How to Make Sure Your Agency Merger is Successful

<p>Are you having trouble scaling your agency? Considering a merger as a growth plan? Have you been approached about merging with another agency? A merger can be a great way to scale up faster by adding a new, complimentary service or a bigger piece of the niche. On the other hand, agency mergers are just as risky as starting the business the first time. If you're considering a merger, there are ways to ensure it is successful</p> <p>In this episode, we'll cover:</p> <ul> <li>Three plans you need to make your agency merger successful.</li> <li>Why your some team members might not follow your agency merger.</li> <li>Creating team trust through vulnerability.</li> </ul> <p>I talked to Lisa Vielee, who merged her small, 4-person team with a larger full-service agency 15 years ago. Initially, she was seeking a mentor to learn how to scale. He agreed, but also asked her to consider merging the agencies and succeeding him when he retired. The two now have a team of 30 people, and Lisa is President of <a href="https://www.welldonemarketing.com/">Well Done Marketing</a>. She is here to explain how the agency has thrived since the merger.</p> <h2>Three Plans You Need to Make When Merging</h2> <p>Lisa agreed to merge her agency with Well Done Marketing because she had reached the point with her four-person team where she either needed to let them go and return to freelancing or scale into something bigger. She <a href= "https://jasonswenk.com/mastermind-apply/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">chose a mentor</a> who had successfully grown his own full-service agency. Instead, the two decided to <a href= "https://jasonswenk.com/acquisitions-to-scale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">merge agencies</a>. This isn't a simple process, however. It involved developing plans and getting on the same page in three different areas:</p> <ol> <li><strong>The 5 to 8-year plan:</strong> It is one thing to combine two teams into one. It's another thing figuring out how to move the newly created team forward. You need to find a way to retain