The M&A Top 10 Rules
on one page
Ten rules that held up across thirty-plus transactions, laid out as a single printable page. Pin it above the desk before the next deal starts.
What the page covers
Each rule is one line, the way I keep them in my own notes. They start before the first meeting with the target and run through the first year of integration. Rule 1 alone, "don't fall in love with the target," has saved more money than any valuation model I have built.
The rules are the what. The book is the why: the chapter on due diligence explains what the surprises after closing usually are, the chapter on integration explains why priorities beat completeness on day one, and the chapter on negotiation explains how a BATNA keeps you from falling in love in the first place.
How I use it
Read it before the kick-off meeting of every new deal.
Put rule 4 on the agenda at each stage gate: does this still make sense?
Hand it to the integration lead the day the deal closes.
Bring it to the after-action review and ask which rule we broke.