• There are several hoops to jump through when you’re going through the M&A process – and making sure your agency is ready for the process is half the job.
• But doing so not only helps get your agency in tip-top condition – it can also dramatically improve your multiple.
• In this month’s M&A Surgery, Simon Latarche shares exactly how you can make your business as ready for sale as possible – and be sure to bring your questions!

There are several hoops to jump through when considering an M&A process – and making sure your agency is ready for the process is half the job.

“There are hundreds of things to focus on if you want to make sure your agency is ready for an exit process,” says Simon Latarche, partner at Milestone Advisory.

While this may sound like a mountain to climb, Milestone Advisory has developed a tool to make this easier for agencies to ensure they are on the right track.

A key component of this process is an audit using the Discovery tool, where an advisor from Milestone Advisory spends time with your key people reviewing the business, thereafter generating an ‘exit ready’ score out of 10.

This helps figure out what to focus on – a bit like a B Corp application.

“The tool has 10 pillars, and in each, there are about 50 to 100 things that you need to focus on,” says Simon. “Everything from your P&L, balance sheet and cashflow through to proposition, management, talent, sales and marketing through to commercial and operational excellence and corporate governance.”

Making sure your agency’s ‘house’ is in order for a sale not only gets the agency into tip-top condition, but could also dramatically improves your multiple.

Come along to this month’s M&A Surgery and find out exactly how you can make your business as ready for sale as possible – and be sure to bring your questions!