The Handbook: The Operations Podcast

Touch the same piece of information more than twice – fix the workflow. That’s the kind of CFO-meets-COO thinking we get into in this episode of The Handbook, where Harv sits down with Lindsey Head to connect the dots between finance, ops, tech, and people – and what really changes when you standardise how the business runs. Lindsey helped scale a PR agency from 5 to 125 people and $750k to $25m in revenue, leading finance, ops, HR, tech, legal and M&A along the way – so she’s seen where the cracks form, and how to close them.Here’s what we dive into:• The case for “non-billable” hires early – why dedicated new-business and ops roles pay for themselves, and a simple admin-as-%-of-revenue rule of thumb (aim for ~7–8%).• Systems thinking > shiny tools – map the ideal information flow first, then pick tech to automate it. If you’re touching the same data repeatedly, the process is broken.• Change management that actually works – phase rollouts, involve users early, test, train, and measure adoption before you “go live.”• Multi-entity without the migraines – standardise what you can across entities, respect local nuance (currency, tax, PTO), and use partners/EORs when expanding fast.• Run the business by the numbers – utilisation, gross margin by client, and labour % tell the truth; AI can accelerate FP&A and reporting, but you still sanity-check the outputs.If you’re feeling buried under tools, processes, and hiring questions, Lindsey’s final nudge is simple: pause, map “how it’s going” vs “how it should go,” and focus this quarter on the single change that unlocks the most leverage.Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Lindsey Head on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseylhead/ 💡 Check out Pulse Business Group: https://pulsebusinessgroup.com/  👨🏽 Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/ 📈 Measure your business maturity and find out how to get to the next level: https://bit.ly/assess-business-maturity 📬 Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter: https://www.scoro.com/podcast/#handbook ➡️ This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system. Sign up for a free trial or a demo at https://scoro.com/demo – and for the VIP treatment, tell them Harv sent you. 

Ops Quickies – we're back with another snackable episode. 🍿This one’s for anyone who’s ever wondered: Is my business actually set up to scale – or are we just surviving?Harv breaks down:👉🏽 Why business maturity matters👉🏽 What it really means (hint: it’s not about headcount or revenue)👉🏽 Why most service businesses get stuck at the early stages👉🏽 And how you can quickly benchmark where you stand today...Harv's launched a business maturity quiz to help you see where your business sits across people, process, tech, data, and growth, and what to focus on next.It's only 25 questions and takes just 3 minutes. You get your results – and actions on where to focus to level up. So which era is your business in – The Chaotic Era? The Glimmers of Growth Era? The Stable Era? The Data Driven Era? Or The Innovation Era? 👉 Take the quiz here: https://bit.ly/assess-business-maturityShout out to PSA platform Scoro for supporting this initiative! Check out scoro.com and if you sign up for a demo – tell them Harv sent you! 

When businesses talk about “productizing,” they often picture cookie-cutter scopes and rigid templates. But according to Brian Kessman, that’s missing the point.Brian is the founder of Lodestar Consulting, and he’s spent 25 years helping agencies and consultancies scale without burning out teams or eroding margins. His approach isn’t about productizing services – it’s about productizing value.In this episode of The Handbook: The Operations Podcast, Brian and Harv dig into what that really means, and how it can transform both your client relationships and your bottom line.Here’s what we cover:The difference between productizing services (deliverables) vs. productizing value (outcomes)Why improving operations alone won’t fix a business model that’s not designed to scaleHow to spot patterns in your expertise and codify them into structured solutionsWhy productization doesn’t kill creativity – it actually creates more space for itSmarter ways to think about pricing, from fixed fees to value-based modelsBrian also shares case studies from consultancies and agencies that have reframed their offers around outcomes – unlocking higher margins, more predictable delivery, and stronger authority with clients.If you’ve ever felt stuck between reinventing the wheel on every project or being forced into commoditized work, this episode is for you.Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Brian Kessman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankessman/ 💡 Check out Lodestar Agency Consulting: https://www.lodestaragencyconsulting.com/ 👨🏽 Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/ 📈 Measure your business maturity and find out how to get to the next level: https://www.scoro.com/business-maturity-quiz/ 📬 Stay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter: https://www.scoro.com/podcast/#handbook ➡️ This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system. Sign up for a free trial or a demo at https://scoro.com/demo – and for the VIP treatment, tell them Harv sent you. 

