M&A Integration 30-60-90: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Post-Close Playbook

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M&A Integration 30-60-90: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Post-Close Playbook is my plain-English guide to a calm close and a clean handoff.
I’ll show you exactly what I do in the first 30, 60, and 90 days so value shows up fast without breaking the machine.
I’ll keep it first person, direct, and every sentence on its own line.
I’ll add copy-paste templates you can ship today.

My first principles for integration

I protect customers, cash, and culture in that order.
I sequence for speed and certainty, not drama.
I staff a tiny Integration Core with named owners and weekly SLAs.
I ruthlessly remove noise so operators can keep winning.
For writing that keeps everyone aligned, see our blog post: I Don’t Respond to Long Emails.

Who runs this and how small is “small”

I appoint a DRI for integration plus one lead for People, Finance, Tech, and GTM/Customer.
No committees.
No roaming SWAT teams.
One checklist.
One thread.
For cadence that compounds, read: 02: Journaling With AI.

Day 0 and Day 1: what happens before anyone blinks

We finalize funds-flow, rotate access, and send a Day-1 memo before the announcement.
We tell the team three things: what’s not changing, who decides what, and when we meet next.
We tell customers two things: continuity and a faster path to outcomes.
For tone that lands, see our blog post: Never Tell, Always Storytell.

The 30-60-90 at a glance

Days 0–30: Stabilize and communicate.
Keep the product shipping, publish the weekly KPI, and remove anxiety.
Days 31–60: Integrate systems and unlock quick wins.
Consolidate core finance and security, standardize SLAs, and pilot 2–3 value levers.
Days 61–90: Institutionalize and scale.
Lock the new operating loop, retire duplicate tools, and roll out the roadmap that actually pays back.

0–30 days: stabilize, prove continuity, build trust

I publish a one-page Day-1 memo with owners, links, and the next meeting.
I freeze non-urgent change for two weeks so signal beats noise.
I start a weekly 30-minute integration stand-up with the four domain leads.
I ship a customer continuity note with one CTA for help.
I confirm payroll, benefits, and support queues are boring and on time.
If anything breaks, I escalate in one thread with timestamps.
For sanity checks on focus, read: Are You Insane.

31–60 days: integrate what pays back, pilot two quick wins

I consolidate banking, GL, and expense controls first.
I rotate SSO, backup policies, and least-privilege access.
I pick two quick wins that touch revenue or retention and run a guarded pilot.
I keep the rest of the org unchanged until the pilots prove lift.
I start drafting “future state” team charters and scopes.

61–90 days: institutionalize the loop, retire duplicates, publish roadmap

I retire duplicate tools with a cutover date and an opt-out path for true edge cases.
I lock the weekly operating loop and quarterly scorecards.
I publish the 12-month roadmap with owners, metrics, and the first three milestones.
I run one honest retro and capture “what we will do differently next time.”
I make Day-91 boring on purpose.

Integration Core: who owns what

DRI (Integration Lead).
Runs the checklist, chairs the stand-up, and freezes scope creep.
People.
Payroll, benefits, titles, manager spans, and Day-1/30/60 comms.
Finance.
Banking, GL, AP/AR, collections, peg true-up, and reporting cadence.
Tech/Security.
SSO, backups, access rotation, incident response, and vendor posture.
GTM/Customer.
SLAs, comms, pricing fences, and pilot offers.

The “no-drama” Day-1 memo (copy/paste)

Subject: Day-1: what’s not changing and what to expect this week
What’s not changing.
Your role, customers, and roadmap stay the same this week.
How we’ll work.
One thread for questions, one weekly check-in, and a public checklist.
Who decides what.
{Name} is the integration lead.
{Name} owns People.
{Name} owns Finance.
{Name} owns Tech.
{Name} owns GTM/Customer.
When we meet.
Team stand-up {Day, Time}.
Integration stand-up {Day, Time}.
Where to look.
KPI dashboard {link}.
Integration checklist {link}.
Thank you for keeping customers first while we tidy the back office.

Weekly integration stand-up agenda (30 minutes)

Decisions needed first.
KPI snapshot second.
Blockers and owners third.
Next 7-day plan last.
No status theater.
Decide or delete.

Customer continuity email (copy/paste)

Subject: New chapter, same team, faster outcomes
We joined {Parent} to serve you better.
Your product, team, and SLAs are unchanged.
What’s getting better.
{One concrete improvement with date}.
Need anything.
Reply to this email and we’ll help same day.

Finance and the peg: the quiet money move

I finalize the working-capital peg with a 12-month average and a dollar-for-dollar true-up.
I close a Day-30 mini-close and reconcile cash, AR, AP, and deferred.
I move to one GL, one invoice format, and one collections voice.
I publish a weekly cash bridge everyone can read in a minute.
For the one-page peg primer, see: I Committed Email Suicide.

