Earnout Structures for Insurance Brokerage Independent Sponsors
When the deal is insurance brokerage and the question is Earnout Structures, the structure decisions in the first 30 days outlast the next five years. This is where Jason Powell works.
Every insurance brokerage acquisition has its own gravity. Earnout Structures is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.
The typical insurance brokerage platform sits at $10M to $150M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $25M range. The thesis runs on regional retail agency roll-ups. Producer non-competes are unenforceable in too many states to ignore. Plan retention, not litigation.
How Earnout Structures actually gets structured.
Tie the earnout to gross profit or contribution margin, not revenue, to avoid sandbagging.
Cap the earnout window at 24 months. Anything longer is a litigation risk.
Build acceleration on a change of control or buyer-driven operational change.
Name an arbitrator and the accounting standard in the agreement.
In insurance brokerage, layer in E&O tail insurance priced and bound as part of the Earnout Structures workstream.
Drafting the earnout in three paragraphs. Earnouts are the second-most-litigated provision in M&A.
"If the earnout could be measured by a teenager with a spreadsheet, you wrote it well."Jason Powell · Earnout Structures
The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.
After close, the call list for refinancing, recapitalization, and growth equity gets short and known. Jason carries that list.
Related deal pages.
LOI Negotiation for Insurance Brokerage
The 4 to 8 page agreement that frames the deal economics, exclusivity, and diligence period.
Independent Sponsor Economics for Insurance Brokerage
The package of deal-by-deal carry, management fees, and transaction fees that compensates the independent spo…
Management Fee Structuring for Insurance Brokerage
The annual fee paid by the deal entity to the independent sponsor for ongoing oversight, board service, and p…
Equity Rollover for Insurance Brokerage
The portion of seller proceeds reinvested into the post-close entity, aligning seller with buyer.
Earnout Structures for Healthcare Services
roll-up of physician practices and ancillary service lines
Earnout Structures for Home Services
regional roll-ups of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical operators
Earnout Structures for Insurance Brokerage, on independent sponsor terms.
Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.