Buying a marketing agency in Treasure Coast

• A large share of revenue from retainers, with clients who have stayed several years.
• A niche: a clear type of client or service that brings referrals and work the team can repeat.
• Margins measured without media spend, so you can see what the agency actually earns.
• Account managers, not just the owner, who have their own relationships with clients.
• Written processes, and reports that clients actually read.
• Client ad accounts, websites and domains set up in the client's name, with access given to the agency, which avoids fights later.
• No single client making up a large share of revenue, and top clients who came from different sources.
• Prices that have gone up over time, with the scope of work written down so extra requests get billed.

• Revenue by client for three years: how much comes from the biggest clients, and how long clients stay.
• Media spend separated from agency fees, and how markups are disclosed to clients.
• Client agreements: notice periods, who owns the creative work, and whether the agreements can be assigned to a new owner.
• Who does the work. Leaning on freelancers is flexible, but it raises questions about whether they should be employees and who owns what they create.
• The owner's role in selling and in client relationships, and how long a handover you'll need.
• Any disputes over results, billing or ownership of work.
• Dependence on one advertising platform's rules or partner status, which can change overnight.
• Software subscriptions and tools in the owner's personal name that need to move to the business.

• Which clients would leave if you left?
• How much of your revenue comes from retainers, and how long do retainer clients usually stay?
• How do new clients find you?
• Does the agency make calls or send texts for clients, and how do you get consent?
• Who owns the ad accounts, websites and domains you manage?
• Which clients did you lose last year, and why?
• What work goes to freelancers, and do they sign agreements handing their work over to you?

This region covers Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties on the Atlantic coast and Okeechobee and Highlands counties inland: Stuart, Palm City, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Sebastian, Okeechobee, Sebring and Avon Park. Port St. Lucie is the largest city and has grown quickly as a suburb within reach of Palm Beach County to the south.

The coast draws retirees and winter residents, and health care, construction, real estate, boating and sport fishing are big parts of the economy. The coast lies in the Indian River citrus district, named for the lagoon. Inland, Okeechobee and Highlands are cattle, dairy and citrus country around Lake Okeechobee and along the ridge near Sebring, with many retirees of their own. Home service companies, the building trades, marine businesses and medical practices find steady customers here.

The coast is seasonal, with winter residents filling restaurants, golf courses and service schedules, and summer is quieter. Hurricane Nicole came ashore near Vero Beach in November 2022, and the region has a long history of storms, so check insurance, flood zones and how a business came through recent ones.

Water quality in the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon is a recurring problem, and in a bad year it can hurt fishing, boating and tourism businesses. Inland, distances are longer and the labor pool thinner. A company in Sebring or Okeechobee may be one of very few of its kind nearby, which can mean loyal customers and little competition, but also few people to hire. Most new homes on the coast are going up in and around Port St. Lucie.