# A Beginner’s Guide to Business Acquisitions and Mergers: Tips from an Expert
Business acquisitions and mergers are complex processes that require careful planning and execution. Whether you’re considering acquiring a business, merging with another business, or looking to be acquired, there are many factors to consider. We spoke with Y’vonne Ormond, CEO of 5P Consulting, a business facing technologist who has been in the industry for over 25 years, to get her expert advice on the process.
## What is 5P Consulting?
5P Consulting is a consulting company that focuses on solving business problems related to people and processes and the technology involved. They typically work with companies that are either scaling up or scaling down, helping them find solutions to the problems they encounter during the process.
## Tips for Mergers and Acquisitions
When it comes to mergers and acquisitions, change can be difficult for all parties involved. Y’vonne shared some useful tips to make the process smoother.
– **Evaluate the Situation:** If you’re acquiring a new business, it’s essential not to make changes right away. Maintain the existing culture and people as you go through the process. It’s all about being efficient, not just chopping things apart. Understand what’s working well and what solutions the other organization has in place.
– **Never Lead in with Technology:** First, focus on understanding the business goals and strategy, who the current talent is, and the company’s processes. Only then should you look at technology. Leverage the resources that are already functioning well first, then bring in something new.
– **Staying Engaged During Acquisition Process:** If you’re looking to be acquired, it’s critical to stay engaged. If your assets, people, and the things you’ve built from your organization see disengagement, the acquisition process will become difficult for everyone involved.
– **Managing a Merger:** In a business merger, each side brings to the table many people, systems, and processes. It’s essential to look at what’s working first and then integrate and build them together.
## Tech Solutions by 5P Consulting
5P Consulting is a service integrator that’s familiar with Salesforce from an enterprise applications perspective. They deliver Salesforce implementations and integrate theorems. Their relationship with Salesforce has grown over the years. As a small business, they couldn’t afford Salesforce, so they used the free dev version. Later they came across Essentials and were excited that it only cost $25 per user. It offered so much and didn’t need customization.
Salesforce works well for Y’vonne and her team because they’re all about efficiency and how they can simplify and integrate to have fewer manual interactions. Her advice for small businesses is not to be scared away from the word Salesforce as it’s for all different size companies. They implement it for nonprofits as Essentials, as a small business, and enterprise-wide. There’s a one-size-fits-all solution for your business, making life easier. It’s all integrated.
## Conclusion
Mergers and acquisitions are complex processes, but with careful planning and execution, they can be successful. Understanding the business goals and strategy, who the current talent is, and the company’s processes should be prioritized before looking into technology solutions. Salesforce is a great option for small businesses because it’s affordable and doesn’t require customization. With Y’vonne’s expert advice, you can now start the process of merging and acquiring businesses with much more confidence.
