Should I Sell My Agency?

An honest way to think about one of the hardest founder decisions

Most agency owners don’t wake up one morning certain they should sell.

They arrive here carrying a mix of:

curiosity
fatigue
pride
fear of missing the moment
and fear of getting it wrong

If you’re asking “Should I sell my agency?” you’re not weak, disloyal, or giving up. You’re responding to a real signal — and the worst thing you can do is ignore it or rush it.

This page exists to help you think clearly before anyone tries to sell you an outcome.

Why this question usually appears before certainty

Founders rarely start with clarity. They start with friction.

That friction often looks like:

growing resentment toward clients you once enjoyed

constant people issues draining energy

success that no longer feels proportional to effort

the sense that the agency is running you

None of that automatically means “sell now”. But it does mean something has changed — and pretending otherwise usually leads to poor decisions later.

The most common timing mistakes founders make

After watching many agency exits, a pattern shows up again and again.

Selling too late

Founders wait until:

energy is gone
growth has slowed
or pressure forces a decision

By then, leverage is weaker and options narrow.

Selling too early

Others rush because:

a bad year scared them
someone dangled a flattering multiple
or burnout peaked temporarily

They exit before value is properly realised.

Not preparing at all

Many founders only think seriously about selling once a broker is already involved.

That’s backwards. Good exits are rarely spontaneous. They’re usually the result of early thinking and delayed action.

“What if I’m not actually ready to sell?”

This is the question most founders are afraid to ask — and the one that matters most.

Being not ready doesn’t mean:

your agency isn’t good enough
you’ve failed
or selling will never be an option

It usually means:

value could be improved with focus
risk could be reduced with time
or clarity is missing, not opportunity

Recognising that early gives you control. Ignoring it often gives you pressure.

If you’re unsure, the right move is rarely “decide faster” — it’s “understand better”.

Understand how agency valuation actually works

Burnout doesn’t mean panic — but it does mean act

Burnout is real. And it’s one of the biggest drivers of bad exits.

The danger isn’t admitting you’re tired. The danger is letting fatigue quietly erode value while telling yourself you’ll “deal with it later”.

Later usually arrives as:

a forced sale
a suboptimal deal
or staying longer than you should

If you’re feeling worn down, the productive move is to:

understand your agency’s current position
see what selling now would actually look like
and decide deliberately, not reactively

That’s very different from committing to a sale.

Selling isn’t a switch — it’s a process

Founders often imagine selling as a single decision. In reality, it’s a sequence:

Awareness

Understanding value

Assessing readiness

Deciding when, not just if

Running a controlled process

You don’t have to jump to step five. Most of the leverage comes from steps one to three — done early, calmly, and without an audience.

If you’re asking this question, here’s what usually helps next

Founders who ask “Should I sell?” usually benefit from one of two things:

Clarity on value and readiness

So the decision becomes rational, not emotional

Understand agency valuation

Understanding the process

So fear of the unknown disappears

See how selling works

Both can happen without committing to anything.

A final thing worth saying plainly

You don’t owe anyone an exit.

Not your staff.

Not your peers.

Not the market.

But you do owe yourself clarity.

Whether you sell this year, in three years, or never — the right outcome usually comes from understanding your position before the pressure arrives.

If you’re here, you’re asking the right question.

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