Know what you can buy before you go looking.
Most acquisition programmes start with a target, not a plan. Ambition outruns balance-sheet capacity, themes multiply without sequencing, and the board asks a question no one has actually modelled: how much can we afford, and in what order?
We build the roadmap first.
The Performance Bridge™ — applied to growth by acquisition.
The same diagnostic, prioritisation, and execution logic that runs every value-creation engagement — applied to the question of where and how to grow inorganically over a three-year horizon.
Diagnose — size the real firepower.
Balance-sheet capacity, debt headroom, and what the strategic plan actually implies for inorganic growth. Most programmes start with an ambition; we start with a number the CFO can defend to the board.
Prioritize — map objectives to acquisition themes.
Strategy archetypes that fit the growth plan, not a generic target list. Sequenced across a three-year horizon and stress-tested across scenarios — so the board can see not just where you want to go, but in what order, and what happens if one move falls through.
Execute — hand the roadmap to the deal team.
The sequenced roadmap connects directly to our M&A execution capability — or yours. A target list and affordability check already attached, so the team is looking in the right places from day one rather than mapping the market from scratch.
Measure — track and re-sequence as deals close.
As transactions complete and the market moves, the roadmap is updated — integrating actuals, recalibrating remaining firepower, and adjusting sequencing. A plan that doesn't adapt isn't a plan; it's a document.
A roadmap, not a wish list.
What the business can actually afford to deploy.
A number — with the balance-sheet, debt capacity, and cash-generation assumptions that produce it. Over what timeframe, at what leverage, against what covenant headroom.
Strategy archetypes mapped to the growth plan.
Not "adjacent verticals." Named strategic archetypes — consolidation, capability acquisition, market entry, platform extension — each with the criteria a target must meet to qualify.
A phased roadmap across a defined horizon.
Which themes to pursue first, which to defer, and why. Sequenced by impact, affordability, and execution risk — so the board can make decisions, not just observe options.
How the plan holds up when things change.
If financing tightens. If a priority target falls through. If a deal closes at a higher multiple than modelled. The roadmap is stress-tested before it becomes a board commitment.
For boards with an existing strategic plan.
What the stated revenue, margin, or geographic targets imply for M&A — and whether the implied acquisition programme is affordable given current firepower and market multiples.
Connected to execution from day one.
The roadmap connects directly to deal origination — either through our M&A team or yours. Target list, outreach approach, and deal criteria already attached.
Corporates and platforms building a genuine buy-and-build programme.
If you have one deal to execute — a specific target, a known seller — this is not the right starting point. Go to M&A execution. The Inorganic Growth Strategy is for organisations that want to acquire systematically over multiple years: a corporate building scale in a fragmented market, a PE platform executing a buy-and-build thesis, a family holding with capital to deploy and no structured programme to deploy it against.
The distinction matters because the right output is different. A single deal needs a teaser, a valuation, and a process. A programme needs a roadmap, a firepower number, and a sequencing logic. We scope accordingly.
Before the roadmap, stress-test the deal.
The LBO / ETA model lets you run sources & uses, a debt schedule, and an IRR/MOIC waterfall on any acquisition you're considering — before you commit capital or engage a target. Built for searchers and mid-market sponsors; free to access.
LBO / ETA Model — free access →Start with the firepower number. Thirty minutes to scope it.
A 30-minute session to frame your current firepower, the growth objectives it needs to serve, and whether a structured roadmap is the right next step — or whether you're ready to move straight to deal origination.