Dom Hawes
M&A Advisor to Creative and Consulting Firms up to £5m | Programmatic M&A Board Advisor | Investor | Acquirer
Dom Hawes writes insider perspective on agency M&A, business model shifts, and founder decisions—positioning himself as someone who has lived through these transitions. His most distinctive move is opening with personal announcements or contrarian takes that feel like he's thinking out loud, then backing them with 8-10 years of observed pattern data.
4.5/wk
59 posts in 30d
51
avg per post
21.3%
comments / total
1.5%
reposts / total
Story + Business Transformation Narrative
Fri · 9 PM CET
Voice & tone
Conversational, slightly irreverent, and grounded in real observation rather than theory. He uses casual phrasing ('funny old year,' 'smashing it,' 'You'll smash it') alongside hard-won skepticism about common business myths. The tone says: I've seen this movie 250 times, and here's what actually happens. He avoids corporate jargon and isn't afraid to mock it—see his AI post calling out 'antithetical sentence structures so beloved by LLMs.'
Signature phrases
- “Over the past 8-10 years, I've had the privilege of”
- “I've watched agencies with brilliant positioning and prospects slowly grind themselves down”
- “What if growth isn't an activity you can just throw more effort at?”
- “Transactions shape businesses for years and years.”
- “You'll smash it. I know you will.”
- “It's been a funny old year. Funny peculiar, not funny haha.”
Top 3 posts, dissected
Their highest-engagement posts, broken down line by line. Steal the structure.
After several years as co-Founder and Group CEO of Selbey Anderson, I will be stepping away from the role as the business enters its next phase. We built Selbey Anderson through an intense period, scaling quickly, integrating multiple agencies, navigating Covid, economic shocks, and a fast-changing marketing landscape. I am proud of what we created; a group of genuinely specialist agencies doing ambitious, award-winning work for demanding clients. As the market has shifted, the board has chosen to simplify the group and double down on an agency-first model. This is the right decision for the business and its clients. I leave with enormous respect for the people across the group, huge pride in what we achieved, eternal gratitude to the investors who backed us, and confidence in the agencies as they continue to grow, adapt, and win. For me, it is the right moment to step away, reflect, and consider what comes next. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey and I wish my colleagues the very best for the future. You’ll smash it. I know you will.
The opening is a direct statement of a major life decision. It stops scroll because it signals vulnerability and insider knowledge—readers want to understand why someone is stepping away from a role they built. The specificity ('co-Founder and Group CEO of Selbey Anderson') adds credibility and makes it feel like a real announcement, not a generic post.
Announcement → Context (what was built, challenges navigated) → Rationale (market shift, board decision) → Emotional reflection (pride, gratitude, confidence) → Personal next step (stepping away to reflect). The architecture moves from external facts to internal emotion, which invites comment.
- Specificity over abstraction: names the company, describes what was built ('scaling quickly, integrating multiple agencies, navigating Covid')
- Emotional honesty: 'I am proud,' 'enormous respect,' 'eternal gratitude' feel earned because they're paired with concrete context
- Closing with confidence in others: 'You'll smash it. I know you will.' is a warm send-off that invites people to comment with support or questions
No explicit CTA. Instead, the close is a warm handoff that invites people to respond with support, questions, or their own reflections. The phrase 'You'll smash it. I know you will' is personal enough to feel like a direct address, which drives comments.
When announcing a major transition, lead with the decision itself, provide enough context to make it credible, then close with emotion and confidence in others—this structure invites comments because readers want to engage with the human moment, not just the news.
Over the past 8-10 years, I've had the privilege of building and acquiring agencies, working closely with founders, investors and leadership teams across the creative market. That experience has given me perspective on how growth, acquisition and exit decisions play out over tim…
The opening uses the 'Privilege + Perspective' frame: 'Over the past 8-10 years, I've had the privilege of building and acquiring agencies.' This stops scroll because it signals that what follows is distilled from real experience, not theory. The specificity of '8-10 years' and the humble word 'privilege' make it feel credible and grounded.
Credibility frame (8-10 years of experience) → Insight (transactions shape businesses for years) → Announcement (launching Hunter Hawes & Co.) → Four-point value proposition (help founders, support acquisitions, structure transactions, provide judgment) → Gratitude close. The structure moves from authority to announcement to specificity, which keeps readers engaged.
- Specificity in the value prop: instead of 'help with growth,' he lists four concrete things (implement systems, support acquisitions, structure transactions, provide judgment)
- Repetition of key insight: 'Transactions shape businesses for years and years. Structure, timing, alignment and leadership depth matter enormously.' The repetition drives home the point
- Gratitude as credibility: 'I'm hugely grateful to the people I have worked with over the years' signals that this new venture is built on relationships, not ego
No hard CTA. The close trails off ('Those experiences inform the work I am…'), which creates curiosity and invites people to comment asking for more details or to congratulate him.
