At the Securieon Group, we know that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Think of us as your mergers and acquisitions partners. We won't let our clients fail. Our sweet spot is providing guidance to the leadership of companies who are at a pivotal moment in determining their companies' destinies. In particular, founders and CEOs of businesses that are at a turning point need to be able to rely on business advisory services that help them chart the right course.
Mergers and acquisitions should be a consideration, but what determines the right course is often a product of the founder or CEO's personal goals, how those goals impact the company's future growth, and its employees (who may include family members). A company may also need to course correct before proceeding with any type of future transaction, which may include cost-cutting and/or corporate restructuring to increase the multiple that a potential buyer may consider paying for the business.
There are a myriad of choices for leaders of companies to be able to take a step back from their senior leadership role, from joint ventures and partnerships, to mergers and acquisitions, to divestitures and spin offs. Each choice represents change. With decades of experience in the real business world, we are consultants who have a unique ability to provide the type of guidance to our clients that enables leaders to make the very best decisions, but only after thoroughly and strategically analyzing their options and arriving with a clear understanding of the intended and unintended consequences.
Although founders and CEOs likely know what the term "mergers and acquisitions" (M&A) means, they often do not really understand the ramifications of taking one or the other direction. When it comes to mergers and acquisitions, there are numerous considerations to take into account. We believe that an M&A consulting firm must also serve as a business advisory firm that really cares about its clients. At the Securieon Group, we are business advisors and mergers and acquisitions consultants who do just that. We want to create a situation in which we arrive at and focus on the development of a direction that will support your best interests; and ideally, the ongoing ultimate success of your organization. A good starting point is to address the following key questions that can provide valuable insights and inform how you move forward:
This may seem like a rudimentary question, but let us first make sure you understand the distinction between mergers and acquisitions. Typically, you hear the terms "mergers and acquisitions" (or M&A) used together. Mergers are just that -- joining two businesses or organizations together to form a completely new entity. Acquisitions, on the other hand, occur when one company acquires, or absorbs, another. The ramifications of either a merger or an acquisition can be very different. For example, in a merger, each entity will have a significant say in how the management team of the new entity will be determined. However, in an acquisition, the target company, when acquired, may or may not be expected (or allowed) to keep its leadership team intact, which is something founders and CEOs considering this approach -- or really either of these events -- need to consider and be comfortable with.
We get that a founder or CEO may say he or she is ready to step away from their organization. Transactions like mergers and acquisitions are more than just deals, however. They capture value for someone who is still very much invested in their organization, and with this event comes an inevitable expectation on the part of the buyer that they will assume control in some shape or form, including over your team. Mergers and acquisitions impact people. People that may be family members. Colleagues that might include valued partners. Key people whose careers you may have had the opportunity to personally help develop over the years. They are your teams. They are your professional family.
Mergers and acquisitions may well lead to the elimination of the positions of some of these people due to duplication or redundancies in essential functions and/or expertise. "Successful" acquirers to be considered -- at least to you and those in your organization -- may mean those who will ensure that certain team members remain in place in their current positions. But this may not be possible with the target companies you are either interested in or who are interested in you. The integration of even the team members you value most highly into the new entity or new ownership may represent maximum value to you on a personal level, but maybe not to acquirers or potential alliances whose motivations are purely financial.
This aspect of exiting a company that you have likely put your lifeblood into is one of the most difficult emotional hurdles in an M&A transaction, divestiture, carve-out, or any type of liquidity event. You will no longer be the one in control, and so you may feel that your legacy will be in jeopardy for yourself, as well as the people you love. You can't take these types of decisions lightly, and you need to do your own personal due diligence and more than a little bit of soul searching.
We pride ourselves in being mergers and acquisitions consultants that are business advisors first and foremost. That means offering sound advice. We don't project our own points of view onto that advice. Mergers acquisitions strategy and integration are services we provide, and we have a really successful track record in this category of business advisory services. Where we really shine, however -- and thrive -- is in providing additional value through the objective insights we will collectively uncover and utilize to help you move in the right direction of long-term success for you, your organization, your family (if relevant), and your legacy.
If you are seriously considering exiting your organization, you probably do not have the patience or the stomach for the investment brokers. You might think of them as M&A chiropractors. Or investment bankers that you might think of as M&A general practitioners. You could well be inundated (and exasperated) by them. A consulting firm like the Securieon Group is more like a neurosurgeon who will not only help you chart the right course, we will handle every aspect of your transaction with precision.
Continuing with the medical analogy, like concierge medicine, each of our clients is treated in a highly consultative and personalized way. We are not like the mergers and acquisitions consultants that are so huge that they lose sight of you as a result of tunnel vision focused solely on the deal.
We are a team of professionals with exceptionally diverse skill sets. Together with our global network, we are well-positioned to cover essentially every area in which an organization needs external guidance for founders and/or CEOs who are experiencing a quandary or pivotal moment. We excel at the following: Growth Strategy & Execution, Corporate Finance, Organizational Efficiencies and Transformation, and Company Restructuring.
Experience has enabled us to create a highly reliable approach, assessing your business first and then target identification of the acquirers/investors/buyer and/or alliances that are the most strategic fit for you in terms of value creation. That includes the synergies that best support your business models and industry, and post merger integration. Our mergers acquisitions approach and experience prevent mistakes from disrupting the deal process. Our significant transaction expertise enables us to bring a formalized process to the table; transfer our vast multi-industry knowledge and experience from deal to deal; manage and implement best practices in pre- and post-mergers acquisitions advisory and planning; and flawlessly execute.
As mergers and acquisitions consultants -- and business advisory consulting in general -- we treat our clients like they are our most valued asset. We understand that decisions around your company's continued growth and health after you exit are likely some of the most important ones you will ever make as a leader. Let us help.
We are a business consulting and management advisory firm specializing in developing high-performance growth strategies, pre-M&A planning and restructure execution for each client.
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