using M&A to build a national restoration brand
Challenge
As one of the fastest-growing privately held commercial and residential restoration businesses in the US, KUSTOM approached Finch Brands looking to prepare for its next wave of profitable growth.
Having acquired a portfolio of regional businesses – with more to come – KUSTOM needed a strategy to manage brand equities/transitions and create a long-term approach to maximize enterprise value.
Furthermore, KUSTOM needed to strengthen its strategic and aesthetic brand foundation to enable the company to compete and win on a national basis with commercial accounts.
Brand Equity Assessment System
We constructed a flexible Brand Equity Assessment System and established guardrails for KUSTOM to evaluate the equity of each acquisition, to determine the appropriate brand transition cadence.
Process
After identifying the guardrails, we set out to develop an M&A Brand Architecture strategy, an integration plan, launch suite, and Kustom Brand position poised for national competition.
We started with integrating previous acquisitions and building a model for future M&A integration – we worked closely with corporate and acquired company leadership to build a migration strategy for acquisitions, so that the KUSTOM name could be (gradually and deliberately) introduced.
We rolled ‘Trust That Builds’ out across all sales/marketing channels.
We began with a suite of M&A communication materials to show owner-operators the care with which Kustom integrates acquired companies and the enterprise value proposition of becoming part of KUSTOM – as opposed to just another private equity rollup. We developed decks and other collateral to accomplish this.
The Right To Compete Nationally
Leveraging stakeholder research, brand strategy, and design, we built out the KUSTOM brand ideology, highlighting the company’s partnership style and general urgency under the established core idea of ‘Trust That Builds.’
As KUSTOM grew by acquisition, we needed a partner to help us build and execute a model for how to successfully integrate acquired brands. Not only did Finch Brands accomplish this in ways that strengthened KUSTOM, but they also helped prepare our brand to compete on a national level. We were impressed by their energy level and the quality of their work. They truly get M&A – and all the emotional and practical considerations that go along with it.
Real-World Results
The result was a corporate brand ready to compete against big national players and regional operators alike. Furthermore, KUSTOM now has a simple, compelling brand integration approach to ensure future acquisitions are approached carefully yet decisively. KUSTOM continues to grow rapidly and now has 33 locations.
M&A Branding On Your Mind?
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