Mergers & Acquisitions Articles

22 Reasons to Sell Your Agency Now

Written by Scott Leff | Feb 17, 2023 10:04:00 PM

For a business owner, one of the toughest decisions you’ll ever make is when to take your company to market. “Do I want to exit now? Is this the right time to get the best price? Should I hold on and build for a while longer? Are the signs telling me it’s really time for me to do something else?” The questions can swirl endlessly.

Our new TobinLeff White Paper, 22 Reasons to Sell Your Agency Now, is intended to stimulate your thinking and also put a smile on your face. As you spend 90 seconds going through this checklist, see which of these potential triggers strikes a chord with you. Hopefully, we’ll also give you a chuckle or two along the way.

And, as always, feel free to reach out to me or any of my partners anytime to discuss whatever exit or exit planning topics are on your mind.

Click here for your complimentary copy: TL 22 Signs It's Time to Sell White Paper

 

22 Reasons to Sell Your Agency Now

  1. Your grandkids don’t recognize you.
  2. Your kids don’t recognize you.
  3. Your spouse/partner doesn’t recognize you.
  4. You don’t recognize you.
  5. You met with TobinLeff, and we said, "You’re ready to go to market."
  6. You just told a client they should spend all their ad budget on broadcast television.
  7. You’re still convinced that digital is a passing fad.
  8. When you watch TV, you mute the sound between commercial breaks.
  9. There just isn’t enough time in the day for pickleball and golf!
  10. You’re growing, profitable, and poised to enter negotiations from a position of strength.
  11. Faced with an economic downturn, your response is, "Oh, that again? Ho-hum."
  12. You went on an extended vacation and nobody noticed. (This can also be a sign to stay on vacation and keep cashing those checks. A risky strategy, but appealing to some.)
  13. When your staff asked about working remotely, you said, "If you want to work from home, get a hobby."
  14. You have key leadership in place that wants to buy you out or else leave to start their own agencies.
  15. While sitting in a creative brainstorming session, you find yourself fantasizing about meeting with your accountant.
  16. You need to join with a bigger partner to take your firm and people to the next level.
  17. You still tell these young whipper-snappers who want work-life balance, "In my day, we worked 27 hours, 8 days a week, after walking five miles to the office and back, uphill in both directions."
  18. Organic growth is becoming harder and harder.
  19. You spend more time reading The Wall Street Journal than Ad Age.
  20. On your last Uber ride, you found yourself gazing at the driver and thinking, "Hmmm, that doesn’t look like such a bad gig."
  21. You can’t figure out which reasons on this list are the serious ones.
  22. You don’t need to sell now. (Yup. This one is serious. When you need to sell, it’s usually too late.)

If any of these sound like you, give TobinLeff a call today. To paraphrase that classic piece of advertising for Fram Oil Filters: You can call us to maximize your value now or minimize it later.