Growth and M&A Readiness
+ Full-Service Creative & Media Agency
+ Stakeholders: CEO, President, Department Leaders
+ Critical Juncture: Breaking a 5-year revenue plateau and correcting unpredictable profitability to secure M&A readiness
Return on Investment:
22% revenue and 70% EBITDA growth; now they’re buying another agency.
From Founder-Trap to Acquisition
A regional agency was stalled at under $5M in revenue with significant margin volatility. Despite working with a broker for over a year to find investors, the agency lacked the structural maturity to sell. The founders remained submerged in daily operations, limited by low financial visibility and no clear path to scale.
changeforce executed a 9-month structural overhaul—half the industry average of 18 months—shifting the organizational DNA from tactical execution to strategic stewardship. We established rigorous P&L discipline and hardened the leadership layer, transitioning department heads from "doers" into autonomous owners of their functional P&Ls.
With minimal founder intervention, the agency broke its stagnation: revenue surged by 22% and EBITDA grew by 70%. By stabilizing margins and streamlining operations, we built a platform so robust that the agency is now undertaking an acquisition to nearly double its size.
The critical juncture wasn't the plateau—it was leadership’s decision to stop being the engine and start being the architect.
Impact at a Glance
+ Revenue & Profit Surge: 22% revenue surge (with same staff) and 70% increase in EBITDA
+ M&A Readiness: In less than 12 months, built an M&A-ready business platform and is currently acquiring another agency
+ Operational Autonomy: Ownership grew into executive roles with managers handling departmental operations and P&L
+ Financial Visibility: Established P&L tracking to eliminate margin volatility and drive predictability
