Planning for Growth & Pre-Exit Preparation – B2B Marketing & Media Agency

Background

A well-established B2B marketing and media agency, serving blue-chip clients, was looking ahead to its next chapter. The founder wanted to strengthen the agency’s foundations for growth while exploring exit options, ensuring the business was well-prepared for a potential transition while protecting its strong reputation and client base.

The Challenge

Although successful, the agency’s systems hadn’t kept pace with its ambitions. Preparing for potential transition meant addressing several critical issues:

• Underutilised project management system with limited meaningful reporting
• Outdated management accounts reporting hindering strategic decision-making
• Lack of robust budgeting and reforecasting capabilities
• No structured new client vetting process exposing the business to risk
• Employment contracts and handbook not aligned with current legislation
• Outdated client and vendor agreements with missing ancillary documentation

Our Solution

We implemented a series of strategic and operational improvements to future-proof the agency:

Operational Excellence

Enhanced utilisation and reporting of the project management system, enabling better resource allocation, project tracking, and comprehensive profitability analysis across all client accounts.

Financial Discipline

Upgraded management reporting systems, introduced comprehensive budgeting and scenario-based reforecasting capabilities, and strengthened cash flow and debtor management processes.

Client & Vendor Management

Introduced rigorous client vetting and monitoring procedures, completely overhauled Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and vendor contracts, and ensured full compliance with data privacy regulations.

HR & Compliance

Updated all employment contracts and the staff handbook to align with current legislation, and introduced a robust employee appraisal system to support professional development and retention.

The Results

The agency achieved a significant transformation that positioned it for long-term success:

• Stronger financial and operational foundations providing clear visibility into business performance
• Improved legal compliance and risk management protecting the business and its stakeholders
• Enhanced profitability and performance visibility enabling data-driven strategic decisions
• Business structure positioned for sustainable growth regardless of ownership transition
• Successful exit via Employee Ownership Trust ensuring continuity for employees and clients

With these improvements, the agency not only became more resilient but also successfully executed an exit via an Employee Ownership Trust. Even if the exit hadn’t proceeded, the company was in a much stronger position to expand with confidence and maintain its competitive advantage in the market.