Buy-side M&A Advisory

The right acquisition can change the trajectory of your business.

Acquiring another business can accelerate growth in a way that would take years to achieve organically. It can give you immediate access to new customers, markets, capability, people, technology, capacity or geographic reach.

But finding a business to buy isn't the objective. Finding the right business, at the right value, on the right terms is.

Morgan Shaw Advisory works alongside businesses, investors and leadership teams through the entire acquisition process, from defining what you're looking for and identifying potential targets, through to approach, assessment, negotiation, due diligence and completion.

And importantly, we don't limit the search to businesses already for sale.

Start with what the acquisition needs to achieve

Before looking for a target, we get clear on the reason for acquiring one.

What would materially advance your strategy? Is it scale? New customers? Geographic expansion? Capability? Capacity? Recurring revenue? Vertical integration? Market consolidation?

From there, MSA develops a clear acquisition thesis and target criteria, giving us a disciplined basis for searching the market and assessing opportunities as they emerge.

It also gives you something equally important:

A reason to say no.

Because a business being available doesn't make it the right acquisition.

Our Positive Impact

"I’ll never forget the day I began partnering with MSA. I had access to the thought leadership I needed to get the value my business deserved. I’m not just getting by anymore, I’m building towards something stronger."

From opportunity to acquisition.

Define the right opportunity.

Before looking for a business to buy, get clear on what the acquisition needs to achieve.

MSA helps define the acquisition strategy and target criteria, so the search starts with what will genuinely advance your business. not simply what's available for sale.

Know what you're looking for and why.

1.

Find what others aren’t seeing.

The right business may never formally come to market.

MSA maps the market, identifies and screens potential targets and makes discreet, confidential approaches to businesses that fit your acquisition criteria including those not actively considering a sale.

Don't wait for the opportunity. Create it.

2.

Get the right deal done.

Finding the target is only the beginning.

MSA stays alongside you through assessment, valuation, negotiation, due diligence and transaction execution helping you understand what you're buying, what it's worth, where the risks sit and how the deal should be structured.

The goal isn't simply to complete a transaction. It's to complete the right one.

3.

You’ve built the value. Now reap the reward.

MSA’s mission is to protect our clients’ legacy. MSA guides all our clients through the complexities of buying or selling a business. We simplifying the process and always stay transparent and authentic throughout the entire process. 

Confidentiality and discretion are at the core of MSA’s DNA, ensuring we manage the heavy lifting for our clients. When obstacles arise, MSA persists, always taking a buyer’s perspective to navigate challenges. With a holistic approach, MSA considers every aspect of the business, ensuring the maximum value is realised.

Services Include:

  • Sell-side Lead Advisory

  • Buy-side Lead Advisory

  • Capital Raises

  • Valuations

  • Divestments

  • Mergers

  • Due Diligence

  • Post Deal Integration

Learn more

Build a pipeline. Not a dependency.

An acquisition can become difficult to assess objectively once significant time and energy have been invested in it.

That's why we don't want the first promising target to automatically become the target.

Where the market allows, MSA develops and manages a pipeline of potential acquisition opportunities. That gives you points of comparison, preserves choice and helps maintain negotiating discipline throughout the process.

Some conversations will progress. Others won't.

The objective is not to get a deal done at any cost. It's to get the right deal done.

Then find out what you’re really buying.

Once a potential acquisition progresses, the question changes.

It's no longer simply “Do we like this business?”

It's “Does this business deliver what we need it to and does the investment case stack up?”

MSA assesses the opportunity from a commercial and financial perspective, looking beyond headline revenue and EBITDA to understand what sits underneath the numbers.

That can include earnings quality and sustainability, customer concentration, margins, growth, management dependency, competitive position, operational capability, capital requirements, risks and potential synergies.

We also consider how the target fits with your existing business and where the value of bringing the two together may actually come from.

Because strategic fit and financial fit are not always the same thing.

Know what it’s worth, and what it’s worth to you.

Price is where many acquisitions become emotional.

Our role is to keep the commercial logic clear.

MSA develops a view of value based on the target's financial performance, market benchmarks, risk profile and future earnings potential.

But for an acquirer, there is another question, what is this business worth in your hands?

Potential synergies, additional customers, capacity, capability or strategic advantages may create value beyond the business on a standalone basis.

Understanding that difference helps establish where you can compete and where you should walk away.

