The 1st 90 Days After Acquiring a Business

Hey there entrepreneurs,

Welcome to the Better Business Brief, where I share takeaways from:

running businesses I’m building to sell for millions
My advisory with other business owners building to sell for millions
tips and tricks you can use to do the same

Earlier this year, my partner and I acquired part of a business..

It’s been a few months now, and let me tell you, the reality of stepping in as an owner is a lot different than what you think when you’re just staring at financials and projections.

We’ve seen wins, surprises, and a few challenges that no one really warns you about.

And from that experience, I’ve pulled out some lessons I think every entrepreneur should know before their first 90 days of ownership.

So today, in less than 5 minutes, I’ll give you:

📋 The 3 Most Important Priorities in Your First 90 Days

⚖️ Why They Matter (and How to Balance Them)

🪞 What to Expect That No One Tells You

When you own a business, there are constantly things “on fire.”

The trouble is, while you’re putting out one fire, there are others still burning.

What does that mean?

You must not only become ok with some fires continuing to burn, but also rapidly learn how to prioritize the most troublesome fire all the time.

That word prioritize… that’s the key here. So these are the most key 3 priorities I’ve learned along the way…

PRIORITY #1 – Interview Everyone

Before you change anything, talk to every single person in the business.

Yes, even if there are 100 employees.

Why?

Because the people closest to the work know what’s actually going on.

They’ll tell you what’s working, what’s broken, and where the real bottlenecks are.

If you skip this step and come in swinging with changes, you risk breaking the very things keeping the business alive.

Think of yourself as a detective piecing together the real story of how the company runs.

PRIORITY #2 – Be Firm but Fair

Everyone in the company is wondering if they can trust you.

They want to know if their paycheck is safe.

If you start shaking things up too fast, you’ll stir fear.

But if you roll over and say “yes” to every request, you’ll lose control and profitability.

You have to strike the balance: firm enough to stick to the plan you acquired the business for, but fair enough to keep the team on your side.

Lose either, and you lose the business.

PRIORITY #3 – Expect Skeletons in the Closet

No matter how thorough your due diligence was, you will find hidden problems.

Some will be small, some will be game-changing.

Maybe it’s a broken process that never got fixed.

Maybe it’s a person who shouldn’t still be there.

The key is flexibility.

You have no choice but to adjust your plan when those skeletons show up.

You don’t get to pause the business and start over… you’re already in the game.

At the end of the day, the only choice is to win anyway.

Acquiring a business isn’t just about spreadsheets, marketing plans, or scaling revenue like people make it out to be.

It’s about people, psychology, and leading through uncertainty.

If you get these first 90 days right, by listening, balancing, and adapting.. you set the foundation to actually grow the business into the thing you dreamed about when you signed that LOI.