The odds of successful acquisitions are dismal. A Federal Trade Commission paper says 50% of deals for companies large and small are not successful. This is troubling news for mid-sized firms, which can’t afford the losses of a bad deal as easily as a Forbes Global 2000 company can. In fact, it’s especially troubling because many mid-market CEOs assume they merely need to avoid acquiring sizable companies and opt for small, “bolt-on” firms instead. I wish it were that simple. But it isn’t.

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Beware of acquisitions for the sake of diversification.  Such acquisitions carry significantly higher risk and complexity for middle market companies.  Read about how to assess the level of complexity, and what you can do to mitigate that risk.

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Making an ill-advised acquisition can be deadly.  Buying a company is a massive decision, often with high complexity and risk. But how risky and complex is your deal?

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Imagine how bad it must feel for a business owner or CEO to toil for years, only to have to accept a low price (or nothing) when they sell the business.  It happens all too often. This article lays out seven essentials for a pleasurable exit. Mid-market CEOs under-invest in training themselves on how to prepare their firms for an exit.

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If half of all acquisitions fail, how can mid-market CEOs pick the winners and avoid the flops?  This is the fundamental puzzle I am looking to solve with my recent research, and I’ve identified 12 critical risks CEOs must assess in a potential acquisition before they commit.

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Mid-market acquisitions fail 50% of the time and even those that succeed face a rough ride. Here’s how to cut your risk by using a big-company practice.

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Facebook has just acquired Instagram – a billion dollar proposition.  But what will happen to that acquisition?  Will it truly be “integrated” into the Facebook business?  If you’re a mid-market company, with limited resources both human and financial, what do you risk when making an acquisition?

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One of the main reasons acquisitions fail is that they are doomed from the start. Some deals just shouldn’t be done. This Forbes article suggests five critical questions

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A new survey of Bay Area CEOs shows that they are shifting their focus towards mergers and acquisitions. More than half (56 percent) of the CEOs surveyed by the Alliance of Chief Executives said M&A was not important to their company’s growth last decade.  Read the full article.

Bay Area Mid-Market CEOs Shift Focus to Acquisitions

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