The Agency Value Engineer
Many agencies under £5m don't sell. Yours needn't be one of them.
We are expert M&A advisors and value engineers dedicated to sub-£5m creative and marketing agencies.
Buyable agencies are better agencies. They have consistent growth, effective and predictable operations and a management team that runs the business day-to-day. The starting point to being better is knowing the number; what your agency is worth today and why.
£50M+
Cumulative deal value
18+
Transactions completed
100%
Principal-led advisory
15+
Years of experience
THREE PATHWAYS TO VALUE
When do you want to sell your agency?
Realise value
Sell now
You only sell your agency once. The buyer has probably done this many times before. We even the odds and run the deal from first conversation to money in the bank.
from £15,000Fixed fee plus 5% success fee
Most people start here
Engineer value
1 to 2 years
Buyers pay less for risk, so we look at your agency the way a buyer does. Together, we'll fix what they'd mark you down for so that when you sell, there's less to discount and more to pay for.
From £2,500 pcmMonthly subscription
CREATE VALUE
3 years+
The next three years is about building a business someone would fight to buy. Together, we install the systems that deliver much higher value, including buying other agencies when that's faster.
From £2,000 pcmMonthly subscription [plus acquisition fees]
FOR ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS AND ADVISERS
Do you advise agency owners?
Refer a client for a valuation or system-based risk assessment that's independent, fast and obligation-free. Choose between a full valuation for MBOs, MBIs or pre-marketing, or a check-in valuation or diagnostic to benchmark the impact of your advisory.
VALUE IS ENGINEERED YEARS BEFORE IT'S REALISED
Value = adjusted EBITDA × a multiple. Most owners only ever work on EBITDA.
More EBITDA means more value but it's only half the equation. The multiple is built through systems, and systems take years, not months. Whether a sale is two years away, ten years away, or not on your mind at all, the work that raises your multiple is the same work that makes your business stronger to own right now. That's value engineering.
In The Media
Podcast Appearances
Agency M&A mastery
Tom Hunt—Confessions of a B2B Entrepreneur
In this interview, Tom wanted to talk through the M&A process start to finish and asked me to illustrate with some of the experiences from my journey.
Frequently asked questions about Agency M&A
How are marketing agencies valued in an M&A process?
Marketing services firms are typically valued using an EBITDA multiple, adjusted for revenue quality, client concentration, recurring or retainer income, gross margin stability, and leadership depth. Growth profile, sector specialisation, and scalability materially influence enterprise value (also known as EV), particularly for agencies with defensible positioning or platform potential (i.e. becoming an anchor investment for a PE firm to add other bolt-ons to).
How do I sell my creative agency in the UK?
What makes a marketing services firm attractive for acquisition?
How long does a typical agency sale process take?
A well-prepared sell-side process, including CIM development, buyer mapping, indicative offers, due diligence, and negotiation of the Share Purchase Agreement, typically takes six to 12 months depending on deal complexity and buyer engagement.