From Logan To Leadership: Insights from an outsider M&A expert
Brandon Blewett is a mergers and acquisitions specialist with more than $210 billion in total deal volume and a near-perfect close rate, but it’s his travel status as a million miler that inspired many of the insights found in his book, “How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes: Survival Guide for the Frequent Business Traveler.”
Sounds like must-read advice any busy traveler might find useful.
“After 15 years of weekly travel, I wrote this book to turn frustrations into lessons and laughter. Whether you’re navigating crowded terminals or corporate hierarchies, it’s about realizing that your current seat — literal or figurative — isn’t your final destination,” Blewett said. “Sometimes, the journey demands humor, humility and a creative reroute.”
Blewett’s book follows his journey from breaking into deal advisory and navigating complex cross-border deals to executing transactions in the lower-middle market, building out a full M&A function from the ground up — and having fun along the way, even if the laughs are at his own expense.
“I’ve spent my career navigating the complexities of M&A — first as a consultant and now as the Head of M&A for the largest private equity-backed roll-up in my industry,” Blewett said.
Blewett likes hitting 10,000 steps on his walk from the gate to the rideshare location at Boston Logan International Airport, where his company has one of its largest national sales hubs. Though his M&A work takes him all over the world, Blewett’s ability to bridge the worlds of private equity and founder-owner businesses makes him particularly relevant to Boston — a major hub for private equity firms.
“If you take 5-plus flights a year or laugh too hard at corporate humor memes, you’ll feel right at home in these pages,” Blewett said. “And if you’ve survived the grind of consulting, finance or M&A — updating a client mid-vacation or clearing comments and deal points from a terminal — you’ll find the humor and lessons especially relatable.”
As a frequent business traveler, Blewett gained insight into resilience, adaptability and leadership under pressure, and his book brings his experiences to life with humor and practicality.
Blewett previously contributed to “Leadership DNA,” a USA National Best Seller, and “How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes” debuted as an Amazon No. 1 New Release, boasting an endorsement from air travel expert Gary Leff, founder of View from the Wing. Blewett’s works blend actionable leadership insights with humor, making even the most complex topics approachable and engaging.
Among his many observations about modern air travel, Blewett said one underrated perk is that everyone is wearing headphones these days.
“It makes me look slightly less crazy when I accidentally respond out loud to a Teams or Zoom meeting mid-flight,” he said.
