Best Startup
Beyond is an M&A technology company. We provide technology integration services to clients that grow via acquisition. Typically they are Private Equity backed.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m the CEO of Beyond Migration, however I’ve been in the technology space my entire life, as a kid I was obsessed with my computer and much to my parents dismay I broke it several times!
As I embarked on my career there was simply nothing else I wanted to do and started to work my way up the ladder from technical support to eventually senior management roles within large organisations. I then realised around 2014 that I needed to realise my ambition of starting my own business and building a team of great people.
So Beyond came to fruition in 2014 and I’ve been apart of this great team ever since. We specialise in M&A technology after realising that the space was being underserved by consultancies (large and small) treating the projects as they would any other.
We’ve developed an incredibly strong methodology that drives everything we do in Beyond – its our ‘Secret Sauce’! For me personally I also have a keen interest in HR and completed a Diploma.
In our line of work we have a massive impact on people as we are apart of a significant change process – we have to have a very good ‘bedside’ manner. I believe its incredibly important to keep learning in life and so everyone in Beyond has a training plan.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Thats a great question! As a business owner you try to manage every nuance of the business – and thats simply not possible.
The only outcome achieved by doing this is to reduce the amount of sleep you get! Its important to surround yourself with people that have the same vision as yourself and crucially trust them to get on with the job.
So my advice to myself would be – don’t sweat the small stuff and focus on making positive change by developing your team and allowing them to do a great job.
What problem does your business solve?
9 times out of 10 companies do not integrate their acquisitions quickly enough. The acquisitions are often left isolated which creates division, suspicion and poor trust.
We fix that by providing a team with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours to integrate smoothly and with minimal disruption. The outcomes are a far more cohesive overall business.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The inspiration was simply realising that the market wasn’t being given the right level of focus and treated like any other technology projects.
We enable our clients to continue with their growth strategy by absorbing the weight and subsequent issues of the acquisitions technology.
What is your magic sauce?
Ah – that is secret! However we have a very specific process that we use that enables Beyond to apply a consistent service to all our clients. Call it ‘Systemising’ if you will.
This means that – abit like McDonalds – you get the same product time and time again. All engagements we perform within Beyond stick to our process regardless of what we are doing.
This is what sets us apart from our competitors, who typically will simply assign technical resources with a project plan and hit the ‘go’ button. We are so confident in our services that we underwrite them with a warranty period.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our plan is to continue our growth by expanding the team and building our Private Equity client base. So far in 2022 we have opened our new offices in Londons Canary Wharf and continued to build and develop our IP.
Our goal is to be the recognised Post Merger Integrator outside of the big consultancies (EY, Deloitte) etc. We have ambitions to expand into the US market in addition – so watch this space!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Covid put a temporary brake on our expansion plans and like allot of businesses we had to make certain changes to adapt. Like so many organisations, recruitment has been challenging during this period as the labour market is so tight at the moment.
We had to adapt our working practices to overcome this challenge and are making great progress. I’m delighted with the team we are building – but then I’m biased!
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
We would be delighted to speak to any business that grow via acquisition and has a challenge with either integrating the technology or lacks a technology leader that can define a clear strategy.
We have options that make us extremely flexible to work with. You can find us over atwww.beyondmigration.com or drop me an email at dave.refault@beyondmigration.com and I’ll be happy to explain our services.
