How Mark Ferrier Grew His Marketing Agency to $2M EBITDA and Scored an 8-Figure Exit
“Mark Ferrier founded the company TRAFFIKGROUP and was able to sell to a private equity group in 2019,” shares Sam Thompson a Minneapolis business broker and the president of M&A firm Transitions In Business. “This episode covers how to know when it’s time to sell, how to avoid an earn out, and lessons learned in buying out minority partners.”
Mark Ferrier founded the marketing agency TRAFFIKGROUP and grew it to over $2M in EBITDA before agreeing to be acquired by the private equity group Onex in an eight-figure exit. Mark decided to sell when a friend revealed that most founders end up wishing they had sold 50% sooner for 25% less. This episode is packed with wisdom for service-based businesses, including how to:
- Drive employee engagement with a “Holy Crap” fund.
- Buy out minority partners.
- Distinguish between agreement vs. alignment.
- Deal with imposter syndrome.
- Know when it’s time to sell.
- Avoid being “Hollywooded” by a deal structure.
- Evaluate the risks of rolling equity.
- Avoid an earn out.
- Evaluate an offer from a private equity group.