When Milan Industries and DWM Solutions hit a glass ceiling, they were inevitably faced with two choices: They could either go through a significant reinvestment separately, or they could come together and accelerate their plans to break through to the next level.
After two solid years in the making, we are thrilled to celebrate the successful merger of our clients, industry-renowned IT service providers Milan Industries and DWM Solutions. Now, they stand ready to empower a growing client base of more than 3,500 seats with a holistic and tech-forward approach.
Within any rapidly-evolving industry, the pursuit to organically grow a business can come as a timely challenge - that is, without making a change.
In hindsight, for any two businesses that are struggling to solely expand while capable of strengthening one another, the decision to merge and leverage synergies often presents itself as a strategic one - costing less resources, with the promise of more revenue.
For both Milan Rajkovic, Managing Director, Milan Industries, and Nick and Jeni Clift, Co-Founders of DWM Solutions, the idea of a merger presented itself as an imperative opportunity to grow and move forward.
"Even if we wanted to organically grow, finding the staff is really tough. And for me, that was a big driver - Milan’s got a great team, and we’ve got a great team, and together, we’re making an awesome team. It’s definitely not on our agenda to put two companies together, rip all the guts out, and make as much money as possible - this is all about a growth strategy to put two together and make one and one equal four - and that together to better, is 100% what we’re looking to do."- Nick Clift
This new high-octane business now offers clients 'a reliable multi-national SMB and valuable mid-market service provider' for IT support, leveraging unified partnerships with world-class vendors, including Datto, Microsoft, Dell, Sophos, and 8x8.
The all-embracing goal post-merger is to enhance professional services and to optimize the overall client experience, keeping the clients' needs firmly in mind, with the intent to drive stronger outcomes and build strong and trusting relationships. "We're not just a box-drop, we're about taking you on a journey," says Clift.
If you're the operator of a small or medium-sized business, perhaps you can relate to "getting sucked into every little nook and cranny," a growing pain that Rajkovic explains is one of his personal reasons behind the decision to merge.
"I think we both wanted to progress to the next stage of our lives, and we both wanted to get to a point where the business is no longer taking us for the ride. We want to actually be owners of the business, not just have a glorified position in the business."
- Milan Rajkovic
Co-founded in 2002 by Nick and Jeni Clift, DWM (Don't Worry Mate) Solutions is a family-owned and operated IT service provider that strives to help businesses succeed through the first-rate provision of the following services: IT Managed Services, Data Security, IT Consultancy, and Business Continuity Plans.
Their former head office was based in Echuca for more than 20 years, where they built a strong client base across regional Victoria. Nick and Jeni recently moved back to Melbourne to launch their merger with metro-based provider Milan Industries.
Milan Industries was established in 2004 by Milan Rajkovic, and like DWM, proves a remarkable performance history of customer satisfaction, providing full coverage across all IT services: Managed IT, IT Security, Managed Hosting, Business Continuity Solutions, Cloud Phones, and Guaranteed Internet Services.
Since merging, their combined reach sees a wide span across both regional and metro Victoria. They now have over 30 professionals working from seven offices throughout the APAC region, with plans to expand across Victoria. Their head office will be located in Northcote, Victoria.
"The merger is allowing us to do what we love to do. So, for Nick - that's very much business development, sales, and working with our bigger clients - the visionary-type role. Milan, visionary as well, but more tech-focused. And for me, its people."
- Jeni Clift
For most, just the thought of melding two teams sounds highly problematic. However, for both Milan and DWM, their teams' ability to smoothly transition into a united front is largely attributed to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) that they now operate under; a framework that Jeni Clift, who is also an EOS implementer, assures, "is definitely an integral part of the process of merging."
"Some people think outside the dots, I think in panorama so I can see where we can be in ten years time, and Milan’s like that too - it’s part of that visionary gene, is that you can see where you go - the challenge is not to kill everyone in the process by draining them - it’s a journey, we can’t do it overnight," says Nick Clift.
It's no secret that for any Managed Service Provider (MSP), the primary goal is to grow and scale; to become successful enough to eventually be bought out or to merge. While this can be a long and strenuous process, it is possible when you implement the right tools, everywhere from having an EOS system for your people, to integrating the right solutions to drive greater efficiency within your organisation, whereby attaining cashflow is crucial to your business' capability to achieve this.
Here at Wise-Sync, we've helped Milan Industries to set up their financial processes, and we can help you too. If you're looking to grow your business, speak to our friendly team to find out how we can get you there.