Ever wondered how product leaders juggle massive mergers & acquisitions, tricky integrations, and a pressure-cooker pace—all while keeping their teams fired up and focused? Meet Brian Fugere, a pro who’s navigated the high-stakes terrain of M&A more times than he can count.
In this edition of Productside Stories, we dig into Brian’s 30-year legacy of building, integrating, and supercharging product portfolios across healthcare, software, media, and government. From surfacing hidden landmines during due diligence to bringing entire product orgs under one cohesive vision, Brian’s got the battle scars—and the wins—to prove it.
Below, we’ll unpack his real-world advice on making acquisitions work, retaining your best people, and aligning tech stacks for a post-merger world that actually innovates.
If you’ve ever wondered what really happens right after you sign on the dotted line, keep reading. Brian’s story might just save you from burning months (and morale) the next time your team heads into merger territory.
Jumping Into M&A: Why Acquire at All?
According to Brian, acquisition is often the “easy button” for growth—especially when you can’t organically hit high double-digit percentages. It’s not just about chasing revenue, though. Sometimes you buy a rival to scoop up its customers or to leapfrog into a new market segment. Other times, it’s defensive: “If my competitor’s building that feature set, I need it, too—ASAP.”
Top Drivers for M&A
- Rapid Growth – When organic increments aren’t enough, buy that chunk of market share.
- Competitive Pressure – Your biggest rival just acquired a platform. You don’t want to lag behind.
- Customer Grabs – Bringing over a competitor’s user base can be an instant (if expensive) volume boost.
Key takeaway: Look at the strategic “why” before you jump. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself wedged under a stack of integration nightmares with no clear payoff.
Early-Stage Due Diligence: Don’t Skip the Product Leader
All too often, product leaders discover an acquisition halfway into the process—only to inherit a black box full of hidden code or phantom customers. Brian’s advice? Insist on being in the loop from day one. If you aren’t invited to the diligence party, rattle some cages:
- Arm Corp Dev: Provide them a short list of mission-critical data you must have before closing.
- Get a Resource Hedge: Convince Finance to set aside budget for “cleanup” if the acquired product comes with skeletons you’ll have to bury later.
Anecdote: Brian recalled one deal where the target’s new tech platform turned out to be half-built vaporware—no real customers, no real traction. The pivot to “customer list acquisition” worked out eventually, but only because they discovered the real story during diligence, not after.
When Integration Feels Like a Circus
“Day 1 is everything,” Brian said. People issues come first. Technology and processes? Second. If you don’t nail the people side, you risk losing valuable product knowledge in a mass exodus:
- Meet Everyone – Spend 30 minutes with each PM and developer, ask about their real responsibilities (beyond the job title), and find out what they want to be doing.
- Technology Roadmap – Figure out the dev stack, the product backlog tools (Jira vs. Aha?), and how quickly you can merge them with your current methods.
- Adopt “Best Of” – Maybe the acquired team’s product processes are light-years ahead of yours. Use it! Build a sense of shared pride by taking their best ideas company-wide.
Hot Tip: At one acquired company, Brian discovered they used a rare programming language (Clojure) that none of his existing engineers knew. That turned into an expensive pivot—training new “Clojure experts” was the only way to keep that product afloat.
The Product Ops Power Move
Most big M&A sprees result in Frankenstein processes—different roadmaps, templates, product lifecycles, all living under one corporate roof.
That’s why Brian created a Product Operations function:
“I promoted a product leader who was miles ahead of us in processes. She standardized everything—no more 14 different ways to build a roadmap. We gained huge time savings and cross-team talent mobility.”
Pro Tip: Uniform processes let you promote PMs across product lines seamlessly, reducing friction and ramp-up time.
Cultural “Gotchas”
One of the biggest pitfalls? Failure to unify cultures. If you don’t address it head-on, people keep calling themselves “Blue Company employees” even 20 years after an acquisition.
Brian’s fix:
- Eradicate Us vs. Them Language: “We are all [YourCompany].”
- Swag Factor: Send t-shirts, hoodies, or special “team day” rituals to build shared identity.
- Invite Input: Actively solicit how the new group wants to merge. Let them shape the future—people thrive when they own part of the process.
Bottom line: If your newly acquired folks are itching to leave, that brain drain can set you back a solid year.
A Favorite Success Story
Amid the chaos, Brian recalled a carve-out acquisition that soared: a healthcare software solution previously starved of resources. The largest customer warned they’d bail immediately.
But with quick quality improvements and personal outreach, Brian’s team revived the product, kept the major account, and unlocked new deals. “That’s the dream scenario,” he said—finding a neglected asset, injecting the right leadership and dev resources, and watching it skyrocket.
M&A Action Plan for Product Leaders
Ready to do M&A right? Keep Brian’s blueprint in mind:
- Be Part of Diligence – Don’t let Corp Dev fly solo.
- Secure a “Resource Hedge” – Plan for sudden headcount or tech fix demands.
- Start with People – On Day 1, meet every critical contributor and chart skill sets.
- Align Tools & Processes – Standardize your product ops so each new product merges smoothly.
Cultivate One Culture – Squash the old labels, champion “best-of” thinking from all sides.
“If you handle the people piece and do real diligence on the product, you’re primed for success.” – Brian Fugere
Final Takeaway: Persistence & Patience Win
The biggest lesson? Transforming an acquired company’s product and team doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll break a sweat dealing with leftover code, short-staffed teams, or a rebellious mini-culture. But if you step up with empathy, real processes, and a readiness to adopt “the best” from the new folks, you’ll emerge with a stronger, more innovative portfolio—and a brand-new tribe of believers in your product vision.
Want to Master Acquisitions & Integrations?
- Download our Product Leader First 90 Days template pack to build a consistent product process that absorbs new teams without the headache.
- Join our next webinar to better understand and put product management best practices into action.
- Take our Optimal Product Management course, because orchestrating multiple product lines demands sharp, outcome-driven leadership.
Share your own M&A battles or triumphs in the comments below, or connect with us on LinkedIn. We love hearing how product leaders conquer the acquisition rodeo—flaming torches and all.