Ops Quickies – snackable episodes on tech, tools, and systems. 🍿This one’s for anyone who’s ever asked: How is a PSA actually different from a project management tool? And does it even matter?Spoiler: it does.Harv breaks down how project management platforms and PSAs serve very different purposes – and why the difference becomes more obvious (and more valuable) as your business grows.If you've got a question about ops tech, PSAs, or Scoro, drop Harv a message on LinkedIn. He might just turn it into the next Quickie.And if you know someone stuck in spreadsheet purgatory or drowning in tools – send this episode their way.

From the outside, M&A can seem like a clean transaction – a new parent company, a logo change, a cheerful announcement.But inside? The reality is messier. Integration. Culture clashes. Reporting headaches. And a long list of decisions that determine whether the deal actually works.Dom Hawes has lived both sides. After his own agency was acquired (badly), he went on to build Selbey Anderson – a marketing services group backed by private equity, designed from day one to scale through M&A.In just 30 months, he led the acquisition of 11 agencies, growing the group to £22M in revenue. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on how that actually happens – and what too many people get wrong.Here’s what we dive into:Why leadership – not just profit – is the #1 factor Dom looks for in an acquisitionThe red flags that make him walk away (including founders who say “I’m not a numbers person”)What makes integration hard – and how to avoid derailing moraleThe systems decision Dom regrets – and how it made integration and reporting harder later onHow to be “sale-ready” in today’s tougher marketWhether you’re looking to sell or simply sharpen up your ops, this one’s a must-listen.Additional Resources:Follow Dom Hawes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominichawes/ Check out Selby Anderson: https://selbeyanderson.com/ Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/ Get the key takeaways from the podcast in your inbox. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter: https://www.scoro.com/podcast/#handbook This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

New series alert: Ops Quickies — snackable episodes on tech, tools, and systems. 🍿We're kicking off with a big question wrapped in The Clunkiest Acronym: what the heck is a PSA ... or professional services automation platform?Harv explains why the name’s a problem, what this kind of platform actually does, and why service businesses need to start paying attention.If you've got any questions about ops tech, PSAs, or Scoro, drop me a message on LinkedIn. I'd love to hear from you – and might even turn it into a mini episode. And if you know someone who needs this explainer, forward it on and ask them to give it a listen.

Your ops might be ticking along just fine.But what if your founder got sick tomorrow? What if your top client left? What if you had to make a big decision with zero visibility on the numbers?You might not be planning to sell your agency – but you should run it like you are.Because when you adopt that mindset, you zoom out. You stop firefighting. You start building a business that runs without you.This week on The Handbook, Harv sits down with Sam Wood – fractional COO and founder of consultancy Ottesu – to talk about how agencies and consultancies can apply board-level thinking without needing to set up an actual board.Because a business that’s sale-ready is a business that’s well run.In this episode, Sam breaks down the five areas every agency should be reviewing regularly – whether you’re building to exit or just want better control of the ship.Here’s what we get into:Why applying board-level thinking doesn’t mean setting up a boardroom – and how to startHow to define and operationalize strategy (it’s not just a slide in onboarding)Why culture starts with leadership behavior (not beers and pizza)How to build capability and resilience so your business doesn’t depend on heroicsHow to reduce risk and spot gaps in capability before they break youThe one performance metric every service business should be tracking if they want to be profitableWhether you're an ops lead or MD, this one’s packed with practical ways to futureproof your agency.Additional Resources:Follow Sam Wood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-wood-gaicd-9023a54a/ Check out Ottesu’s website: https://ottesu.com.au/ 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.

