Ever puzzled how product leaders juggle large mergers & acquisitions, difficult integrations, and a pressure-cooker tempo—all whereas preserving their groups fired up and centered? Meet Brian Fugere, a professional who’s navigated the high-stakes terrain of M&A extra instances than he can depend.
On this version of Productside Tales, we dig into Brian’s 30-year legacy of constructing, integrating, and supercharging product portfolios throughout healthcare, software program, media, and authorities. From surfacing hidden landmines throughout due diligence to bringing total product orgs beneath one cohesive imaginative and prescient, Brian’s obtained the battle scars—and the wins—to show it.
Beneath, we’ll unpack his real-world recommendation on making acquisitions work, retaining your finest folks, and aligning tech stacks for a post-merger world that truly innovates.
In the event you’ve ever puzzled what actually occurs proper after you signal on the dotted line, maintain studying. Brian’s story may simply prevent from burning months (and morale) the following time your workforce heads into merger territory.
Leaping Into M&A: Why Purchase at All?
In line with Brian, acquisition is commonly the “simple button” for development—particularly when you possibly can’t organically hit excessive double-digit percentages. It’s not nearly chasing income, although. Generally you purchase a rival to scoop up its prospects or to leapfrog into a brand new market phase. Different instances, it’s defensive: “If my competitor’s constructing that characteristic set, I want it, too—ASAP.”
High Drivers for M&A
- Speedy Progress – When natural increments aren’t sufficient, purchase that chunk of market share.
- Aggressive Strain – Your greatest rival simply acquired a platform. You don’t wish to lag behind.
- Buyer Grabs – Bringing over a competitor’s person base might be an prompt (if costly) quantity enhance.
Key takeaway: Take a look at the strategic “why” earlier than you leap. In any other case, you’ll end up wedged beneath a stack of integration nightmares with no clear payoff.
Early-Stage Due Diligence: Don’t Skip the Product Chief
All too usually, product leaders uncover an acquisition midway into the method—solely to inherit a black field stuffed with hidden code or phantom prospects. Brian’s recommendation? Insist on being within the loop from day one. In the event you aren’t invited to the diligence social gathering, rattle some cages:
- Arm Corp Dev: Present them a brief record of mission-critical knowledge you will need to have earlier than closing.
- Get a Useful resource Hedge: Persuade Finance to put aside finances for “cleanup” if the acquired product comes with skeletons you’ll need to bury later.
Anecdote: Brian recalled one deal the place the goal’s new tech platform turned out to be half-built vaporware—no actual prospects, no actual traction. The pivot to “buyer record acquisition” labored out ultimately, however solely as a result of they found the true story throughout diligence, not after.
When Integration Feels Like a Circus
“Day 1 is the whole lot,” Brian stated. Individuals points come first. Expertise and processes? Second. In the event you don’t nail the folks facet, you threat shedding precious product data in a mass exodus:
- Meet Everybody – Spend half-hour with every PM and developer, ask about their actual tasks (past the job title), and discover out what they need to be doing.
- Expertise Roadmap – Work out the dev stack, the product backlog instruments (Jira vs. Aha?), and the way rapidly you possibly can merge them together with your present strategies.
- Undertake “Finest Of” – Possibly the acquired workforce’s product processes are light-years forward of yours. Use it! Construct a way of shared satisfaction by taking their finest concepts company-wide.
Sizzling Tip: At one acquired firm, Brian found they used a uncommon programming language (Clojure) that none of his present engineers knew. That changed into an costly pivot—coaching new “Clojure specialists” was the one method to maintain that product afloat.
The Product Ops Energy Transfer
Most huge M&A sprees end in Frankenstein processes—completely different roadmaps, templates, product lifecycles, all dwelling beneath one company roof.
That’s why Brian created a Product Operations operate:
“I promoted a product chief who was miles forward of us in processes. She standardized the whole lot—no extra 14 other ways to construct a roadmap. We gained large time financial savings and cross-team expertise mobility.”
Professional Tip: Uniform processes allow you to promote PMs throughout product strains seamlessly, lowering friction and ramp-up time.
Cultural “Gotchas”
One of many greatest pitfalls? Failure to unify cultures. In the event you don’t handle it head-on, folks maintain calling themselves “Blue Firm workers” even 20 years after an acquisition.
Brian’s repair:
- Eradicate Us vs. Them Language: “We’re all [YourCompany].”
- Swag Issue: Ship t-shirts, hoodies, or particular “workforce day” rituals to construct shared id.
- Invite Enter: Actively solicit how the brand new group desires to merge. Allow them to form the long run—folks thrive after they personal a part of the method.
Backside line: In case your newly acquired of us are itching to depart, that mind drain can set you again a strong 12 months.
A Favourite Success Story
Amid the chaos, Brian recalled a carve-out acquisition that soared: a healthcare software program resolution beforehand starved of sources. The biggest buyer warned they’d bail instantly.
However with fast high quality enhancements and private outreach, Brian’s workforce revived the product, saved the main account, and unlocked new offers. “That’s the dream situation,” he stated—discovering a uncared for asset, injecting the precise management and dev sources, and watching it skyrocket.
M&A Motion Plan for Product Leaders
Able to do M&A proper? Preserve Brian’s blueprint in thoughts:
- Be A part of Diligence – Don’t let Corp Dev fly solo.
- Safe a “Useful resource Hedge” – Plan for sudden headcount or tech repair calls for.
- Begin with Individuals – On Day 1, meet each essential contributor and chart ability units.
- Align Instruments & Processes – Standardize your product ops so every new product merges easily.
Domesticate One Tradition – Squash the outdated labels, champion “best-of” considering from all sides.
“In the event you deal with the folks piece and do actual diligence on the product, you’re primed for fulfillment.” – Brian Fugere
Ultimate Takeaway: Persistence & Endurance Win
The largest lesson? Remodeling an acquired firm’s product and workforce doesn’t occur in a single day. You’ll break a sweat coping with leftover code, short-staffed groups, or a rebellious mini-culture. However when you step up with empathy, actual processes, and a readiness to undertake “one of the best” from the brand new of us, you’ll emerge with a stronger, extra revolutionary portfolio—and a brand-new tribe of believers in your product imaginative and prescient.
Need to Grasp Acquisitions & Integrations?
Share your personal M&A battles or triumphs within the feedback beneath, or join with us on LinkedIn. We love listening to how product leaders conquer the acquisition rodeo—flaming torches and all.
March 06, 2025
