Direct Mail and Digital Marketing Agency
Business Description
Full-Service Marketing Agency with Protected Direct Mail Territory
**Established Full-Service Marketing Agency — Central Iowa**
Rare opportunity to acquire a profitable, well-established marketing services business operating in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area and surrounding Midwest markets. The business is structured as a true dual-revenue operation: exclusive territorial rights to a nationally recognized direct-mail cooperative program, layered with a full-service digital marketing agency serving a recurring book of clients across multiple industry verticals.
**Dual revenue engine**
The direct-mail side anchors the business with predictable, territory-protected recurring revenue from a long-tenured cooperative program backed by national brand recognition and established print and fulfillment infrastructure. The digital agency side delivers higher-margin recurring retainers across a comprehensive service mix including Google Ads management, Shopify store development and ongoing management, social media content creation, paid social and remarketing campaigns, email newsletter programs, video production, and creative services. The two sides cross-sell naturally — print clients become digital clients, digital clients add print campaigns — producing diversified, defensible revenue.
**Record Q1 2026 profitability following operational restructuring**
The current owner completed a deliberate operational restructuring in 2024 and 2025, tightening the cost base across payroll, commissions, and discretionary marketing spend. The result is a meaningfully leaner, more profitable operating model. Q1 2026 delivered approximately $86K in net income on $481K of revenue — the strongest first quarter in the business's operating history and a 390% improvement over Q1 2025 on essentially flat revenue. Gross margin expanded from 38.6% in Q1 2025 to 43.4% in Q1 2026, and total operating expenses fell roughly 24% year-over-year. Trailing-twelve-month revenue runs approximately $1.68M.
**Financial highlights (full detail under NDA)**
- TTM revenue: ~$1.68M through March 2026
- Q1 2026 net income: $86K (record Q1, +390% YoY)
- Q1 2026 gross margin: 43.4%
- Recurring revenue across both print cooperative and digital retainers
- Diversified client base with no significant concentration
**Operational strengths**
- Exclusive territorial rights protect the direct-mail revenue base
- Established vendor, fulfillment, and franchise relationships in place
- Trained operating team covering sales, account management, creative, and fulfillment
- Modern technology stack supporting client work and internal operations
- Documented systems and processes supporting a clean ownership transition
**Growth opportunities for a new owner**
- Cross-sell digital retainers into the established print client base
- Expand the agency book through dedicated outbound — current growth is largely inbound and referral
- Productize offerings for high-value verticals (home services, automotive, ecommerce, professional services)
- Geographic expansion of agency services (not territorially restricted, unlike the print cooperative)
- Operational leverage available on existing team and systems for incremental revenue
**Ideal buyer profile**
This opportunity suits an existing marketing agency owner seeking territorial expansion or service-line additions; a marketing or sales professional ready to step into ownership of a profitable, diversified business; an investor group seeking a cash-flowing platform with multiple identified growth levers; or a strategic acquirer in adjacent industries (advertising, print/media, franchise operations) folding this into existing infrastructure. Buyer should be capable of assuming the franchise relationship under the franchisor's standard transfer process.
**Transition and process**
The current owner is committed to a structured transition period.
Full financials, business identity, client details, and program specifics available to qualified buyers following execution of a non-disclosure agreement.
Rare opportunity to acquire a profitable, well-established marketing services business operating in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area and surrounding Midwest markets. The business is structured as a true dual-revenue operation: exclusive territorial rights to a nationally recognized direct-mail cooperative program, layered with a full-service digital marketing agency serving a recurring book of clients across multiple industry verticals.
**Dual revenue engine**
The direct-mail side anchors the business with predictable, territory-protected recurring revenue from a long-tenured cooperative program backed by national brand recognition and established print and fulfillment infrastructure. The digital agency side delivers higher-margin recurring retainers across a comprehensive service mix including Google Ads management, Shopify store development and ongoing management, social media content creation, paid social and remarketing campaigns, email newsletter programs, video production, and creative services. The two sides cross-sell naturally — print clients become digital clients, digital clients add print campaigns — producing diversified, defensible revenue.
**Record Q1 2026 profitability following operational restructuring**
The current owner completed a deliberate operational restructuring in 2024 and 2025, tightening the cost base across payroll, commissions, and discretionary marketing spend. The result is a meaningfully leaner, more profitable operating model. Q1 2026 delivered approximately $86K in net income on $481K of revenue — the strongest first quarter in the business's operating history and a 390% improvement over Q1 2025 on essentially flat revenue. Gross margin expanded from 38.6% in Q1 2025 to 43.4% in Q1 2026, and total operating expenses fell roughly 24% year-over-year. Trailing-twelve-month revenue runs approximately $1.68M.
**Financial highlights (full detail under NDA)**
- TTM revenue: ~$1.68M through March 2026
- Q1 2026 net income: $86K (record Q1, +390% YoY)
- Q1 2026 gross margin: 43.4%
- Recurring revenue across both print cooperative and digital retainers
- Diversified client base with no significant concentration
**Operational strengths**
- Exclusive territorial rights protect the direct-mail revenue base
- Established vendor, fulfillment, and franchise relationships in place
- Trained operating team covering sales, account management, creative, and fulfillment
- Modern technology stack supporting client work and internal operations
- Documented systems and processes supporting a clean ownership transition
**Growth opportunities for a new owner**
- Cross-sell digital retainers into the established print client base
- Expand the agency book through dedicated outbound — current growth is largely inbound and referral
- Productize offerings for high-value verticals (home services, automotive, ecommerce, professional services)
- Geographic expansion of agency services (not territorially restricted, unlike the print cooperative)
- Operational leverage available on existing team and systems for incremental revenue
**Ideal buyer profile**
This opportunity suits an existing marketing agency owner seeking territorial expansion or service-line additions; a marketing or sales professional ready to step into ownership of a profitable, diversified business; an investor group seeking a cash-flowing platform with multiple identified growth levers; or a strategic acquirer in adjacent industries (advertising, print/media, franchise operations) folding this into existing infrastructure. Buyer should be capable of assuming the franchise relationship under the franchisor's standard transfer process.
**Transition and process**
The current owner is committed to a structured transition period.
Full financials, business identity, client details, and program specifics available to qualified buyers following execution of a non-disclosure agreement.
About the Business
- Years in Operation
- 9
- Employees
- 3 (1 Full-time, 1 Part-time, 1 Contractor)
Digital Marketing, Admin & Graphic Design - Market Outlook / Competition
- There is no one who is like us in the market. The combination of digital marketing and direct meal marketing in a very affordable format is nonexistent with our circulation.
- Opportunities for Growth
- Currently, Owner is the only sales person and also runs the business. The market can support one to two more sales people. This is a large opportunity for the next owner.
Real Estate
- Owned or Leased
- Owned
- Included in asking price
- Building Sq. Ft.
- 1,600
About the Sale
- Seller Motivation
- Owner has equity in 2nd business. Wants to focus more on that opportunity.
- Transition Support
- 1 month full time. 2 months 1 day a week
- Financing Options
- NA
Listing Info
- ID
- 2507579
- Listing Views
Attached DocumentsAttachment Disclaimer
Listing ID: 2507579 The information on this listing has been provided by either the seller or a business broker representing the seller. BizQuest has no interest or stake in the sale of this business and has not verified any of the information and assumes no responsibility for its accuracy, veracity, or completeness. See our full Terms of Use. Learn how to avoid scams.
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