The Handbook: The Operations Podcast

Scoro

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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S1 · E64
September 22 · 33 min
Flying the Plane While Changing the Engine: A Post-Merger Fix with Luis Perez
When firms merge, everyone celebrates the deal. But unless you’ve been through it before, few think through the nuances of what it takes to actually run as one business afterwards. That was the reality Luis Perez walked into at DGA Group, a global geopolitical strategy consultancy. As Head of Group Planning, Analytics and Systems, Luis joined a business that looked fine from the outside – hundreds of people, multiple offices, growing fast – but underneath was still running as two separate companies. Two accounting systems, two charts of accounts, and a reporting cycle so slow the board was seeing results that were two months old. In this conversation, Luis walks us through how he and his CFO fixed it: how they defined what they actually needed, why they brought in outside help rather than going it alone, and how they rolled out a new stack across three continents in just seven months, all while keeping the business running. Here's what we get into: Why a business can look healthy on the surface while its systems are falling apart underneath How to define system requirements before you start shopping for software Why bringing in external help can be the difference between months and years The staggered rollout approach that got three continents live in seven months Why minimizing customization is the key to hitting your timeline How change management, not technology, is what actually makes a system stick Plus, Luis shares the results: margins up a third, utilization up 20%, and group reporting cut from six weeks down to two. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Luis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-c-perez/ 👉🏽 DGA Group: https://dgagroup.com/ 👨🏽 Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/ 💰 The Missing Finance Course (free): https://learn.scoro.com ➡️ 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.
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S1 · E63
August 25 · 26 min
Utilization, Scope Creep, and Rev Rec: The Finance Side of Delivery with Rich Brett
Everyone talks about being "data-driven," but many professional services businesses are drowning in data, not actually using it. Rich Brett is back for episode three of our mini-series from inside The Missing Finance Course, the free FinOps course presented by Rich and Harv Nagra built to close the gap between finance and delivery. This episode leans into the delivery side of the business – the day-to-day decisions that end up written into your numbers, whether you meant them to or not. Here's what we dive into: Why utilization and capacity are two sides of the same coin, and why utilization should never be a surprise at month end Where delivery leads go wrong on scoping, and how a duplicated quote can set a project up to fail before it starts Why over-servicing to keep clients happy is often a decision nobody actually made, and how to take back control What revenue recognition really means (it's simpler than it sounds), and why doing it once a year isn't good enough What "recovery" actually measures, and why comparing it to an invoice tells you nothing What being genuinely data-driven looks like, versus just having a lot of reports nobody reads Plus, Rich and Harv get into why the best businesses are already looking at what’s going to happen next month instead of just explaining what happened last month. The Missing Finance Course is free, self-paced, and built for three audiences: leadership, delivery teams, and individual contributors. Head to https://learn.scoro.com to get started. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 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.
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S1 · E62
August 4 · 54 min
Revenue Up 2x, EBITDA Up 5x: The Operating Model Behind It with Andrew McBarnett
Everyone wants AI to fix their messy data. Andrew McBarnett will tell you straight: it won't. In fact, it'll just help you reach the wrong conclusion faster. Andrew is Group Financial Director at Lucid Group, a PE-backed medical communications agency. He joined in 2020 for what was meant to be a four month contract. Six years later, he's still there, and the numbers tell the story: EBITDA up from £3.6m to £18.1m, revenue more than doubled, legal entities cut from 25 to 15, and a finance team that's shrunk in headcount while transaction volume has nearly doubled. In this conversation, Andrew explains how he diagnosed a business that looked successful on the surface but was being held back by its operating model. Here's what we get into: Why numbers don't explain your business, they just reveal where the pain is Andrew’s five pillars of an operating model that can actually scale Why "businesses don't fail to grow, they fail to absorb their growth" How Lucid built single sources of truth across accounting, project delivery, and expenses Why AI was never the goal, it was the reward for doing the foundational work properly What changing the culture of a team actually takes (it’s harder than the tech, according to Andrew) Plus, Andrew shares the real reason finance teams get sidelined in the business, and how to fix it. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmcbarnett/ 👉🏽 Lucid Group: https://wearelucidgroup.com/ 👉🏽 AMB Associates: https://amb-associates.com/ 👨🏽 Follow Harv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harvnagra/ 💰 The Missing Finance Course (free): https://learn.scoro.com ➡️ 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.
