PR agency M&A advisory

I advise PR agency founders and acquirers through transactions, on both sides of the table. The founder deciding whether this is the year to sell, and the buyer working out what the firm in front of them is worth.

The market is consolidating faster than it looks from the outside. Networks are combining, private equity is active in the mid-market, and the founders who wait for a tap on the shoulder tend to sell at the wrong end of the curve. The call, when it comes, usually comes one funding cycle late. The valuation has already moved, and so has the leverage in the room.

How I work

There is no team and no methodology to hand you. When you work with me, the judgment on your deal is mine, and the diligence behind it is done before we speak, not after.

I work on a state-of-the-art M&A intelligence platform, so the diligence behind a view is done before the conversation, not after. The platform surfaces the signal. Knowing which signal matters, and what to do about it, takes an expert eye. That judgment is what you are hiring, not a tool I hand over.

For a founder, that means a clear read on what a buyer will actually price, where your value really sits, and whether to wait or run a process. For an acquirer, it means knowing what you are buying before the data room flatters it.

Where to start

If a sale or a purchase is more than theoretical, the readiness scorecards are the quickest way into the conversation.

Reading

Tim Sutton is a senior reputational adviser to boards in their hardest moments and counsel to PR-agency principals on both sides of a transaction. timsuttonpr.com · LinkedIn