UAE acquisition question
What Should Happen in the First 100 Days After Buying a UAE Business?
The first 100 days should be planned before the acquisition closes. The objective is not immediate transformation. It is to protect value, establish control and create the platform for improvement.
Before Day One: establish authority
The buyer should already know:
- who approves payments;
- who controls bank access;
- who signs contracts;
- who sets pricing;
- who communicates with employees;
- who manages customer and supplier relationships.
Ambiguity in authority is one of the fastest ways to create post-close disruption.
Days 1–30: protect continuity
The first month should focus on stability.
Priorities typically include:
- retaining key employees;
- contacting major customers;
- stabilising supplier relationships;
- confirming cash controls;
- establishing management reporting;
- transferring founder-held knowledge;
- tracking immediate operational risks.
Large changes should be avoided unless they are necessary to protect value.
Days 30–60: establish the operating baseline
Compare the acquisition thesis with actual post-close performance.
Track:
- revenue;
- gross margin;
- collections;
- working capital;
- customer retention;
- employee turnover;
- pipeline;
- capex;
- integration costs.
This period reveals whether the assumptions made during diligence are holding.
Days 60–100: begin targeted improvement
Once the business is stable, the buyer can accelerate initiatives linked directly to the acquisition rationale.
These may include:
- management changes;
- pricing;
- procurement;
- reporting systems;
- cross-selling;
- technology integration;
- governance improvements;
- cost optimisation.
Assign ownership to synergies
Every material initiative should have:
- an accountable owner;
- a financial target;
- a deadline;
- required investment;
- a measurement method.
A projected synergy is not a realised synergy.
Structure the seller transition
Where the founder remains after closing, responsibilities and authority should be explicit.
The transition period should transfer knowledge and relationships, not preserve permanent dependency.
KPMG's UAE integration practice emphasises early Day One planning and integration design linked directly to the transaction rationale.
Conclusion
The first 100 days should accomplish three things:
protect value, establish control and enable improvement.
Integration planning that begins only after closing begins too late.
Keel Partners supports buyers with pre-close operating assessment, Day One readiness and 100-day integration planning.
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