My M&A Thesis for Agencies (And Why Scale Changes Everything)

If you plan to exit one day, you need to hear this.

Author

Jordan Ross
February 24, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

💡 Today's Key Insight:

I didn’t plan on buying a marketing agency.

But after a few conversations with private equity firms, I realized something that completely reshaped my long-term strategy:

Scale is the game. And most agencies are playing too small.

My most recent podcast episode breaks down exactly what changed my thinking and why I’m now actively pursuing agency acquisitions.

The Acquisition Thesis

Here’s the simple version:

Partner with agencies that are stuck. 

Acquire equity.
Install systems.
Deploy custom AI workflows.
Increase efficiency.
Increase profitability.
Increase enterprise value.

It’s not about flipping businesses.

It’s about transforming them into scalable, high-margin assets.

Most agencies don’t fail because of demand.

They fail because of:

  • Operational drag

  • Inefficient delivery

  • Founder bottlenecks

  • Lack of scalable systems

When you fix those, the business changes fast.

In this episode, I unpack:

  • What I look for before acquiring
    What makes an agency “fixable”

  • The operational improvements that move the needle the fastest

If you’re thinking about:

  • Selling in the next 3-5 years

  • Buying agencies yourself

  • Or scaling beyond founder-led growth

This is required listening.

Scaling revenue without fixing your finances is how founders end up with IRS notices, cash-flow surprises, and fake profit.

8 Figure Finance helps 7-figure operators clean up their books, optimize taxes, and install financial systems that actually scale.

If you want growth that sticks (not growth that explodes) start here.

Three Things You Can Do Today

If this topic resonates, here are three things you can do right now:

1. Audit your EBITDA, not just revenue.  What would a serious buyer see when they look at your margins?

2. Identify one operational bottleneck you could solve with custom AI workflows. Where are humans doing repetitive, margin-eroding work?

3. Ask yourself this question: If you stepped away for 90 days, would the business grow or stall? The answer tells you everything about your current enterprise value.

If you want to understand where agencies are headed and how to position yourself on the winning side of the next 5-10 years…

This one could change how you build from here forward.

👋🏼 Whenever you are ready, we can help you:

Avoid making a 6-figure agency tax mistake. Most bookkeepers and accountants don't know how to work with agencies, causing most to massively overpay in taxes. Work with accountants who specialize in agencies and support you in Slack (8F Finance) here

Build a CRM that actually compounds profit. Fully AI-enabled systems that scale without headcount (8F Consulting) here

Want to scale your agency from 7 figures to 8, without adding more people, chaos, or complexity? We design custom AI-powered operating systems that replace fragile human workflows with scalable, tech-enabled systems your agency actually owns. The business keeps running, even when you’re not. Book a demo here!

Want us to run a diagnostics on which of the following systems you need the most help with and put together an easy-to-implement action plan to improve them? So you can finally escape agency prison and build your dream agency? Book a demo here!

Stay happy, stay hungry,

Jordan Ross

CEO & Founder @ 8 Figure Agency

Whatever you do, do not click this; it’s a trap to catch bot clicks here.