Top M&A Advisory Firms and Consulting Services

Exit Boston helps founders and private business owners turn established middle-market companies into institutional-quality assets. Recognition here is easy to claim and hard to check. Axial reviews more than 2,000 platform-closed deals a year across ten industries, and its Advisor Industry Awards are scored on buyer interest generated, selectivity, uniqueness of the business, competitive process, and the outcome for the seller. In 2025 Rick McDonald was one of ten advisors selected nationally in food and beverage.

Advisors reviewing a middle-market business sale strategy

Our M&A Advisory Services

Advisory and consulting services for middle-market owners, judged on closed transactions rather than on directory listings.

M&A Advisory

Guide a company sale, recapitalization, or strategic transition with buyer-specific positioning, institutional preparation, competitive outreach, and negotiation aligned to founder priorities.

Target Buyer Strategy

Identify and profile private equity firms, strategic acquirers, family offices, and other qualified buyers based on acquisition criteria, industry fit, and transaction history.

Seven Pillars Diagnostic

Assess Owner Independence, Management Depth, Financial Clarity, Margin Quality, Recurring Revenue, Operating Infrastructure, and Growth Pathways, then plan the work diligence would expose.

Shareholder Advisory

Navigate internal ownership transfers, succession planning, corporate restructuring, and shareholder transactions with financial guidance tailored to complex ownership considerations.

Exit Valuation Planning

Clarify what sets your multiple, then work on it. Financial clarity, defensible EBITDA adjustments and forward-looking KPIs compress the risk premium a buyer applies, and that compression is worth money at close.

Confidential Consultation

Discuss sale goals, timing, institutional readiness, and potential next steps in a private conversation that develops a strategic roadmap for your transition.

Credentials You Can Check

Recognition Is Not a Membership

Most advisory credentials in this market are self-reported. A firm joins a directory, pays a fee, and appears on a list. Axial works differently: its teams review more than 2,000 platform-closed deals a year to pick the top transactions in ten industries, and a deal only qualifies if it cleared a minimum EBITDA threshold, closed inside the calendar year, and scored against five objective measures, including how selectively it was distributed and what the seller finally received. That last one is worth reading twice.

Business owner and M&A advisor discussing exit preparation
The Exit Boston Difference

Why Choose Exit Boston?

Recognition earned on closed-deal performance, and preparation work done before the market sees you.

Scored, Not Claimed

Axial scores closed deals on buyer interest, selectivity, competitive process, and seller outcome.

Buyer Perspective

We prepare companies around the financial, operational, and strategic criteria institutional buyers evaluate.

Selective Distribution

A curated buyer list beats a wide one. Axial scores how selectively an advisor distributes a deal.

Founder Alignment

Deal strategy accounts for liquidity, rollover, timing, employee continuity, and legacy objectives.

Meet the Exit Boston Team

Experienced advisors for high-stakes ownership transitions.

Portrait of Rick McDonald, Founder and Managing Director of Exit Boston

Rick McDonald

Founder & Managing Director

Rick McDonald is the Founder and Managing Director of Exit Boston, a New England middle-market M&A advisory firm headquartered in Danvers, MA. With more than two decades of active deal advisory work, Rick has been directly involved in 50 to 100 closed middle-market transactions, guiding founders and private business owners through company sales, recapitalizations, and strategic transitions. His deep expertise spans business valuation, institutional buyer readiness, and deal structuring tailored to each founder's financial goals and legacy objectives. Beyond his advisory practice, Rick serves as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Endicott College, reflecting his commitment to sharing knowledge across the financial community. His leadership has earned Exit Boston national recognition, including a top-ten ranking among U.S. M&A advisory firms by Axial.

Portrait of Sevan Demirdogen, Partner at Exit Boston

Sevan Demirdogen

Partner

Sevan Demirdogen is a Partner at Exit Boston, bringing over 40 years of executive leadership experience managing domestic and international businesses across multiple industries. His distinguished career includes serving as CEO and Board Member of Kano Laboratories, President and Executive Vice President of Scapa Group plc, and senior leadership roles at Illinois Tool Works. Sevan's deep operational background and boardroom experience provide Exit Boston's clients with invaluable insight into what institutional buyers look for in acquisition targets. His perspective helps founder-led businesses identify and address operational gaps, strengthen management structures, and position themselves for premium valuations. Sevan's global experience across North America and international markets makes him a trusted advisor for business owners navigating complex strategic transitions.

Portrait of Steve Vesey, Co-Founder of Exit Boston

Steve Vesey

Co-Founder

Steve Vesey is Co-Founder of Exit Boston and a seasoned CPA with over 40 years of accounting and financial advisory experience. He has dedicated more than 25 years to preparing business valuations and has assisted hundreds of business owners with succession planning and exit strategy development. Steve's deep expertise in business valuation and exit planning forms a critical foundation of Exit Boston's advisory approach, ensuring that every engagement is grounded in rigorous financial analysis and a clear understanding of value drivers. His ability to assess a business through the eyes of both an accountant and a strategic advisor helps founders understand their true market value and identify opportunities to maximize their outcome prior to a sale or transition.

Portrait of David Hockley, Partner at Exit Boston

David Hockley

Partner

David Hockley is a Partner at Exit Boston and a serial entrepreneur and operator with over 15 years of experience scaling high-growth businesses across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Having personally driven more than $300 million in sales throughout his career, David brings a rare combination of entrepreneurial hustle and institutional discipline to every client engagement. He specializes in scaling founder-led businesses, preparing companies for strategic exits, and improving institutional buyer readiness. David's firsthand experience building and exiting businesses across diverse geographies gives him a unique ability to empathize with founders while providing the strategic clarity needed to attract competitive acquisition offers from private equity firms, strategic acquirers, and family offices.

