Katie Cowan

Co-Founder. Head of Operations.

I joined PureRapid full time in 2018, at the point where growth stopped being exciting and started becoming dangerous.

More clients.
More platforms.
More delivery pressure.

This is the stage where most agencies either stall or implode.

2018. The Point of No Return.

By 2018, PureRapid could grow. It could not yet scale.

Execution was starting to strain. Systems were holding only because people were stretching themselves. That is not sustainable.

I joined with one clear mandate.
Build execution that survives growth.

Before 2018, the business relied heavily on individual effort.
After 2018, it had to rely on structure.

That shift changed everything.

2018 to 2019. Structure Before Speed.

The first phase was stabilisation.

Not optimisation.
Control.

I focused on formalising how work actually moved through the agency.

That meant:

• Turning delivery into defined workflows
• Removing reliance on memory and heroics
• Introducing SOPs that governed behaviour, not suggestions
• Structuring social and email execution properly
• Cleaning up tools, platforms, and handovers

Every framework that exists today exists because something broke before it.

We fixed problems at the root, not at the surface.

Building While Operating

At the same time, we were not sitting in one place.

We were operating internationally while scaling the agency.

UK.
America.
Asia.
The Middle East.
Europe.

Running a UK-focused business remotely.
Managing teams across time zones.
Delivering consistently while living inside the systems being built.

Anything that did not hold under those conditions was removed or rebuilt.

That was the test.

2019 to 2021. Departments Replace Individuals.

As demand increased, the agency could no longer rely on people wearing multiple hats.

I led the transition from individuals to departments.

This included:

• Building a dedicated social media delivery function
• Structuring email marketing as a revenue system, not an add-on
• Introducing QA and formal handover processes
• Establishing ownership across multiple roles

This is where PureRapid stopped relying on multi-talented individuals and started operating as a system.

2021 to 2022. Execution at Volume.

Client numbers increased.
Platforms expanded.
Complexity compounded.

At this stage, my role moved into cross-department coordination.

I took ownership of:

• Social delivery across hundreds of client accounts
• Email as an integrated revenue channel
• App stacks and platform infrastructure
• Delivery standards under sustained volume

Growth was no longer allowed to degrade execution.

If standards slipped, growth stopped until they were fixed.

Shared Responsibility

From the point I joined full time in 2018, responsibility was shared.

Operational decisions.
Long-term planning.
Execution outcomes.

The business was built while operating across multiple countries, time zones, and market conditions.

Nothing here was theoretical.

2022 to 2023. Platform Reality.

This phase exposed weak systems quickly.

I became directly involved in:

• Building and managing large Facebook groups
• Growing and moderating Reddit communities
• Amazon FBA operations for clients and internal ventures

These environments surface operational failure fast.

That experience directly informs how PureRapid operates today.

2023 to 2024. TikTok and Modern Distribution.

As TikTok matured, I took hands-on ownership of execution at scale.

Including:

• Running TikTok account teams at volume
• Executing TikTok Shop strategies
• Building affiliate and creator-led distribution models

Execution was standardised, repeatable, and controlled.

2024 to Now. The Operating System.

PureRapid now operates with 30+ people across multiple departments and platforms.

I coordinate the entire execution layer.

I own:

• Social media delivery teams
• Email marketing teams
• App and platform infrastructure
• Internal frameworks and SOPs
• Cross-department coordination and QA

The agency is deliberately structured to scale delivery without compromising standards.

That is why the number of active growth engagements is limited at any one time.

How the Business Is Run

PureRapid is not personality-led.
It is operator-led.

Two founders.
Distinct ownership.
Shared responsibility.

David leads growth and commercial direction.
I control operational execution, systems, and scale.

Backed by a 30+ person team operating inside defined frameworks.

None of this was designed in theory.

It was built while operating.