When announcing a new venture, lead with the years of experience that qualify you, state the core insight that drives the venture, then list specific value props rather than vague promises—this structure builds trust and invites engagement because readers see you've thought it through.
It’s been a funny old year. Funny peculiar, not funny haha. As I get out and about, speaking to both agency leaders and CMOs, 2025 is not a year many will miss. That said, I know of two or three agencies who aren’t just smashing it, they are redefining what smash looks like. T…
The opening is a casual contrarian opener: 'It's been a funny old year. Funny peculiar, not funny haha.' This stops scroll because it's relatable (everyone has had a rough year) and the parenthetical clarification is funny and self-aware. It signals that what follows will be honest, not corporate.
Casual observation (2025 was rough) → Market observation (agencies are either smashing it or in sales process; in-house jobs are unrewarding) → Macro critique (economy stagnating, companies in defensive mode) → Dismissal of 2025 → Optimism about 2026 → Personal note (ending year on the river, New Year's resolution). The structure moves from market-wide observation to personal reflection, which feels earned and invites people to share their own year-end thoughts.
- Specificity in observation: 'I know of two or three agencies who aren't just smashing it, they are redefining what smash looks like' feels like insider gossip, which drives engagement
- Macro-to-personal: he moves from broad economic critique ('our economy is stagnating day by day') to personal detail (racing competitively), which makes the post feel authentic
- Dismissal as closure: 'Good bye to it and good riddance. Let's just draw a line under it and move on?' is conversational and gives readers permission to move on too
No hard CTA. The close is personal and warm: 'Merry Christmas and here's to a storming 2026!' It invites people to comment with their own year-end reflections or to wish him well.
When reflecting on a difficult period, lead with humor and relatability, provide specific market observations that feel like insider knowledge, then close with personal detail and optimism—this structure invites comments because readers want to share their own experiences and feel seen.
What drives their engagement
Personal announcements and reflections drive the most comments because they invite people to respond with support, questions, or their own stories. His top post (478 eng, 146 comments) was a career transition announcement. Comments also spike when he asks rhetorical questions ('What if growth isn't an activity you can just throw more effort at?') because they invite readers to think and respond.
Repost rate is low (1.5%), which suggests his audience engages through comments and likes rather than amplification. Posts that might drive reposts are those with broad market insights (e.g., '2025 sucked for most agencies'), but his niche positioning (agency M&A, founder-focused) limits the repost audience.
Low. This creator optimizes for reach and comment engagement, not savability. His posts are timely reflections and announcements rather than evergreen frameworks or checklists that readers would save for later reference.
Content pillars
Agency M&A and Exit Strategy
35%Teaches founders how acquisition, timing, and deal structure actually play out over time, drawing from 250+ agencies examined through a buyer's lens.
Growth Systems vs. Activity
25%Challenges the myth that hiring a BD person or pushing harder fixes growth; reframes it as a broken system problem that requires diagnosis, not hustle.
Personal Transitions and Reflection
20%Shares major career pivots (stepping down as CEO, launching new advisory firm) with transparency about why the timing is right and what comes next.
Market Observation and Contrarian Takes
15%Calls out industry trends (2025 being rough, in-house roles unrewarding, AI-generated content patterns) with specificity and a touch of dark humor.
LinkedIn Critique and Meta-Commentary
5%Mocks common LinkedIn tropes (listicles, AI patterns, empty hype) to build credibility as someone who thinks critically about how ideas are communicated.
Hook patterns
Personal Announcement as Hook
Major life/career decision stated plainly in first sentence, followed by context and reflection.
“After several years as co-Founder and Group CEO of Selbey Anderson, I will be stepping away from the role as the business enters its next phase.”
→ Readers stop because they want to know why someone is leaving a role they built; it signals vulnerability and insider knowledge.
Specific Data + Pattern Observation
Quantified sample size (e.g., '76 agencies examined,' '250+ agencies looked at') followed by a counterintuitive finding about what those agencies got wrong.
“Last three months? 76 creative agencies examined in detail. Previous eight years? over 250 agencies looked at through a buyer's microscopic lens.”
→ The numbers establish authority; the promise of a pattern insight makes readers want to learn what they missed.
Casual Contrarian Opener
A light, relatable observation that flips into a critique of common practice or thinking.
“It's been a funny old year. Funny peculiar, not funny haha.”
→ The humor disarms; the pivot to critique feels earned because it's grounded in lived experience, not preaching.
Bold Critique of Industry Practice
A provocative claim about what most people do wrong, stated as fact, then explained with specificity.
“Most LinkedIn posts that start with the word 'most' are written by AI.”
→ It's funny, self-aware, and immediately credible because he then proves the point with technical detail about LLM patterns.
Privilege + Perspective Frame
Acknowledge years of access to insider data, then position the post as a distillation of that vantage point.
“Over the past 8-10 years, I've had the privilege of building and acquiring agencies, working closely with founders, investors and leadership teams across the creative market.”
→ It establishes credibility without bragging; the word 'privilege' signals humility and makes the reader trust what follows.
