At AVL Growth Partners, one of the core principles we emphasize with our clients is the importance of being ready. This idea originates from typical mergers and acquisitions (M&A) due-diligence process, yet extends beyond to the readiness of the business on the whole. In fact, the concept of “Be Ready” has much broader applications. 

There’s a great saying in M&A: “Run your business like you are going to own it forever, otherwise you will.”

Being ready means creating a company prepared to seize opportunities, act swiftly, and make informed decisions. Readiness ensures you are never caught flat-footed. You are ready for the right talent, the right sales pitch, and the right choice about something that does not align with your strategic goals. You are ready for anything. 

What Does Being Ready Mean?

Being ready means creating a proactive rather than reactive organizational culture. It means to be prepared to pounce on opportunities the moment they arise. 

It could be the chance to onboard top talent who suddenly becomes available or the ability to capitalize on an unexpected business opportunity. When your organization is ready, you are not scrambling to evaluate whether or not you can make a move; you already know the answer.

At AVL, we see readiness as a mindset that touches every facet of a company. Companies that are ready have already equipped their teams with the tools, processes, and strategies to act decisively and confidently at every turn.

A Story of Readiness: Capturing Top Talent

Let’s take a real-world example. A company was steadily growing when they heard that a company in an adjacent space had been suddenly acquired. Three talented sales representatives from the acquired company were to become available. The leadership team recognized the moment—these were high-quality salespeople they could bring on board.

They had no immediate plan to hire three additional salespeople, but thanks to their culture of readiness, they knew exactly how to assess and act on the situation swiftly. They had the data, the analytics, and the decision-making processes in place. 

They quickly ran the numbers: What would the cost be? What were the key assumptions in terms of sales projections and risk? Was it feasible to make these hires? Would they be able to onboard the new talent quickly and effectively to get them productive? Would they be able to adjust the compensation plans to absorb these three new people while the rest of the organization maintains its execution rhythm?

They executed the hires within two business days. The outcome? The hires onboarded fast, exceeded financial projections, and gave the company a significant competitive advantage. 

This was not luck—it was readiness.

Shifting from Reactive to Ready

A key element in this success story was that the company had already done the legwork. From HR to finance, everything was in place. They had job descriptions, compensation plans, training modules, and offer letters ready to go. There was no need to panic or rely solely on intuition—they had the strategic plan and data to back their decision. This allowed them to move thoughtfully and quickly, without hesitation.

Why Readiness Matters

Being ready allows companies to make significant moves quickly and confidently. With readiness, they assess their current state with clarity, have confidence in core assumptions, and act decisively when opportunities arise.

In our example, what could have been just a rumor in the field turned into job acceptance within two business days. The company’s ability to hire these account reps so quickly garnered them immense credibility within their industry, and the financial returns exceeded expectations.

Create a culture of readiness. It is one of the most valuable investments you will make in your business. Sure, you will be prepared for a possible sale or acquisition, but more than that, you will have the agility to act quickly and strategically at any moment, regardless of what challenge or opportunity comes to pass. 

At AVL, we help our clients shift from a reaction-based culture to a readiness culture. With a fractional CFO and HRO, companies are always analyzing, building, and preparing, so when opportunity knocks, they are ready to act in the right direction.

AVL Growth Partners is a fractional finance, accounting and human resources services company supporting early-stage growth companies in pivoting to the next level of growth. We serve clients across the U.S. with offices in Denver, Austin, and Atlanta. For details, visit avlgrowth.com or connect with us at hello@avlgrowth.com.