Selling your agency, Part 5: The transition

So you’ve sold your agency — congrats! Now you can relax on a beach and sip margaritas all day, right? If only life was that simple. For many agencies, selling the company turns out to be a lot easier than managing the company after an acquisition. In this, the final column of this epic series, I’ll discuss how to keep team members happy, work with your new acquirer, and maintain your culture after an acquisition. Surprise! We’ve been acquired! Most investment bankers will strongly advise founders not to tell their team about an acquisition until after it happens. This often makes founders uncomfortable, especially if they have built a culture based on trust and transparency. But there are many reasons to keep an acquisition secret. First, if the acquisition falls apart, you have to explain to your team why it didn’t happen, which can lead team members to worry about the health of the agency.