Post-Acquisition Commercial Growth

The first months after closing are unlike anything the search prepared you for. The business is real, the team is watching, and the decisions start immediately. Most new CEOs figure it out as they go.

From understanding what you have inherited to building a commercial engine that belongs to the business, the journey has a logic to it. This page maps it, and shows what it looks like in practice.

This is for you if
  • You have closed and are working out what to prioritise on the commercial side.
  • You have a sales team and a client base but no clear commercial process.
  • You want a clear commercial roadmap and someone to help you execute it.
  • You want someone who has done this before and will work with your team, not hand over a report.

Your external commercial growth team, embedded in the business

We are not an agency. We work inside the business, alongside the CEO and the team. We cover the full commercial scope: from quick fixes like a website, a sales catalogue or case studies, to longer-term work on positioning, portfolio management, pricing structure, sales process and customer retention.

We start with a conversation
The first conversation is about where you are and what feels most urgent. We look at the business, identify what will have the most impact, and start there.
We focus on what will move the needle first
We do not try to do everything at once. We identify the two or three things that will have the most commercial impact in the next six months and work there first.
We work with the team, not around them
The sales team, the client support team, the operations lead. We involve the people who will carry the work forward so that what we build does not depend on us to run it.
We bring the specialists when you need them
Designers, developers, SEO specialists, photographers, copywriters. We work with your existing team or agency where they are in place, and bring our own network where a specific skill is needed.
Cultural integration
Changes must not feel imposed
After a business is acquired, changes must not feel imposed. For us, integration is critical. We embed into the team, coordinate the work to deliver each project on time and within scope, and build ownership rather than dependency.

You do not need to hire anyone new to get started. We work with what is already in the business and bring in additional capability only when the work requires it.

18.1x
from revenue growth
The biggest driver of value in a search fund acquisition is not financial engineering or cost reduction. It is revenue growth.
In high-performing search fund acquisitions, the multiple is built almost entirely through growing the top line. Operational efficiency matters, but it is rarely where the value is made. The commercial decisions a new CEO makes in the first two years have an outsized effect on the final outcome.
Source: IESE (2024), citing TTCER research on high-performing search fund companies.

Building the commercial engine

The work covers four connected areas. Each one removes a specific constraint on growth.

1
Strategic clarity from day one
  • Positioning and value proposition
  • Portfolio management and pricing structure
  • Sales and marketing priorities
  • Clear KPIs linked to business impact
2
Branding & commercial assets
  • Refined brand narrative and messaging
  • Website and core marketing assets
  • Case studies and proof points
  • Sales enablement material
3
Stack & process optimisation
  • CRM and marketing automation
  • Clear lead management and qualification
  • Marketing and sales alignment
  • Reporting structure for transparency
4
Cross-functional alignment
  • Align the product roadmap with market demand
  • Product, marketing and sales connected around shared goals
  • Customer feedback loops with the commercial team
  • A shared view of the business across the leadership team

The commercial journey after acquisition

Built on years of experience growing businesses and working with search fund CEOs and acquired SMEs across Europe, and informed by the leading research on what drives and destroys value in search fund acquisitions. From transferring the founder’s knowledge to building a commercial engine that belongs to the business, the journey has a logic, and four stages.

Stage 1
Diagnose and stabilise
Months 0 to 6
Understand what you have inherited before changing anything. Map the customer relationships, the commercial assets and the key dependencies. Protect the revenue and the team’s trust. Stabilise the commercial basics and act on the quick wins.
Stage 2
Build the foundation
Months 3 to 12
Write the value proposition with the team. Introduce pipeline visibility. Review the portfolio and the pricing logic. Establish the first customer satisfaction baseline. Update the commercial materials to reflect the business as it is today.
Stage 3
Build the commercial engine
Months 9 to 24
Define the positioning. Develop a pricing strategy based on value. Formalise the sales process so it can be taught and measured. Rebuild the website. Activate lead generation beyond the existing network. Refresh the brand.
Stage 4
Scale and grow
Months 18 and beyond
Expand into new segments and channels. Develop the portfolio strategically. Build the sales team’s capability beyond relationship selling. Build marketing into a systematic commercial function.

What this looks like in practice

Three examples of commercial work done with search fund CEOs and their teams after acquisition.

CRM & Customer Communication
CRM and customer communication: building from scratch in an acquired SME
A French digital services company with thousands of clients and no way to communicate with them at scale. How we built the infrastructure from zero.
Read the case study →
Brand & Positioning
Google reviews and reputation: building a process in an acquired SME
Two brands with deactivated GMB accounts and ratings below 4.0. How we rebuilt the reputation process and what changed in the first month.
Read the case study →
Pricing Strategy
Building a pricing model in an acquired SME
Three historical pricing methods with no link to costs or market. How we built a coherent model that the sales team understood and believed in.
Read the case study →
Commercial health diagnostic

Where does your business stand right now?

The commercial health diagnostic maps your business against the framework across five areas:

  • Sales team and pipeline
  • Value proposition and positioning
  • Customer knowledge and satisfaction
  • Portfolio and pricing
  • Marketing and visibility

It takes only 15 minutes. No sensitive data asked. It takes into account how long you have been in the business and the sector you are in. The output is a personalised dashboard showing where each area sits, your three most important priorities and specific next steps sequenced by urgency.

Take the commercial health diagnostic →
Ready to talk?
The first conversation is free and without obligation. We will tell you honestly whether we think we can help.
Get in touch →