The dns accountants group was built through 30+ acquisitions of our own — sourced, negotiated, funded and integrated by this team — and we are still acquiring today. That experience, applied to your platform.
You already know what a roll-up is. The questions that matter are execution: pipeline quality, funding structure, integration drag — and whether your adviser has ever lived with the consequences of a deal they recommended.
We have. We built and run our own platform — the dns accountants group, including the Pinksalt Partners buy-and-build acquiring UK accountancy practices. Every stage of the journey below, we have done with our own money and our own people.
We advise consolidators, platform management teams and first-time acquirers across the £500k–£10m deal range — on strategy, targets, funding, diligence and the integration work that decides whether any of it pays off.
We are entrepreneurs first and advisors second. We advise based on what we have done, not just what looks good in a report.
Acquire capabilities and revenue that would take years to build organically. A well-planned strategy compresses timelines from decades to years.
Larger, well-managed groups command higher valuation multiples than the individual businesses would separately. This is where real value creation happens.
Different cultures, performance stability during integration, and cash flow management during rapid growth. These are normal — what matters is having experience.
Buy and build is often talked about as fast growth. In reality it demands discipline, patience and deep operational knowledge at every stage of the journey.
At dns Corporate Advisory, buy and build is one of our key specialisms. Our practical experience comes from building and integrating the dns accountants group — our own UK accountancy roll-up, grown acquisition by acquisition.
That experience gives us a deep understanding of the full buy and build journey — from first acquisition to building a scaled platform. The same principles apply across SME businesses in many sectors.
People are most important. If you are not culturally aligned with the vendor, don’t buy — however good the financials look. In a multi-acquisition group, one bad practice takes a disproportionate amount of your time: management drag, operational problems, sometimes litigation. We learned that by living it.
Eight stages from first strategy through to long-term value creation. Explore each stage below.
Strong buy and build starts with clarity. Before any deals, we help define the platform, the acquisition criteria and the growth plan. This avoids chasing deals that add complexity but not value.
What kind of group are you building? Which types of businesses fit? Funding structure is critical here — how deals are funded has a direct impact on risk, growth and returns.
Define a clear acquisition thesis before approaching any targets.
Rushing into deals without a clear strategy.
Finding businesses to buy is only part of the job. The right targets fit your strategy, your culture and your integration capacity. A disciplined pipeline avoids wasted time and broken deals.
We help clients build rigorous acquisition criteria and qualify targets on strategic fit, not just availability or price.
Screen for cultural alignment as rigorously as you screen financials.
Pursuing every opportunity that appears.
Understanding the true performance of the business, structuring deals that work for both buyer and seller, and managing the expectations of founders and management teams.
We focus on clear, practical deal structures that support long-term success.
Structure deals that protect relationships from day one.
Overpaying due to competitive pressure or poor due diligence.
The first 100 days define the tone. Teams need clarity on reporting lines, processes, and expectations from the very first day.
A well-planned Day One creates confidence across the group and prevents the uncertainty that erodes trust.
Have a detailed Day One plan before completion.
Leaving new teams in limbo. Silence erodes trust faster than any challenge.
This is where buy and build succeeds or fails. Bringing systems together, aligning teams, maintaining service quality, and building shared standards across the group.
Value is created through consistent improvements, not through one-off changes.
Build a repeatable integration playbook.
Trying to integrate everything at once.
Better reporting, operational efficiency, shared services and professional governance structures lift the whole platform.
The focus shifts from managing change to building a group that is genuinely more capable than the sum of its parts.
Track KPIs across the group consistently.
Expecting synergies to materialise automatically.
The real power emerges when the process becomes repeatable. Each acquisition gets smoother, faster and more predictable as the playbook matures.
Internal M&A capability means the group can execute confidently without starting from scratch each time.
Document what works. Build internal capability.
Scaling acquisitions before the integration model is proven.
When done well, the group becomes more professional, more resilient and more valuable than the individual businesses were on their own.
A well-run, scalable platform commands premium valuations from trade buyers, institutional investors and private equity.
Build with an exit or legacy in mind from day one.
Losing sight of the end goal over the multi-year commitment.
When buy and build is done well, the group becomes more professional, more resilient and more valuable than the individual businesses were on their own.
Better reporting, improved oversight, and professional governance structures across the group.
Better use of people, systems and resources. Shared services drive down unit costs across the platform.
Operational improvements and shared services drive stronger profitability as the group scales.
More stable, diversified revenue streams increase overall business value and buyer appeal at exit.
Buy and build is a multi-year journey. We work alongside our clients through every stage — strategy and planning, deal support and structuring, post-deal integration, and ongoing growth and value creation.
Whether you are making your first acquisition or managing a growing group of businesses, we support the full journey. We work with SME business owners, management teams, investors, and sellers considering joining a growing group.
Our advice is grounded in real experience of building and scaling businesses. We understand the pressure, the complexity and the long-term commitment required to make buy and build work.
Buy and build is not a shortcut. It is a serious, multi-year strategy that rewards patience, discipline and the willingness to do the hard work after the deal completes.
Whether you’re planning your first acquisition or scaling an existing group, we’d welcome the conversation.
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