Flight Risk: Hard-Won Wisdom From Billion-Dollar Deals And Terminal Sprints

While most M&A specialists measure success in billions of dollars, for Brandon Blewett, the air miles count, too. After amassing more than $210 billion in deal volume and logging over a million miles in the air, Blewett gained a unique perspective, one he shares in his new book “How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes: Survival Guide for the Frequent Business Traveler.”

The book chronicles Blewett’s evolution from deal advisory newcomer to seasoned M&A executive, weaving together lessons from complex cross-border transactions, building an M&A department from scratch and logging countless miles in airport terminals. Throughout, Blewett's humor shines through, even if it’s 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. “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. Sometimes, the journey demands humor, humility, and a creative reroute.”

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 PE firms.

“If you take 5+ 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 firsthand insight into resilience, adaptability and leadership under pressure, and his book brings his experiences to life with humor and practicality. 

“If I ran a corporate ‘Hunger Games’, I'd plant three managing directors equidistant from ORD [Chicago O’Hare], IAD [Dulles], and DIA [Denver International Airport] during rush hour,” Blewett said. “The challenge? Return the rental car, get to the terminal, and clear security to reach their gate before the boarding door shuts. May the odds be ever in their favor.”

This isn't Blewett's first try at authorship either, having contributed to “Leadership DNA,” a USA National Best Seller, and “How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes,” which debuted as an Amazon No. 1 New Release and boasts an endorsement from air travel expert Gary Leff, founder of View from the Wing.

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. 

TMX contributed to this story.

Featured photo by Gary Lopater on Unsplash.

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