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If you mean **consultants who help the agency itself run better**—SOPs, delivery, capacity, project management, reporting, AI/workflow automation, margins, and reducing founder dependence—rather than consultants who automate *client marketing*, there are a few specialists I’d put near the top. ### My shortlist | Consultant / firm | Best for | Why I’d consider them | |---|---|---| | **AgencyPace** | **End-to-end agency automation** | Very specifically focused on digital marketing agencies. They combine operational redesign with implementation across sales, onboarding, delivery, reporting, HR, and internal ops. [agencypace.com](https://agencypace.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **Kaizen Consulting** | **Agency operations + fulfillment** | Focuses on fulfillment architecture, SOPs, reporting automation, capacity planning, and moving agencies away from founder-led delivery. [kaizenconsult.ing](https://kaizenconsult.ing/marketing?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **2V Automation** | **Automation for 10–100 person agencies** | Particularly interesting if you're trying to automate reporting, project margin visibility, proposals, and other recurring operational work. They position themselves specifically around the agency's internal operations. [www.2vautomation.ai](https://www.2vautomation.ai/industries/marketing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **Kasper Automation** | **n8n / technical workflow automation** | More technically oriented. Good fit if you already understand your processes and want someone to build robust automations rather than just give you an ops strategy. [www.kasperautomation.com](https://www.kasperautomation.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)[www.2vautomation.ai](https://www.2vautomation.ai/industries/marketing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **GTM 80/20** | **Marketing/revenue operations** | Broader than agency operations, but worth considering if the problem is primarily CRM, funnel, attribution, lead management, and GTM processes. Their 2026 roundup also highlights the shift toward execution-oriented fractional operators. [www.gtm8020.com](https://www.gtm8020.com/blog/best-marketing-operations-consultants?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | ### Who I'd pick by situation **If I owned a $1–10M marketing agency and wanted to make the business substantially more systemized:** **AgencyPace** would be one of my first calls. Their offering is unusually aligned with the actual agency operating model—they explicitly work with agencies serving external clients rather than general businesses. [agencypace.com](https://agencypace.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **If the biggest problem is delivery chaos:** I'd investigate **Kaizen Consulting**. Their emphasis on fulfillment architecture, SOPs, capacity, utilization, and project margins is exactly where many agencies get stuck as they scale. [kaizenconsult.ing](https://kaizenconsult.ing/marketing?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **If you already know what needs automating and want serious technical implementation:** **2V Automation** or **Kasper Automation**. The distinction is that 2V looks more like an agency-operations partner, while Kasper leans more toward the automation-engineering side. [www.kasperautomation.com](https://www.kasperautomation.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)[www.2vautomation.ai](https://www.2vautomation.ai/industries/marketing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### One important distinction I wouldn't automatically hire a generic "marketing automation consultant." A lot of those firms optimize **your clients' marketing automation**—HubSpot campaigns, lead nurturing, CRM, etc. For an agency, you want someone who understands the **agency operating system**: **Lead → proposal → close → onboarding → resource allocation → production → QA → client approval → reporting → invoicing → renewal** …and can determine which pieces should be: - standardized into SOPs - delegated - automated with Zapier/Make/n8n - augmented with AI agents - measured through operational dashboards That's a much narrower—and IMO more valuable—skill set. If you tell me **your agency size, approximate revenue, service mix (PPC/SEO/creative/etc.), and what currently feels most broken**, I can narrow this to **3 consultants I'd actually interview**, including estimated pricing, strengths/weaknesses, and what I'd ask each one on the first call. | Consultant / firm | Best for | Why I’d consider them | |---|---|---| | **AgencyPace** | **End-to-end agency automation** | Very specifically focused on digital marketing agencies. They combine operational redesign with implementation across sales, onboarding, delivery, reporting, HR, and internal ops. [agencypace.com](https://agencypace.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **Kaizen Consulting** | **Agency operations + fulfillment** | Focuses on fulfillment architecture, SOPs, reporting automation, capacity planning, and moving agencies away from founder-led delivery. [kaizenconsult.ing](https://kaizenconsult.ing/marketing?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **2V Automation** | **Automation for 10–100 person agencies** | Particularly interesting if you're trying to automate reporting, project margin visibility, proposals, and other recurring operational work. They position themselves specifically around the agency's internal operations. [www.2vautomation.ai](https://www.2vautomation.ai/industries/marketing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **Kasper Automation** | **n8n / technical workflow automation** | More technically oriented. Good fit if you already understand your processes and want someone to build robust automations rather than just give you an ops strategy. [www.kasperautomation.com](https://www.kasperautomation.