Founded in 2005 by a pair brought together by the multimedia program at the University of the Arts, P’unk Ave is a creative and digital studio with deep roots in Philadelphia that does good work with good people. Focused on branding, strategy, and design, P’unk Ave solves problems and explores new opportunities for organizations making a positive social impact in fields like urbanism, health and wellness, arts and culture, and education. With clients ranging from small and large companies to nonprofit organizations, their services focus on elevating their client’s missions and bringing them closer to their goals.

Stepping Aside to Focus on their New Software Company

The owners reached out to Barney because they were ready to move on to new projects – but wanted P’unk Ave to thrive without them. They were running their new software company full-time and were excited to help modern organizations deliver digital excellence with their new product. They knew it was time to let a new owner take the reins at P’unk Ave.

The founders needed an acquisition firm that deeply understood the marketing and digital space, so they could sell P’unk Ave for what it was really worth and get back to building their new software company. They reached out to us at Barney because that’s the core of what we do: help entrepreneurs buy and sell digital agencies.

With unparalleled business acumen from our own firsthand experience, a mile long list of successful agency acquisitions behind us, the largest pool of ready and willing buyers across the country, and a uniquely effective approach to marketing, the founders put their trust in us to sell P’unk Ave to a buyer who would love what made P’unk, well, P’unk.

A Deeply Human Business Doing Purpose-Driven Work for Organizations Dedicated to Improving the Social Good

P’unk Ave is a different kind of digital agency. You can feel it when you walk into their open, sunny space on Passyunk Ave in the heart of South Philly. It’s a deeply human business run in an empathetic, kind way. It’s made up of a team of highly skilled, authentic, and creative people doing purpose-driven work they love for incredible organizations dedicated to improving the social good.

Their work includes branding, strategy, design thinking, user experience, website design and software development, graphic design, print, consulting, and retreats and workshop facilitation – all to help clients elevate their mission and get closer to their goals. With a client roster featuring notable Philly non-profits like Mural Arts Philadelphia, The Clay Studio, and Wissahickon Trails as well as big-name Philly schools like the University of Pennsylvania and national businesses like Kimpton Hotels, P’unk Ave wasn’t just talking the talk – they were walking the walk.

With their strong reputation in the non-profit and higher education space, strong branding and design process, stacked in-house creative team, and seasoned management team who was excited to stay with the company after the transition, P’unk Ave was a dream for the right buyer.

We were excited to find them a buyer who wanted to support P’unk Ave’s work with socially responsible clients and their expansion. They had plenty of opportunities to grow including adding more retainer-based service offerings, partnering with CMS companies, expanding branding service offerings, implementing outbound business development, and continuing to focus on the higher education and non-profit niche.

P’unk Ave’s Ideal Buyer

The founders wanted to find a buyer who would partner with P’unk Ave to continue to serve their clients and partners in the best way they could. P’unk Ave needed a partner that would help them continue to grow and thrive in an ever-changing world. But it was more than that: they wanted a partner who cared deeply about the same things as the P’unk team: being deeply human and empowering organizations that give a shot to those who don’t hold power.

The owners wanted to facilitate a successful transition and continue to leverage their relationships to direct new work and referrals to P’unk Ave. The rest of the team, including the Chief Creative Officer, CEO, and entirety of the seasoned leadership team was excited to stay on after the transition for the next iteration of P’unk.

At Barney, we know that a different kind of agency needs a different kind of buyer. As a unique agency focused on cultivating their incredible culture and supporting the missions of socially responsible organizations, P’unk Ave needed a buyer who shared their values, vision, and goals. With their big growth potential, strong reputation in the non-profit and higher education space, successful branding and design process, and experienced creative and management teams, P’unk would make the perfect partner for an agency seeking to expand into their niche, grow their digital offerings, and cultivate a presence in Philly.

A Fast, Painless Selling Process

At Barney, we learned the hard way that selling your agency the old school way was a miserable task. After months of negotiation, you usually ended up with a bunch of legal fees…and no deal. If you were lucky and your deal closed, you got some cash….and the delight of watching the new owners wreck the business you spent your life building. Um, no thanks!

We make acquisitions fast and painless – so entrepreneurs like the founders of this agency can get on with their next world-changing, creative idea with cash in the bank and an agency thriving beyond their exit.

It all starts with how much your agency is worth to buyer’s in today’s market. Once we realized what made P’unk special and calculated their worth to today’s buyers, we put together strategic marketing materials to help potential buyers see what we saw in P’unk: a different kind of agency with an epic creative team, endless growth potential, and a dedication to doing good.

Then, we got into the fun part: tapping into our vast network of buyers and identifying high-potential buyer targets. With our deep-seated relationships with both strategic and entrepreneurial buyers, there were plenty of options to choose from.

Finding P’unk Ave’s Perfect Fit

When we found Yes&, a DC-based creative agency named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies for 2017 through 2020, there was no question it was the perfect buyer for P’unk. With their focus on curiosity, agility, tenacity, and camaraderie, they were a great culture fit from the start. They valued having diverse staff with differing perspectives and life experiences, and loved working with nonprofit clients supporting causes near and dear to their team like Casey Trees and the Humane Rescue Alliance.

The Yes& team was excited to expand their website and application development capabilities by adding significant branding, strategy, creative thinking, user experience, website design, and application development expertise to the Yes& portfolio of services. P’unk Ave’s clients were culturally aligned with many mission- and purpose-driven clients on their own roster, and they knew their acquisition came with great positioning in the higher education and not-for-profit verticals.

For P’unk Ave, the acquisition offered an incredible amount of resources and knowledge around brand strategy, customer experience, public relations, digital marketing, video, and events. With their values-based alignment and ability to help P’unk not just grow but thrive, Yes& was the perfect fit.

Another Dream Fit, Brought to You by Barney

In the end, Yes& got a stronger digital offering, a place in Philadelphia to call home, and another step closer to becoming the mid-Atlantic’s go-to digital agency. P’unk Ave got a partner with important resources and knowledge to help them thrive, and the founders got the freedom they needed to grow their innovative new company. Another dream fit, brought to you by Barney.

Finding agencies like P’unk Ave a new home with an aligned, strategic buyer is our bread-and-butter. All we do is sell agencies, and we do it well. From culture fit to financial fit, we make sure buyers are aligned in more ways than one so the agency’s owners have spent their lives building don’t crash and burn. Your goals are our goals, and we love making entrepreneurs dreams come true – all day long.