The Handbook: The Operations Podcast

Scoro
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Running a serviced based business, an agency or consultancy isn’t just about great client work. It’s about keeping everything behind the scenes running smoothly.  That’s where The Handbook comes in. Our goal? To help you take your business to the next level of business maturity. This podcast is for operations and service-business leaders who are juggling it all – people, processes, finance, tech, and everything in between.  Every other week, we dive deep into a specific challenge that businesses face as they grow in headcount and complexity. You'll get practical insights and real-world advice from experts who’ve been there, solved the problems, and know what works. If you’re looking for smarter ways to scale, streamline, and strengthen your business, you’re in the right place. Welcome to The Handbook community, your go-to guide for better business operations. And don’t forget to sign up for The Handbook newsletter – we’ll send you the key takeaways from each episode straight to your inbox: scoro.com/podcast/#handbook  The Handbook: The Operations Podcast is brought to you by Scoro.

  1. Why Only 13% of Firms Feel Ready to Scale – with Manish Kapur & Rich Brett

    21 APR

    Why Only 13% of Firms Feel Ready to Scale – with Manish Kapur & Rich Brett

    The data is in – and it's not pretty. After surveying 303 agencies and consultancies through the Business Maturity Quiz, we've launched The Maturity Gap Report, revealing just how wide the gap really is between the firms where operations is a strength and everyone else. In this episode, Harv is joined by operations consultant Manish Kapur and FinOps expert Rich Brett to walk through the headline findings – and what they actually mean for the way your business is run. Here are a few of the headlines they discuss: Role clarity is rarer than you think – only 35% of firms have clearly defined roles, and the knock-on effects reach everything from project delivery to decision-making bottlenecksMost operational knowledge lives in people's heads – just 21% of firms have documented their best practices, leaving businesses one resignation away from losing it allAutomation remains an untapped opportunity – only one in eight firms have automated any meaningful part of how they work, in 2026Time tracking data is being wasted – 41% of firms track time accurately, but only 13% are using that data to make decisions or course-correct mid-projectForecasting with confidence is the exception, not the rule – only one in four firms can forecast margins, revenue, and capacity with any real certaintyScale readiness is a widespread concern – just 13% of firms believe their operating model is ready for what's ahead If you want to know where your business sits against the 303 firms in the report – and what separates the top performers from the rest – this is the episode to start with. This was originally recorded as a live webinar – if you'd prefer to watch with the presentation slides, head to YouTube here: https://youtu.be/GfQ-raYcGQg Ready to take action to level up? 1) Take the business maturity quiz – https://bit.ly/assess-business-maturity 2) Read The Maturity Gap Report – https://scoro.com/blog/maturity-gap 3) Subscribe to The Handbook: The Ops Podcast for the upcoming maturity series – https://linktr.ee/handbookpodcast Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Manish Kapur on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkapur/ 👉🏽 Follow Rich Brett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-brett-36903590/ 👨🏽 Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/  ➡️ 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.

    48 min

  2. 9 APR ·  BONUS

    5 ops events. 8 weeks. Zero excuses. RSVP now!

    Five events. Eight weeks. Zero excuses. If you're in ops, finance, or senior leadership at an agency or consulting firm – Harv runs through five upcoming events worth getting in your calendar right now. From the Maturity Gap Webinar (where the findings from the business maturity quiz finally get revealed) to the FinOps Conference, two intimate Handbook Breakfast Sessions in London, and – for the first time ever – a Breakfast Session in Manchester. Register as follows: 1️⃣ The Maturity Gap Webinar, 15 Apr – https://bit.ly/the-maturity-gap  2️⃣ The Handbook: Breakfast Session 'Multi-Entity Madness', LDN, 23 Apr – https://bit.ly/breakfast-apr26 3️⃣ The FinOps Conference (50+ headcount businesses), LDN, 21 May – https://bit.ly/finops-conf 4️⃣ The Handbook: Breakfast Session 'When Finance Met Ops', LDN, 28 May – Drop Harv a DM on LinkedIn to save you a seat!  5️⃣ The Handbook: Breakfast Session 'When Finance Met Ops', MCR, 3 Jun – Drop Harv a DM on LinkedIn to save you a seat!  Hope to see you there!

