Acquisitions Without Chaos | Wendy Murphy
From The Art of Positioning by Beatrice Gutknecht
April 28, 2026 · 1h 16m · Season 3 · Episode 13
About this episode
Wendy Murphy discusses the complexities of transitioning a family-run business to a private equity-backed model and the challenges of acquiring new companies.
Wendy Murphy, CEO of second‑generation Timber Tech Truss (started by her parents in 1980), shares what growth really looks like when you go from family-run to private equity-backed, and then acquire two businesses in 18 months. She shares why Timber Tech sold to align on a new direction, how the bolt‑on strategy led to buying a stair company and a prefab wall/framing company, and why “alignment” beats spreadsheets when picking acquisition targets. You’ll hear the unsexy stuff that makes or breaks integration: a 90‑day pause to build trust, audits (HR, safety, engagement), change management as an emotional process, ERP assumptions that don’t scale, and why messaging/brand continuity can lag behind ops—without confusing customers. - Audit your brand performance: https://www.badasserybyb.com/brand-health-audit - 04:18 Selling to Private Equity 08:09 Surprises in Due Diligence 17:28 Guiding Principles That Scale 22:37 90 Day Integration Playbook 34:17 Systems and Org Chart Lessons 41:05 Shiny Object Discipline 52:30 Conduct Versus Performance 56:12 KPIs and Development Hours 01:00:06 M&A Advice for Sellers 01:05:30 Earnouts And Deal Reality - 5 episodes to binge on : The…
People in this episode
Host: Beatrice Gutknecht
Guest: Wendy Murphy
Topics covered
- acquisitions
- private equity
- business growth
- integration strategies
- family business
- change management
Keywords
- acquisitions
- private equity
- business integration
- family business
- change management
- due diligence
- KPI
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Timber Tech Truss, Private Equity, HR, ERP
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