M&A deal: a ₽45M acquisition

The situation

A consulting firm with ₽120M in revenue set out to acquire a smaller competitor (₽50M in revenue) to broaden its service portfolio. The critical challenge: within five months, two distinct organizational cultures, sets of processes, and client bases had to be merged while preserving valuable talent and clients.

Diagnostics and approach

The risks were substantial. The two firms ran on different operating processes, different client-relationship-management systems, and different approaches to client engagement. The main threat: people from the smaller firm would leave — the typical pattern in acquisitions — and clients would follow them out the door.

We structured the integration around a transition period: for a time, both firms operated in parallel, merged gradually, and carried the best practices of each culture over into the combined organization.

The solution

Thorough due diligence and planning

We ran a deep review of both firms: financials, contractual commitments, people, processes, and client base. Drawing on that analysis, we built a 100-day integration plan and mapped out in advance how each risk would be addressed.

Communicating with the team

We held nothing back and spoke to people openly from day one. We brought the staff of both firms together, walked them through the plan step by step, and answered every question. The guarantees: every current employee stays, salaries hold steady, and bonuses are set aside for a successful integration.

Integrating processes

We took from each firm whatever it did best. The CRM ran stronger at the first firm, so the second was migrated onto it. Project management was better tuned at the second firm, so the first adopted its approach.

Preserving client relationships

The founder personally called every client of the smaller firm: explaining what was changing, promising that service would improve and that contract terms and their point of contact would stay the same. The clients stayed — the calls did their job.

The outcome

The deal closed on time. 92% of the staff across both firms stayed — a rare result in M&A. 90% of the smaller firm's clients and 95% of the larger firm's clients remained. The integration lifted revenue by 35% in the first year after the deal.

If this sounds like your situation, take a look at how we do it as a service: M&A deal support.