Sell-Side Advisory case study. Marketing Agency business in CA. $5.6M rev / $1.3M EBITDA. Outcome: 5.8x EBITDA over 10 months. Holding company aggregator. Anonymized under post-close NDA.
| Dimension | Detail |
|---|---|
| Service Track | Sell-Side Advisory |
| Niche | Marketing Agency |
| Geography | CA |
| Financials | $5.6M rev / $1.3M EBITDA |
| Outcome | 5.8x EBITDA |
| Timeline | 10 months |
| Result | Holding company aggregator |
The Engagement
WETYR engaged this marketing agency client through the sell-side advisory practice area. The starting position included the typical lower-middle-market characteristics for the niche: owner-led operations, recurring revenue not yet maximized, financial reporting requiring cleanup, and a buyer pool the owner had not yet mapped. Over the engagement window, WETYR worked the highest-leverage value drivers — recurring revenue conversion, owner-dependency removal, customer concentration reduction, financial discipline, and team retention — alongside the structured transactional work specific to sell-side advisory.
What Drove The Outcome
Three factors compounded to produce the 5.8x EBITDA outcome over 10 months. First, the preparation work that addressed the value-driver gaps before going to market (or before continuing the engagement to subsequent phases) materially shifted the multiple. Second, WETYR's relationship-density with active acquirers in the marketing agency space ensured the engagement was matched to the right buyer pool from the start. Third, the integrated nature of the WETYR engagement — preparation, transaction execution, and post-close stabilization under one operating partner — reduced coordination cost and accelerated decisions.
What This Means For Similar Owners
If you operate a marketing agency business in CA or anywhere with similar market dynamics and want to understand whether a comparable outcome is achievable for your specific situation, the natural starting point is the WETYR Exit Score — a 4-minute diagnostic on the eight value drivers that move multiples. Premium scorers (90+) are typically transaction-ready; below-market scorers benefit from 12-24 month preparation engagements that produce multiple lifts comparable to this case.
Confidentiality
All identifying information has been removed under post-close NDA. Financials and outcomes are accurate as represented. Diligence files for verification are available to qualified parties under mutual NDA. Other case studies in this track: see the case study index.
Could WETYR Produce A Similar Outcome For You?
Take the Exit Score for a value-driver diagnostic, or book a 30-min call to discuss your specific situation.
Authoritative Sources & Further Reading
WETYR works alongside primary sources, regulators, and industry data providers when advising owners and operators. The references below are the same sources our advisory team uses when modeling deals, benchmarking multiples, and stress-testing assumptions. We encourage every owner, buyer, and operator to verify any data point that materially affects their decision against the underlying primary source.
Primary Federal Sources
- U.S. SBA — 7(a) Loan Program for acquisition financing eligibility, terms, and lender list.
- SEC EDGAR for public-company comparables, 10-K disclosures, and recent strategic acquirer filings.
- IRS — Sale of a Business on Section 1060 asset-allocation reporting and tax treatment of asset vs stock sales.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Industries at a Glance for wage, employment, and growth data by NAICS code.
- U.S. Census Economic Census for industry size, firm counts, and revenue distributions.
- Federal Reserve Economic Data for prevailing rate environment underwriting.
Standards & Reference Bodies
- AICPA for Quality of Earnings methodology and CPA standards governing transaction-related financial work.
- FINRA Rules and Guidance for understanding when a transaction crosses into broker-dealer territory.
- NACVA business valuation credentialing body and standards (CVA designation).
- USPAP — Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice for valuation engagement standards.
- Investopedia — EBITDA reference page for definitional alignment with our glossary.
- Harvard Business Review — Mergers and Acquisitions archive on integration and post-close value creation.
For deeper transaction-specific data, the GF Data and PitchBook private-company transaction databases publish quarterly multiple ranges by industry size band that we cross-reference against our own pipeline benchmarks. Owners considering a sale should also review the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Report (free, annual) for current cost-of-capital and lender appetite data across the lower middle market. Buyers underwriting search-fund or holdco theses commonly pair Stanford GSB's Search Fund Study with the IBBA Market Pulse report, which tracks multiples for sub-$50M transactions quarterly. None of these sources replace deal-specific advisory, but they give owners and operators the same reference points professional acquirers are using on the other side of the table.
Related WETYR Resources
Every WETYR resource ladders into a structured engagement framework. Whether you are diagnosing readiness, modeling a number, or preparing for a specific transaction phase, the resources below cover the most common owner and operator workflows. All tools are free; all guides are operator-written; all engagements start with a confidential conversation.
Engagement Pillars
Decision Tools
Operator-Written
Glossary & FAQ
Checklists & Templates
Niche Coverage
If you are not sure where to start, the Exit Readiness Score takes about four minutes and produces a one-page diagnostic on the value drivers most likely to compress your multiple. From there the natural next step is either a long-form guide covering your specific situation, a focused glossary term lookup, or a confidential introductory call with our team to discuss whether WETYR's advisory or operator-buyer engagement is a fit. Our team responds to every inbound inquiry within one business day.