David Braun

Author's posts

What Do You Have to Offer an Owner?

“Why should I let you buy my company?” Chances are an owner will ask you this question during the course of your acquisition and you must have a convincing answer. While the strategic fit and benefits of an acquisition may be abundantly clear to you, an owner may not share your perspective. As a leader, …

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Launching the New M&A Growth Bulletin

I am excited to announce the launch of our new quarterly newsletter, The M&A Growth Bulletin. This newsletter will deliver essential guidance on growth through M&A along with tips and tactics drawn directly from successful transactions completed in the market. In the first issue of The M&A Growth Bulletin, we will address five common objections leaders …

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What Is a Company Really Like? Uncovering the Truth in Due Diligence

During due diligence most companies will present you with their formal documents including HR manuals, procedures, financials and organizational charts. It’s not enough to rely on these documents alone; if you want to know what a company is really like, you’ll have to dig a bit deeper. One way to go beyond the surface is …

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Walmart Acquires Jet.com: Integration Strategies for Buyers

Walmart will acquire web retailer Jet.com for $3.3 billion in order to boost its online business. The deal is the largest ever purchase of U.S. e-commerce startup. While Walmart has plenty of bricks and mortar stores, the company has struggled to grow its online business. Walmart knows it needs to be competitive with Amazon who …

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3 Ways to Maintain Momentum from LOI to Close

After signing a letter of intent, you expect the deal to close, but there are a number of reasons acquisitions fail ranging from regulatory hurdles to unexpected challenges that arise during due diligence to cultural clashes. In my last post, I discussed reasons deals fall apart even after both parties sign a LOI. Here are …

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3 Reasons Deals Fall Apart Post Letter of Intent

Remember that just because a deal is announced, it doesn’t mean it will go through. A record number of M&A transactions announced in 2015 have been cancelled bringing the total deal value down from $4.374 trillion to $78 billion. Unfortunately cancelled deals mean a lot of time, resources and effort were wasted putting together these …

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Why Unilever Paid $1 Billion for Unprofitable Dollar Shave Club

Unilever purchased Dollar Shave Club, a startup that sells razors and grooming products to men, for $1 billion. That price may seem absurd for a company that is not yet profitable, however Dollar Shave club is growing quickly. The company’s revenue is expected to jump from $152 million in 2015 to $200 million in 2016. Dollar …

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Verizon Builds Digital Ad Business with Yahoo Acquisition

Another blockbuster tech deal was announced yesterday. Verizon will acquire Yahoo’s core business for $4.83 billion to boost its digital advertising capabilities. The deal includes Yahoo’s search, mail content and ad-tech business, but does not include Yahoo’s shares in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. The combined company will reach over one billion users. Verizon plans to merge Yahoo …

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Are Sunk Costs Driving Your Acquisition?

You’ve spent a lot of time, energy and money on an acquisition…but should you still go through with it? In answering this question, it can be tempting to cite the amount of resources that have already been invested as reasons to follow through with the deal, but this would be a mistake. These sunk costs …

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Remembering the Human Factor in M&A

For an owner of a privately-held company, the business is their baby and using hard-nosed tactics to negotiate for the lowest price is ill-advised. The human factor cannot be overlooked when pursuing M&A and establishing trust with an owner is critical. Buying a privately-held business is not like buying a car where you can negotiate the …

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