Connor, not a delegate
No junior advisors. No handoffs. The relationship is 1:1 throughout, with Slack and WhatsApp open during UK working hours for the real-time decisions that can't wait until the next session.
Exit Advisory · 12-Month Programme
Exit on your terms, not the buyer's.
For £1.5M+ creative agency founders preparing to sell in the next 12 to 36 months. Hands-on advisory from a founder who built and sold his own agency, then coached more than a hundred more since.
Enquire about Exit Advisory
Selective intake: 3 active clients at a time
Why this works
Built on a sale, not on deal theory.
Walking into a sale unprepared costs money. Information memorandum thin, founder still in every decision, financials reconciled annually instead of monthly, recurring revenue uncommitted, no buyer network warmed. Each of those is a discount on the multiple, and they compound.
Exit Advisory exists to close those gaps in the twelve months before you go to market. The frameworks were built inside a real exit: I sold my £2.2M agency in 2020 and exited fully in 2022. I know what worked, what cost me, and what I'd do differently. That's what I bring to the room.
This is not a deal-broker engagement. M&A firms run the transaction. Exit Advisory runs the twelve months before it. The work is operator work, not deal work, which is why an operator delivers it.
£2.2M Agency revenue at sale
2022 Full exit completed
100+ Founders coached since
What's included
Twelve months of preparation, end to end.
Exit readiness assessment
Full review of the agency through an acquirer's lens. Where the multiple is being held back, where the diligence risks sit, what needs to close before going to market. Output is your 12-month exit plan.
Valuation optimisation
The structural work that moves the multiple: recurring revenue committed, leadership layer in place, financials reconciled monthly, founder dependency removed, narrative sharpened around the buyer's thesis.
Information memorandum + data room
Build the documents buyers expect, in the format they expect them. Information memorandum, financial pack, customer concentration analysis, contract register, key-person mapping. Ready before you go to market, not during.
Buyer + advisor network
Warm introductions to qualified acquirers, private equity, and strategic buyers actively looking for creative agencies. Plus selected M&A advisors, lawyers, and tax specialists when the deal moves into transaction phase.
Deal negotiation support
In the room as offers come in. Understanding offer structures, modelling earnouts, negotiating terms that protect you on both day one and day three-hundred-and-sixty-five. Coaching through the diligence questions that surface late.
The twelve months
From assessment to closed deal.
A structured sequence. Assessment first so the next ten months are spent on the right work, in the right order, before any conversation with a buyer.
Months 1-2 Assessment
Where you actually stand
Deep-dive review through an acquirer's lens. Valuation range modelled, gaps and diligence risks named, 12-month plan written and sequenced. By end of month 2, we know what the next ten months look like and what the realistic exit range is.
Months 3-6 Preparation
Close the gaps
The operational work that moves the multiple: recurring revenue locked, leadership layer hired or promoted, monthly management accounts running, customer concentration addressed, owner dependency removed. The agency becomes the business the buyer is paying a multiple for.
Months 7-9 Market
Go out, warm
Information memorandum live. Data room ready. Buyer network introductions made. Interest managed in parallel rather than serial, so multiple offers land at the same time and the negotiation runs on your terms. Selected M&A advisor and legal counsel introduced if not already in place.
Months 10-12 Close
Negotiate, diligence, close
In the room as offers come in. Term sheet negotiation, earnout modelling, diligence response, transition planning. Support through to completion. The goal is a deal you don't regret at month thirteen, not just one that closes.
"A common concern for every founder seeking professional advice is, can this person really understand me and my business? The answer with Connor is a definite yes. His advice is practical and effective. He doesn't beat around the bush, and he gives direct guidance without holding back."
Honest fit check
A good fit, not quite yet.
- £1.5M+ revenue, exit window inside 12 to 36 months
- Already operationally healthy (or close to it)
- Recurring revenue, leadership layer, clean financials
- Want to maximise the deal, not just close one
- Prepared to put twelve months in before you go to market
- Under £1.5M revenue. The Strategic Growth Programme is the right rebuild first
- Looking for a broker to run the transaction. You want an M&A firm, not Exit Advisory
- Hoping to sell inside the next 6 months. Twelve months of preparation is the minimum that moves the multiple
- Operational fundamentals still being figured out. Scale or SGP are the starting points
Investment
£50,000 per year. Or a success-fee structure.
£50,000 per year
Payment plans available. A success-fee structure is available for qualifying businesses where the headline retainer is reduced in exchange for a percentage of the realised deal value.
- 12 months of hands-on advisory, 1:1 with Connor, no junior advisors
- Quarterly strategic deep-dives plus monthly tactical sessions
- Slack and WhatsApp access between sessions during UK working hours
- Exit readiness assessment, valuation model, 12-month plan
- Information memorandum and data room built with you, not handed off
- Buyer + advisor network introductions when you're ready
- Deal negotiation support through to completion
Three active clients at a time. Enquiry includes a free 60-minute discovery call to confirm fit both ways before terms are discussed.
FAQ
Before you enquire about Exit Advisory.
Who is Exit Advisory actually for?
Creative agency founders generating £1.5M+ in annual revenue, with a credible exit window inside the next 12 to 36 months. The fit is best when the agency is already operationally healthy (recurring revenue, leadership layer, clean financials) and the work is on positioning, buyer fit, and deal structure. If the business is not exit-ready yet, SGP is the right starting point.
Why an operator-advisor, not a generalist M&A firm?
M&A firms run the transaction. Exit Advisory runs the twelve months before it. The work of preparing an agency to sell well, recurring revenue locked, founder dependency removed, financials cleaned, narrative sharpened, is operator work, not deal work. Connor sold his £2.2M agency in 2020 and exited fully in 2022. The frameworks are built on that exit and the hundred-plus founders he has worked with since.
What does the rhythm look like?
Quarterly strategic deep-dives (half-day working sessions on positioning, valuation, narrative) plus monthly tactical sessions (90 minutes, the next 30 days). Slack and WhatsApp open between for the decisions that can't wait. Cadence increases as you move into the market phase.
What if I'm under £1.5M revenue?
Exit Advisory is wrong at that stage. The lift inside twelve months is not enough to justify the retainer. The Strategic Growth Programme (£18K, 7 months) is the path: rebuild the agency operationally so that, by the time it is exit-ready, you are not negotiating from a position of weakness. Many Exit Advisory clients started in SGP.
How selective is the intake?
Three active clients at a time. Selection is mutual: the discovery call covers fit both ways. If the agency is not within striking distance of a real exit, or the founder is not committed to the work that preparation requires, the answer is no, with a clear next step suggested.
Is the £50K the full cost of selling the agency?
No. The Exit Advisory retainer is for the preparation and advisory work. The transaction itself will involve separate fees: M&A advisor (typically a success fee on completion), legal counsel, and tax advice. Exit Advisory includes introductions to vetted providers and works alongside them, but the retainer does not cover their fees.
Can I start with Exit Advisory and add an M&A firm later?
Yes, and that's the usual pattern. The first six to nine months are preparation. When you're ready to go to market, you bring in an M&A advisor for the transaction itself. Exit Advisory stays in the room throughout, on your side of the table.
Take the next step
A sale you don't regret at month thirteen.
Three active client places. Enquiry starts with a free 60-minute discovery call to confirm fit both ways. If Exit Advisory is the wrong fit, you'll leave with a clearer route either way.