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The Real Math Behind Agency Profitability

Published 8 days ago • 1 min read

We talk a lot about agency profitability.

But when you strip the buzzwords and look at the spreadsheets, most founders are miscalculating their numbers, sometimes by 10–20%.

This week’s episode of The AgencyHabits Podcast tackles that head-on.

Peter and Sei-Wook break down how they actually assess agency health at Barrel Holdings: what 15% EBITDA really means, how they normalize owner salaries, and why SDE and EBITDA are two different conversations entirely.

If you’re thinking about selling, scaling, or simply comparing performance, this is the one to tune into.

If you run an agency, this is the 25 minutes that could change how you look at your P&L, and how you make decisions next quarter.

And if you haven’t yet, subscribe to The AgencyHabits Podcast, every episode breaks down the systems, shifts, and frameworks that keep agencies healthy as they grow.

P.S.

If you found value in today’s insights, join us for the first AgencyHabits Knowledge Share on November 19th, 12:30 - 1:30 PM. It will be a live, open conversation for agency founders and leaders who want to learn, share, and grow together.

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!

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AgencyHabits

Go behind the scenes of real agency businesses.

AgencyHabits provides learnings, ideas, and templates for agency operators drawn from Barrel Holdings companies. Barrel Holdings incubates, acquires, and grows agency businesses.

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