Rhetorical Question as System Reframe
Challenge a common assumption with a series of 'What if' questions that reframe the problem.
“What if growth isn't an activity you can just throw more effort at? What if it's a system that needs to be nurtured and tweaked to create results?”
→ Questions invite the reader to think rather than be told; they create cognitive friction that drives comments and shares.
Top-performing hooks
“After several years as co-Founder and Group CEO of Selbey Anderson, I will be stepping away from the role as the business enters its next phase.”
“Over the past 8-10 years, I've had the privilege of building and acquiring agencies, working closely with founders, investors and leadership teams across the creative market.”
“It’s been a funny old year. Funny peculiar, not funny haha.”
“Most LinkedIn posts that start with the word ‘most’ are written by AI.”
→ The post uses self-aware satire and meta-commentary to critique common LinkedIn tropes while ironically employing those same tactics, creating cognitive dissonance that drives engagement through comme
“Last three months? 76 creative agencies examined in detail. Previous eight years? over 250 agencies looked at through a buyer's microscopic lens.”
“Today, I learned three very important lessons. Two of them? I should have known better. The other one has come as a serendipitous surprise.”
“Day 2 in Boston. Today we went to Cambridge and wandered around Harvard.”
“When I left agencyland and swapped sides to M&A advisory I was worried I would feel isolated.”
“"Yeah, actually I don't want to sell my agency". Fair enough. But here's the thing. If you run your agency like you *do* want to sell it, you'll build better. Here's why.”
→ The post leverages a counterintuitive premise (build for sale even if you won't sell) that reframes conventional wisdom, then backs it with credible reasoning that appeals to agency owners facing grow
“That’s the work done so it’s time for some sight seeing. Had to stop off at Cheers. Norm wasn’t in.”
What works
- Personal announcements as content: His top post (478 eng) was a career transition announcement. This works because it signals vulnerability and insider knowledge, which invites people to comment with support or questions.
- Specific data + pattern insight: Posts that cite concrete numbers ('76 creative agencies examined,' '250+ agencies looked at') followed by a counterintuitive finding average 126 eng. This works because the numbers establish authority and the insight promises to teach readers something they missed.
- Rhetorical questions as reframes: Posts that challenge common assumptions with 'What if' questions drive comments because they invite readers to think rather than be told. Example: 'What if growth isn't an activity you can just throw more effort at?'
- Casual contrarian openers: Posts that start with relatable observations ('It's been a funny old year') before pivoting to critique average 230 eng. This works because humor disarms and makes the critique feel earned rather than preachy.
- Specificity over abstraction: Posts that name companies, describe concrete challenges ('scaling quickly, integrating multiple agencies, navigating Covid'), or cite specific numbers outperform vague posts. His top 5 posts all include specific details.
- Closing with emotion or confidence: Posts that end with warm, personal language ('You'll smash it. I know you will') or gratitude drive comments because they feel like direct address rather than broadcast.
Steal this for your own LinkedIn
- Start your next post with a specific number or time period that establishes credibility ('Over the past 8-10 years' or 'Last three months? 76 clients examined'), then follow with a counterintuitive insight. This formula works because it signals authority before making a claim.
- Use rhetorical questions to reframe common problems. Instead of telling readers 'Growth is a system, not an activity,' ask 'What if growth isn't an activity you can just throw more effort at? What if it's a system that needs to be nurtured?' This invites thinking rather than resistance.
- Close your post with a warm, personal line that invites comment rather than a hard CTA. Instead of 'Comment below to learn more,' try 'You'll smash it. I know you will' or 'Merry Christmas and here's to a storming 2026.' This feels like direct address and drives engagement.
- Lead with casual, relatable observations before pivoting to critique. Start with 'It's been a funny old year' or 'Most LinkedIn posts that start with the word most are written by AI,' then explain why. This disarms readers and makes your critique feel earned.
- Include specific details (company names, concrete challenges, exact numbers) rather than abstractions. Instead of 'I've worked with many agencies,' say 'Over 250 agencies looked at through a buyer's microscopic lens.' Specificity builds credibility and keeps readers engaged.
- When announcing a major transition, lead with the decision itself, provide enough context to make it credible, then close with emotion and confidence in others. This structure invites comments because readers want to engage with the human moment, not just the news.
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Posting patterns
Extremely consistent: 4.5 posts per week over the last 90 days, with all 59 posts in the dataset coming from the last 90 days. This suggests a disciplined daily or near-daily posting habit.
Friday at 8 PM UTC. This timing likely catches people winding down their work week and scrolling before the weekend, when they're more likely to engage with reflective or contrarian content.
Micro posts (under 30 words) perform worst (avg 12 eng), while long posts (180-350 words) perform best (avg 85 eng). This suggests his audience wants enough context to understand his perspective, but not so much that it feels like a blog post. The sweet spot is 180-350 words: enough to develop an idea, not so much that it loses people.
