The First 100 Days After Deal Closing: What SMEs Always Forget to Prepare For

When SMEs enter an acquisition, they pour enormous energy into valuation, negotiation, and deal structure. They refine the model, forecast synergies, and ensure the numbers look right. And yet, as Andrew Bergmann puts it:

“Everyone plans the valuation. No one plans the first 100 days.”

This blind spot is not a minor oversight. It is one of the primary reasons integrations drag, results slip, and value erodes after closing. In SMEs — where capacity is limited and teams are already stretched — the consequences hit even harder.

This article breaks down what SMEs typically miss, why it matters, and how to prepare for a successful first 100 days after an acquisition.

The Critical Elements SMEs Ignore in the First 100 Days after Deal Closing

Through years of leading integration projects, Andrew has observed the same pattern: SMEs enter the post-deal phase unprepared for the operational and human realities of integration.

Below are the five things most frequently ignored:

1. Capacity Planning — or the Lack of It

Most SMEs try to run the business and the integration with the exact same people.

But as Andrew says:

“SMEs simply don’t have a spare team lying around to run PMI.”

That means people are overloaded before integration even begins. The first 100 days are when this pressure peaks: new systems, new expectations, new reporting, new structures.

Without a capacity plan, the organisation falls into firefighting mode.

2. Alignment on The ‘Why’ — Internally, Not Just in the Boardroom

Leaders understand the strategic rationale.

Employees often don’t.

SMEs frequently forget that people need a narrative, not a spreadsheet, to stay engaged. When the why is unclear, questions fill the silence:

• Will my job change?
• Are we being taken over?
• Who decides now?

The business slows not because people resist — but because they’re confused.

3. Process Mapping and System Readiness

In the first 100 days, two systems and two sets of processes must begin to talk to each other. Yet most SMEs haven’t mapped their processes clearly even before the deal.

The result?

• Delays in reporting
• Operational inconsistencies
• Revenue leakage
• Compliance risks

The first 100 days become the period where companies realise just how undocumented their operations really are.

4. Decision-Making Structure and Governance

This is a big one.

SMEs often ignore the question:

Who decides what, starting Day 1?

Andrew highlights this as a universal issue:

“Everyone assumes people will ‘figure it out’. They won’t.”

When governance is unclear:

• Teams stall, waiting for instructions
• Leaders override each other
• Integration slows to a crawl
• Key decisions bottleneck at the CEO

Without a governance model, PMI becomes guesswork.

5. Integration of Leadership Styles and Culture

SMEs often believe culture problems only hit big corporates. But the reality is more severe in small organizations:

There is nowhere to hide.

Cultural misalignment in SMEs causes:

• friction in leadership
• confusion in teams
• clashing expectations
• loss of key people

Ignoring culture in the first 100 days is one of the fastest routes to value destruction.

Why These Gaps Create Real Risk in SMEs

Ignoring these elements has a compounding effect.

1. SMEs Don’t Have Redundancy

Every hour spent on integration is an hour not spent on revenue or operations.

Capacity overload leads to mistakes, fatigue, and slower execution.

2. Undercommunication Creates Anxiety

Without clarity, talented people begin exploring other opportunities.

Integration becomes an HR issue instead of a strategic one.

3. Slow Decisions Slow Everything

A bottlenecked CEO becomes the single point of failure.

Projects stall. Teams stop taking initiative.

The organization becomes reactive.

4. Cultural Misalignment Undermines Trust

Integration requires collaboration.

Collaboration requires trust.

Trust requires alignment.

Without it, teams disengage quietly.

5. The Financial Model Assumes Smooth Execution

But the model does not survive reality if execution fails.

As Andrew often says:

“Your Excel is not your organization.”

The deal logic breaks the moment the assumptions meet unprepared teams.

Preparing for Strong First 100 Days

Here’s how SMEs can avoid the pitfalls and ensure a smooth transition.

1. Build a Dedicated Integration Structure (even if small)

Even in SMEs, you need:

• an integration lead
• a steering group
• clear workstreams
• defined responsibilities
• weekly checkpoints

This doesn’t require a huge team — it requires clarity.

The role is not to “do everything” but to orchestrate.

2. Align on the Narrative Before Day 1

Create a simple, shared story:

• Why the deal happened
• What it means for the company
• What will change
• What won’t
• What the next 100 days look like

This narrative must be consistent across leadership.

3. Map the Critical Processes Early

You don’t need perfection.

You need visibility.

Focus on:

• finance and reporting
• sales operations
• customer delivery
• HR and people processes
• governance

Even partial mapping reduces friction dramatically.

4. Define The Decision-Making Model

Answer:

• What decisions remain with founders?
• What decisions move to the new leadership?
• What must escalate?
• What is delegated?
• How is conflict resolved?

Document it.

Share it.

Use it.

5. Prepare the Leadership Team for Culture Integration

Host alignment sessions focused on:

• expectations
• leadership styles
• conflict resolution
• communication rhythms

Culture is shaped by leadership first.

If the leaders align, the teams follow.

Conclusion

The first 100 days define whether the deal creates value or destroys it.

SMEs often overlook these fundamentals because they are busy — not because they don’t care.

But integration is never just an operational exercise.

It is a leadership exercise.

It is an alignment exercise.

It is a capacity exercise.

And as Andrew Bergmann puts it clearly:

“Everyone plans the valuation. No one plans the first 100 days.”

But the companies that do plan them —

those are the companies that turn deals into growth.

CTA

If your business is approaching an acquisition — or you’ve just completed one — the first 100 days are critical.

To build a tailored integration plan that actually works for an SME reality, speak directly with Andrew Bergmann at Brandt & Partners: https://brandtpartners.com/consultants/bergmann/