How To Acquire Small Business And Keep Employees Happy
There are many books that however discuss the inner workings of the big merger and acquisitions deals but there are also a few that however delve into the purchase of a small business — a move that however requires a different strategy. Small companies are also difficult in order to buy, but they can however result in tremendous benefits to the acquirer over the long term .
The book said that , they however rarely work out if they are thus done opportunistically, meaning that the buyer is however just looking for a “good deal.”
Thus the following article tells the eight steps that are however essential in order to make the process a success — on both the ends.
The steps however are :
1. Determine exactly as to what one aims to purchase. When one is buying a small company, he might be buying the business thus either for its talent or either for the intellectual property to be applied to the business.
If one is buying the business as a whole, one however needs to keep that business separate thus for at least 18 months and has to then let the team develop on their own with the minor points of integration. He must also thus let them however have their own success with their own leadership team.
If one is buying the talent, he must quickly move that the team off the existing product and should then inject them into his business.
2. Respect the existing products and also the customer relationships. Whether or not one plans to keep the existing business or is however either moving the talent into his own operation, he must thus respect as to what that team which is thus built in the terms of product and also the customer relationships. This is however what they have however sold their soul to for either two or maybe three years. If one is thus upset with their customers or has either dismissed their product through a lack of respect, one is however going to end up with a lot of very frustrated engineers on his hands. Even if one only wanted the team, there is however a chance that they thus will want to leave because they are thus embarrassed with the fact as to what was done to their product.
3. Decide as to who will stay and who will be let go.
If one is buying a high-growth company in the internet space, it is observed that typically 15 percent of that team will however leave. One must ensure that he retains the other 85 percent.
The person who is buying and the selling company should thus know immediately as to who one will want to stay and who one doesnt mind losing. If he does not want a certain members of the senior leadership, then one must make the decision early on. One must Treat them with respect but should also make the decision quickly. Any person who is however beyond the 15 percent that one lose should however be seen as a failure, because everyone however plays a critical role in the DNA of a small company. So thus it take the 15 percent loss and one must also work to not lose anyone else.
4. Don’t focus on inconsequential issues.
One must keep as many team members it is thus possible and should also never lose people over the inconsequential issues. One must thus not change the processes such as the benefits or the other small things that however aren’t going to change the financial outcome of the company.One must thus remember this is thus a growth asset and is also not an efficiency-driven acquisition however for the most part.
5. One must thus put also a short-term material retention program into place.
It will thus indeed be a tough period for the current employees, as there will however be a change. One must thus always remember that these employees however has just lost a hope of changing the world a little bit, so it is thus critical in order to get them through that period and also thus to convince them of the new leadership.
In order to help to quell the employee fears, one must put into place a short-term material retention program.It is thus important in order to remember the retention program thus needs to be material and thus one must be at least be as big, or either double, as their expected bonus. This will also help the transition period and would thus also help in order to retain the new talent.
6. Implement a long-term incentive program for the employees. Once one has the short-term process in any place, one must thus need in order to put a long-term incentive program together that however appeals to the hope employees had before. One is however also thus investing for the future value of the acquired company, so one must be sure that he should thus not to undervalue the top talent with the low long-term incentives. This is thus important, even if it however changes the final deal price.
7. Intermingle the employees on a specific basis.
In order to build that cultural bridge, one must however take a handful of the employees and should then strategically switch them between the two teams. This thus however doesn’t necessarily means integrating the teams — one must thus still keep them separate. But one can thus also do swaps like taking his CFO and then making them his acquirer CFO. Or one must either take their HR person and should also put them on your team. This intermingling of the teams at the strategic level however begins the overall integration that one will thus eventually do 18 months down the road without however pushing the boundaries.
8. Dedicate a full-time position to the specific people issues. Thus, the most important point in any however deal is that it’s thus the CEO’s job in order to make sure that the deal is successful.