What should I do in the first week after buying a business?

Closing is a legal event, not an operational one, and systems do not automatically start behaving like they belong to you the moment the deal completes. The first week is really about confirming what was promised in due diligence actually holds up in practice.

Confirm you can actually operate the business

Bank signing authority, point-of-sale and accounting software logins, merchant account access, alarm and security codes, and control of email and domain accounts all need to be tested directly, not assumed to have transferred cleanly just because it was agreed on paper.

Get the first payroll run right

A missed or late payroll run in the first week is one of the fastest ways to unsettle staff right when you most need their goodwill, so confirm the payroll system, banking details and remittance obligations are all correctly set up under the new ownership before the first pay date arrives.

Watch cash every day, not just monthly

Daily cash movement in the first week can reveal something due diligence did not catch, a pattern of returns, a supplier payment that was due but not disclosed, or revenue that looks different once you are the one watching it in real time.

Be present, but resist changing things yet

Walking the floor, sitting in on how the business actually runs day to day, and being visible to staff and customers matters more in week one than making improvements. Changing pricing, staffing or supplier relationships before you understand why they were set up that way is one of the most common mistakes new owners make.

Keep a running list for later

Note what you want to fix or change as you notice it, rather than acting on it immediately, so you have a clear, prioritized plan once you have had enough time to understand the business rather than reacting to a first impression.