A good deal isn’t defined by the headline price.

Two offers for the same amount can produce very different outcomes.

How and when consideration is paid, working capital arrangements, earn-outs or deferred consideration, conditions, warranties, transition arrangements and other commercial terms can materially change both the value and risk of a transaction.

MSA leads the commercial negotiation with the vendor and their advisers, helping shape an offer and transaction structure that reflects both the opportunity and the risks identified.

Price matters. So does everything around it.

Know Before You Own.

Due diligence is where assumptions meet evidence.

Once exclusivity or an agreed transaction framework is reached, MSA helps coordinate the due diligence process alongside the client's legal, tax and other specialist advisers.

The objective isn't simply to produce a list of issues.

It's to understand what those findings mean for the deal.

Does something change the valuation? Does it need to be reflected in the transaction structure? Is further protection required? Can the issue be resolved before completion? Or does it change the investment case altogether?

MSA keeps those findings connected to the commercial decision you are ultimately making.

Keep the Deal Moving.

Transactions involve a lot of moving parts.

Buyer. Vendor. Lawyers. Accountants. Tax advisers. Financiers. Due diligence specialists. Management teams.

Without someone maintaining momentum across the transaction, issues can sit unresolved and timelines can quickly move.

MSA remains alongside you through negotiation, due diligence, documentation and completion coordinating the process, working with the specialist advisers and keeping the commercial objectives of the acquisition front and centre.

From first approach to final completion, there is always a next move.

The MSA Difference.

We Find Opportunities. Then We Help You Get Them Done.

Buy-Side M&A isn't simply about reviewing businesses that arrive in your inbox.

MSA can proactively search the market, identify and approach potential targets, create proprietary opportunities and then remain alongside you through assessment, valuation, negotiation and transaction execution.

And because we understand the business strategy behind the acquisition, the transaction doesn't exist in isolation from what you're ultimately trying to achieve.

Find the opportunity. Understand the value. Get the right deal done.B

  • We're a boutique Corporate Advisory and M&A firm dedicated to supporting founder‑led and
    family‑owned businesses maximise value.

  • MSA wants to see business owners significantly improve the value of their business way before a transaction. And when it finally does come to a transaction, whether that be a capital raise, an acquisition, an IPO, or an exit/sale of the business, MSA will manage the entire process from beginning to end.

  • We work with:

    • Executives & Senior Leadership

    • Corporations

    • Family-Owned Businesses

    • Entrepreneurs

    • Companies in growth / distress

    • Not For Profits

    • Buyers / Investors

We asked our clients, “What would you like others to know about your experience with Morgan Shaw Advisory”.

This was their response.

Have questions?

FAQ’s

  • Yes. Proprietary target identification is an important part of our Buy-Side M&A approach. We can map the market against agreed acquisition criteria and confidentially approach suitable businesses, including those not actively marketed for sale.

  • Yes. Where appropriate, MSA can make discreet approaches to potential acquisition targets without the acquirer having to initiate the conversation directly.

  • We first establish the strategic rationale for the acquisition and develop clear target criteria. These criteria are then used to research, screen and prioritise potential businesses.

  • Yes. Valuation forms an important part of assessing an acquisition and establishing an appropriate negotiating position.

  • Yes. MSA can lead commercial negotiations with the vendor and their adviser on your behalf, including price and key commercial terms.

  • The scope depends on the transaction and the business being acquired. It can include financial, tax, legal, commercial, operational, technology, HR and other specialist areas. MSA helps coordinate the process while the relevant professional advisers undertake specialist diligence.

  • Yes. We can assess where combining the businesses may create additional value and challenge the assumptions behind those potential benefits.

  • The significance of the issue needs to be assessed commercially. Depending on the finding, it may affect valuation, transaction structure, contractual protections or whether the acquisition should proceed.

  • There is no standard timeframe. Proprietary searches can take longer because the right target first needs to be identified and engaged, while an already marketed opportunity may move more quickly. Transaction complexity, due diligence, funding and negotiation also influence timing.

  • Yes. Where required, MSA's broader advisory capability can support integration and execution following completion. I would keep this answer relatively restrained on this page rather than turning post-acquisition support into another major section.

Like to learn more?
Let’s chat.

Morgan Shaw Advisory
Suite 3.02, Level 3
89 York Street
Sydney NSW 2000

General enquiries
info@morganshawadvisory.com
+61 1300 980 344