In this week's AgencyHabits Podcast, Sei-Wook interviews Peter about his new book, The HoldCo Guide: How Entrepreneurs Structure and Build a Holding Company That Lasts.

What started as notes from conversations with other founders turned into a 20,000+ word manual on a topic that didn't have a clear resource: how holding companies actually work.

The book covers the spectrum from capital allocator holdcos (think Berkshire Hathaway - buying great businesses and letting them run) to operational holdcos (think Danaher - installing systems and playbooks to make businesses better). Most sit somewhere in between.

But here's the thing: you don't need a holdco to find this useful. If you've ever looked at your profits and thought, "What do I actually do with this?", this is the framework.

They discuss:

• Why asking "what should I do with my excess cash?" is the wrong starting point
• The metrics that matter for compounding: free cash flow, ROIIC, MOIC
• Centralization vs. decentralization - what to keep at the top, what to push down
• Sector-specific holdcos: the upside of focus, the risk of concentration
• Governance and incentive structures (the unsexy stuff that makes or breaks the model)

​The book is available on Amazon: Kindle, paperback, and hardcover.

Want to continue the conversation?

Speaking of being intentional about where you put your resources - our next FREE AgencyHabits Knowledge Share is happening Feb 18 at 12:30 PM ET, and we're tackling a topic that's just as strategic: Your Ideal Client Profile.

We'll break down:

• Who you're built to serve best
• What triggers make them ready to buy
• How to define "success" so delivery doesn't miss
• And who to say no to, on purpose

Whether you're thinking about capital allocation or client selection, the principle is the same: focus compounds. Lack of focus costs you.

📌 [RSVP here.]​

Who are we?

Hi, we're Peter and Sei-Wook, co-founders of Barrel Holdings, a portfolio of agency businesses. We also run AgencyHabits, a resource for agency operators featuring lessons learned from our various agency businesses.

Thanks for being a subscriber. If you or anyone you know is interested in selling their agency business, please check out what types of agencies we're looking for and email hi@barrel-holdings.com.

Also: Peter posts a lot of agency content on LinkedIn, give him a follow!