Many buyers or sellers wonder if they need a boutique investment bank versus a large full service firm. If what you need is a successful M&A transaction, you’re typically better off with a firm that derives all or most of its revenue from M&A. That means you’ll receive the best and most attention.
Typically, boutique firms are more nimble and able to react faster than larger full service firms. Therefore, they’re much better at completing middle market transactions where the number of buyers or targets is quite large. Boutiques are adept at operating in this environment. Boutiques are also good at giving the entrepreneur or corporate client that hasn’t completed a number of transactions the necessary advice to “walk” them through a complex maze of finding the right buyer or seller, presenting the transaction, helping guide due diligence, structuring a transaction that will be mutually agreeable, and negotiating a Definitive Agreement. All of these steps involve lots of intricacies that need to be managed efficiently and effectively. To conclude, for most middle market transactions a boutique investment bank will probably provide the highest level of service and the best possible outcome for either a buy or sell side assignment.
