When an entrepreneur or business founder approaches the idea of selling their business, it should feel like the conclusion of a grand adventure. From the spark of an idea through scaling and eventually to winding down, the business journey is dotted with vision, sweat, and sacrifice along the way, especially for marketing, media, or other creative agency owners.
Selling your agency is a decision that can be fraught with emotion. Ask anyone who has navigated working with a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) firm, and they may tell you that the process felt transactional, robotic, and, all too often, failed to serve the needs or desires of the business owners.
The apparent shift needed in the M&A space was where Amanda Cybul identified her opportunity to make a difference. As the Founder and CEO of Merge, a leading M&A firm, Cybul saw the great need for disruption in M&As.
“There is fear, pride, and uncertainty that comes with a business exit,” says Cybul. “Sellers should not be shuffled through a one-size-fits-all process.”
The broken system of exit strategies
While many M&A advisors promise to expedite the business exit process with automated tools and a team of business brokers, their focus on speed may be what defines the issues with the exit process. Although solutions may seem efficient on paper, the automated approach and focus on transactional speed often result in due diligence and post-sale success being overlooked in the process.
“The platform model pushes for closing sales quickly,” Cybul explains. “But while the interface of the streamlined process may be slick and look efficient, the process is largely self-service.”
Founders are often left to their own devices with automated M&A systems, meaning they must navigate complex negotiations, financials, and due diligence alone or with minimal support from generalists. In addition, many automated platforms are heavily siloed, focusing solely on SaaS or digital business, leaving marketing, media, or creative agencies out in the cold.
The escrow and closing process is another area where the system could use some disruption. Sellers can often become frustrated with a lengthy escrow process, opaque pricing models, and limited recourse if the transaction loses momentum.
Traditional brokers can come to the table with limited reach, outdated approaches, and an inability to treat vastly different businesses with the individualization they need to achieve a successful outcome to the M&A transaction.
“Many lack industry-specific knowledge and a network to be able to unlock real value for their clients,” says Cybul.
How strategic agency exit planning can fix the broken system
M&As are never just about speed or numbers, especially in industries as personalized as marketing, media, or creative services. Founders come to M&A firms holding the entire history of their businesses in their hearts — the culture, the people, client trust, and the proprietary creativity that gave their business an edge over the competition. When these unique entities are brought to generic brokers or sent through automated systems, a struggle can occur with pricing, positioning, and presenting the business strengths to potential buyers.
Merge, founded by Cybul as a response to the issues she saw in the M&A industry, has stood as a quietly transformative force in the small-business M&A space. “We know that legacy, values, and vision matter,” Cybul says. “Just as much as the dollar figure.”
Merge’s approach is refreshingly human and personal. Cybul and her team strive to achieve an understanding of each founder’s goals, values, and desired legacy from the outset. Each strategy is tailored to the specific client’s business structure, culture, and creative specialty. With industry-specific insights, Cybul and her team can navigate any hurdles that may arise.
By blending technical know-how with empathy, the Merge team is committed to transparency, personalized attention, and open communication throughout the process. “We never just brush aside the founder’s emotions,” Cybul explains. The team deftly handles any stress or concern clients may have, holding space for both expertise and emotion in an industry where relationships are everything.
An M&A firm built for agencies
Merge recognizes that the agency sector is distinct. Client rosters can be challenging to navigate, talent is a valuable asset that must be acknowledged, and creative chemistry is just as important as contracts. Merge advises on agency-specific challenges, including valuation, finding the right fit, and honoring creative work.
Since founding Merge, Cybul and her team have guided over 1,000 successful business exits. They have an ever-expanding network of buyers who are invested in getting the sale “right” instead of closing quickly. “We are focused on buyer-founder alignment, because it means long-term success on both sides,” says Cybul.
Agency exit strategies that are more than just an ending
For founders, a business exit can be more than just a career endpoint. It can serve as a prologue about what’s next for the founder, their team, and their clients.
The M&A industry can be sullied by shortcuts and transactional thinking that ignore the need for personalized service and support. By fixing what is broken in the M&A industry, Merge has set a new benchmark, one where every deal can be a milestone for founders and buyers, not just a quick, impersonal transaction.
