FlexOps

I set up FlexOps to help founders build and scale their digital agency.

If you're here, and you're a digital agency founder, you've likely:

-- built a great agency that's generating at least 25k MRR
-- got a team of between 1 and 20 people (maybe a few more)
-- got no shortage of ambition to scale, but there are things holding you back

The good news is that through FlexOps, I'll help you to:

-- Increase your agency revenue
-- Scale your company, so it grows around you, giving you more time and freedom as a founder
-- Lower the amount of stress and strain you feel week to week

***More Revenue, More Time, Less Stress***

Founder

Centus

As of 2023, Centus has helped over 150 leading brands build their influencer programs and has paid out over $100m to over 5,000 independent content creators.

As Managing Director, I ran the business and reported directly to the Founder. I oversaw our team of 30 people across Ireland, the US, and Europe. 

I had six direct reports across our departments; planning, buying, campaigns, sales, people & finance

Managing Director

Transitioned into the role of Account Director after 18 months operating as an AM. The main roles and tasks I carry out on a day-to-day basis include, but are not limited to:

→ Managing and overseeing all DTC brand accounts at a strategic level.
→ Leading the Account Management team (4) - who manage the clients, and the Campaigns Team (6) - lead the execution of 300+ campaigns each month across 25+ brands.
→ Leading the recruitment for both teams, and assisting the MD with hiring across the wider business.
→ Liaising with each team to help our clients hit their month-on-month advertising spend targets but also ensuring we're doing so while achieving their CPA goals.

Account Director

Transitioned into the role of Senior Account Manager after 6 months as AM. The main roles and tasks I carry out on a day-to-day basis include, but are not limited to:

→ Managing and overseeing all B2C brand accounts at a strategic level.
→ Leading a team of six people, who manage and execute on 100's of campaigns each month across 25+ brands.
→ Assisting the MD in the recruitment of new team members for roles on both the Brand and Sales sides of the business.
→ Liaising with brands to hit their month-on-month advertising spend targets, but ensuring we're also doing so while achieving their CPA goals.
→ Establishing and tracking both the company and individual KPIs.

Senior Account Manager

Centus is a performance-based influencer marketing agency. We help direct-response brands acquire new customers through YouTube and Instagram in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

As an Account Manager, the key day-to-day tasks included, but were not limited to:

→ Strategizing with global DTC brands to create YouTube and Instagram sponsorships that bring in high-performance results
→ Planning with creators and talent agencies to produce successful, high-quality integrations
→ Creating briefs for brands that creators use to develop their content and integrations.
→ Managing brands utilizing 7-figure advertising budgets, and reporting month-on-month to ensure acquisition targets are hit as effectively as possible.

Account Manager

Brown Bear Marketing

Brown Bear Marketing is a fully done-for-you content marketing service for small businesses and startups.

We take over a company's entire content marketing operation and create their strategy, produce articles for them, drive targeted traffic to those articles and then convert that traffic to qualified leads.

If you'd like any additional information about the service we provide or the clients we've worked with, feel free to get in touch at ross@brownbear.marketing

Founder, Content Strategist

Fliplet

Fliplet is an enterprise mobile app creation and management solution that enables organisations to streamline business processes and improve communication effectively.

As Content Marketing Manager, my main task was to ensure that Fliplet was educating organisations on the topic of enterprise mobility to ensure they understood the importance and influence that mobile strategy would have on their growth going forward.

A summary of typical daily tasks included but was not limited to the following:

→ Creation and management of content marketing editorial calendar
→ Taking the lead on keyword research and making recommendations based on targets (edit: Organic traffic rose by 97% during my time as content manager)
→ Entirely responsible for community management and social promotional activity
→ Using Google Analytics to produce reports on content performance and making strategic recommendations for improvement
→ Supporting the creation of high-quality content, internally.
→ Managing freelancers, contractors, and agency content writers to ensure we received content of that meets our editorial guidelines and expectations.

Content Marketing Manager

MyFamilyClub Ltd, DC Thomson & Co. Ltd

MyFamilyClub is a website that aims to help families with children of all ages to save, manage and make money.

Focused on the digital marketing channel of the company. That being said I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of elements within the business.