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)[www.2vautomation.ai](https://www.2vautomation.ai/industries/marketing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | | **GTM 80/20** | **Marketing/revenue operations** | Broader than agency operations, but worth considering if the problem is primarily CRM, funnel, attribution, lead management, and GTM processes. Their 2026 roundup also highlights the shift toward execution-oriented fractional operators. [www.gtm8020.com](https://www.gtm8020.com/blog/best-marketing-operations-consultants?utm_source=chatgpt.com) | ### Who I'd pick by situation **If I owned a $1–10M marketing agency and wanted to make the business substantially more systemized:** **AgencyPace** would be one of my first calls. Their offering is unusually aligned with the actual agency operating model—they explicitly work with agencies serving external clients rather than general businesses. [agencypace.com](https://agencypace.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **If the biggest problem is delivery chaos:** I'd investigate **Kaizen Consulting**. Their emphasis on fulfillment architecture, SOPs, capacity, utilization, and project margins is exactly where many agencies get stuck as they scale. [kaizenconsult.ing](https://kaizenconsult.ing/marketing?utm_source=chatgpt.com) **If you already know what needs automating and want serious technical implementation:** **2V Automation** or **Kasper Automation**. The distinction is that 2V looks more like an agency-operations partner, while Kasper leans more toward the automation-engineering side. [www.kasperautomation.com](https://www.kasperautomation.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)[www.2vautomation.ai](https://www.2vautomation.ai/industries/marketing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### One important distinction I wouldn't automatically hire a generic "marketing automation consultant." A lot of those firms optimize **your clients' marketing automation**—HubSpot campaigns, lead nurturing, CRM, etc. For an agency, you want someone who understands the **agency operating system**: **Lead → proposal → close → onboarding → resource allocation → production → QA → client approval → reporting → invoicing → renewal** …and can determine which pieces should be: - standardized into SOPs - delegated - automated with Zapier/Make/n8n - augmented with AI agents - measured through operational dashboards That's a much narrower—and IMO more valuable—skill set. If you tell me **your agency size, approximate revenue, service mix (PPC/SEO/creative/etc.), and what currently feels most broken**, I can narrow this to **3 consultants I'd actually interview**, including estimated pricing, strengths/weaknesses, and what I'd ask each one on the first call.

If you mean **business-process automation with Make.com**—CRM, lead follow-up, invoicing, email, forms, AI, reporting, etc.—I’d shortlist these rather than hiring a generic “automation” freelancer. ### My top picks 1. **Flow Digital — best overall for a small business** - Brooklyn-based and focused specifically on business-process/workflow automation. - Uses Make, Zapier and n8n, with a “process first” approach. - Strong fit if you want someone to understand your business first rather than simply build a few scenarios. 2. **DMBA Consulting — good for CRM + marketing + business systems** - Jersey City-based. - Combines business consulting, CRM automation, marketing and technology. - Particularly interesting if your automation involves sales/marketing rather than just back-office workflows. 3. **NextLevel Automations — good for more sophisticated AI automation** - NYC-based. - Better candidate if you're looking for AI agents, custom software, CRM automation or more complicated integrations. ### If you want a *Make-certified* specialist I'd actually start with **Make's official Partner Directory**. Make says its directory partners are certified experts, and you can filter by specialization, country and services. [www.make.com](https://www.make.com/en/partners-directory?utm_source=chatgpt.com) A few interesting certified partners: - **G&H Automation Services** — U.S./Canada, Silver Partner; specializes in advanced Make systems, APIs, JavaScript and custom Make apps, with 500+ active production scenarios. [www.make.com](https://www.make.com/en/partners-directory/gh-automation-services?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Automaton** — U.S.; consulting, workflow automation, integrations and Make migrations. [www.make.com](https://www.make.com/en/partners-directory/automaton?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Business Automated!** — consulting and workflow automation, with experience across ecommerce, education, construction and other SMB-type businesses. [www.make.com](https://www.make.com/en/partners-directory/business-automated?utm_source=chatgpt.com) urlBrowse Make's official Partner Directoryturn0search0 **My recommendation:** For a typical small business, I'd talk to **Flow Digital first**, then compare their proposal against **one certified Make partner**. Don't pay someone to "automate everything" upfront—have them identify the **3–5 workflows with the highest dollar/time payoff** and price those separately. If you tell me **what your business does + the apps you currently use (QuickBooks, HubSpot, Gmail, Shopify, etc.)**, I can narrow this to the **best 2–3 consultants for your exact situation and compare likely cost/value**. Flow Digital DMBA Consulting NextLevel Automations