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With an entrepreneurial mindset from the very start, Dyego Guerra Calabres founded Nativa Citrus in 2009. Involved in the exports and imports for over a decade in different firms, Dyego joined Kellogg Company as its Sr Business Intelligence Manager, to lead sales development and administration. His expertise in establishing competent business plans landed him at Kellnova in 2023. Here, Dyego navigates technology project development. Businesses have tried and tested many ideas to facilitate successful business operations over centuries. Dyego Guerra Calabres discusses one such facet that is buzzing the corridors of large-scale organizations. He portrays a reliable plan, the acquisition of small businesses, to conquer goals and maximize profits.
Small businesses, a lucrative door
In a rapidly evolving business landscape, multinational companies are increasingly acquiring smaller, family-run enterprises to drive growth and innovation. However, these acquisitions bring challenges beyond financial or legal integration—there is a need for a harmonious merger of cultures, processes, and technology. In one recent transformation project, a multinational company successfully integrated a smaller, family-owned business, offering key takeaways for any organization undergoing similar transitions.
Sometimes the solution is closer than we imagine
The journey began with a realization: Solutions to the company’s biggest challenges were already embedded in the day-to-day operations of the acquired business. By adopting a mindset of humility and openness, the transformation team discovered that the smaller company had developed unique operational efficiencies and customer relationships that could serve as a blueprint for broader implementation. Often, the answer lies in the very fabric of the organization’s routines—waiting to be uncovered and scaled.
Humility to listen: Employees hold the keys
The real experts in the challenges faced by any business are its employees. This was no different in this transformation. Engaging with frontline staff, understanding their pain points and learning how they’ve navigated obstacles in the past proved invaluable. By treating employees not as recipients of change but as collaborators, the team was able to tailor solutions that aligned with existing workflows and directly addressed operational challenges.
Opportunities emerge from routine observation
True innovation doesn’t always come from top-down directives or boardroom strategies. By closely following the daily routines of the smaller company, the transformation team identified hidden opportunities for process optimization. Understanding the operational nuances—many of which had been refined over decades—allowed the multinational to enhance productivity without disrupting the core strengths of the family-run business.
Courage to fail, learn and implement quickly
No transformation comes without risks. The team took bold steps, developing, testing and sometimes failing quickly. The key to success wasn’t perfection but agility—the ability to learn from failures, make rapid adjustments, and implement improved solutions in real time. This iterative process created a culture of innovation and resilience, which proved essential in navigating the complexities of the integration.
Solutions are only as effective as their adoption
Even the most well-designed solutions can fall short if employees are not equipped to use them properly. Continuous training, open lines of communication and feedback loops were crucial to ensuring the successful adoption of new systems and processes. The transformation team understood that change is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey. Frequent communication and training ensured that employees felt confident and supported, allowing them to embrace the transformation.
A model for future success
This project highlighted the importance of humility, active listening, and agile implementation in business transformation. The successful integration of a smaller, family-owned company into a multinational corporation showcased how cultural and operational synergies can drive innovation and efficiency. By keeping a close eye on daily routines, learning from employees, and fostering a culture of rapid adaptation, organizations can turn the complexities of acquisitions into opportunities for lasting growth. The key takeaway is, the solution may already be within your organization, waiting to be discovered.
