The Executive's Complete M&A Integration Playbook + Toolkit
For Acquirers, PE Operators & Integration Leaders
Protect the Value You Just Paid For
The complete system for running the first 100 days after a deal closes — the 90-page playbook plus 75 working tools, built from real integrations and a 10x private-equity exit.
By Candyce Thieken — 4x founder, former CFO, and M&A integration leader.
$297 USD — one time. No subscription.
✓ Instant download ✓ Word + Excel, fully editable ✓ 14-day money-back guarantee ✓ 75 tools included
Most acquisitions don’t fail on price. They fail in the first hundred days.
The deal model assumed synergies. The board approved them. Then the clock starts, and the work that actually delivers those numbers turns out to be unowned: governance is unclear, communication is thin, the people you bought start updating their resumes, two IT systems refuse to talk, and the synergy line that justified the premium quietly slips a quarter, then a year.
It is rarely the strategy that breaks. It is the execution. This system exists so the first hundred days are run on purpose, not improvised under pressure.
Here’s exactly what you get for $297
1. The 90-Page Playbook (Word)
Fourteen chapters covering the full arc: the day-by-day 100-day blueprint, governance and team structure, synergy validation, cultural and change management, the integration of systems, people, customers, and finance, risk and compliance, KPIs and dashboards, and post-integration optimization. Every chapter is built around real deliverables, decision points, and the metrics that tell you whether you are on track.
2. 18 Financial Models (Excel)
Synergy capture and tracking, integration budget, headcount and compensation, one-time vs. run-rate cost, ROI and NPV, risk-adjusted sensitivity, and an executive KPI dashboard — with working formulas, ready for your numbers.
3. 32 Checklists & Assessments (Excel)
From the integration charter and Day-1 readiness to the risk register and regulatory checklist — each with specific items, owners, target days, and status tracking. Nothing falls through the cracks.
4. 25 Communication Templates (Word)
The Day-1 all-hands script, employee and customer communications, board notifications, the weekly status report, retention letters, and more — ready to send, with the hard parts already written.
Why this, instead of the alternatives
| This System | Integration Consultancy | Going In Without a Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $297 | $50K–$500K+ | $0 upfront |
| Time to deploy | Same day | Weeks to scope | — |
| Built by an operator who has done it | Yes | Sometimes | — |
| Day-by-day 100-day plan | Yes | Custom | No |
| 75 working models, checklists & templates | Yes | Varies | No |
| Yours to reuse on the next deal | Yes | No | — |
Who it’s for
- Acquirers and corporate development teams running their first — or next — integration.
- Private-equity operating partners who need portfolio companies to integrate on time.
- Integration and PMO leaders who want a complete, proven structure instead of a blank page.
- CEOs and CFOs who refuse to watch the synergies they paid for evaporate.
Built by someone who has sat on both sides of the table
Candyce Thieken has spent more than twenty years as an operator. She founded four companies, scaled one into a top-50 U.S. agricultural retailer, and delivered a 10x return in a private-equity sale. As a CFO she led funding rounds, ran M&A integration, and presented to the boards whose decisions hinged on what was on the page in front of them. This is the system she actually used — refined across real transactions, not assembled from secondary research.
What this prevents
- The synergy that never came. Targets with no owner, no baseline, and no tracking cadence — so no one notices the gap until the year-end review.
- The Day-1 outage. A systems cutover with no rehearsal and no rollback, taking customer-facing operations down on the most visible day of the deal.
- The talent exodus. The people who made the target worth buying, leaving in month two because no one gave them a reason to stay.
- The customer who quietly walked. A key account that never got a call, deciding the acquisition was their cue to test a competitor.
Try it for 14 days
Download it. Open it. Use it. If within 14 days you don’t believe it was worth several times what you paid, email me directly and I’ll refund you in full. No hoops.
Frequently asked questions
What format are the files in? The playbook and templates are Word documents; the models, checklists, and assessments are Excel workbooks. Everything is fully editable.
Is this a template or a finished system? Both. The playbook teaches the approach; the 75 tools let you execute it immediately.
Do I still need consultants? Many teams run the entire integration on this alone. If you do bring in help, you’ll spend far less because the structure is already built.
When do I get it? Instantly, by download, right after purchase.
Can I reuse it on future deals? Yes. Buy once, use it on every integration you run.
Do you offer refunds? Yes — 14 days, no questions.
Run the first hundred days on purpose.
✓ Instant download (Word + Excel) ✓ 14-day money-back guarantee ✓ 75 tools included