John Bly – Growing Your Business Through M&A

Is your business stagnant or experiencing slow growth? One way to accelerate business development is through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). So, what does it take to merge or acquire a company?

Having faced many challenges in growing a company, John Bly has successfully merged with 14 other firms. When assessing a business to acquire, he says to identify and vet the acquisition targets and financing solutions. After a merger, it’s critical to develop new systems, redefine roles, and support the team in the transition process. When executed correctly, M&As can support entrepreneurship and encourage profitable growth.

In this episode of The Future is Borderless, David Nilssen sits down with John Bly, the Managing Partner of the South Atlantic at Aprio, to discuss business development through mergers and acquisitions. John explains how he overcame the challenges he faced acquiring other firms, how to evaluate and identify the best company to acquire, and the methodologies of mergers and acquisitions.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• John Bly’s experience running a business with his spouse
• Why John started his business, his inspiration for focusing on acquisitions, and his first deal
• How John overcame the challenges he faced acquiring other CPA firms
• John reveals his easiest and most difficult acquisitions
• Managing the transition process after a merger
• How to evaluate and identify the best company to acquire
• John explains the methodologies for mergers and acquisitions
• The merge of LBA Haynes Strand and Aprio
• How to navigate the talent shortage
• John’s advice to entrepreneurs as they prepare for the end of the year