Should I hire a General Manager right after acquisition to start replacing owner/op?

I'd get in and get a sense of the current team dynamics and then decide filling internally vs. externally. Good luck!

good comments from both Rob and Greg. I will add that you should really evaluate the current bench of management. do they need someone on top of the pyramid? or can you sort of assume the "absentee owner/sponsor role? maybe you wont need to be in the business 50 hours a week, but you can still run some weekly meetings and keep people honest. this is always a deal by deal discussion for us, but they plan does need to be laid out ahead of time. more skin in the game post close for sellers, the better. are you going to give management any equity? or the new GM? that extra incentive can align interests and is pretty standard. if seller really is going away pretty quickly, the knowledge transfer is key and id agree getting someone sooner than later should be a priority. i would still make sure you have that relationship with sellers where you can pick up the phone in times of need or just for a monthly friendly lunch (your treat!).