General Services

Valuation

Every business owner should know the value of their enterprise and we can help you determine that value. Our staff is composed of trained and experienced valuators, consultants and intermediaries. Someone will meet with you and run through a list of questions and required documentation to conduct the valuation. The process typically takes two meetings and two weeks of time to complete. The information is well worth your time investment. All communication and information obtained is held in strict confidence.

Exit Planning Consulting

Some agents sell because they are ready to retire, while others do so because they have no choice. Never get caught in a distressed sale without a plan. An agent, or his/her family, can lose considerable value selling under stress. Like any investment, timing the sale can be critical in maximizing value. A well-planned sale can easily increase your net proceeds by 30% or more. The best time to start planning is 2-3 years in advance of your retirement. We will work with you to develop an exit strategy so you can maximize the value at the time of sale.

Value-Enhancing Consulting

Many agencies operate on rules-of-thumb for expenses such as "10% of revenue toward advertising", or "40% of revenue to salaries and wages". With no other agency to compare against, how do you know you are managing costs effectively? We have met with agents that net 70% of commission revenue, and agents with the same size commissions running at an annual loss. In almost no other industry can you have such a wide range of profitability, which makes cost-control so much more critical for an agency owner. We conduct valuations daily and can benchmark you against your competitors, providing some insight into your strengths and weaknesses. This process can help you drive more profitability into your daily operation, and value into the enterprise itself.

Receive our guide "Enhancing the value of your agency" and contact us to start your valuation.

Sell-side Engagement

Selling an agency is a full-time job that involves many parties from buyers to accountants, lawyers, lenders, landlords and insurance company representatives. We have a team that will manage the process for you and knows what to expect in each phase. Under a sell-side engagement, we represent you, the seller, and work on your behalf. We will also work to aggressively bring as many qualified buyers to the table as possible to maintain a competitive bidding process and keep the sale moving forward. Buyers are screened for financial strength and required to sign confidentiality agreements before receiving any information.

Buy-side Engagement

Our team has represented individuals and large brokerage firms in finding acquisition targets. We manage the marketing process, sort through the candidates, value the agencies and collect financials and then present them to you exclusively. We charge an upfront fee for our time and costs, and a success-fee when the acquisition is completed.

Contact us if you are interested in establishing a buy-side engagement.