→ Managed the social accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest) consisting of a 125,000 user community
→ Created an effective mix of viral, evergreen, and informative content on a daily basis
→ Maintained and updated the affiliate traffic/accounts weekly, driving traffic to the site through appropriate SEO and relevant content
→ The compilation of monthly reports gave me an opportunity to analyse how the business was performing and WHY. 
→ A solid understanding of e-mail marketing and newsletters, leading campaigns reaching over 250,000 users.
→ Direct involvement in business growth and development introduced me to the fundamentals of growth marketing and hacking.

Digital Marketing Manager

WatchFit

WatchFit is a dynamic, evolving online library of resources and information relating to health and fitness. The company has also launched an app for iOS and Android devices.

During my time with WatchFit I took the opportunity, within a fast-paced professional environment, to develop my expertise in a range of marketing roles and practices, most notably focusing on the following:

→ SEO (Google AdWords, Moz) 
→ Social Media Management (LinkedIn)
→ Marketing & PR
→ Business Development
→ Editorial - CMS (WordPress) - Formatting & optimising articles

Social Media Marketing Intern

Helping Digital Agency Owners Operate & Grow Their Business | Founder @ FlexOps | Agency Operations & Management

Hi, I’m Ross.

I help agency owners get unstuck and grow their business.

There are 5 key areas I tackle with my clients:

1. Founder - Understand what you want for the business and your role in it
2. Clients - Retain and grow clients through exceptional service
3. People - Get the right people, in the right place, doing the right things
4. Processes - Build a system that the agency operates on
5. Pipeline - Working with more of the right clients for your agency

I’ve helped my clients go from:

- Nearly quitting their agency → Loving their leading role and keen to grow
- A dysfunctional team → Organised, aligned and autonomous
- Losing clients from bad systems → Clear processes for the team to execute
- No defined customer → Calendar full of prospects that fit his ICP

If you are an Agency Owner struggling with these problems…

Send me a DM 📥

Let’s see if I can help.

Ross Brown

I've solely used LinkedIn to grow FlexOps for 2.5 yrs

From Monday, that changes.

I'm branching out. Taking myself out of my newfound comfort zone.

Or, whatever you want to call it.

I'm excited!

Enter...

- Weekly YouTube content
- 3x Email Newsletters per/week
- Products + services running alongside 1:1 coaching

I can help more (of the right) agency owners by meeting them where they:

1. Need support the most; now
2. Consume content/learn outside of LinkedIn

Why now?

Well... 

Back in June 2023, I had:

- Only posted on LinkedIn a handful of times.
- Just set up FlexOps. Zero clients
- No real plan

The business was generating precisely €0.

I honestly had no idea who I should really be helping.

2.5 years later....

- Thousands of DMs sent
- 400+ pieces of content posted on LinkedIn
- 40+ agency owners supported 1:1

I know exactly who I can help (and who I can't)

As of today, I'm at capacity.

So why on earth am I ramping up my marketing activity?

1. I'm not naive. Things change, clients can churn.
2. I can help more agency owners (in different ways)

Heading into next year, my ambition is simple:

Help more agency owners build healthy, profitable agencies that don't rely solely on them.

Easy, right?

I often speak with clients about building from a position of strength rather than scrambling from a position of stress.

I'm gonna follow my own advice!

Helping agency owners build a 1m+ ARR business that isn’t reliant on them

Here's a list of people you should follow if you want to grow your agency in 2026

Quick context behind this.

In 2025, I saw way too many posts on here saying how bad LinkedIn is. How awful the reach is, etc. 

It does nothing, serves nobody, and doesn't help you do anything meaningful for your business

Nothing wrong with the odd rant, but come on!

My view?

On the flip side, there are countless people producing interesting, useful, insightful, and genuinely helpful content on this platform

Of course, my world is the marketing & advertising agency space.

So, here are people who I think have done a great job of actually sharing things that will help agency owners:

a) Grow their agency
b) Run their agency with more confidence & clarity

I'm likely missing hundreds of great people, so feel free to tag anyone who isn't here that you think should be.

I've tried to stick to people that I've at least engaged with or spoken to at some point and/or I see regularly posting on LinkedIn (that's the whole point of this list, really!)

__________

Jack Porter-Smith - former owner of 2m+ profit per/year agency, author of several books, and a fantastic human

Kelly Molson - former owner, sold her agency, now helping others build the lifestyle agency they dream of

Mat Bennett - the first agency advisor I came across ~3 years ago. Former owner, also sold it

Emily Hatton - recently her insights on AI and how agencies can/should use it have been excellent. More broadly agency/business operations, too

Rich Brett - no nonsense, incredibly helpful advice in the realm of FinOps. 

