Due diligence is important whenever you are about to make an important decision whose consequences can be far-reaching. In personal life, mistakes can be tolerated. In business, however, a mistake can lead to business failure. That is why due diligence consulting services are in high demand in the business world. You may want to consider hiring a due diligence consultant before engaging in any of the following:
i) Mergers
Before merging your business with another, you must carry out due diligence to ascertain the financial position of that organization as well as the organizational structure and caliber of human capital they have. This is to ensure you know what the other organization is bringing into the partnership as well as what they are entitled to in the new entity. You cannot assume that the organization is entitled to half of everything simply because they look just as great as your company on paper. You must hire an expert to carry out additional due diligence on that organization as this will help you to make a well informed decision.
ii) Acquisitions
Taking over the business of another organization might be great for your business if they have a loyal customer base, an efficient business model and a lot of assets. However, you may come to discover that the company has a lot of undocumented debts and liabilities. When valuing a company of interest with the aim of acquiring it, you need to know the nature and amount of debt they have. All other liabilities must also be outlined to help you with the valuation. It is important to note that not every detail about a company may be official or documented, so you need to work with someone who can get insider information on the current state of the business.
iii) Hiring Senior Staff
When looking for a CEO, president, VP or even a departmental head of a company, you will need more information than what is available in their resume or in the public domain. You need someone to run a credit check, criminal background check, talk to relatives and friends to get as much information about the person in question. This information will go a long way in helping the employer make a well informed decision on whether to hire that person or not.
iv) Signing Contracts in New Jurisdictions
Before you sign a contract in a new jurisdiction, you need to do a lot of research to find out if every aspect of the contract is legal and actionable in that jurisdiction. Since you have more important things to do, you should let a due diligence consultant help you out.