Here’s a somewhat familiar story. The names here have been changed to prevent awkwardness.Rhett Butler Public Relations, a New York consumer product PR agency earning about $3 million in net fee revenues, was acquired by the Millard Fillmore Group headquartered in San Francisco.

I don’t typically use my periodic mailings to rally behind a cause but today is an exception.

Did you know that today’s typical PR agency seller is 48 years old, while just 10 years ago, it was closer to 60 years old? 

In a number of articles I’ve written for PRSA over the years, one of the recurring themes is the importance of chemistry when reviewing the merits of combining two agencies

Some things were inherently meant to be “Do-It-Yourself” projects, like repainting your spare bedroom, planting a new bed of hydrangeas, or updating the latest operating system software on your mobile device.

Buyers Still Willing to use 2019 Numbers as a Start

PR Agency owners, there are three key ways to maintain sufficient cash flow to take you through the next few months. Hopefully, the coronavirus will be behind us by then.

The Stevens Group is very mindful of the effect that the coronavirus outbreak is having on a number of agencies.  It’s unprecedented. 

Here we examine key issues facing CEOs as they strive to remain steady at the helms of their evolving practices.The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is often credited with penning the notion that nothing is permanent except change.

A good friend (I’ll call him Dave) owned a public relations agency for about 8 years and on the surface it appeared as if his agency was doing fine.

The most successful acquisition transactions that I’ve been involved with put a spring in the step of the principals of the PR agencies who have sold to larger buyers. It has less to do with extra money in their pockets. But it has everything to do with their new roles in the buyer’s organization.

Life undeniably is a series of calculated risks. In fact, most of us take risks every day without realizing it. Almost everything we decide – from getting married, buying a car, having children and choosing a career – has some margin of risk.

Ever since a farsighted PR or ad agency determined that an additional way to grow its business was to acquire other PR agencies, the manner in which most transactions are completed today hasn’t changed much since the ink dried on those precedent-setting M&A deals of yesteryear.

If you’re thinking about selling your PR agency then here are ten important questions you should be asking yourself.

With the spate of agency acquisitions in recent years, you might think making a deal is easy. Far from it.

To parallel the famous Rolling Stones song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” PR firms may also not be able to sell when they want.

If you’re the CEO of a small-to-medium sized public relations firm, it’s very possible  that a good part of your thinking about the future growth of your agency focuses on formulating a strategy for the sale of your firm someday.

Many agency owners simply want to continue to run their own agencies for as long as they can. Maybe they feel like they haven’t been in business long enough to even think about selling.