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

    FEB 3

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

    JAN 13

    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

  3. 12/17/2025 · BONUS

    One Question Before the Break – What Should We Tackle Next?

    A short one to close out the year! 🎁 No frameworks. No deep dives. Just a genuine thank you. Whether you found The Handbook last week or you’ve been listening since episode one, I wanted to reflect on the year and say how much I appreciate you making time for the show. This year I’ve had the chance to sit down with brilliant operators and leaders across agencies and consultancies, covering people, process, tools, data, and growth – all anchored by one belief: operational maturity is what lets professional service businesses scale without burning people out. I'd also love your input on what to tackle next! What should we go deeper on next year? What’s been most useful? What challenges are you dealing with right now? Please fill out the short survey below, and it genuinely shapes what comes next for the podcast. Survey: https://bit.ly/handbook25survey Have a great holiday, and see you in 2026!

    2 min
  4. Ops Quickie: Fixing the Sales-to-Delivery 'Black Hole'

    12/09/2025 · BONUS

    Ops Quickie: Fixing the Sales-to-Delivery 'Black Hole'

    Ops Quickies – snackable episodes on tech, tools, and systems. 🍿 "Ballpark" is a dangerous word. Especially when Sales sells the dream, and Delivery is left living the nightmare. In this Quickie, Harv shares a real story from a consulting session with a 100+ person agency. They had the headcount and the revenue, but behind the scenes? It was pure chaos. We're talking manual spreadsheet reconciliation, "remembering" to log expenses, and invoicing based on memory rather than milestones. Harv breaks down why this "Chaotic Era" caps your growth and why moving to a PSA is the way to align what you sell with what you actually deliver. Stop running your business on memory. Start running it on data.

    3 min
  5. Scaling Effort, Not Results? This is your wake-up call – with Michael Wark

    12/02/2025

    Scaling Effort, Not Results? This is your wake-up call – with Michael Wark

    When your business feels busy but the numbers don’t back it up, something’s off. Agencies and consultancies often confuse effort with progress – and today’s guest has the data to prove it. In this episode of The Handbook, Harv Nagra sits down with fractional CFO and Trimline founder Michael Wark to unpack why so many service businesses hit revenue ceilings, run on thin margins, and stay stuck in that exhausting cycle of over-servicing. If you’ve ever wondered why more clients and more staff don’t automatically create more profit, this one’s for you. Here’s what we get into: The hidden math behind low profitability – and why over-servicing is usually the real culpritWhy headcount growth can become an ego metric (and why hiring your way out of inefficiency rarely works)How to diagnose your true unit economics and reset your pricing based on reality, not optimismThe operational signals your business is running harder in place rather than growingWhat healthy, scalable service businesses measure – and the benchmarks Michael looks for in top-performing firmsWhether you’re firefighting day to day or thinking seriously about scaling, Michael brings a clear, practical lens to understanding your numbers and building a healthier business. Listen to the full episode to hear the data, the patterns, and the playbook that can help you break the cycle. 🎧 Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wark-18627628/  💰 Check out Trimline: https://trimline.co/  📺 Check out Michael’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelWarkTrimlineCFO  👨🏽 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.

    35 min
  6. Ops Quickie: AI isn't the threat. Flying blind is.

    11/18/2025 · BONUS

    Ops Quickie: AI isn't the threat. Flying blind is.

    Ops Quickies – snackable episodes on tech, tools, and systems. 🍿 Flat demand, tighter budgets, squeezed margins. And AI is adding uncertainty on top of it all.  But the real risk? It’s flying blind.  If you don’t know what’s profitable, where time’s going, or what’s around the corner, every decision is a gamble. In this Quickie, Harv lays out how visibility and control de-risk your business – and why data beats gut feel when markets wobble.  When the foundations are tight, AI becomes an amplifier, not a threat.  If you're wondering how to make your professional service business more resilient, this one's for you.

    2 min
  7. How to Run Annual Planning Like a CFO (Even If You’re Not One) with Adam Cooper

    11/11/2025

    How to Run Annual Planning Like a CFO (Even If You’re Not One) with Adam Cooper

    Most teams treat annual planning like a spreadsheet exercise. Finance builds the numbers. Everyone else nods along. Then the plan gets filed away until next year. But real planning isn’t about producing a static budget – it’s about creating a rhythm that connects finance, operations, and delivery all year round. In this episode of The Handbook: The Ops Podcast, Harv sits down with Adam Cooper, founder of ACC Finance Solutions and host of The Fractional CFO Show, to unpack how finance can become your business’s operating rhythm – one that brings clarity, accountability, and foresight to every decision. Here’s what we cover: How to use finance as your sat nav, not your rear-view mirrorBuilding a monthly rhythm that links financials, KPIs, and team accountabilityCreating a planning cycle that goes beyond budgets – with scenarios, reforecasts, and 3 - 5 year goalsManaging cash flow and runway with discipline (and less stress)Why financial storytelling matters – and how it helps the whole business make smarter choicesIf your annual planning still feels like a finance ritual, this episode will help you reframe it as an operating plan for the year ahead – one that helps your team navigate, adapt, and grow with confidence. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfcooper/  💰 Check out ACC Finance Solutions: https://www.accfinancesolutions.com/  🎧 Listen to The Fractional CFO Show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2275917/episodes  👨🏽 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.

    35 min
  8. Ops Quickie: PSA vs ERP – Same Same...or Totally Different?

    10/28/2025 · BONUS

    Ops Quickie: PSA vs ERP – Same Same...or Totally Different?

    Ops Quickies – snackable episodes on tech, tools, and systems. 🍿 So many acronyms, but what do they mean!?  This one’s for anyone wondering: what’s the difference between a PSA and an ERP? And which one does your business actually need? Harv breaks down how both systems bring your operations together – but are built for completely different worlds.  ERPs power product-based businesses with inventory, supply chains, and manufacturing.  PSAs, like Scoro, are built for service businesses that sell time and expertise. If you’ve ever been told you “need an ERP” – this one’s worth a listen before you sign anything. And 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.

    1 min
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out of 5
3 Ratings

About

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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