Resources
Reference material for M&A boutiques.
Buyer guides, frameworks, and reference material to help advisory firms evaluate AI for their workflows — independent of who they choose.
Buyer's Guide
Build vs. buy: a decision framework for AI in a corporate finance boutique
An honest comparison of the three options a small advisory firm faces — build in-house, use generic AI like ChatGPT, or adopt purpose-built software — across cost, accuracy risk, confidentiality, maintenance, and time-to-value.
10 min read
Checklist
Reviewing a deal model before it goes to the partner: a line-by-line checklist
A structured review checklist for the financial model underpinning a mid-market mandate — traceability, normalization, projection logic, and the silent errors that survive a casual review and surface in diligence.
8 min read
Guide
Sector KPI reference: the metrics that carry the valuation story
A sector-by-sector reference for the operating KPIs buyers expect in an M&A process — what each metric is, why it moves the multiple, and how it shapes the equity story. Covers SaaS, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, DTC, professional services, logistics, multi-unit restaurants, and insurance brokerage.
11 min read
Report
The state of financial modeling in mid-market M&A: where the hours go
A practitioner-level breakdown of how modeling time is actually spent across a mid-market mandate, which parts are structural versus judgment, and where the workflow is starting to change.
9 min read
Checklist
Data room readiness: a sell-side preparation checklist
What a deal-ready data room actually contains, organized by workstream, with the buyer's reason for each request and the gaps that most often delay a process. A preparation reference for sell-side advisors and their clients.
9 min read
Guide
A standard architecture for the mid-market deal model
A reference architecture for the financial model that sits under a mid-market mandate: the layers, the build order, the source-tracing discipline, and the conventions that let a model be reviewed, reused, and trusted across a portfolio of deals.
10 min read
Buyer's Guide
AI for M&A boutiques: a buyer's guide
A framework for M&A advisory partners evaluating AI tools for their workflow: categories of solutions, what to actually test, and the questions that matter.
12 min read
Guide
Equity story frameworks used by top-tier advisory firms
The five equity story archetypes (Growth, Consolidator, Platform, Margin Expansion, Cross-Sell) with required proof points, common pitfalls, and selection criteria.
9 min read
Checklist
Red flags in data room diligence: what each document actually reveals
A document-by-document map of the signals buyers read in a sell-side data room, and the patterns that experienced acquirers use to assess seller credibility.
8 min read
Guide
Buyer universe construction: strategic vs. financial vs. hybrid approaches
A structured framework for designing the buyer list across the three primary sell-side archetypes, including sizing, sequencing, and common dysfunctions.
8 min read
Guide
AI validation in finance: a framework for source-traceability
The four levels of traceability AI output must support for production financial documents, with the validation workflow and vendor questions that actually matter.
6 min read
Report
Where the standard sell-side timeline is compressing
A phase-by-phase map of how the 9-12 month sell-side process is changing in 2026, what's compressing, what isn't, and what it means for advisor competitiveness.
6 min read
Guide
Information Memorandum: what makes each section strong vs. weak
Section by section, the characteristics that distinguish a competently produced IM from an exceptional one, executive summary through risk factors.
8 min read
Checklist
The boutique advisor's workflow audit: where time actually goes
A six-category framework for breaking down a boutique advisory firm's time allocation, with benchmarks and the categories where automation creates the most leverage.
6 min read
Guide
GDPR, SOC 2, and confidentiality: what M&A boutiques need from AI vendors
The specific documentation, diligence questions, and contractual provisions firms should require before granting any AI vendor access to client data.
5 min read
Calculator
How to calculate ROI on AI tools in professional services
A four-input framework for modeling AI ROI in M&A advisory, with a worked example for a 10-person boutique running 12 mandates per year.
5 min read
Buyer's Guide
AI tools for M&A boutiques: a buyer's evaluation framework
Three categories of AI tools, the evaluation criteria that actually matter, and a decision matrix for partners deciding what to deploy in a mid-market advisory firm.
5 min read