    2 min
  3. 6 Ops Changes That Took This Business from Scrappy to Scalable – with Alex Bodini

    31 MAR

    6 Ops Changes That Took This Business from Scrappy to Scalable – with Alex Bodini

    Growing a professional services business often starts the same way: scrappy teams, generalists wearing multiple hats, and a lot of momentum driven by energy rather than structure. In this episode of The Handbook, Harv sits down with Alex Bodini, CEO of Spin Brands, to unpack how Spin evolved from a grassroots social media shop into a multi-entity group of 100+ people. Rather than waiting for a crisis to force change, Alex and his co-founder made a conscious decision to professionalize the business so they could attract bigger clients, better talent, and more ambitious opportunities.  They walk through the operational shifts that helped Spin move from “proper scrappy” to a more mature organization – and the cultural tensions that inevitably come with that transition. Here’s what we dive into: Why bringing in a proper finance director changed far more than reporting – from pricing and scoping to forecasting and recoveryThe role HR played in moving from informal “touchy-feely” people management to structured career paths, policies, and developmentHow hiring experienced specialists elevated the quality of work – even if not every senior hire worked outWhy investing in senior-level marketing helped Spin build credibility and compete for bigger clientsWhat a chairman can bring to a founder-led business – accountability, perspective, and bigger strategic thinkingThe trade-offs between the fun, chaotic “old Spin” culture and the more structured, scalable “new Spin”Alex is refreshingly honest about the reality of transformation. Some hires didn’t work out. Cultural change created tension. And the journey took far longer than expected. But the result is a business with stronger foundations – one that’s now scaling through acquisitions and positioning itself for the next stage of growth. If you’re navigating that transition from scrappy startup to grown-up, mature organization, there’s a lot in Alex’s story that will feel very familiar. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-bodini/  🌐 Spin Brands: http://spinbrands.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.

    51 min
  4. Why Ops Is Really About Culture (Not Just Process) with Nicky Russell

    10 MAR

    Why Ops Is Really About Culture (Not Just Process) with Nicky Russell

    The work we produce gets all the attention. But the real question is: what’s happening behind the scenes that makes that work possible? In this episode of The Handbook, Harv sits down with creative operations expert Nicky Russell, co-founder of WDC, We Deliver Change, and chair of the Creative Operations Summit in London. Together they explore the discipline of creative ops – the systems, culture, and leadership required to help creative teams do their best work.  What starts as a conversation about creative teams quickly expands into something bigger: how operations leaders create the environment where great work can actually happen. Here’s what we dive into: What creative operations actually is – and why it’s becoming a strategic role inside agencies, brands, and consultanciesWhy ops is fundamentally about culture – not just processes, workflows, and systemsWhy happiness and psychological safety matter more than most leaders realise when it comes to producing great workHow creative ops and business ops are converging as technology and AI reshape how work gets doneHow learning to speak the language of different stakeholders is often the key to unlocking real influence.Whether you work in a creative environment or not, the themes in this conversation will resonate with any ops leader trying to build a healthier, more effective organisation. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Nicky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-russell-989a4719/ 🌐 WDC London: https://wdc-london.com/  🌐 In-House Agency Leaders Club: https://www.ihalc.com/  🗓️ Henry Stewart Creative Ops Summit London, 19th March 2026: https://henrystewartconferences.com/creative-operations/  👨🏽 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.

    28 min
  5. Live event: Run like you're looking to sell, 19 March

    4 MAR ·  BONUS

    Live event: Run like you're looking to sell, 19 March

    Have you heard of The Handbook: Breakfast Sessions? These are intimate breakfast roundtables where we dive into big operational topics with leaders from forward-thinking agencies and consultancies. The next one is coming up on 19 March in London, and the theme is: Run like you’re looking to sell. Even if you’re not. I’ll be joined by Dom Hawes. Dom has led 11 acquisitions and scaled his marketing services group to £22m in just 30 months, so he’s seen first-hand what makes a business attractive when someone starts looking under the hood. Whether an exit is on the horizon or not, the disciplines that increase valuation are the same ones that make a business more profitable, more resilient, and easier to run. The Breakfast Sessions are intentionally small to give everyone space to contribute, and they operate under Chatham House Rule to encourage open conversation. If you’re leading a 25+ person agency or consultancy and want to see your firm through a sharper lens, this one’s for you. Request a seat: bit.ly/handbookbreakfastmarch

    1 min
  6. From 11% to 43% Net Profit – Fixing the Fundamentals with Robert Patin