Josh Peacock - a fellow Irishman, but more importantly, he has helped several of my clients hire exceptional talent. Runs multiple businesses that help/support agencies 

Kate Bridge - supports agencies on the Ops side of things as they scale. Practical advice that you apply immediately!

Romans Ivanovs - no BS, in-depth advice on scaling an agency that isn't reliant on the owner

Chris DuBois - exceptional advice relating to positioning, but more broadly, Chris runs a community for agency owners (and advisors) that is one of the most helpful resources I've come across

Andy West - publishes the fantastic 'The Agency Advisory' - I think he's on issue 77 now and still going strong

Taylor McMaster - helps agencies with their account management (something I'd say is either underserved or done poorly quite often)

__________

There are plenty more. I almost feel embarrassed about stopping here.

Help me out and add to this list so we can all fill our feed with excellence!

Of course, I'll wrap this up by adding myself (Ross Brown). 

I've been sharing content on building a healthy, profitable agency for 2.5 years now. 

If you'd like something that isn't LinkedIn:

📧 My Newsletter: https://bit.ly/4owDQn6
📹 My YouTube: http://bit.ly/4pFBTpq

I spent most of my 20s trying to be a morning person

You know the type!

Up at 5 am. Cold plunge. Gym. 

Starting work before the average Joe even opens their eyes.

I'd manage it for a couple of weeks… Then stop.

Because:

a) I don't actually like mornings
b) I was only doing it because someone on Instagram said I should

Classic case of trying to live someone else's life.

Fast forward a few years. I became a dad 

And now?

Well, you'd never believe it...

I'm up between 4:30 and 5:30 every day

No cold plunges, mind you.

Sometimes I wake up later, and I'll be welcomed by a little foot in the face

That's fine too.

5:30 to 8.30 am is family time now. Getting the kids fed, dressed, out the door.

Wouldn't change it for the world.

Funnily enough, I used to beat myself up about not being a "morning person"

Turns out I love it when I get to do certain things!

Who wants 3 months of 1:1 coaching for free?

Here's how you can get it.

I've spent the last 2.5 years using LinkedIn to build my business. 

I've worked 1:1 with 40+ agency owners. 

Now?

I'm branching out. 

This month I've started:

- Publishing weekly YouTube content
- Sending Email Newsletters (3x per/week)
- Launching products + services alongside 1:1 work

Why?

I'm confident I can reach more agency owners - and help those people - outside of this platform (as wonderful as it is)

So, I'm running a giveaway in December to kick it off.

One agency owner will win

→ A full audit of your agency
→ 3 months of 1:1 coaching (with yours truly)

This is worth ~€7,500 based on my current rates.

To enter:

1. Sign up for my newsletter
2. Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Links below in the comments and in the 'Featured' section of my profile

The winner will be announced on 19th December

_____

And in case you're thinking, "Is this for me?"

Agency owners doing <100k per/month who:

- Have had a tricky year
- Feel stuck or a bit lost
- Want an outside perspective that you've never had

This might be your moment!

I don't have a magic wand. I can't help agency owners turn things around overnight. But if this year has proven anything to me, it's...

1. Most agencies encounter that same blocker at some point between 500k and 1.5m revenue

2. Most agency owners at that stage are, in fact, the blocker

3. Most of those owners who are a blocker, aren't prioritising what's a) right for the agency, and b) right for them

With virtually every client (over the last 2.5 years, not just this year), I've found myself helping them figure out:

- What they want
- What are the key things they need to do to get there
- What they need to prioritise now or this week/month
- What they need to STOP doing

It doesn't matter what the agency does, or who the owner is/what their background is

It's the most common thing I've come across since I started this whole advisory/coaching gig

So...

Here's a little something for you agency owners. 

I use this myself and I'll get clients to do a version of it, too

It's a daily filter. 

It takes, 5-10 minutes a day to use.

→ It'll help keep you on track each day. 
→ Filter out the things that aren't important. 
→ Focus on the things that you need to/want to.

It's incredibly simple and straightforward (deliberately!)

You can get it here: https://lnkd.in/eimwheeK

If you've been spinning your wheels this year or banging your head against the wall, give this a go. 

It'll help you get a grip on your own time and get back to building the agency you want.

P.S. Christmas Jazz for the win. What a playlist. Get on it!! 🎅

StoreHero

StoreHero replaces the revenue based metrics store owners use to run their store daily with the profitability metrics they need to scale!

