Manish Kapur

Agency Operations Consultant who helps creative agency founders add 5-10% to their margins and build operations that scale, without compromising creativity

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manishkapur/

Manish's Bio

Manish has spent more than 25 years in creative agencies. He started as a designer, moved into studio management and became Executive Operations Director at Design Bridge and Partners, one of the world's largest design agencies. Today he looks at how an agency runs - delivery, finances, people and process - and fixes what is holding it back. Founders usually call him when the agency is busy and producing great work, but profit does not match the effort or growth has stalled.
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Career Highlights
  • Rose from designer to studio manager to Executive Operations Director at Design Bridge and Partners.
  • Helped Design Bridge grow to over 500 people across London, Amsterdam, Singapore, New York and Shanghai, aligning and streamlining operations while protecting creative excellence.
  • Created AgencyOS™, a structured methodology built on Planning, Profit, People and Process, drawn from years of leading operations inside a global agency.
Notable Client Work
  • Design Bridge and Partners: Built the operational foundation for growth to over 500 people in five cities. Its former Executive Chairman, Sir William Goodenough, praises his ability to balance operational and financial goals with the need to deliver exceptional creative work.
  • The Academy: Completed a full agency audit in weeks, not months, speaking to every employee. Co-founder Daniel Glover says the recommendations improved operations, profit margin and company culture.
  • innocent drinks: Gave the creative team the support and tools to work better, and improved communication across the business and with suppliers, which led to richer creative work.
  • Additional clients: Colt (hospitality branding) and Spin Brands (social media agency operations audit).
Profitability and margin improvement - finding where margin leaks and fixing it, typically adding 5-10%.
Agency operations audits and roadmaps - Planning, Profit, People and Process, with a prioritised plan.
Practical automation and AI - workflows for briefs, timesheets, approvals and reporting that teams actually use.
Process design, systems set-up, and resource and capacity management.
Scaling and exit readiness - reducing founder dependency and building leadership teams that run without the founder in every decision.

Manish's expertise

Working with Manish

Manish's Personality

Manish is described by clients as friendly, inclusive, calm, thoughtful and honest, with a business-therapist style. He is relaxed, generous with his time and takes the trouble to get to know your team.
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Manish's Ideal Client

Manish works with founders and leadership teams of creative agencies - branding, design, digital, PR and social - in the UK and globally. They are busy and doing great work, but profit does not match the effort, or the agency has outgrown the way it is run. They want changes that last.
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Why Work With Manish
  • Creative at heart, commercial in practice - he began as a designer, so he understands why standard business consulting rarely lands in creative agencies.
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  • Clear starting points with a guarantee - the Profit Boost Session finds where margin is leaking and gives a written plan within 48 hours, or your money back.
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  • Three ways to work together - Profit Boost Session, AgencyOS™ for scaling or selling, and fixed-price Ops On Demand for one specific problem.
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  • Hands-on, not just advice - he works alongside your team so improvements, including automation and AI, turn into lasting change.
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How Manish Solves Founder’s Block
  • Stops the agency depending on you - clearer roles, better communication and processes that do not rely on founder instinct.
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  • Shows what is actually being made - margins visible at client and project level, so pricing reflects what work really costs.
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  • Gives you a clear, prioritised roadmap, so you know what to fix first and what can wait.
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  • Frees up time and head space by automating admin and building a team that keeps moving when you step back, ready to scale or sell.
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