Is your business growing, but it still feels messy?This solo episode from Harv looks back at one year of The Handbook podcast, and it’s a big one. Harv recaps what he’s learned from a year of speaking with ops leaders across the agency world. He packages it all into one whirlwind tour of the five core pillars of operational maturity: people, process, tools, data, and growth.If you’ve missed a few episodes (or want a cheat code to benchmark your agency’s ops maturity), this is your starting point. Or your reset.Here’s what Harv dives into:Why operational maturity, not creativity or client relationships, is the biggest differentiator for scaleWhat smart people practices actually look like, from efficient and effective hiring to career path frameworksHow to build a sales engine that doesn’t rely on panicked effort or founder charismaWhy a tech stack is only as good as the strategy underneath itWhat it really means to be data-driven, beyond just dashboardsAnd what common agency growth mistakes still trip up even the most ambitious teamsPlus, you’ll hear key takeaways from guests like Manish Kapur, Karl Sakas, Preston Chandler, Jenny Plant, and many more.Additional Resources:Harv’s webinar on documentation & best practice here: https://youtu.be/RroxOVlSwIk Learnings and tools from Freia Muehlenbein's 'how to pitch' episode: https://www.scoro.com/blog/how-to-pitch-a-client/ Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harvnagraStay up to date with regular ops insights. Subscribe to The Handbook: The Operations Newsletter: https://www.scoro.com/podcast/#handbook This podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

Ops Leaders, are you unintentionally making life harder for your delivery team?Galen Low, co-founder of The Digital Project Manager and host of The Digital Project Manager podcast, joins us to flip the lens, and spotlight the real impact of operational decisions from the delivery floor up.Galen has spent years helping digital PMs thrive in chaotic environments. In this episode, he shares the signs leaders might be missing when systems break down and how to create structures that support people doing the work.Here’s what we dive into:How layoffs and role blending are pressuring delivery teamsThe hidden cost of heroic project managers who just “make it work”What agencies get wrong about tool rollouts (and how to fix it)How to better onboard freelance talentThe link between trust, autonomy, and delivery excellenceGalen also offers advice on listening to your PMs, empowering teams, and building resilience into your operations, without burning people out.And – this is part one of a two-way podcast exchange! For part two, head over to The DPM Podcast where we flip the mic and explore what it takes to build operational models that truly support delivery.Additional Resources:Listen to PART TWO on The Digital Project Manager podcast: https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/podcast/how-project-managers-can-thrive-in-evolving-agency-models/The Digital Project Manager website: https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/membership/DPM on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgWl0Rda9bHhOJTcIy8XwQDPM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedigitalpm/Follow Galen Low on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galen-low-digital-transformation-advisor/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: https://scoro.com/podcast/#handbookThis podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.

What does it really take to operate more strategically as an agency?Manish Kapur returns to The Handbook to help agency ops leaders shift from firefighting mode to future-focused thinking. If you’ve ever struggled to carve out time for the big picture while juggling the day-to-day, this episode is your playbook.Harv and Manish dig into how to run fast-paced, high-impact workshops that drive meaningful change – and how to keep momentum once priorities have been decided. They also explore how ops folks can step up as strategic leaders, driving these initiatives, especially as AI is forcing agencies to become more adaptable than ever.Here’s what we get into:Why agencies that plan beyond month-to-month win long-termManish’s 7-part workshop format that delivers clarity, alignment, and actionHow to navigate alignment across multiple offices and entitiesThe role of ops in driving, not just supporting, AI strategyWhy senior buy-in is the secret to getting big initiatives doneWhether you're leading change or nudging it along, this conversation is packed with real-world tactics to keep your agency moving forward.Additional Resources:Manish's workshop playbook: https://www.scoro.com/podcast/episode/strategic-ops-unlocked-manish-kapur-workshop-playbook/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 Operations Newsletter. Sign up here: https://scoro.com/podcast/#handbookThis podcast is brought to you by Scoro, where you can manage your projects, resources and finances in a single system.