“It can be the best financial deal on the planet, but if it doesn’t fit our strategy…we’re not interested.” This quote from Gary Norcross, President and CEO of Fidelity National Information Services, expresses a simple principle: In order to be successful, an acquisition must be strategic in nature. One of the primary reasons acquisitions fail …
Category: M&A and External Growth
Competing by Acquiring – Lessons from the Walmart-Flipkart and Nestlé-Starbucks Deals
There are many reasons to execute an acquisition from entering a new market to adding a new capability to increasing your bottom line. One of the most common reasons to buy another company is to prevent your competitor from owning it. Acquiring out of a defensive position to prevent a competitor from owning a key …
David Braun Speaks on Growth through M&A on Texas Business Radio
I was recently interviewed on the syndicated radio program Texas Business Radio. On the show, I share why companies pursue growth through M&A and how you can be successful. It all starts with painting a picture and having a vision for the direction of your company. The most successful acquirers are those that spend the time …
5 Ways to Rethink Strategic Growth – #5 Make Objective Decisions
While a leader’s years of experience may be invaluable, companies should not make decisions based on instinct alone. We are human and biases can influence the judgement of even the most “objective” leader. In today’s information world it is important to pair real-time data with analytical skills in order to arrive at the best decision. …
5 Ways to Rethink Strategic Growth – #4 Get Input from Your Team
Developing and implementing a strategy requires multiple skills and successful growth requires multiple perspectives. Other people in the company have a different level of skillset or expertise that can be beneficial. A leader’s team should be a brain trust or a mastermind forum for decision making that develops a collective understanding of the strategic plan. …
5 Ways to Rethink Strategic Growth – #3 External Growth
When it comes to strategic growth, most leaders tend to focus on organic growth – hiring more sales staff, building a new branch or internally developing a new product. While there are many benefits to organic growth, there are times when relying on organic growth alone will not move the needle. When markets are saturated …
5 Ways to Rethink Strategic Growth – #2 Be Proactive
How many of you have ever purchased a home? Thinking back on your experience, did you sit around waiting for a seller to come to you or did you spend time looking for just the right house? My guess is that most of our experiences fall into the second scenario. In fact, if I waited …
5 Ways to Rethink Strategic Growth – #1 Understand Your Own Company
Before you can determine where you want to go as a company, you have to have an understanding of where your business stands today. Who exactly are you as a company? This is easier said than done. Over time, even founders of companies can lose sight of their strategic vision and get caught up in …
5 Ways to Rethink Your Approach to Strategic Growth
As a leader, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to simply keep doing something because that’s the way it has always been done. It is easy to fall into this trap without even realizing it. Everyone is busy and it can be tempting to default to autopilot and keep going about “business …
Why Do Middle Market Companies Execute Acquisitions?
Acquisitions are about growing your company and every successful deal starts by defining your strategic rationale. In this post we’ll explore the top five reasons middle market executives are interested in pursuing M&A according to our State of Middle Market M&A 2018 report. 1. Increase existing market share Grabbing more market share a is an …
