Buying a business

Buy your next stage of growth

For established, profitable New Zealand businesses, and their owners, boards or investors, with a clear strategy to grow through acquisition. I work for you, the buyer: finding the right targets, including businesses that aren't for sale, and running a disciplined process through to settlement.

Why acquire

One transaction can deliver what takes years to build

Organic growth is valuable but slow, and rising acquisition costs, skills shortages and competition are making it harder. Many established owners are approaching retirement without a successor, so good businesses keep coming to market, and many of the best never get formally listed.

Revenue, customers and capability from day one
An established client base, a new region, or consolidation of a fragmented market
Skilled teams, licences and expertise in a tight labour market
Complementary products and services to sell to existing customers
Shared overheads, stronger purchasing power and less duplication
More control of margins and the supply chain

Case study

Into Australia by acquisition, not from scratch

The challenge

A growing New Zealand business's next stage of growth lay in Australia. Building from scratch meant hiring in an unfamiliar market, winning customers with no local track record and funding years of losses, with no certainty about the final cost.

The approach

It acquired an established Australian company in an adjacent market: close enough to its own expertise to integrate, but serving a customer segment it didn't yet reach.

The outcome

A known entry cost, revenue from settlement, and a team that already knew local customers, competitors and regulation. A new geography and a new segment in one transaction, and a platform for introducing its own products to new customers.

Offshore expansion doesn't have to mean starting from zero. Buying an established business replaces open-ended risk with a known, upfront cost.

Who I work with

Buyers who are ready to move

Not sure you're there yet? Read the case for growth through acquisition.

A clear acquisition rationale: You know why you want to buy, whether it's new customers, new regions, capability, scale or vertical integration, and can describe what a good target looks like in sector, size, location and earnings.
Funding in place: Cash, debt facilities or equity backing is available, or there's a realistic plan to secure it.
Capacity to integrate: A management team with the time and capability to run due diligence and integrate the business without neglecting the core.
Realistic expectations on value: Good businesses are priced on their risk profile and earnings, and you're prepared to pay a fair price for the right asset.
Decisive leadership: A small, clear group of decision-makers who can respond quickly when an opportunity is presented.

Why a buy-side advisor

Advertised businesses are only a narrow slice

A buy-side advisor works for the buyer, not the seller. I build a target list that includes businesses not formally for sale, make confidential and credible approaches, assess each opportunity objectively, and negotiate through to settlement. A poorly handled approach can close the door on a quality business permanently.

Planning to grow by acquisition?

Tell me what you're looking to buy and why. We'll talk through the strategy before anyone is approached.

Get in touch +64 27 559 4133