Selling your agency,
step by step.
The whole exit in five stages. Read the short version below, or open any stage for the detailed walkthrough: 21 steps from first question to final payment.
The short version
Five stages to a successful exit.
- 01AssessKnow what you have, what it's worth, and whether now is the time.Before anything else, get an honest picture: your real earnings, what buyers would pay for them, what's holding the value back, and what you personally want from the sale. Most owners skip this and pay for it later.2–6 weeks4 steps
- 02PrepareFix what buyers would discount, and get your house in order.Preparation is where most of the value is made. Every risk you remove before going to market is one a buyer can't use to lower the price or push more of it into an earn-out.3–18 months5 steps
- 03Go to marketPackage the business and put it in front of the right buyers, confidentially.With the business ready, you package it so a serious buyer can understand it quickly, then approach a targeted list of buyers under NDA. Done well, you get competing offers; done badly, you get one lowball.2–4 months4 steps
- 04CloseAgree terms, survive diligence, and sign.Once you accept an offer, the buyer verifies everything you've told them, and lawyers turn the deal into contracts. This is where unprepared deals fall apart, and where preparation pays off.2–4 months5 steps
- 05PaidHand over well, hit your earn-out, and collect every dollar.Many agency deals pay part of the price later, through an earn-out or deferred payments. What you do in the months after closing decides whether you collect it.6–36 months3 steps
The detailed version
Every step at a glance.
01 · Assess
02 · Prepare
03 · Go to market
04 · Close
General guidance only, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Every deal is different.
Know where you stand.
No listing. No obligation.