Andrew GazdeckiSerial Entrepreneur Driving Startup Acquisitions

Are You Buying an Agency or Buying a Job?

29 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this advisory video, Andrew Gazdecki explains how prospective buyers can determine whether an agency is a true, scalable asset or essentially a job that the founder intends to exit. He emphasizes asking how much time the founder spends in the business and how customers are acquired—especially whether sales rely on the founder’s personal brand or presence on calls. Heavy founder dependence indicates the agency may not operate independently, meaning the buyer would inherit the founder’s duties. While this doesn’t make the agency a bad business, it often signals a smaller, less mature operation. Gazdecki notes that such agencies can be attractive for buyers with limited budgets, offering an opportunity to take over the founder’s role and later build out a team to grow the business.

Chapters

How can I tell if an agency is a real asset or just a job the founder wants to exit? One good way is to just ask, how much time does the founder spend in the business? How are they acquiring customers? That tidbit at the end can help you because if it's their personal brand or they're typically on every single sales call, that can give you an idea if this business can truly operate without the founder. Because some agencies are entirely dependent on the founder and you will be buying a job. That doesn't necessarily mean the agency is a bad business. It just means it may not be as far along as some of the agency businesses on fire that they're going to be materially bigger. They're going to have a team behind them, higher revenue, etc. And that could be an opportunity depending on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a business that maybe is on the smaller sides that could fit your budget, you should have an expectation that you're going to acquire the business and likely take over the entire job that the founder is doing themselves today. And if you're able to grow the business, you can then build out the team yourself.