How do I find a trustworthy vendor for this?

Ask for references from businesses your size — not general testimonials. Require a 30-day pilot before signing long-term contracts. Get full pricing in writing, including all fees. Ask: what does it cost if this doesn't work? Vendors who can't answer that clearly are a red flag.

What should I realistically budget for this?

Start with the minimum viable spend to test the concept. Most implementations don't need to cost more than $200–500/month to start. Scale spend only after you have proof it's working. Avoid large upfront investments before seeing it operate in your actual environment.

How do I know if it's actually working?

Define success before you start: a specific metric (hours saved per week, revenue per lead, fees reduced) with a 90-day target. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. Any vendor who resists defining metrics upfront is protecting themselves from accountability.

M&A & HoldCo Ops · San Diego · 2026

PJ · SideGuy Solutions

Encinitas, CA · Made this for Lacey · April 2026

Lacey — every acquisition needs ops tightened. AI does it in days across your whole portfolio.

⛰ Apex doctrine: SideGuy is the AI Translation Layer for Small Operators →

TL;DR: Lacey — direct read from a single operator. Below: the actual answer (no fluff), what most articles miss, and the path forward — including when to skip the rest of the read and just text PJ at 858-461-8054.

Helped people with this exact issue recently · single operator · no funnel

You're 30 minutes up the coast this week. One relationship, one playbook, every rollup downstream moves faster.

The 30-second version

Post-acquisition ops is where 70% of rollup value leaks — the SOPs don't exist, the founder's head was the system.
AI automation turns that founder-in-a-box knowledge into standardized workflows across every holdco portfolio company.
The 90-day ops playbook: extract, automate, replicate. First wins are AR/AP, lead routing, reporting, onboarding.
Smart holdcos automate the same 5-7 workflows across every acquisition — one build, N portfolio companies deep.

What Happens to Ops Post-Acquisition

Founder leaves, tribal knowledge walks out the door with them
Integration teams build SOPs manually — 6 months of consulting spend per deal
Each portfolio company stays a snowflake, no leverage across the stack

Where SideGuy Fits in a HoldCo Stack

Workflow automation built on the AI layer — not just Zapier duct tape
$100/hr, no retainer, no 6-figure McKinsey deck
Ships in days not quarters — one build, reusable across the portfolio

$2.4T

SMB M&A transaction volume forecast through 2027

70%

of acquisitions underperform due to post-close ops integration

AI adoption in PE-backed SMBs vs. non-portfolio peers (2025)

PJ · Encinitas, CA · 858-461-8054

Lacey — saw you're speaking in San Diego and I'm 20 minutes north in Encinitas. The holdco angle is what got me to build this page: one conversation with you could mean ops automation across every company you touch, and I'd rather grab 20 minutes this week than chase it over email for months.

Text PJ LinkedIn

When to text PJ about Lacey

Yes — text now

You've read 2-3 articles, still don't know what to do
About to spend $500+ on a tool / contractor / build
Want a 30-second sanity check from someone not selling you
Local to North County San Diego (faster routing depth)

No — figure it out

You haven't tried the obvious built-in fix yet
Looking for a free template you can DIY in 10 min
Just casually browsing, no real decision pending
Need a service we don't actually route (we'll say so)

📲 Text PJ · 858-461-8054

Lacey — let's connect while you're in San Diego.

Two operators, one coffee, a playbook your entire portfolio could run on — worth 20 minutes before you fly back to Sandy.

Text PJ Now LinkedIn