It’s natural for business owners to dream of expanding their influence and becoming the “800-pound gorilla” in their field. Growing your business is a worthy goal, and acquiring another company can be a rapid way to enhance your company’s value and reach. However, growth through acquisition should be driven by strategic considerations, not just size or prestige.
Stay Grounded in Strategy
Don’t let the excitement of potential growth cloud your judgment. Expanding just to double your size or go national can lead to pitfalls if strategic alignment isn’t there. Approach acquisitions with a clear-eyed view of how the new entity will integrate with your own.
Start with Confidentiality: Demonstrate professionalism by respecting confidentiality and timelines. Early on, communicate your goals and offer a confidentiality agreement from the first interaction.
Assessing the Target Company
Begin your due diligence with a detailed review of the target’s environmental, regulatory, and legal conditions, along with its operations, marketing, intellectual property, and tax status. This process helps identify how the target company’s strengths and weaknesses align with yours. Make sure to assemble a strong team that includes a reputable M&A advisor, an attorney, and an accountant to evaluate key aspects thoroughly before committing significant resources.
Engage Your Team and Analyze Key Factors
Engage key members of your team in open discussions about the target’s compatibility. Take cues from lessons in corporate history, such as Bank of America’s costly acquisition of Countrywide, where mortgage executives weren’t consulted despite serious concerns.
Key Areas to Examine in Detail:
- Culture: Understanding the target company’s culture is essential. Often, mergers fail due to cultural clashes, as seen with Time Warner and AOL. Consider everything from customer interaction styles to dress codes and work flexibility.
- Customers: Look beyond customer numbers. Assess the quality of customer relationships, any overlap with your own, and potential issues within the target’s customer base.
- Price: Ensure that the acquisition price matches the tangible and intangible benefits. Avoid overestimating synergies like cost savings or revenue boosts; these should be potential perks, not guarantees baked into the price.
- Industry Dynamics: Don’t assume familiarity, even if the target is in your industry. Each industry has unique regulatory and competitive pressures, as seen with the Time Warner/AOL merger. If it’s outside your field, take extra time to understand the landscape.
- Management: Evaluate the management team, as they may not remain long-term. Plan for any key roles that might need filling post-acquisition.
- Product or Service Fit: Complementary products or services can enhance your offerings, but ensure you’re not investing in outdated lines. For example, Quaker Oats struggled when they assumed Snapple’s distribution channels would align seamlessly with their own.
- Facilities and Equipment: Assess whether facilities and equipment are current or will need significant investment, and look for opportunities to boost productivity.
In the end, due diligence with a disciplined review process will help you determine if the acquisition aligns with your company’s strategic objectives. An experienced M&A advisor can guide you through this process, helping ensure you buy for the right reasons and avoid costly mistakes.
For more about our services, visit: BMI Mergers Acquisition Services