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S1 · E61
July 7 · 17 min
Cashflow, P&L, and Pricing: What Every Leader Needs to Know with Rich Brett
Most leaders in professional services are making decisions every day that come back to the finance – but no one ever actually taught them the numbers. In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on the financial foundations that every leader needs to get a handle on, whether you're running a team, managing projects, or sitting in the hot seat at the top. Rich Brett is a FinOps consultant with 15 years in finance, working with professional services businesses to close the gap between finance and operations – and answer that nagging question: why is everyone busy, but we're not making any money? This episode is pulled directly from The Missing Finance Course – a free FinOps course Rich and Harv built to level up everyone from founders to individual contributors at agencies and consultancies. Here's what they get into: • Why cashflow forecasting isn't an advanced topic – it's a survival skill • What the P&L is really for, and why most senior leaders struggle to explain it to their own teams • How a knowledge gap becomes a credibility gap – and why that erodes trust across the whole business • Why so many businesses are pricing based on what they think something costs – not what it actually costs • Why comparing your rates to competitors is a trap, and what to do instead If you've ever sat in a finance presentation and felt a bit lost, or if you've been winging parts of your pricing strategy, this one's for you. The Missing Finance Course is free, self-paced, and built for three audiences: leadership, delivery teams, and individual contributors. Head to https://learn.scoro.com to get started. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 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.
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S1 · E59
June 15 · 48 min
8 Acquisitions: The Ops Lessons Most People Learn Too Late with Jonathan Healey
Most businesses will go through some kind of change management challenge – a new tool, a restructure, a rebrand. But what does it look like when you're doing that across eight acquired businesses, each with their own people, systems, culture, and way of doing things? Jonathan Healey is Group Technology Director at IDHL, a 500-person UK digital agency group that has grown through eight acquisitions. He's been at the center of every integration – aligning systems, consolidating brands, and figuring out what actually has to happen, and in what order, before any of it can work. This is a conversation about what M&A integration really looks like on the ground – and why, at its core, it's a change management problem more than a technology one. Here's what we get into: • Why the back office has to move first – and what happens when it doesn't • The "us vs them" dynamic that can derail an integration before it starts • How to decide what to standardize and what to leave alone • Why process is poison – and what good process actually looks like • Build vs buy: when in-house systems become a liability • AI adoption as a change management challenge – and the federated model IDHL is using to scale it Whether you're navigating an acquisition, thinking about one, or just trying to get a new way of working to stick across your team – this one's got something for you. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhealey1/ 👨🏽 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.
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S1 · E58
May 26 · 22 min
Revenue Is Up. Profit Isn't. Here's Why with Rich Brett
Most professional services firms are generating revenue. But somewhere between producing a quote and issuing the final invoice, profit gets eroded. And more often than not, the root cause runs deeper than you'd expect – it's that nobody in the business ever properly understood the numbers in the first place. In this special episode, Harv is joined by FinOps expert Rich Brett to introduce The Missing Finance Course – a completely free resource built for everyone in your firm, from the leadership team, to delivery teams, right down to individual contributors. This conversation, taken straight from inside the course, sets the scene for why financial understanding isn't just a finance team problem. It's everyone's problem. Here's what they get into: Why most firms don't bother with financial education – and why that's a mistake How finance and operations working in silos creates blind spots that erode profit Why storytelling, not spreadsheets, is the real skill your finance team needs How commercial awareness at every level – yes, including junior staff – changes the way a business performs Why understanding the numbers is one of the fastest ways to accelerate your career in professional services The Missing Finance Course is free, self-paced, and built for three audiences: leadership, delivery teams, and individual contributors. Head to https://learn.scoro.com to get started. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 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.
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S1 · E57
April 21 · 48 min
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 bottlenecks Most operational knowledge lives in people's heads – just 21% of firms have documented their best practices, leaving businesses one resignation away from losing it all Automation remains an untapped opportunity – only one in eight firms have automated any meaningful part of how they work, in 2026 Time 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-project Forecasting with confidence is the exception, not the rule – only one in four firms can forecast margins, revenue, and capacity with any real certainty Scale 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.
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S1 · E55
March 31 · 51 min
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 recovery The role HR played in moving from informal “touchy-feely” people management to structured career paths, policies, and development How hiring experienced specialists elevated the quality of work – even if not every senior hire worked out Why investing in senior-level marketing helped Spin build credibility and compete for bigger clients What a chairman can bring to a founder-led business – accountability, perspective, and bigger strategic thinking The 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.
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S1 · E54
March 10 · 27 min
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 consultancies Why ops is fundamentally about culture – not just processes, workflows, and systems Why happiness and psychological safety matter more than most leaders realise when it comes to producing great work How creative ops and business ops are converging as technology and AI reshape how work gets done How 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.
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S1 · E52
February 24 · 42 min
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.
