Episode Details

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Natalie Henley, CEO of Volume Nine, is here to unpack how she bought out her agency's founder. Not through PE, not through M&A, but as a trusted insider who built her path from employee to owner. Natalie shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she structured the deal without needing an SBA loan, the mindset shifts she had to make, and how the agency survived both Google's algorithm changes and COVID-19 cratering their top clients.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• Grooming your #2 to become your successor, or become the one buying.

• Avoiding mistakes that slow down or kill an internal exit.

• Using creative financing (HELOCs, owner carry notes, balloon payments) to structure the deal.

• Knowing when an employee has what it takes to run the agency.

• Preserving trust and team stability during a leadership transition.

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The overlooked exit strategy: selling your agency to a team member…

Natalie started as an employee in a boutique digital firm. When it got acquired by Volume Nine, she climbed the ranks the old-school way: by taking on every problem no one else would. Over time, she ran the company. Then COVID hit.

The agency's revenue cratered. Clients disappeared. The founder wanted out.

But instead of flipping to a stranger, he turned to Natalie.

When the founder came to Natalie with the offer to buy, he already had the groundwork laid. He'd called the bank, scoped out an SBA loan, and gave her a number. Natalie didn't have a pile of cash sitting around, but she did have grit, resourcefulness, and inside knowledge of the business.

She didn't take the SBA route.

Instead, she pieced together a creative financing stack:

• A HELOC for the down payment

• An owner-carry note