Fractional COO for Agencies

Lead your marketing agency, don’t run it

Stop getting pulled into the daily fires. As your Fractional COO, I’ll build the systems, clarity, and leadership structure your agency needs to deliver consistent quality, build deeper client trust, and grow profitably, without relying on more external support.

Let's work, together Start with systems

Step into the true CEO leadership that's alluded you

Finally get the operational support you need to focus on vision and strategy. Stop managing daily tasks and start leading your agency's growth.

Build an agency that runs smoothly without you

Develop the team and systems needed for smooth operations. Watch your agency deliver excellent work without your constant involvement.

Make profits predictable and client delivery consistent

Get the systems and data you need to improve margins and spot issues early. Turn chaotic agency operations into reliable, sustainable growth.

You can't grow your agency while running operations

Operations are stealing your CEO time. When you're stuck managing the day-to-day tasks, bigger problems are building:

Strategic thinking gets sacrificed

You're too busy solving daily problems to focus on agency vision and growth. Important decisions keep getting delayed while you handle urgent but low-level tasks.

Good people get frustrated

Without proper operational leadership, your best team members burn out or leave. They're tired of chaos and want clear direction, and clients begin to lose confidence when delivery feels inconsistent or reactive.

Profits keep shrinking

You can't focus on improving margins when you're constantly firefighting. Client work suffers, projects drag on, and client relationships erode as scope creep goes unchecked.

Strategic operational leadership

Build the agency you dreamed of leading

As your Fractional COO, I'll help you transform from overwhelmed operator to strategic CEO:

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Focus on real leadership

Get the operational support you need to step away from day-to-day management. Finally, focus on agency vision, strategy, and growth.

Drive consistent profits

Establish systems for tracking and improving project margins. Make strategic decisions based on real data, not gut feelings.

Scale with confidence

Build processes that keep quality high and client trust strong, even as you grow. Take on new clients knowing your operations can handle the work.

Lead with clarity

Get regular insights into agency performance and team capacity. Spot issues early and make decisions that protect long-term growth.

Support when needed

Access expert marketing advice and direction whenever you need it, without the cost of a full-time hire.

What's included

Operational leadership that builds trust, stability, and scalable growth

Whether you need strategic operational direction, hands-on systems improvement, or team development, you’ll get the complete COO support your agency needs to grow sustainably.

Operational direction

Operational strategy aligned with your agency’s vision

Capacity and resource planning that prevents burnout

Profitability frameworks that protect margins

Leadership guidance for managers and team leads

Forecasting and reporting that keeps you ahead of issues

Growth planning and organisational development

Smarter performance

Project management improvements that reduce chaos

Service delivery processes that ensure consistent quality

Workflows that reduce scope creep and protect profit

KPI dashboards and real-time reporting setup

Tech stack optimisation (PM, finance, CRM, HR)

Templates, SOPs, and playbooks your team can actually use

Team enablement

Coaching for delivery leads, AMs, and senior staff

Clear roles, accountability structures, and progression paths

Transparent reporting your team understands and acts on

Regular leadership sessions to keep everyone aligned

Cultural frameworks that strengthen trust and retention

Knowledge transfer that makes your agency self-sufficient over time

How we'll work together

Your path to building your agency’s future

A clear process to help you step into the CEO role your agency needs:

Start with strategic mapping

Share your agency's vision and challenges in a friendly chat. I'll learn about your goals, operational needs, and leadership team to make sure we're a good fit to work together.

Create your COO framework

After agreeing to work together, I'll assess your operations and develop a clear plan. You'll get priorities for improving efficiency, building stronger teams, and creating space for strategic thinking.

Transform your agency's leadership

Watch your role evolve from overwhelmed operator to strategic CEO. I'll help build the systems and team you need to run your agency profitably without your constant involvement.

Let's work, together

Pricing

How much does a Fractional Agency COO cost?

Choose from strategic packages designed to address common agency pain points and fit your budget. All packages are based on a 6-month minimum commitment.

Starter

For agencies that need operational clarity, stronger processes, and leadership support without full-time overhead.

Recommended

Advanced

For agencies that want deeper operational oversight, team development, and systems that improve delivery quality and profitability.

Ultimate

For agencies that want fully integrated COO support across operations, people, delivery, and agency-wide change management.

