Insights
Useful reading for founders, owners and buyers
Guides from Motion Advisory Partners, written in plain English for founders, owners, buyers and investors: preparing to sell, responding to an approach, how a sale process runs, choosing a buyer, deal structure, due diligence, what acquirers look for, building value, acquisitions and funding, rollover equity and minority investment. Alongside them, our market research on agency M&A around the world.
- Written by
- Rick Palmer and Rob Reid, from the founder's side of the table.
- Also useful
- M&A glossary and the valuation hub.
Guides and research
Preparing your agency for sale: what to get in order
What buyers need to see, what you can fix quickly and what takes sustained evidence, with a phased plan for the final 18 months.
7 min readRead SellingReceived an approach to buy your agency? What to do next
How to manage the first conversation, protect the business and keep your options open when a buyer makes the first move.
7 min readRead SellingSelling an agency: how the process works
Every stage from preparation to completion, who does what, where the decisions fall and what drives the timetable.
7 min readRead SellingHow to choose the right buyer for your agency
Buyer types and what each means for price, structure and your role, how to compare complete proposals and the questions to ask before you choose.
8 min readRead Deal structureUnderstanding deal structure: cash, deferred consideration and earnouts
Enterprise value to net proceeds, fixed deferred payments, earnouts, rollover equity and price mechanisms, with a worked comparison of two offers.
16 min readRead SellingAgency sale due diligence: what buyers test and how to prepare
The workstreams, the agency specific issues buyers find, how findings change price and terms, and a readiness checklist.
8 min readRead SellingWhat acquirers look for in an agency
The four questions every buyer is answering, the evidence they test, sector specific issues and how findings move price, structure and terms.
7 min readRead Building valueBuilding value before a transaction
The levers that move earnings and multiple over a two to three year horizon, a scorecard for each, the trade-offs and a first-90-days plan.
7 min readRead AcquisitionsPlanning an acquisition: from strategy to integration
Strategy and criteria, origination, underwriting, synergies, stage gates, people, structure and integration, with a worked decision example.
10 min readRead AcquisitionsBuying a new capability: should you acquire, build or partner?
Acquire, build or partner: a worked comparison of the three routes to a new capability, the criteria that decide it and the evidence to gather first.
6 min readRead AcquisitionsFunding an agency acquisition: how much can you safely commit?
The complete funding requirement, the sources and their obligations, a sources and uses schedule and a downside case for an experiential acquisition.
7 min readRead Building valueImproving revenue quality in a project led agency
Visibility, repeat behaviour, frameworks, concentration, margin and cash collection in project led agencies, with three revenue portfolios assessed.
6 min readRead Building valueAI, pricing and agency margins: who captures the efficiency gain?
Worked before and after service economics, released versus realised capacity, pricing models and the evidence that the margin gain is sustainable.
6 min readRead Deal structureRollover equity: what could your stake actually return?
The instruments, the capital structure, preference and leverage, with a simplified entry capitalisation and three exit waterfalls.
5 min readRead Deal structureMinority investment: growth capital, founder liquidity and control
Primary capital, secondary proceeds and mixed deals; valuation, dilution, governance and the route to exit, with two investments compared.
6 min readRead Market researchWhat Do Premium Agencies Have in Common in North American M&A?
This is the third in our three part series exploring the market forces, buyer priorities and specialist capabilities shaping agency M&A in North America right now.
9 min readRead Market researchWhich Agency Capabilities Are Attracting the Most M&A Interest in North America?
This is the second of our three part series exploring the market forces, buyer priorities and specialist capabilities shaping M&A in North America right now.
9 min readRead Market researchNorth America is Back in Play for Marketing Services M&A
This is the first in our three part series exploring the market forces, buyer priorities and specialist capabilities shaping M&A in North America right now.
7 min readRead Market researchM&A in Australia & New Zealand as a bellwether for larger markets
We are planning to regularly review the state of marketing services and technology M&A in each global region.
6 min readRead Market researchSoutheast Asia M&A Momentum is Building
Southeast Asia has entered 2026 with a ‘selectively open’ M&A market.
1 min readRead Market researchHow M&A is Shaping Up in the UK & Ireland
The UK remains the benchmark market in Europe for marketing technology and services.
6 min readRead Market researchAre We in A Breakout Year for M&A in the Middle East?
The Middle East is no longer a side bet in global media plans.
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