How to Combine Two Firms after Merger: Carefully

When the deal is done: A 24-point checklist for the morning after.

By August Aquila
Creating the Effective Partnership

Congratulations! After years of planning and months of tough negotiations, you’ve finally closed the deal on merger of your CPA firm.

You might be thinking the most difficult work is behind you.  Think again! You now have to move your eye from the financial to the human side of the merger.

MORE for PRO Members: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall  |  6 Steps to Handle Staffing Problems in a Merger  |  New Times Call for New CPA Firm Metrics  |  6 Reasons Why CPA Firms Fail in Innovation  |  7 Signs Your Firm Is Headed for an Implosion  |  Why Is It Always about Partner Compensation?  |  Why Merge and What to Watch Out For  |  13 Steps to Fool-Proof Mergers and Acquisitions  |  13 Questions To Ask Yourself for Personal Growth  |  Partner Problem? First, Ask Yourself These 21 Questions  |  12 Reasons CPA Firm Staff Meetings Are a Waste of Time  |  The Managing Partner’s Secret Weapon in Change Management  |  The 10 Basic Ways to Boost Profits at an Accounting Firm  |  12 Must-Do Items for Your Partner Retreat Agenda

Your work in this area has just begun and may last for 12 months or more. The so-called soft side of doing a merger is just as important, if not more important, than the financial side. Just like with an iceberg you don’t know what lies beneath the surface. Just ask the captain of the unsinkable Titanic. Don’t let this same danger destroy your practice

In order to make sure your merger has a better than average chance of succeeding, here are 24 key items to be addressed: