Insights
Where deals go wrong.
Every issue from every case study, counted. What buyers get wrong most often, the stage where the mistake is made versus where it bites, and how the deals ended. Updates as new cases are added.
15deals analysed
99issues found · 13 fatal
Operational problemsmost common mistake (18)
Due diligencestage where most mistakes are made (37)
The mistakes, by how often they appear
Each bar is one kind of mistake; the segments show how serious it was in the deal — fatal major minor.
Table view
| Mistake | Fatal | Major | Minor | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operational problems | 1 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
| Too much debt | 1 | 11 | 1 | 13 |
| Key people left | 1 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
| Due-diligence gaps | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Legal / regulatory | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| Misrepresented financials | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Other | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Culture clash | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Customer concentration | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Integration failure | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Overpaid / bad valuation | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Poor strategic fit | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Market shift | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Made here, felt there
For each deal stage: how many mistakes were made at that stage, and how many surfaced there. Most are made before the deal closes and show up in operations.
Table view
| Stage | Mistakes made here | Surfaced here |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis | 7 | 0 |
| Sourcing | 4 | 0 |
| LOI | 3 | 1 |
| Due diligence | 37 | 1 |
| Financing | 13 | 1 |
| Closing | 11 | 1 |
| Integration | 9 | 18 |
| Operations | 13 | 68 |
| Exit | 2 | 9 |
Where a mistake is made → where it surfaces
Rows are the stage the mistake was made; columns are where its consequences appeared. Darker means more issues.