When we started Big Growth Group, we saw that most ops solutions offered frameworks focused purely on mechanics. Checklists, process maps, dashboards... useful, sure but they don’t address how leaders think, decide, and scale under pressure.
So earlier this year Kristina Radeva (Co-founder and operations architect) decided that we need to do something about this.
Given my background in performance and founder coaching we decided to tie mechanics to executive psychology and decision hygiene. The idea was very simple - it is to build an operating layer for mid-market agencies to think, decide and scale coherently as a part of profit recovery initiatives.
In plain English the ideas was to help agency CEOs and COOs turn profit-first strategy into weekly, monthly and quarterly execution.
It’s also our way of living what we preach. Plus if we don’t crystallise our methodology now, we’ll keep bottlenecking scale with customisation and cognitive load.
To help sharpen this, we brought in John Lightcap, MBA PMP MA with a background that spans NATO, the US Navy, Wells Fargo, and Ford. At first, I thought cool CV, but I was wondering if it is applicable to 1 - what we’re doing and 2 - marketing agencies.
Turns out, very much so.
Initially, all I had was a spreadsheet that included COO KPIs, quarterly objectives with weekly focuses, review rituals and an ownership map. But I had no idea how to connect all of them into a coherent, integrated system. Each piece worked in isolation but they lacked a defined flow.
So we ended up building a structured operating system and cadence designed specifically for CEO–COO alignment inside scaling agencies and just as effective when used by either role individually.
Who’s it for?
We’re now working with two core agency profiles:
Midmarket operators (£/$5–10M+): Experienced and capable, but often spread thin. COOs are managing across functions, juggling priorities without a unified planning rhythm. CEOs are focused on growth but lack a clean bridge between strategy and weekly execution. Alignment exists, but it's informal, inconsistent, and costing them margin.
Sub-midmarket (£/$1–3M): Smart, gritty, but largely improvising. Accidental COOs, founders doing ops they never signed up for. Planning is reactive, cadence is ad hoc, and execution depends on constant involvement. High intent, but everything still runs on founder effort, not leverage.
And most importantly, it's usable by both mature operators and developing leadership teams without becoming another layer of complexity.
So what’s the real pain COO/CEO OS solves?
Misalignment - the CEO is in “vision” while the COO is trying to systemise execution without strategic clarity.
Fragmented ops - Asana, Slack, Notion, BI dashboards - plenty of tools, but there’s no unified operating rhythm across the leadership team.
Bandwidth dilution - they’re stuck in task coordination instead of driving margin, throughput, or strategic projects
At its core, it delivers 3 transformations
1/ Strategic Clarity
Defines commercial goals (e.g., EBITA, revenue targets)
Break down strategy → quarters → weeks
Filters noise via ruthless prioritisation logic (eliminate, delegate, delay)
2/ Execution Rhythm
Installs a cadence: daily planning, weekly priorities, monthly reviews
Align CEO/COO on “what matters now” + "what will matter in the future"
Guardrails that prevent shiny object syndrome
3/ Leadership Uplevelling
COOs evolve into real operators
Trains CEOs to stay in vision, not ops
Self-accountability replaces micromanagement
COO/CEO OS preview
What’s the outcome?
COO/CEO OS turns overloaded CEOs and reactive COOs into a high-functioning growth duo.
Tactically:
First and foremost CEO stops bottlenecking decisions and starts operating from vision and metrics, not task-chasing or Slack firefighting.
COO runs the machine - their week is structured around priorities, not reacting to other people's chaos.
Shared cadence installs alignment - both operate on the same quarterly-to-weekly plan no more “strategy vs ops” divide.
Every Monday starts with a strategic plan, not Slack chaos. Friday ends with measurable progress.
Financially:
CEO focuses on high-leverage growth moves - growth strategy, key hires, market positioning finally gets more oxygen.
COO drives operational margin - reduces delivery waste, plugs resource leaks, improves throughput.
Leadership cost per output drops - no need for extra layers of middle management, alignment creates efficiency.
Psychologically:
CEO exits reactive mode - they regain mental bandwidth. Big decisions get made calmly, not in crisis.
COO feels like a strategic operator not a to-do list manager - confidence up, stress down, impact visible.
Mutual trust compounds - fewer misfires, more momentum + leadership that finally rows in sync.
What's the difference between this and OKRs?
In short, OKRs are a goal-setting framework. CEO/COO OS is a leadership operating system. CEO/COO OS is applied only to the leadership teams.
OKRs vs COO/CEO OS
Nothing wrong with OKRs btw! I know multiples scale-up teams which utilise them effectively. Our aim was to absorb OKRs at the top layer (quarterly outcomes), then builds the actual engine beneath:
Weekly focus
Resource alignment
Ownership
Behaviour loops
Huge credit to John Lightcap, MBA PMP MA for his contribution. He brought a sharp, analytical lens to everything we threw at him cutting through noise, stress-testing assumptions and helping us connect tactical delivery with strategic structure. Beyond refining COO/CEO OS, we found ourselves diving into the broader methodology we’re building at Big Growth Group.
JC’s ability to interrogate systems while staying grounded in execution made him a critical thought partner throughout this process. Grateful for the rigour and realness.
Join the Waitlist – COO/CEO OS (part of OPSCORE™)
If you're a CEO focused on growth or a COO leading operations, the COO/CEO OS is built to align leadership around profit-first execution.
We're rolling it out with a limited group of agency teams. So if you’re looking for a system that connects commercial goals with weekly focus, clear ownership, and a strategic cadence - fill out the waitlist form. I’ll review submissions personally and be in touch if there’s a strong fit.
You’ll know in 20 minutes whether this unlocks the margin and momentum you’re leaving on the table.
About what we do
At Big Growth Group we fix ops and delivery inefficiencies to unlock $1M+/year in profit and turn digital agencies into a scalable assets.
We’re not just consultants who leave you with a list of ideas. We’re a mix of ex-agency owners, growth operators and F500 consultants who work alongside you to deliver real, measurable results.
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