Episode 78 - How to Sell Your Staffing Agency for Top Dollar: Insider M&A Advice from Brian Kennedy

Episode 78 - How to Sell Your Staffing Agency for Top Dollar: Insider M&A Advice from Brian Kennedy

In this episode of Talent Titans, I sit down with M&A advisor and industry veteran Brian Kennedy of R.A. Cohen Consulting to spill all the details of preparing your business for sale—whether you're looking to exit in 5 months or 5 years. With over 200 staffing firm transactions under his belt, Brian gives practical, brutally honest advice on valuations, deal structures, and what makes buyers actually pay more.

We even get into why every staffing firm owner needs a “business GPS” to measure readiness, how to navigate skeletons in the closet, and the difference between what your company is worth vs. what you wish it was worth. You’ll learn what metrics really matter, the downside of revenue-only bragging rights, and how to build lasting enterprise value that gets buyers actually competing for your business.

Key Moments:

• Why selling your staffing firm takes years of preparation.

• The truth about valuations, margins, and inflated expectations.

• Direct hire vs. contract: which model gets you more in a sale?

• How earnouts work and how to structure them.

• Creating transferrable value beyond yourself as the founder.

Favorite Quote: 

"Stop navel gazing. Start talking to your clients, your candidates—people who’ll tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear."

• Brian

 

Connect with Brian:

Now in my 45th year of continuous service to and employment in the staffing industry, I’ve built, scaled, and sold firms and now help others do the same as a senior M&A advisor with R.A. Cohen Consulting. 

I joined the firm in 2012, encouraged by my late friend and mentor Bob Cohen, and have worked closely with Sam Sacco ever since. I bring a founder’s mindset, a no-nonsense approach, and a deep respect for what it takes to build a great staffing company. 

Off the clock: RVs, dogs, tennis, and the occasional strong opinion.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankennedy81/

Book a time with me here: https://calendly.com/bkennedy911

 

Connect with Suky:

I’m Suky an adrenaline junkie who celebrates every single win. I believe we must celebrate and collect all our wins along the way as it fuels forward momentum to ensure we exceed our goals. When we fuel forward momentum, complacency simply can not settle in.

With over 25 years of experience working in the staffing industry, 16 of those working with global recruitment companies, I bring the knowledge and experience of working in 18 countries and successfully navigating through numerous “recession” cycles.

Companies often get so focused on the bottom line that they forget that we are in the “people business”. For me, the magic happens when my clients recognize the best way to create a truly sustainable high-performance sales culture is to align both.

 

LinkedIn

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