Mark Stokes: Business integration and embracing the change

So you have met the right partner, struck a good deal and made it through the due diligence process - surely that is the acquisition process more or less over, right? Far from it. Integrating your firm into the new entity is typically the most labour-intensive part of the process - and it is also the time when the business owner needs to be most keenly attuned to the emotional needs of staff. A good acquiring firm should have a defined process for integrating the firm over a specified time. But it is a myth that the acquiring firm will be responsible for the integration. In reality...