047: Leading a Successful Merger & Acquisition with Karen Walker

Buy or build?  One way to quickly scale a company and dramatically increase market share is via a Merger & Acquisition (M&A) with/of another company.  However, improper alignment and conflicting objectives can turn that M&A into an M&D (Merge & Destroy), warns Karen Walker, a proven M&A strategic advisor.  Having led one of the fastest growing American companies to $1 billion in revenue, Karen shares how she leads successful integrations using an example of a tech company.  In this episode, you'll learn: 1) why an M&A is a process and not an event, 2) the role business infrastructure plays in leveraging the strengths of another company to diversify your company's portfolio, and 3) the differences between an M&A, strategic alliance and joint venture.