M&A: How Founders Can Prepare Their Business and Ride the Wave of Change 

Mergers or acquisitions can mean quick growth for start-ups or scale-ups, but it can also be a strong strategy for businesses to achieve cost efficiencies, increase profitability or help them stand out from their competitors.

But ultimately, finding the right match is the key to a successful transaction - for parties on both sides.

At The Access Group we’ve worked with many founders and senior leaders in the last 14 years to ensure the acquisition of their business is a smooth transition and the best decision for everyone involved.

As 2025 is looking to be a positive year for M&A, now is a good time to start thinking about what direction you’d like your business to take and how it could grow.

M&A

Posted 21/07/2025

PwC has predicted that global M&A activity will be on an upward trajectory this year as some of the ‘economic and geopolitical uncertainties weighing on the market over the past couple of years lift’ so if you’re considering finding new investment, growth opportunities at scale, or you simply want to sell up - now could be the right time to look at your options.

Having completed more than 100 acquisitions across the UK, Asia-Pacific and the US, The Access Group has an abundance of experience in this space and we want to bring that wealth of knowledge to SME business leaders.

Each acquisition has been completely different, with its own nuances, varying market conditions to take into account and different personalities involved. Each one has taught us something new and our M&A team can now identify patterns they see across businesses once we start to have conversations with business leaders.

Over the years they have picked up some key learnings that we feel are crucial for business owners and senior teams at startups or SMEs to be aware of.

We take a look at some of those here:

Consider the human factor

Many high-growth companies focus heavily on financial metrics and product compatibility when it comes to discussions around acquisitions, often neglecting the most crucial element - people. It’s really important for the impact to the people within a business to be part of the talks.

Without proper consideration for cultural and human alignment, M&A efforts can be at risk of misalignment, attrition and failed integrations.

“Human alignment is just as important as product fit when acquiring a business. The Access Group’s strategy prioritises cultural compatibility from the very start, establishing shared values, and fostering open communication. This approach leads to smoother integrations and supports a values-driven growth strategy.”

Salv Nigrelli Corporate development director, The Access Group

It’s also important for companies to consider what their ideal buyer would be years in advance. Whether that’s thinking about strategic alignment or cultural values, it can guide every decision on their road to acquisition.

Such Amin, whose legal app inCase, was acquired by Access Legal (part of The Access Group) in 2024, wholly believes in this theory. He says that valuation is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, and in fact human alignment and post-deal ambitions matter just as much.