    24 FEB

    From 11% to 43% Net Profit – Fixing the Fundamentals with Robert Patin

    Your numbers might look healthy. Revenue’s up. Projects are flowing. The pipeline feels… fine. But underneath? Margins are eroding. Cash is tighter than you’d like. And no one’s totally confident in the data they’re using to make decisions. In this episode of The Handbook, Harv Nagra sat down with finance and business ops advisor Robert Patin to unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface of many professional service businesses right now – and why operational maturity is the difference between surviving and thriving. Here’s what we dive into: 📉 The financial red flags leaders consistently overlook – especially around forecasting, cash flow, and margin erosion 📊 Why revenue is a vanity metric if your gross profit assumptions are wrong 🧐 How to turn project postmortems into a pricing engine that actually improves over time 🔄 The link between operational maturity and financial performance – and why finance and ops can’t sit in silos 🧩 How data fragmentation creates “business whack-a-mole” and makes AI harder, not easier 🤖 Why AI will increase pricing pressure – and how to get ahead of it before the market catches up This conversation is a practical look at how to level up your maturity across finance, systems, and decision-making – so you can scale with confidence instead of guesswork. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Robert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/creative-agency-success  🌐 Robert’s resources for The Handbook listeners: https://creativeagencysuccess.com/handbook    👨🏽 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.

    43 min
  7. 5 AI Guardrails COOs Need to Put in Place Today with Sharon Toerek

    3 FEB

    5 AI Guardrails COOs Need to Put in Place Today with Sharon Toerek

    AI is moving fast in professional services firms.  And while most conversations focus on efficiency gains and new tools, the harder questions are around risk – ownership, liability, and what happens when AI use goes wrong. In this episode of The Handbook, Harv Nagra is joined by Sharon Toerek, a leading expert on IP and legal risk in the creative and consulting space, to unpack what AI really changes for operations leaders – and what needs to be in place to protect your business Here’s what they dive into: 📄 What actually happens to IP when work is human-created, AI-assisted, or fully AI-generated 🔐 The data privacy risks agencies and consultancies often underestimate 🧭 Sharon’s five-step framework for building an AI-ready workplace 📝 How contracts, policies, and client conversations need to evolve as AI becomes operational If you’re an ops leader trying to balance innovation with risk, this episode is a practical reminder that AI governance isn’t a legal edge case anymore – it’s part of running a mature, well-managed operation. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Sharon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharontoerek/  🌐 Check out Sharon’s website: https://legalandcreative.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.

    39 min
  8. The 8 Systems Every COO Needs to Scale with Jason Swenk

    13 JAN

    The 8 Systems Every COO Needs to Scale with Jason Swenk

    Most service businesses don’t stall because of a lack of talent or ambition. They stall because the business quietly outgrows the systems it was built on. In this episode of The Handbook, Harv Nagra sits down with Jason Swenk – agency founder turned advisor who’s spent two decades helping agencies and consultancies scale with more confidence and less chaos.  After building and selling his own eight-figure agency, Jason codified the patterns he kept seeing into an eight-system framework for predictable growth. We unpack why so many leadership teams feel stuck, what actually breaks as businesses scale, and how operators can help reset the foundations before things start to crack. Here’s what we get into: Why clarity, positioning, and offering are the foundations everything else depends onHow to move from reactive growth to a more deliberate, scalable operating modelThe difference between prospecting and sales – and why skipping steps causes pain laterHow delivery, ops, and leadership systems protect margins and give leaders time backWhat it really means to transition from founder mode to CEO modeWhether you’re an Ops Director, COO, or part of a leadership team trying to break through a growth ceiling, this conversation is a strong reminder that maturity isn’t about working harder – it’s about building the right systems at the right time. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk/  💻 Jason’s website: https://jasonswenk.com/   🎧 Jason's podcast: https://www.agencymastery360.com/podcast  👨🏽 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.

    43 min
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Running a serviced based business, an agency or consultancy isn’t just about great client work. It’s about keeping everything behind the scenes running smoothly.  That’s where The Handbook comes in. Our goal? To help you take your business to the next level of business maturity. This podcast is for operations and service-business leaders who are juggling it all – people, processes, finance, tech, and everything in between.  Every other week, we dive deep into a specific challenge that businesses face as they grow in headcount and complexity. You'll get practical insights and real-world advice from experts who’ve been there, solved the problems, and know what works. If you’re looking for smarter ways to scale, streamline, and strengthen your business, you’re in the right place. Welcome to The Handbook community, your go-to guide for better business operations. And don’t forget to sign up for The Handbook newsletter – we’ll send you the key takeaways from each episode straight to your inbox: scoro.com/podcast/#handbook  The Handbook: The Operations Podcast is brought to you by Scoro.

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