Library topic
Integration
Day One, the first hundred days and year two after an acquisition: what to plan before closing and how to keep the deal's value.
5 pieces
- The first hundred days after the dealGuide · 5 minThe first hundred days are when the deal's assumptions meet the business as it really is. A short list of outcomes, a small integration team and a weekly review keep the plan on track.
- Employee transfer in a dealGuide · 7 minEmployees are often the most valuable part of a business and the most nervous part of a deal. How employment moves depends on whether the deal is a share sale or an asset sale, and the buyer will check payroll and labour compliance in either case.
- Post deal reporting and the first board packGuide · 6 minAfter closing, the acquirer or investor needs regular, reliable reporting. Many founders have never produced a board pack. A short monthly report and quarterly pack, built from one source of figures, meets that need without burying the finance team.
- Why integration fails after the deal is signedArticle · 7 minDeals rarely fail at signing. They fail when nobody owns the plan for Day One, key people leave, customers drift and the savings in the valuation never get assigned to anyone. In Indian acquisitions the same gaps recur, and each can be closed with planning.
Terms to know
The words you will hear on this part of a deal.
- Day One
- The first day after closing. The buyer needs bank mandates, payroll, customer letters and staff communication ready for it.
- Read more
- Post merger integration (PMI)
- The planned work after closing to combine two businesses, usually run over the first hundred days and into year two.
- Read more
- Transition services agreement
- An agreement for the seller to keep providing some services, such as IT or payroll, for a while after closing.
- Integration
- Bringing the bought business into the buyer's: customers, people, payroll, finance, systems and purchasing.
- Read more
- Closing
- The moment the deal completes: the price is paid and the shares or assets change hands. It can be the same day as signing or months later.
- Holdback
- Part of the price kept back by the buyer for a period to cover possible claims, paid later if none arise.
Next step
Working through this on a live deal? Talk it over with an adviser.
A thirty minute confidential call with an adviser. You leave with the steps, the documents you will need and where the risks usually sit.