The IGNITE Podcast with Josh Stone

How to Merge or Acquire Successfully | EP 180

The IGNITE Podcast with Josh Stone

Show Notes

Signing the M&A deal is the easy part. What happens after is where most mergers fall apart.

In this episode I break down exactly why most mergers and acquisitions fail - not on the numbers, but on the culture - and how to bring two businesses together the right way so that one plus one actually equals three.

I spent 10 years as a director and shareholder of a $3M engineering consultancy that we grew to a $30M firm - and a big part of that journey was doing multiple mergers and acquisitions along the way. So I've seen firsthand what to do right and what gets people into trouble.

I also share the story of Mark and Peter, two Boardroom members in Perth who are doing this brilliantly - building a 50/50 joint venture with a Queensland firm before committing to a full merger, starting with alignment before structure, and giving the whole thing the runway it actually deserves.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why mergers that look brilliant on the spreadsheet fall apart in the corridors - Why bolting two businesses together isn't the same as bringing them together - Why trust doesn't transfer on settlement day and what to do about it - The exact integration playbook we used going from $3M to $30M - What Mark and Peter are doing differently and why it's working

If you're thinking about a merger or acquisition - or you've just done one and things feel harder than you expected - this episode will give you the framework to get it right.

👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://go.coachignite.com/start

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