Portrait of Mike Camarro, Business Development Officer at Exit Boston

Mike Camarro

Business Development Officer

Mike Camarro serves as Business Development Officer at Exit Boston, where he leverages a strong financial background to support client acquisition and advisory engagements. A former controller and CFO, Mike has extensive experience across retail, distribution, technology, and wealth management industries. He has led finance and accounting teams through the rigors of acquisition due diligence and post-acquisition integration, providing him with practical insight into what buyers scrutinize during a transaction. Mike began his career as an auditor at Coopers & Lybrand, building a disciplined financial foundation that informs his work with founder-led businesses today. His ability to bridge finance, operations, and business development makes him a valuable resource for founders preparing for institutional-quality exits.

Portrait of Laura, Senior Research Analyst at Exit Boston

Laura

Senior Research Analyst

Laura serves as Senior Research Analyst at Exit Boston, playing a vital behind-the-scenes role in every client engagement. She is responsible for delivering comprehensive middle-market industry analysis, competitive landscape mapping, buyer universe identification, precedent transaction research, and target buyer profiling. Her work ensures that Exit Boston's deal strategies are informed by current market intelligence and grounded in a thorough understanding of each client's industry and competitive position. By identifying and profiling the most qualified and motivated buyers for each transaction, Laura helps the firm create the competitive tension necessary to achieve premium acquisition outcomes for the founders it serves.

Portrait of Abbey, Chief of Staff and Administrative Director at Exit Boston

Abbey

Chief of Staff & Administrative Director

Abbey serves as Chief of Staff and Administrative Director at Exit Boston, where she is the organizational backbone of the firm's day-to-day operations. With two decades of experience across financial services administration, executive operations, and client engagement management, Abbey brings exceptional professionalism and attention to detail to every interaction. She coordinates client communications, manages engagement pipelines, oversees deal timelines, and ensures the seamless flow of document workflows and client deliverables throughout each transaction. Her deep experience in financial services environments means she understands the sensitivity and precision required in M&A engagements, making her a trusted point of contact for clients navigating complex and high-stakes business transitions.

Portrait of Thor, Director of Transaction Marketing and Investor Relations at Exit Boston

Thor

Director of Transaction Marketing & Investor Relations

Thor serves as Director of Transaction Marketing and Investor Relations at Exit Boston, where he leads the development and execution of the firm's confidential transaction marketing materials. His work includes crafting confidential information memoranda, executive teasers, investor presentations, and institutional transaction marketing campaigns tailored to the specific acquisition criteria of qualified buyers. Thor's expertise in presenting founder-led businesses in an institutional light is central to Exit Boston's ability to attract serious, competitive interest from private equity firms, strategic acquirers, and family offices. His materials are designed to communicate each company's investment thesis with clarity and precision, helping to create the competitive buyer tension that drives premium valuations for the firm's clients.

Portrait of Finn, Assistant Director of Financial Analysis at Exit Boston

Finn

Assistant Director of Financial Analysis

Finn serves as Assistant Director of Financial Analysis at Exit Boston, providing critical analytical support across the firm's deal advisory engagements. His responsibilities span financial management, cash operations, financial modeling, accounting, and deal advisory analysis, ensuring that each transaction is supported by rigorous and accurate financial work product. Finn's contributions are essential to the preparation of the detailed financial analyses that underpin Exit Boston's valuation work and buyer-facing materials. His attention to detail and commitment to financial precision help ensure that every engagement reflects the institutional-quality standards that the firm's clients expect and that serious buyers demand. Finn plays an important role in supporting the firm's mission of preparing founder-led businesses for premium acquisition outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are mergers and acquisitions advisory services?

Mergers and acquisitions advisory services help owners plan, prepare, market, negotiate, and complete a business sale, recapitalization, acquisition, or ownership transition. An advisor evaluates value drivers, prepares financial and buyer-facing materials, identifies qualified buyers, manages confidential outreach, and supports negotiations. The work also helps owners consider transaction structure, timing, liquidity, rollover equity, employee continuity, and legacy objectives before making decisions.

When should I begin preparing my business for a sale?

What types of buyers may acquire a middle-market business?

How can I verify an advisory firm's track record?

What does the Seven Pillars diagnostic evaluate?

What size companies does Exit Boston advise?

Can M&A advisory help with succession or internal ownership transitions?

How confidential is an initial M&A consultation?

Still Have Questions About Your Exit?

Speak privately with advisors who understand complex ownership decisions.

Nationally Recognized Advisors

Awards and Recognition

2026 Axial Advisor 100 recognition

2026 Axial Advisor 100

Recognized among leading U.S. M&A advisors.

2025 Axial food and beverage award

2025 Axial Industry Award

Food and beverage M&A recognition nationally.

2024 Axial Top Advisor recognition

2024 Axial Top Advisor

Top-ten U.S. advisory firm recognition.

Start With a Confidential Conversation

Tell us where you are in your transition planning. Exit Boston will respond within one business day.

Contact Us Today

For immediate assistance, feel free to give us a direct call at 617-EXIT-111 (617-394-8111). You can also send us a quick email at info@exit-boston.com.