How do I review an AV company’s programming staff before buying?
Find out who writes and fixes the control programming, then meet them. Ask what each programmer can do alone, how their work is documented, and whether the company or the person holds the files. Judge how much the business depends on one or two people before you commit.
Begin with the roster. Ask for each programmer’s role, the kinds of systems they handle, and which jobs they led. Then ask the owner a harder question: if the strongest programmer left tomorrow, which clients would feel it first? The answer shows where the real value sits.
Meet the programmers, ideally without the owner in the room. Ask how they hand work over, where code is stored, and whether another person could pick up a half-finished job. Look at a sample project file. Clear naming, comments and version history say more about a programmer than a résumé does. Messy files held on a personal laptop are a warning.
Next, look at the terms they work under. Are they employees or contractors? Is there anything in writing about who owns what they build, or about staying through a sale? Your lawyer can read those documents. You can also ask the seller to introduce you to the team before closing, and plan how to keep them afterwards. If the company uses outside programmers for busy periods, ask about them too. Find out how quickly they respond, how they are paid, and whether the company could cope if they were unavailable during your first season as owner.
Key takeaways
- Ask which clients would feel it first if the top programmer left.
- Inspect a real project file for naming, comments and storage location.
- Have your lawyer read each programmer’s agreement before you rely on them.
Related reading
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to reduce employee turnover
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