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S1 · E51
February 3 · 39 min
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.
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S1 · E50
January 13 · 42 min
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 on How to move from reactive growth to a more deliberate, scalable operating model The difference between prospecting and sales – and why skipping steps causes pain later How delivery, ops, and leadership systems protect margins and give leaders time back What it really means to transition from founder mode to CEO mode Whether 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.
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S1 · E48
Dec 9, 2025 · 2 min
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.
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S1 · E47
Dec 2, 2025 · 35 min
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 culprit Why 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 optimism The operational signals your business is running harder in place rather than growing What healthy, scalable service businesses measure – and the benchmarks Michael looks for in top-performing firms Whether 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.
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S1 · E46
Nov 18, 2025 · 2 min
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.
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S1 · E45
Nov 11, 2025 · 35 min
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 mirror Building a monthly rhythm that links financials, KPIs, and team accountability Creating a planning cycle that goes beyond budgets – with scenarios, reforecasts, and 3 - 5 year goals Managing cash flow and runway with discipline (and less stress) Why financial storytelling matters – and how it helps the whole business make smarter choices If 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.
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S1 · E44
Oct 28, 2025 · 1 min
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.
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S1 · E43
Oct 21, 2025 · 56 min
Beyond Experiments: What It Really Takes to Operationalize AI with Luke Alexander
AI has stopped being a side project – it’s rewriting the rules of how professional services businesses operate – and – stay competitive. Luke Alexander, Chief Digital & AI Officer at Four, has led an ambitious AI transformation in his business. From rolling out Microsoft Copilot across 300+ staff to launching client-facing AI services, Luke’s approach to embedding AI is bold, practical, and refreshingly human. In this episode, Luke and Harv unpack what it really takes to move from AI experiments to AI integration – and the leadership, structure, and mindset that make it work. Here’s what we dive into: • How Four operationalized AI across teams (and why fluency beats training) • The three categories of AI value – assistive, automated, and transformative • Why senior leadership buy-in is the single biggest success factor • How to overcome the “AI shame” still holding some teams back • The impact of AI on agency structures, staffing, and the future of junior roles If you’re still just experimenting with AI – but haven’t figured out how to truly embed it into the way you operate, this episode shows what that next stage looks like in practice — and what it demands from leadership. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Luke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukealexander/ 4️⃣ Check out Four’s website: https://www.four.agency/ 👨🏽 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.
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S1 · E42
Oct 7, 2025 · 3 min
Ops Quickie: MCP – the Missing Link Between Ops & AI?
Ops Quickies – snackable episodes on tech, tools, and systems. 🍿 This one’s for anyone curious about the next big shift in how AI connects with the tools you already use: MCP. Model context protocol. Harv breaks down what it is (a universal connector for AI), why it matters for ops leaders, and how it could turn your favourite LLM into the control center for your business systems. He also shares how Scoro’s new MCP server unlocks practical (and pretty mind-blowing) use cases – like summarising client meetings straight into Scoro tasks, or pulling insights across Scoro, Slack, Gmail, and other tools in one prompt. MCP is brand new, but it’s going to change how we work. Tune in to get ahead of the curve.
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S1 · E41
Sep 30, 2025 · 30 min
Becoming Better Ops Leaders: Lessons from Operations Nation
Ops isn’t just about keeping the lights on anymore. As Aušrinė Keršanskaitė, co-founder of Operations Nation, puts it – today’s ops leaders are expected to drive growth, protect culture, and build resilience. And if you’ve ever felt like the “glue” holding everything together without always getting recognition, this one will hit home. In this episode of The Handbook: The Operations Podcast, Aušrinė joins Harv to talk about the evolution of operations, the community she’s built for ops leaders everywhere, and what it takes to step into leadership with confidence. Here’s what we get into: How so many of us “fall into” operations without a playbook – and how to build one for yourself The loneliness of ops roles, and why communities like Operations Nation matter Traits that define a brilliant ops leader today – from resilience to influence over execution How startups’ scrappy mindset can sharpen your approach to tooling, automation, and scaling The real opportunity with AI in ops (hint: it’s not about replacing your team) Whether you’re a COO, head of ops, or still figuring out your path – this conversation is packed with lessons on how to elevate your role and find support along the way. Additional Resources: 👉🏽 Follow Aušrinė on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ausrine/ 💡 Check out Operations Nation: https://operationsnation.com/ 📣 Get your tickets for cONference 2025 in London (£30 off with code SCORO): https://luma.com/onconference2025 📚 The ON COO Course: https://operationsnation.com/resources/coo-resources 👨🏽 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.
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