I've spent 20 years inside agencies.
I know where margin goes.
Most agencies don't fail because they lack clients - they fail because they don't know if they can deliver what they've promised. Deadlines slip, freelancers are pulled in at a premium, and profit disappears before anyone notices.
Kate Bridge, BA (Hons) Dunelm DipM
Founder, Mission: Purple Ltd
Most agencies I work with aren't in trouble. Revenue is coming in. Clients are happy. But look closer - at the projects overrunning by a week or two, the freelance spend that keeps creeping, the retainer hours that quietly accumulated without anyone formally agreeing to them - and there's usually a significant gap between what the agency is delivering and what it's being paid for.
I started Mission: Purple because I've seen that gap from the inside; as an account director, a programme lead, and as SVP of Operations for a global agency. I know how it develops, why it persists, and how to close it without disrupting the work or the team.
My approach is practical and targeted. I'm not interested in lengthy transformation programmes or theoretical frameworks. I find where margin is leaking, prioritise the highest-impact fixes, and help teams embed the changes that actually show up in the numbers.
If your agency is growing but the numbers feel harder to protect than they should, that's usually an ops problem. And it's almost always fixable.
We help agency leaders see the reality of their operations, take control of delivery, and make every project contribute to growth, not just busyness.
Our philosophy:
- Profit is an operational outcome, not just a finance metric
Every decision made in scoping, pricing, capacity planning, and delivery affects margin. The agencies that protect profit understand this - and build it into how the work runs, not just how it's reported. Margin rarely collapses. It slips.
The patterns that erode profit - scope absorbed without resetting, timelines drifting, freelance booked at the last minute - rarely look alarming individually. Stacked together, they're expensive. The job is making them visible before they become a problem.The fix is usually smaller than it looks
In most agencies, the biggest gains come from targeted changes to scoping, tracking, and how delivery decisions get made; not from new hires or major restructures. The key is knowing where to look first.- Accountability has to be shared
Profit and predictability aren't just the ops team's job. Account teams, delivery leads, and senior leadership all make choices every day that affect margin. The agencies that protect it understand that, and build it into how everyone works.
Who we work with
Small and mid-size agencies looking to scale profitably
Marketing, digital, and creative agencies with multiple delivery teams
Agencies ready to invest in operational improvement without necessarily hiring more people
Testimonials
Kate plays a critical role in keeping operations and programmes running smoothly, efficiently and effectively. It is easy to take this for granted - because you know that Kate is at the controls and you have complete trust in her abilities.
Shaun
The Craft Consulting
[Their] dedication to developing and implementing best-practice processes significantly improved efficiency and effectiveness across multiple areas of the business
Aimée
Agent3
The attention to detail, dedication to the tasks and the relationships built with customers is second to none