Effector.ie

We drive business results for growing companies using Social Media, Website Design and Digital Marketing tactics. 

Services Include: Social Media Content Creation, Strategy, Social Advertising, Website Development, Growth Marketing, Personal Branding & Marketing Automation.

Want to work with us? Shoot me an email at karl@effector.ie. 

For more Information, please visit: http://effector.ie

SEDCo - Social Enterprise Development Company

SEDCo’s mission is to transform Ireland in to a country in which social enterprise is achieving the potential it has to benefit society, the economy and the environment; through consistently establishing commercial social enterprises.

Head of Marketing

Freelance

I worked with companies to create online branding, mobile and web solutions. I also helped clients take advantage of innovative marketing techniques using social media and personal customer relationships.

Freelance Designer

Founder of StoreHero - the profit platform for e-commerce. 

StoreHero gives e-commerce brands a unified view of their sales, marketing and costs and generates real time profitability analysis on a store, product or even an order level.

Want a demo? Shoot me an email at karl@storehero.ai

For more Information, please visit: https://storehero.ai

Karl O'Brien 🦸

🌟 FREE 2026 FORECASTING TEMPLATE FOR SHOPIFY BRANDS & AGENCIES 🌟

Most DTC brands are not forecasting.

They are guessing.

And guesswork is expensive.

In the last 12 months I have asked one question on almost every call:
"How much profit will you make next year if you keep spending like this?"

Very few 7 and 8 figure founders can answer it with a straight face.

They have ROAS targets.
They have revenue goals.
They have a gut feel on CAC.

But they do not have a real forecast.

So they end up:
⚠️ Overspending when acquisition gets more expensive
⚠️ Missing opportunities when demand spikes
⚠️ Fighting about budgets because nobody agrees on the numbers

At StoreHero we flipped the process.

Instead of saying:
Revenue minus costs equals profit

We say:
Revenue minus profit equals costs.

Profit stops being an afterthought. It becomes non negotiable.

From there we model:

📝 Variable costs
📝 Operating costs
📝 Marketing budget
📝 New vs repeat mix
📝 Seasonality by month

Result = A realistic 12 month plan that tells you exactly how far you can push spend before profit starts to leak.

If you are running a 7 or 8 figure DTC brand and you do not have this yet for 2026, you are flying blind.

I built a forecasting template so you can copy this approach.

Comment "Forecast" and I will send you the sheet.

Co-Founder of StoreHero - Profit First E-Commerce

Heard from a bunch of brands who aren’t taking part in BFCM this year!

And while I agree you don’t need to go heavy on discounts to win, I do think there are plenty of ways to participate that stay true to brand values and still make customers feel like there’s a great deal on the table.

Discounts are great, when used correctly they're a fantastic tool to be used to win new customers, build demand and clear old stock. When used poorly, they’re just a fast track to vanity metrics that come back to bite once the dust settles.

Some of the unique ways we've seen it done; 
- Free gift with purchase
- Donation to a cause
- Free shipping (especially if you usually don’t offer it)

Always curious to hear how other brands are building excitement for BFCM without leaning too hard on discounts?

Black Friday 2025 is 48 hours away (crazy)

Shopify about to fire up that iconic live globe map again, the one where you can literally watch orders fly across the world in real time. It’s always paired with the big headline stats: revenue, cart size, categories, etc...

Before the madness begins, let’s rewind for a sec.
Here’s what last year looked like, and then I’m putting my guesstimate hat on (even though I was hilariously wrong in 2024 😅).

$11.5B in global sales (+24% YoY)
76M+ consumers buying from Shopify brands
16,500+ first-time entrepreneurs making a sale
67,000 merchants hit their best day ever
AOV: $108.56 ($109.70 constant currency)

Reply and tell me your predictions for Black Friday 2025 👇 
Total sales (my guess: ___)
Average cart size (my guess: ___)

I’ll make my guesses public tomorrow…

Open article: New achievement unlocked: Shopify merchants drive record-high $11.5 billion in sales over Black Friday Cyber Monday by shopify.com

New achievement unlocked: Shopify merchants drive record-high $11.5 billion in sales over Black Friday Cyber Monday

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The Battle

Ross Brown

Karl O'Brien 🦸

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The Battle

Ross Brown

Karl O'Brien 🦸

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ross Brown's LinkedIn Performance

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