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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.