert in packaging and selling strategy, helping agencies move from order takers to trusted advisors. In this episode, Max shares how to stop the race to the bottom and start getting paid for what you know, not just what you do.

Here’s what we cover:

• Why giving away strategy in proposals undervalues your expertise, and how to change that
• How to stop being seen as a vendor and build stronger relationships with decision-makers
• The first steps to productizing your strategy and selling it as a standalone offer

Plus, Max explains how agencies can gain access to high-level conversations, avoid being “vendorified,” and turn strategy into a scalable revenue stream.

Additional Resources:

Download Max’s book, Agency Survival Guide: https://www.maxtraylor.com/book 

Follow Max on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxtraylor/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

How do agencies stack up in 2025?

The results are in for BenchPress 2025. The UK’s largest benchmarking survey for independent agencies has revealed some surprising (and shocking) trends about the state of the industry.

To break it all down, Rory Spence, Head of Commercial at The Wow Company, joins us to unpack the data, trends, and opportunities that agency leaders need to know.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why 2024 was a brutal year for many agencies (and how to bounce back)
• Profitability trends and how top-performing agencies maintain strong margins
• AI’s growing role in agency operations (and the pricing mistake you must avoid)
• The power of confidence in agency success - and how to build it

If you're focused on making your agency more efficient and financially stronger, these insights will help you drive meaningful change. 

Additional Resources:

Download the full BenchPress 2025 report at thewowcompany.com/BenchPress

Follow Rory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-spence-63023884/

Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Your tech stack might be holding your agency back more than you think.

Ryan Pearcy, founder of Digital Transformers and chartered accountant, has helped countless agencies untangle their systems and make smarter, faster decisions. He’s spent nearly 15 years helping service-based businesses clean up their systems, bringing finance, tech, and process together so leaders can make decisions based on reality.

In this episode, he helps Harv troubleshoot three common (and all-too-familiar) agency tech stack scenarios.

Here’s what we get into:

• Why disconnected tools lead to risky, gut-feel decisions, and how to fix that
• How spreadsheet chaos is a sign you’re due for a system rethink
• What to do when your systems aren’t quite delivering, but you’re still paying for them

Whether you’re early-stage or at 100+ people, this one’s a must-listen if your agency is still duct-taping its way through operations.

Additional Resources:

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn. 

Follow Harv on LinkedIn.

Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter.

This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.