Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard that Community Brands recently acquired YourMembership, Abila, and Aptify. And as of 9am this morning, they’ve also acquired Nimbleuser. That’s four significant and independent AMS providers now under one umbrella company.
I’ve had many people ask for my thoughts on this activity in our space. My advice? Watchful waiting.
What is watchful waiting? For those of you who have had the misfortune of being extremely ill (or being close to someone who is), you may know this term from the medical field. Watchful waiting is an approach to a medical problem in which time is allowed to pass before medical intervention or therapy is used.
In other words, let’s watch what happens before we take any drastic steps.
That is my advice to everyone. (And for the record, I am NOT suggesting that Community Brands is a cancer or disease, just a major disruption to the system.)
So what does watchful waiting look like here? It means watching how these companies are managed as they operate under the Community Brands label. There is reason to believe that these companies will be allowed to continue to operate as is, with the same products and same leadership (with some exceptions). The status quo will remain for the near future.
We don’t know what we don’t know, and now is not the time to let emotions guide our decisions. Wait and see what happens. Expect the best, but be prepared for the worst. And don’t assume anything until you see it happening.