Criteria
What I look for
Published so you can disqualify me in two minutes instead of two calls. If your agency sits outside these, say so anyway — the edges are softer than the list makes them look.
The shape of the agency
- Revenue
- $500K to $2M in annual commission and fee income. Below that it will not carry a full-time owner. Above it, I would be bidding against buyers with more capital than I have.
- Mix
- Commercial P&C led. Personal lines and benefits alongside it are fine. A book that is entirely personal auto is not my strength.
- Retention
- Roughly 85% or better, and stable. One bad year with a clear cause does not disqualify anything.
- Geography
- Ohio and the neighboring states. I am licensed in Ohio and live in Columbus, so this is where I can actually serve a book from day one.
- Staff
- At least a few tenured people who are not the owner. I would rather buy a team than a book.
- Owner situation
- Planning to step back within about five years. Full exit, phased handover, or staying on as a producer — all workable.
What does not disqualify you
Most of the things owners apologize for on a first call.
Messy financials
Personal expenses run through the business, no proper P&L by line, a chart of accounts nobody has touched since 2011. Normal. It affects the work, not the answer.
No agency management system
Or one used as an expensive address book. That is a fixable operating problem, not a reason to pass.
You are still the biggest producer
Almost every owner is. It affects how a deal is structured — usually meaning you stay involved longer — but it is expected, not a red flag.
You have talked to other buyers
Good. You should know what the market says before you take anyone's number, including mine.
Close enough to worth a call?
If two or three of these fit and the rest do not, that is still a conversation.