The first thing a buyer needs to do is strategize about how they will pursue an acquisition. Define what you hope to accomplish by purchasing another company, and take into consideration the current market conditions, your financial position, and future projections.

After we’ve set your criteria, we can begin the search for ideal companies. At this stage, with the information available, we will perform a brief evaluation of the potential target companies.

his is one of the most critical steps in the M&A process. Here, the target company provides the buyer with important information about its business — namely, financials — so the buyer can evaluate its value.

Once you’ve defined your M&A goals, we make a profile of your ideal merger or acquisition. It’s important to set general criteria at the outset, so you don’t waste time entertaining suboptimal candidates.

Initial contact with candidates (typically only two or three). We will initiate the Indication of Interest (LOI) for interested acquisitions, in which you express interest in pursuing a merger or acquisition and provide a summary of the proposed deal.

Once you’ve finalized the deal, you can begin the work of integrating the two firms. This takes planning on all fronts — finances, organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, culture.