Commercial due diligence and business integration
Don’t get sucked into a bad deal
Kill a bad deal in week one, not month six
Get an operator’s assessment of owner-managed acquisition targets, alongside your financial and legal due diligence.
I’ve bought four businesses, assessed many more, and advised other buyers on theirs.
Scope
The impact of the shareholders leaving
How the team is likely to hold after completion
Where key customer and supplier relationships sit
Whether the profit is real, or depends on the owner working 70-hour weeks
Commercial risk
Improvement suggestions and business opportunities
What you receive
A written report covering the key findings, the red flags rated by severity, the questions to put to the seller before you sign, and the priorities for the first 100 days. Available as a short initial assessment or a full review.
How it works
NDA first. Then review of the information pack or data room, a management meeting and a site visit, and the report within 20 working days.
After completion: the first 100 days
Most acquisitions of owner-managed businesses don’t go wrong on the numbers. They go wrong in the months after completion, when the seller steps back, key people wonder what it means for them, and customers wonder whether anything will change. I’ve been through that four times as the buyer.
I can work with you hands-on for a fixed period after completion to:
Keep the key people, and tell them clearly what changes and what doesn’t
Reassure key customers and suppliers before a competitor gets to them
Get the seller’s knowledge out of their head and into the business
Put in reporting so you can see cash, margin and the order book from week one
Hand over to your management team on an agreed date
If I’ve done your due diligence, I already know where the risks are. If I haven’t, I’ll start by finding them. Either way, the due diligence stands on its own, with no obligation to use me afterwards.
Who it’s for
Trade buyers, private equity, and individual acquirers buying their first or next business.
Independence
Fixed fee, agreed upfront. It’s never contingent on the deal completing, so my view isn’t influenced by whether the deal goes ahead.
Not legal or financial advice. I’m not a lawyer or an accountant, and this doesn’t replace financial or legal due diligence.