Monthly fee

No separate onboarding fees

Standard pricing

Level 1 price break

Get more services for your investment

Level 2 price break

Maximise what you get for your spend

Monthly

Bi-weekly

Weekly

Not available

Interview handling optional

Not available

Priority support

Not available

Available if needed

Not available

Available if needed

Not available

Let's talk

Meet your Agency COO

Real agency leadership experience

My journey from agency account manager to operational leader has taught me exactly what agencies need to scale successfully. This practical experience has driven remarkable results, including 375% higher proposal values and 165% team growth.

More importantly, I understand that agency growth is built on trust. internally and with clients. My approach helps you create a culture of accountability, consistency, and high-quality delivery, which strengthens client relationships and protects long-term revenue.

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Testimonials

"From the start, Tom took the time to understand our business and proactively identified ways to make it better. I wanted to set high standards for our operations and deliverables, and Tom has certainly exceeded those expectations. As our fCOO, he has enabled us to implement positive changes that help us scale up and look forward to an exciting year ahead. "

Charleh Knighton - Managing Director, KUB

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a Fractional COO and a Systems Consultant?

While a Systems Consultant helps set up your operational foundations, a Fractional COO provides ongoing strategic leadership to help you step into a true CEO role. Think of it as moving from building systems to building a leadership team that runs those systems.

What exactly does a Fractional Agency COO do day-to-day?

I provide senior operational leadership, guiding your managers, reviewing performance, improving processes, aligning priorities, and ensuring client delivery runs smoothly without relying on you.

How is a Fractional COO different from hiring an Operations Manager?

An Operations Manager executes processes. A COO designs the operational direction of the agency, builds leadership capability, and ensures long-term scalability.

Do you replace our existing operations team?

No, I strengthen them. My role is to build operational confidence, improve decision-making, and elevate your managers into reliable leaders.

How is this different from agency coaching programmes?

Coaching gives advice. A Fractional COO gives direction, operational structure, accountability rhythms, and hands-on leadership that drives measurable change.

Does a Fractional COO help with profitability?

Yes. From utilisation planning to pricing structure, project performance, forecasting, and delivery workflows, profitability is a core focus.

Do you also support client delivery challenges?

Yes. I help diagnose delivery breakdowns, capacity issues, scope creep, client churn risks, and communication gaps that slow down your agency.

Is a Fractional COO the same as an integrator?

Very similar. An integrator turns vision into operational reality. The difference is that COO support is more comprehensive, strategic, and long-term.

Do you work with agencies using freelancers or hybrid teams?

Absolutely. The COO function becomes even more important when managing mixed internal–external resourcing.

Can this role help agencies preparing for acquisition or investment?

Yes, because strong systems, leadership independence, and reliable performance make an agency far more attractive to buyers or investors.

What kind of support does a Fractional COO provide?

You get strategic operational leadership through weekly senior team meetings, manager support, and regular check-ins on performance. I guide your team, improve processes, and ensure operations run smoothly without your constant involvement.

Who is this service best suited for?

Founder-led agencies, scaling studios, and agencies drowning in delivery chaos that need mature leadership, not just better tools or more hiring.

What if we’re a small agency?

This service works well for smaller agencies that want to scale without sacrificing quality, overworking the founder, or relying on reactive firefighting.

What if we already have a Head of Delivery or Operations Manager?

Great, I work with them to elevate their leadership, improve structure, and create predictable delivery instead of dependency on individuals.

Can this help agencies dealing with burnout or team overwhelm?

Yes, and many operational issues stem from unclear priorities, inconsistent processes, and capacity misalignment. A COO solves these systemically.

Does this help agencies struggling with client churn?

Absolutely. By improving delivery reliability, communication, quality checks, and expectation-setting, client retention naturally increases.

What if the founder is still too involved in day-to-day work?

That’s exactly when a Fractional COO drives the most transformation, giving you structure, leadership, and the confidence to step back responsibly.

What if we’re not sure whether COO or Systems Consultancy is right?

If you lack basic processes, start with Systems Consultancy. If you have foundations but lack leadership and accountability, COO support is the right move.

Does this work with remote or hybrid teams?

Yes, as remote agencies often struggle most with alignment, consistency, and communication. COO support adds the structure they’re missing.

Can you help agencies moving from project-based to retainer-based models?

Yes. I help redesign delivery, pricing, roles, and processes to support recurring, predictable revenue.

How involved does the agency owner need to be?

