Hakam Capital

A Fresh Perspective Of Growth Through Acquisition For Start-Ups In The US

Nov 22-2022

When you are a budding entrepreneur in a start-up firm in the US, it is natural to look into your company’s growth chart before you make the big move. Understanding if your company is ready for an acquisition is the big question. Even CEOs of well-established firms make prudent decisions when diving into newer acquisition avenues. It is essential to study market standards to understand if acquisitions are a potent way to scale new heights.

When you are a relatively new entrepreneur, understanding acquisition strategies can be unnerving. But with feasibility tests and correct financial planning, greater business growth wouldn’t be far away, even with untapped mergers and acquisitions opportunities.

Make Acquisitions Work In Your Favor

You might be wondering if this is possible. Yes, absolutely! Successful corporate and financial buyers are witnesses to this module. Every entrepreneur has tried and tested this method, where one can make this happen. The answer is simple. There are seven crucial principles you need to follow. These will help you make or break the deal. This is why you must follow these steps diligently and ensure the acquisition process is a success. The seven principles are:

  1. Impactful and innovative operating strategiesFocus on your negotiation tactics and emboldening the existing financial structures. Check out high-profile leveraged buyouts such as Duracell International, Uniroyal, and RJR Nabisco and read the best practices they followed.
  2. Identify a leader before you make the dealManagerial talent is the topmost crucial factor responsible for bringing in profits. Whether you are onboarding managers or executives, always evaluate the resources within the organization and promote deserving candidates to leadership positions. If not, hire industry experts from outside of your firm.
  3. Propose big incentives to top management and executivesIncentives are a major driving factor for new employees to be motivated. At the time of recruitment, offer people in senior positions shares, voting rights, or similar benefiting stakes. These incentives improve their retention at your firm with an expected ROI in terms of contributions that accelerate and multiply business growth.
  4. Link compensation to changes in cash flowA successful acquirer helps motivate executives and managers with personalized compensation programs. It not only builds a strong foundation between executives and managers but also helps them keep cash flow in mind when making crucial operating decisions.
  5. Pace up the momentum of changeSuccess comes when there is a sense of urgency and challenge. When managers and executives drive the need for both, only then can one accomplish the goals. When an opportunity presents itself, time is of utmost importance. People in upper management need to initiate a drive that amps up the pace at which deliverables are closed.
  6. Nurture the all-round relationship amongst the managers, owners and the boardInstead of a multi-tier, bureaucratic hierarchy, adapt to a flat structure in your organization. This is the success mantra that brings together people of different mindsets to create business value together. This will enable interactions between managers, directors, executives, and shareholders.
  7. Effective talent acquisitionGet critical decision-makers on board who will empower your start-up. Carefully sieve the deal makers and bring them on board to build your empire. They will be crucial in making judgments that will help you foresee both success and failure. Such people are value-adding assets to your company.

Implementation Of Best Acquisition Strategies

Know your product better than anyone. Once that is accomplished, you will have a sellable product in hand, and all you need to do is plan a concrete investment acquisition strategy. It will take you a long way to achieving long-term linear growth for your company and business. Without a solid plan, you will set yourself up for failure. Depending only on one aspect is like owning a vehicle with one wheel. To achieve exponential growth, having a solid acquisition plan will help your business grow.

Conclusion

There is no magic potion that is responsible for making mergers & acquisitions (M&As) successful. It takes years to gain those industry insights, refine your previously established goals, and continue to reach great heights. Companies still continue to invest in financial avenues like M&As for unprecedented business growth with the exchange of customer base and brand value. When your proposals add value to the acquirers, which they expect and need, the deal will be closed in no time. But there is a lot of brainstorming and financial planning that goes before that. For that, your start-up’s stakeholders, like promoters, co-founders, and board of directors, need to think as one and initiate the proceedings for mergers and acquisitions business proposals.