Free agency tool
Agency valuation calculator
Enter revenue, retainer mix, margin, growth, and concentration. Get an estimated sale range and a clear read on what is lifting or discounting the multiple.
Most marketing agencies trade on a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings. Raise the multiple by growing retainer share, holding healthy labor margin, cutting client concentration, and getting the owner out of day-to-day delivery.
- Midpoint
- $736,128
- Range
- $625,709to $846,547
- SDE
- $216,000owner earnings
- Multiple
- 3.41x0.61x of revenue
Recurring mix, margin, and concentration are in a range buyers can underwrite without heavy discounts.
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Base multiple from margin | 3x |
| Recurring revenue mixRetainers above ~70% of revenue usually earn a higher multiple. | +0.18x |
| Revenue growthDouble-digit growth supports a premium if margin holds. | +0.18x |
| Client concentrationSpread across clients reduces deal risk and supports a cleaner multiple. | -0.03x |
| Owner delivery dependenceA team that runs without the founder on every account transfers more cleanly. | -0.07x |
| Years in businessA multi-year track record lowers perceived risk. | +0.15x |
| Adjusted multiple | 3.41x |
Educational estimate only. Midpoint is SDE × adjusted multiple; the range is ±15%. Not an appraisal or offer.
Why use it
Value follows how the agency actually runs.
Buyers underwrite earnings quality, not a headline revenue number. Use this before you talk to a broker, a partner, or yourself about an exit.
See a low, mid, and high estimate from the same factors buyers underwrite: earnings, recurring mix, concentration, and transferability.
Each factor shows how much it moves the multiple, so you fix concentration or owner delivery before you list, not after the first LOI.
Valuation follows retainer quality and margin. Thin retainers inflate revenue and crush SDE; healthy ones do the opposite.
If you want a premium, prove the team runs without you, with clean monthly numbers a buyer can trust.
How it works
A transparent multiple on your earnings.
Built for marketing agencies. Pair it with the retainer pricing calculator and utilization calculator so the operating levers behind the multiple are visible too.
Annual revenue × net margin %. That is the earnings stream a buyer is underwriting.
Thinner profit books sit nearer 2x; stronger SDE margins move toward 3.5x to 4x before adjustments.
Recurring mix and growth lift the multiple. Client concentration and owner delivery pull it down. Tenure adds a small premium.
Questions
What does this agency valuation calculator do?
It estimates a low, mid, and high sale range for a marketing agency from annual revenue, retainer share, net margin (SDE %), growth, largest-client concentration, owner delivery dependence, and years in business. The midpoint is SDE times an adjusted multiple.
How is seller's discretionary earnings calculated here?
SDE is annual revenue multiplied by your net margin percentage. Enter the profit an owner-operator would take after paying themselves a market salary. It is a planning proxy, not a tax return.
What multiple do marketing agencies usually sell for?
Small and mid-size marketing agencies often clear roughly 2x to 4x SDE, with the multiple moving on recurring mix, growth, concentration, and how transferable the team is. Project-heavy or owner-dependent books sit lower.
How does retainer mix affect valuation?
Buyers pay more for contracted recurring revenue than for project spikes. A book above about 70% retainers usually supports a higher multiple than a project-heavy shop at the same margin.
Why does client concentration lower the value?
If one client is more than about 25 to 30% of revenue, diligence treats renewal risk as deal risk. Spread revenue, or lock renewals and document the relationship, before you shop the agency.
Can I guarantee I will sell for this estimate?
No. This is an educational range for planning, not an appraisal, broker opinion, or offer. Actual price depends on diligence, terms, earnouts, and the buyer.
What raises an agency's valuation the fastest?
Raise retainer share while holding 50 to 60% as the minimum healthy labor margin, cut the largest client's share of revenue, and move the owner out of delivery for two clean quarters with numbers to prove it.
Run the numbers a buyer will ask for, every month.
Verbial keeps contracted revenue, absorbed cost, and margin on one client record, so diligence is a view, not a spreadsheet rebuild.