Think Like an Investor, Even If You Never Plan to Sell
At Evros, we spend a lot of our time with agency founders, hearing their stories and talking through their challenges. Many of us have been in the founder seat ourselves, running agencies before finding our way to the advisory side.
So when we hear that common phrase, “We haven’t been running our agency like we’re trying to sell it” — we understand.
On the surface, that generally means the founders have been prioritizing what matters most: clients, talent, and the work itself. But underneath, it’s also shorthand for neglected efficiencies, unanswered questions, and money left on the table.
Because as tough as it is in the trenches — in survival mode, balancing client demands — it’s equally true that the ability to zoom out and take a holistic view of the organization is a business owner’s most powerful long term asset. And making the effort now to think beyond the current timeline is the only way to maximize the full upside of your organization.
Why Waiting Costs You
Most founders don’t set out with a fixed plan for their exit. The idea of selling usually surfaces after a big win, a tough stretch, or a competitor’s headline which indicates a prime market opportunity. When that spark of “exit inspiration” hits, the usual instinct is to quickly tidy up the books and rush out to market.
But when agencies rush the process, there’s almost always a subset of familiar weaknesses that rear their ugly head: overreliance on a handful of clients, margins propped up by the founder’s direct involvement, processes locked in heads rather than systems. By this point, there’s a well-entrenched list of soft spots that can be identified in the majority of pre-mature sellers.
As Evros’s Executive Strategic Advisor Michael Kahn notes:
“The chances that a business wanting to go to market is ready to reach optimum value is rare. That’s why you plan ahead, well before you think you’re ready to exit.”
None of these gaps are fatal on their own — but buyers take note. And these weaknesses are routinely weaponized to suppress enterprise value and hammer sellers during negotiations.
The 24-Month Mindset
Preparing doesn’t mean running your agency as if you’re mid-transaction. It means giving yourself room to think like an investor, not just an operator. Instead of scrambling to patch weaknesses, you can deliberately build strengths: deeper leadership, healthier margins, more diversified revenue.
Executive Strategic Advisor Michael Koziol frames it this way:
“Think of it like training for a marathon. If you’re already in shape, you could probably run one in three months, but it would be awful and you might never want to run again. Give yourself 12 to 24 months, and you can build strength, shore up weak spots, and run your best race.”
In other words, time is your ally. It allows you to demonstrate traction, prove strategies are working, and show a trajectory buyers want to invest in.
What Early Preparation Unlocks
With a longer horizon, you can:
Diversify client revenue and reduce concentration risk
Build and empower a leadership team so the business isn’t founder-dependent
Identify cost drivers and improve margins
Document and strengthen operational processes
Present not just past performance, but a clear forward path
These are the same fundamentals that make a stronger agency whether you ever sell or not.
Maximize Your Investment
Even if you hold your agency for decades, focusing on value creation guides better decisions. You’ll end up with a healthier, more resilient business, and if an exit ever becomes part of the story, you’ll be ready rather than scrambling.
As Koziol puts it:
“As a founder, your agency is potentially your most valuable personal asset, but you have to treat it as one.”
Whether you sell or not, thinking like an owner-investor is simply smart stewardship of your biggest asset. Ready to map out what those first steps could look like? Let’s talk.
