How to build an exit-ready agency: Lessons & practical tips, with Gavin Bell
Creative Agency Account Manager PodcastShow Notes
Welcome to Episode 156. This episode is especially useful if you're an agency owner thinking about an exit, or perhaps you're an account lead who wants to help your agency become more sellable and less dependent on one person.
Gavin Bell is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and award-winning entrepreneur, known for delivering talks that are positive, engaging and packed with real-world lessons. Recognised as one of the UK’s most candid voices on what it really takes to build and exit a business, Gavin combines first-hand entrepreneurial experience with proven frameworks audiences can use immediately.
In this conversation, Gavin and I dig into what it really takes to build an exit ready agency.
- how he created a predictable growth engine by marketing his own agency - why recurring revenue and clear productized offer made the business more attractive - and the systems and SOP mindset that kept delivery consistent and client experience tight.
We also get into the realities of selling from keeping it quiet to surviving due diligence and choosing a buyer based on cultural fit, not just the numbers. Some key takeaways for me were treating your agency like a product, documenting the client journey, building checklists and fixing the bugs in your process every time an issue comes up. And staying on the front foot with clients, proactive expectation setting, consistent reporting rhythms and QBRs that focus not on what's happened, but also business outcomes and the future.
You can connect with Gavin Bell in various ways: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrgavinbell/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrgavinbell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrGavinBell/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrgavinbell X/Twitter: https://x.com/mrgavinbell YouTube: https://youtube.com/mrgavinbell Website: https://mrgavinbell.com
If you'd like to be kept updated with shifts in the agency world as it relates to the account management role, or perhaps you'd like to speak to me about client retention and growth training, please visit https://www.accountmanagementskills.com where you can also sign up for my newsletter.
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