Success requires commitment to changing your role, moving from operator to strategic leader. I’ll guide your team so they take more ownership, make better decisions, and run day-to-day operations without you being the bottleneck. The goal is to help you work on your agency, keep clients confident, and reduce dependency on you, not replace owner leadership entirely.

How do you support our leadership team?

Through regular meetings, coaching, performance reviews, decision-making frameworks, and structured guidance that builds real operational confidence.

Do you help develop our managers?

Yes, as leadership development is central to COO support. I help managers step up, communicate clearly, and run their responsibilities effectively.

Can you help resolve team friction or confusion?

Yes. I identify misalignments, restructure responsibilities, and introduce clarity so teams collaborate instead of operating in silos.

Do you help with hiring or restructuring the team?

Yes, I support organisational design, hiring decisions, onboarding, and role clarity to ensure your team is built for scale.

Will staff push back against changes?

Change resistance is common, but with clear communication and supportive leadership, teams quickly see improvements and buy in.

Do you help set roles and responsibilities?

Yes. I build organisational charts, owner expectations, and team accountability frameworks so everyone knows what “good” looks like.

Can you help diagnose performance issues?

Absolutely. I identify whether issues stem from processes, workload, clarity, or capability, then address them systematically.

Do you support cross-functional alignment?

Yes, because delivery, sales, and account management must work together. I create rhythms that align departments around shared goals.

Can you coach the founder directly?

Yes. Founder coaching is often part of COO work, especially around leadership development, decision-making, and stepping out of the weeds.

How quickly will we see changes in our agency?

Some improvements appear immediately, such as clearer priorities and better leadership communication. Deeper transformation takes 6–12 months as systems embed and behaviour changes compound.

Do you help with capacity planning and resourcing?

Yes. I build frameworks for utilisation, hiring timing, workload allocation, and forecasting to stop overbooking and burnout.

Can you help us improve our client delivery process?

Absolutely. From scoping to QA, communication, sign-off, and handovers; every step can be improved for smoother delivery.

Will you review our pricing and profitability?

Yes. COO support includes analysing margins, project profitability, scope issues, and pricing structure.

Do you help fix scope creep?

Yes, through better scoping, clearer boundaries, process enforcement, and team confidence.

Can this help prepare us for hiring more senior roles?

Definitely. I help you define responsibilities, evaluate candidates, and design the operational environment those roles need to succeed.

Do you improve communication between departments?

Yes. I establish meeting rhythms, shared goals, and clear handoff processes so teams collaborate smoothly.

Will you help us forecast growth and operational capacity?

Yes. Forecast modelling is part of operational leadership, ensuring you grow sustainably without overstretching.

Do you support tool selection and tech stack decisions?

Yes. I evaluate what’s working, remove unnecessary tools, and help select the systems that support predictable delivery.

Can you help clean up or refine processes we already have?

Yes, and many agencies have partial systems that need tightening, simplifying, or aligning with how the team actually works.

Do we need specific systems in place first?

While having basic foundations helps, what matters most is having a leadership team ready for change and a founder committed to stepping out of day-to-day operations. If needed, we can begin with Systems Consultancy first.

How much does a Fractional Agency COO cost?

Pricing varies based on involvement level, meeting frequency, and agency size. Packages typically fall into three tiers.

How long is the minimum commitment?

Most agencies commit to at least 6 months because operational transformation requires consistency and leadership development.

What does onboarding look like?

We start with a diagnostic of your leadership, delivery, operations, profitability, and team structure, then design your first 90-day roadmap.

Do you work on-site or remotely?

Primarily remote, with optional onsite sessions for leadership workshops, planning, or team alignment days (UK only).

How often do we meet?

At least once a month with the leadership team, plus additional sessions with managers and check-ins as needed.

Are there any extra costs beyond the monthly fee?

Only if you choose additional tools, software, or external hiring support. Everything is transparent upfront.

Can we scale the level of support up or down?

Yes. Support can increase during periods of growth, hiring, or restructuring, and reduce when systems stabilise.

Do you work with agencies internationally?

Yes. COO support is fully remote-friendly, with clients across the UK, US, and Europe.

How do we get started?

Book a discovery call. We’ll review your agency’s current bottlenecks, leadership gaps, and operational challenges, then outline a customised COO engagement.

Ready to build an agency that runs smoothly and delivers consistently?

Let’s explore how Fractional COO leadership can free up your time, strengthen your team, and create an agency clients love working with. Book your free consultation and take the first step.

Let's work, together Start with systems