5 Questions to Ask Before Acquiring a Business

The economy and the company continues to grow and as it grows, the need for capital grows as well. The capital is also readily available at this time. It makes sense to consider a merger or an acquisition. This thought may provoke a sense of excitement but before you sign over the dotted line, you should consider a lot of factors. Too much needs to be pondered over for that. Here are the questions to ask before putting ink to paper:

1. Readiness-Is our foundation strong enough?

Many companies fall in love with the idea of a merger or an acquisition just because it is fancy and exciting. They do not do enough research about the company and go for it without any foundation. This leads to failure in a few years. The reason can be lack of infrastructure to support it or they do not give enough time for it to adapt. You need to check if you have enough resources to back your decision for the merger or acquisition. You need to check if the industry fails, will your company sustain and maintain its status.

2. Do the core values, culture and fit align with our company?

To make the ends meet the entrepreneurs must make sure that the values and cultures, if not same, must be similar or support each other. If the values and culture of the two company don’t complement each other, there is no meaning of an acquisition. In some time, the status of the company will start to wane and both of them will end up losing their market standing. Hence, the companies should see if the cultures and values align with each other.

3. Are there key employees who may be responsible for major contributions to the company’s success after the acquisition?

Employee turnover can make company lose out on profits. It can prove costly to them, both in the long run and the short run. Thus, gaining trust of your employees going into the acquisition can prove to be handy. You should be clear and must state your intention to the people in the company who matter. Transparency is utmost needed and there must be willingness to work. They will be invaluable during the transition phase.

4. What level of due diligence should we perform?

Reviewing the company’s portfolio and performance history to verify its value is vital for the growth and determination of whether or not to go for the acquisition. They can reveal the red flags that can cost you fortunes in the future. This will also help to identify the places to eliminate the redundancies and it will add to your bottom line.

5. Will the acquisition better position our business for the future?

This is an important question to ask. You need to know if the acquisition better your position in the future. The objective of an acquisition is to be the pillar of future growth. If it fails to do so, then there is no benefit in acquiring that particular firm. Evaluating key areas must always be at the back of your mind while thinking for an acquisition.