He built an agency.

Then stepped out of it.

And now he’s building a holding company with the goal of hitting nine figures.

Today’s guest is Peter Kang, founder of agency holding company Barrel. He’s also the author of “Holdco: The Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs to Structure and Scale a Holding Company.”

In this episode, we unpack:

🔥 How Peter transitioned from founder-operator to holding company builder.

🔥 What the structure of a truly healthy agency looks like — from margins to management layers.

🔥 How he sources, analyses, and structures acquisition deals.

🔥 And why stepping out of day-to-day operations is the real unlock for long-term scale.

If you want to understand how to turn agencies into assets — and build a portfolio that compounds toward nine figures — this episode is for you.

Chapters:

00:00 – From agency founder to holding company builder

01:59 – The story behind writing his book

04:54 – Peter’s background and early entrepreneurial path

08:30 – Stepping away from day-to-day operations

12:42 – Why founders become the bottleneck

14:15 – Building management layers that scale

17:37 – Accountability structures inside a holding company

19:43 – Hiring externally vs promoting internally

21:32 – Managing CEO transitions after acquisitions

24:35 – What a healthy agency P&L actually looks like

30:01 – Understanding churn in agency models

34:19 – Reinvesting profits to grow agencies

38:36 – Lead generation channels that work

41:28 – Building partnerships with other agencies

45:08 – Diversifying channels vs staying focused

47:06 – Why some agencies decentralize marketing

48:14 – Value-based pricing strategies

53:31 – The airline pricing analogy

55:40 – Single-service vs full-service agency models

59:46 – Acquisition strategies in the eCommerce space

01:03:14 – Preparing agency portfolios for the AI shift

01:05:22 – Why Peter moved from startups to acquisitions

01:08:56 – How he sources and evaluates acquisition deals

01:12:15 – Red flags that kill acquisition deals

01:15:03 – The thought process behind structuring deals

01:18:11 – Advice for agency founders who want to exit

01:21:32 – Scaling toward a nine-figure vision

01:24:47 – The role of mission and values

01:27:03 – The best way founders should reinvest in themselves