Today, website development company WebDevStudios announced the acquisition of Maintainn, a professional WordPress support and maintenance company.
As WebDevStudios has grown into one of the larger WordPress companies in the space, the acquisition seems like a natural step in its lifecycle. Dre Armeda, VP of Operations at WebDevStudios, indicated that the 13-year-old company has a long and successful history with Maintainn’s founder, Shayne Sanderson, and they already work with Maintainn on various retainers today.
According to the announcement, Maintainn will become the one-stop support and maintenance entity for WedDevStudios’ client retainers and incoming clients. In addition, Maintainn will continue to service the WordPress space, and Sanderson will continue to lead his team as Director of Support.
In an interview, Armeda said,
. . .Our goal is to help it [Maintainn] grow not just within our lifecycle, but also as its own entity with continued efforts towards servicing WordPress users across the world.
This move is undoubtedly beneficial for both parties. Sanderson confirmed this mutualistic acquisition, stating,
Even though the path to where we are currently is not exactly how I planned it out, I’m happy to say that to this day we are still providing exactly the level of service I first envisioned. Joining WDS will only push this idea further by having their support and development behind us, so I’m happy to say everything I’d hoped Maintainn could be is happening and only getting better. I couldn’t be more lucky.
Understanding Acquisitions
Even in the earliest stages of starting a company, understanding the acquisition process is integral to business growth.
How will a potential acquisition impact strategic growth? Will your teams merge or stay separate? How do your values align? There’s much more to an acquisition than simply revenue and costs.
With various factors to evaluate and future initiatives to map, the entire process can easily become rather mind-boggling.
In an interview with Armeda, I asked him what he believes is the most important thing to consider before pursuing an acquisition. He said:
What is the value? Not just short term, but strategically for your organization. Does it map to your business, processes, and growth? Will it serve as means for rapid growth, process improvement? Is it a low risk profit center, and a means to diversify your revenue opportunities?
In short, the most important thing is consider how it maps to your situation, importance has a different meaning to every business.
Obviously each business has a unique set of needs, however, these fundamental questions could provide real insight when determining whether or not an acquisition will help your company’s growth and development.
Knowing when to sell may be just as complex as knowing when to buy. I asked Sanderson to provide some advice to those who may be thinking about selling their company. He advised,
Before selling your company I think you just need to be “ok” with knowing what’s going to change. At first glance I think the initial thought is “wow, this is going to be great (rainbows, unicorns, etc.) but with any acquisition things will change. There will be some give and take, and since I’m not the best with change I had to spend time getting comfortable with that.
Change is not always bad so consider all sides and just get to the point where you’re ok with it and accept it all before making a decision.
In regards to WebDevStudios’ acquisition, Maintainn will still be Maintainn, and the company’s current team will remain intact, however, it’s important to note that these terms are contingent on each individual agreement.
Marie Dodson is the editor at Torque. She enjoys wine, good books, and travel.
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