Don't stay submerged; fix mistakes quickly
26/09/2025
"You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it." – Paulo Coelho
Mission: Purple
Building the operations of the agency you want to be
Most agencies could be more profitable from the work they're already doing.
The ones that are know exactly how their business works. Which clients make them money. What projects don't. Where capacity is. What the next three months actually look like. That clarity is what makes sustainable growth achievable - and profitable.
I work with founders and senior leaders of marketing agencies to build the operational foundations that make that possible.
60 minutes. An honest picture of what your operation can see, what it can't, and what the gap is costing you.
The problems agencies face
The patterns that erode profit in growing agencies are rarely dramatic. They're subtle, cumulative - and easy to miss when you're only looking at the headline numbers.
You're delivering more than you're charging for
Scope absorbed rather than reset. Extra amends answered with a 'just get it done'. Retainers drifting beyond what was agreed, without the invoice to match.
Your forecast is a best guess
Forecasts built on assumed timelines rather than delivery reality. Milestones that slip quietly. Month-end surprises that shouldn't have been surprises at all.
Process exists but doesn't work in practice.
Processes that exist on paper but not in practice. Templates nobody uses. Handovers that happen quickly because the client is ready, not because the brief is complete.
No single view across the business
Finance and delivery talking about different numbers. Account teams optimising for client happiness. No single view of what's profitable, what's at risk, and what needs attention.
How we work
Most operational improvement starts by looking at what's broken. We start somewhere different - by designing where you want to get to. Then measuring the gap. Then building the route.
The work follows five stages. Each has a defined output and a natural end point. You decide how far you go.
- The Visibility Session - what your operation can currently see, and what it can't.
- The Operating Model - the complete design of the agency you're building toward.
- The Roadmap - the gap between where you are and where you've designed yourself to go, with a sequenced plan for closing it.
- The Build - implementation. Everything designed, built, embedded, and understood by the team.
- Strategic Advisory - ongoing operational oversight for agencies that are ready for it.
Full details and prices on the Services page.
Why invest in operations
Your agency is already paying for the absence of it.
It's easy to look at acceptable gross margin and assume things are broadly fine. But the cost of reactive delivery - last-minute freelance days, projects drifting past their profitable window, work that should have been charged for but wasn't - is already in your P&L. It's just not visible until someone looks properly.
When the right operational foundations are in place, even targeted ones, the impact shows up quickly
£10–15k
typical monthly margin recovery on £250–300k revenue; without adding headcount
3–5%
reduction in variable delivery costs once operational changes are in place
1–3 months
to see impact in the numbers for most agencies
MD out of delivery
so decisions get made without everything flowing through one person
Thinking on agency ops, straight to your inbox
The same thinking you'll find in the articles - on profitable delivery, capacity planning, and the operational habits that protect margin - in your inbox. Previous editions available on the sign-up page.
[Their] dedication to developing and implementing best-practice processes significantly improved efficiency and effectiveness across multiple areas of the business
Aimée
Agent3
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
Working with Kate has been a genuinely valuable experience; her recommendations were both practical and insightful. The process gave us a clearer view of our operations and a solid foundation to start making real improvements
Jennifer
Sharp Ahead
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