Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood (and emotionally charged) parts of any deal: negotiation. Most agency owners approach a negotiation thinking it’s all about one number — the price. But that’s exactly where most sellers go wrong. In reality, the purchase price is just one part of the deal. The structure — how […]

Few words in M&A trigger as much emotion as “earnout.” If you’ve ever talked to someone who sold their agency, chances are you’ve heard horror stories: “We never got our earnout.”“They changed the rules after closing.”“It was just a way to shortchange us.” And I get it. I’ve been on both sides of earnouts — […]

When most agency owners hear the words “due diligence,” their first thought is: “Oh no — this is where the fun ends.” And to be fair, diligence can be intense. It’s the part of the process where the buyer starts verifying everything you’ve told them — from your financials to your operations, contracts, people, and […]

If I could give agency owners just one metric to obsess over, it wouldn’t be revenue, it wouldn’t be headcount, and it wouldn’t even be profit. It would be client retention. Here’s why: I’ve seen it play out in real deals. Two agencies with the same $5M in revenue can command completely different valuations. One […]

Let’s be honest — most agency owners don’t start their business because they love bookkeeping. Numbers feel like a back-office chore, something you review once a year at tax time. But here’s the truth: to a buyer, your financials are the foundation of the business.  When a buyer looks at your numbers, they aren’t just […]

One of the first questions agency owners ask me is: “How do I know if I’m ready to sell?” It’s a fair question — but the answer isn’t always as simple as revenue or profit. Readiness is about much more than the numbers.Here are some of the key questions I encourage owners to ask themselves: […]

In the previous post, we talked about some of the items that can lead to higher (or lower) multiples. In this post, I wanted to dive a little deeper into 3 that really matter. . I call it the Triangle of Value. Why does this triangle matter? Because together, these three create predictable cashflow. And […]

Ever wonder why one agency sells for 2× EBITDA while another gets 8×? Here’s why: buyers don’t just look at your revenue. They look at the quality of that revenue. Factors that influence valuation include: I’ve seen two agencies, both doing $5M in revenue, sell for wildly different prices. One had sticky clients, strong margins, […]

Not all buyers are created equal — and knowing who’s across the table matters as much as the price they’re offering. Here are the big categories: Each has different goals: The same agency could get very different offers depending on the buyer type. Which means you need to think beyond “the multiple” and ask: What […]

Selling your agency isn’t one conversation — it’s a journey. A typical deal flows like this: #️⃣ Initial Outreach – a buyer expresses interest (or you decide to explore options). #️⃣ Intro Conversations – light discussions about fit, strategy, and goals. #️⃣ Letter of Intent (LOI) – a non-binding document that outlines headline terms. #️⃣ […]