We focus on the transformation, not the transaction
The majority of mergers, acquisitions and similar transactions fail to produce intended results, and this is because the majority of transaction strategies focus on what happens after the deal closes. This is backwards, because the principal determinant of unsatisfactory M&A outcomes is poor alignment of objectives at the outset. The alignment of interests before a deal happens is what makes for a successful transaction.
Buyers and sellers alike are vulnerable to this backwards thinking: Buyers are captivated by the potential to acquire innovation, talent or agility that they cannot produce internally; sellers are seduced by the allure of liquidity, sometimes personal, or by the validation of the success they’ve built with their business. Both perspectives fail to assess the underlying motives behind these impulses, and those motives for buyer and seller are frequently far apart.
We prevent these problems by drawing out the conscious and unconscious motivators for both buyer and seller.
These motivators are often unspoken, yet they color every contemplated deal; and the fact that they are unspoken is what causes broken deals, failed transactions and poor outcomes. By bringing these motivations into the light, we enable alignment of the deep motivations of both buyer and seller, creating a space of possibilities wherein not only a deal can happen, but both buyer and seller can secure rich and transformative outcomes.
We work alongside investment bankers, brokers, and other transaction team members, when appropriate. In addition, we make use our bench of qualified buyers in those circumstances that warrant.