THE CORPAND METHOD
An important business decision needs more than information.
It needs an understanding of what we know, what we do not yet know, what may condition the decision and which alternatives exist before acting.
CORPAND structures this process from the initial analysis through to execution, when there is a transaction.
THE STARTING POINT
A transaction should not begin before the decision is understood.
Selling a company, bringing in capital, preparing a succession or acquiring a business are decisions with different consequences.
That is why we do not start from a prior conclusion.
First we build a view of the situation.
Then we cross-check the information, identify what matters and determine which next step makes sense to explore.
The transaction is a possible consequence of the decision. Not necessarily the starting point.
01 · UNDERSTAND
Building a view before reaching conclusions.
Every situation begins by ordering the information needed to understand what we are dealing with.
Depending on the case, we analyse:
BUSINESS
How the company works, how it generates value and which factors condition its model.
FINANCIAL SITUATION
Results, margins, cash generation and the economic quality of the business.
VALUE
Which factors explain the company's value and what may condition it.
DEPENDENCIES
Owner, key people, clients, suppliers or other critical elements.
TRANSFERABILITY
How far the business can preserve its ability to operate and generate value through a change of ownership or structure.
RISKS
Elements that may affect the decision or a possible transaction.
Before asking what we should do, we need to understand what we are dealing with.
02 · CROSS-CHECK
Not all information carries the same level of certainty.
An available piece of data is not the same as an interpretation.
And an interpretation is not the same as a verified conclusion.
That is why we structure the analysis by distinguishing between:
DATA
Available and identifiable information.
INFERENCES
Provisional conclusions we can draw from the existing information.
HYPOTHESES
Possibilities that still need to be tested.
UNAVAILABLE INFORMATION
Questions that may be relevant but that we cannot yet determine.
When a conclusion can materially condition a decision, we seek additional evidence, cross-check it and bring in professional review when necessary.
What we cannot yet verify does not become a certainty.
03 · DECIDE
Analysis only makes sense if it helps to decide.
The aim is not to accumulate information.
It is to identify what matters, which alternatives exist and what each one involves.
For an owner, it may mean comparing:
For a buyer, it may mean determining:
Understand what we have.
Cross-check what we know.
Identify what matters.
Decide what makes sense to do.
04 · PREPARE
It is not about fixing everything. It is about working on what matters.
When the path is defined, we identify what may condition the next step.
Depending on the situation, it may involve working on:
Not all problems carry the same importance.
Not all improvements materially change a decision or a transaction.
Preparing is knowing what may condition the next step and acting on what really matters.
05 · EXECUTE
When there is a transaction, it needs direction.
When the decision involves a transaction and the parties decide to move forward, CORPAND takes on the direction of the process.
Depending on the transaction, we coordinate:
PREPARATION
Structuring the information and preparing the process.
COUNTERPARTIES
Identification, selection and approach where appropriate.
NEGOTIATION
Organising the proposals, positions and negotiating process.
SPECIALISTS
Coordination of the necessary professionals.
DUE DILIGENCE
Coordination of the verification process.
CLOSING
Following the transaction through to its formalisation.
The client continues to make the decisions. CORPAND directs the process.
A WAY OF WORKING
Human judgement. Structured information. Specialisation when necessary.
A business transaction may require financial, legal, tax, employment, sector or technical knowledge.
CORPAND keeps the overall view of the process and brings in the right specialists when the situation requires it.
JUDGEMENT
Important decisions are not delegated to an automatic system.
STRUCTURE
Information is ordered so it can be analysed, cross-checked and used.
CROSS-CHECKING
Relevant conclusions are reviewed before becoming a basis for decision.
SPECIALISATION
When a question requires specific professional knowledge, we bring in the right profile.
DIRECTION
CORPAND keeps a view over the whole.
Technology when it adds capability.
Specialists when they add knowledge.
Human judgement when a decision must be made.
LET'S TALK
Every situation begins by understanding what we are dealing with.
Whether there is a decision about your company or you are exploring an acquisition, we can begin with a first conversation.