Tech and security: hygiene first, heroics never

I rotate credentials, enforce SSO, and turn on backups with tested restore.
I review incident logs and publish on-call expectations.
I document single points of failure and schedule knowledge transfer.
I postpone grand refactors until the business is humming.

People and managers: spans, layers, calm

I keep titles stable for 30 days.
I set clear spans (5–8) and stop dual-reporting.
I assign one DRI per outcome and publish role scorecards.
I schedule 30-60-90s for new managers with coaching and a scoped team.
For org hygiene, read: Org Design for Small Companies.
If you want the short version, remember this.
Fewer layers.
Wider spans.
Clear owners.

GTM and customers: protect revenue, earn trust

I freeze price changes for 30 days unless a pre-agreed pilot is ready.
I unify SLAs and ticket tags so we can measure reality.
I offer one “thank you” gesture to high-value cohorts.
I set up a simple renewal and expansion cadence that sales can run without drama.

Quick wins I actually run in 60 days

A pricing fence that raises AOV without touching core value.
A return/refund fix that plugs a known leak.
A support deflection pass that cuts repeat contacts.
A bundle or feature gating move with clear ROI and zero migration pain.
For pricing scripts, read: Price Increase Email Template.

TSA and vendors: don’t let shared services drag

If a Transition Services Agreement exists, I time-box and publish an exit plan.
I prioritize bank, payroll, SSO, and billing.
I move secondary tools only after the cash pipe is boring.

The operating loop I install by Day 45

Weekly 30-minute KPI with decisions.
Monthly 60-minute strategy and budget.
Quarterly scorecards, promotions, and spans/layers review.
One page per meeting.
One owner per decision.
For rhythm, read: 02: Journaling With AI.

Integration risk register (copy/paste)

RISK REGISTER — v1.0 — {YYYY-MM-DD}

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|----|------|--------|-------|------------|---------|--------|

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30-60-90 owner plan (copy/paste)

INTEGRATION 30-60-90 — v1.0 — {YYYY-MM-DD}

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DAYS 0–30 (Stabilize)

• Day-1 memo + customer note — DRI

• Access rotation + backups verified — Tech

• Payroll/benefits confirmed — People

• Mini-close + cash bridge — Finance

• SLA unification — GTM

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DAYS 31–60 (Integrate + Pilot)

• GL + banking consolidation — Finance

• SSO + least-privilege — Tech

• Pilot {Win #1} (owner, metric) — GTM

• Pilot {Win #2} (owner, metric) — Ops

• Draft future-state charters — DRI

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DAYS 61–90 (Institutionalize)

• Retire duplicate tools — Tech

• New operating loop live — DRI

• 12-mo roadmap published — Product

• Retro + lessons logged — DRI

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What I measure weekly so we don’t fool ourselves

Cash and collections in one line.
GRR/NRR and renewal schedule.
Ticket volume, time-to-first-response, and first-contact resolution.
Deployment cadence, incidents, and error budgets.
Hiring, attrition, spans, and layers.

Red flags I fix fast

Multiple threads for one decision.
Shadow systems and off-platform payments.
Unowned risks and drifting timelines.
Scope creep disguised as “just a quick change.”
Vendor surprises and duplicated tools.

Green flags that accelerate value

Boring payroll and ticket queues.
One KPI page everyone checks.
Two pilots live with measured lift.
A Day-60 roadmap people believe.
A Day-90 retro with real lessons.
For the mindset, skim: A $3,600 Keyboard and a $66 Million Dollar Investment.

FAQs

How big should the integration team be.
Five owners max with clear domains and a single DRI.

Do we rebrand on Day-1.
No.
We earn the right to rebrand after stability and proof.

When do we change pricing.
Not in the first 30 days.
Pilot a fence inside 60 with guardrails.

What if the peg turns into a fight.
Use a 12-month average, crystal-clear definitions, and a dollar-for-dollar true-up.

How do we keep people calm.
One Day-1 memo, weekly check-ins, and managers who answer fast.

What systems do we consolidate first.
Banking, GL, payroll, SSO, and backups.
Everything else can wait.

How do we handle a key-person risk.
Shadow, document, and create a paid handover with definition of done.

Can we run big synergies before Day-60.
Only if they touch no customers and pass a rollback test.

What does success look like by Day-90.
Boring operations, two quick wins with measured lift, one loop, one roadmap, zero drama.

How do we announce to customers without churn.
Promise continuity, show one improvement, and offer a same-day human reply.

Conclusion

M&A Integration 30-60-90: Andrew Wilkinson & Tiny’s Post-Close Playbook is about protecting customers and cash while installing a small, disciplined loop that compounds.
Run the Day-1 memo, keep one thread, sequence finance and security first, pilot two quick wins, and lock the roadmap by Day-90 so value shows up where it counts.
Get Your Copy of Never Enough at https://www.neverenough.com/

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