Underwrite the work as well as the business
An acquisition thesis may identify shared services, cross-selling or stronger procurement as potential sources of value. We believe those opportunities should be considered alongside the cost, time and management attention needed to deliver them.
The practical question is not simply whether two businesses look complementary. It is whether their teams, systems and operating processes can support the proposed change.
Translate opportunities into responsibilities
A useful integration plan identifies an owner for each workstream, defines the starting position and sets realistic milestones. Finance, customer continuity, people, systems and reporting need to be coordinated.
Potential savings should be assessed after integration costs. Revenue opportunities should be monitored through actual customer activity and margins. Neither should be treated as achieved merely because a transaction has completed.
Connect capital with execution
This is the role Zubbily plays within our model: connecting financial discipline, ERP, operating processes and management visibility with the priorities of the business.
Our objective is to build stronger businesses over time. Selective acquisitions can contribute to that objective when the integration burden is understood and the operating capability is in place.