What The Wheatley Group does

The Wheatley Group is a privately held, boutique mergers and acquisitions advisory firm headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, providing sell-side and buy-side advisory, financing assistance, and transaction consultation and preparation services to small and mid-market businesses primarily in the Southwest United States. The firm is led by President and CEO Rick Shapiro, who holds the CBI, M&AMI, and IBBA Fellow designations, and Senior M&A Advisor Steve Ferber, and operates with a small senior-advisor team consistent with a boutique model. The firm's core function is intermediating lower mid-market transactions, sourcing buyers nationally and internationally from NYSE/NASDAQ-listed corporates and private equity groups while drawing sell-side mandates from a regional Arizona/Southwest base.

The firm generates revenue on a transaction-success basis, with each mandate representing a discrete, time-bounded engagement rather than a recurring contract. Deal sourcing on the sell side is driven by referrals from professional advisors including RSM McGladrey (accounting) and Alliance Bank of Arizona (banking), supplemented by memberships in the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), and the Arizona Business Brokers Association (AZBBA). An educational blog targeting business owners considering sale functions as a top-of-funnel lead-generation channel. The firm's competitive positioning rests on advisor credentials, regional relationships, and a 16-year consecutive award history from AZBBA (1997-2013), rather than on proprietary technology, scale advantages, or AI-enabled capabilities.

Name

The Wheatley Group

Legal name

The Wheatley Group

Website

https://thewheatleygroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Boutique M&A advisory firm headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, providing sell-side and buy-side advisory, financing assistance, and transaction preparation to small and mid-market businesses primarily across the US Southwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: The firm generates revenue through professional advisory fees associated with merger and acquisition transactions, including sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, financing assistance, and consultation services. Fee structure is likely transaction-based or success-fee oriented typical of M&A advisory firms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wheatley Group is a boutique merger and acquisition advisory firm that provides sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, financing assistance, and consultation/preparation services to small to mid-market business owners. The firm guides clients through the full M&A lifecycle, including business valuation, packaging and positioning, marketing to qualified buyers or sellers, negotiation, due diligence support, and closing management.

Product overview

The Wheatley Group is a merger and acquisition advisory firm offering four core professional services: Sell-Side Advisory, Buy-Side Advisory, Financing Assistance, and Consultation and Preparation. These services collectively guide clients through the full lifecycle of buying and selling businesses, from initial valuation and strategic preparation through marketing, negotiation, and closing. The firm serves small to mid-market companies primarily in Arizona, the Southwest, and Western states, with buyers ranging from local businesses to public companies (NYSE, NASDAQ), private equity groups, and international entities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side Advisory
• Buy-Side Advisory
• Financing Assistance
• Consultation and Preparation

Quantifiable outcome

• Testimonials report significantly increased transaction multiples, prices, and improved deal structure compared to clients' expectations or other brokers

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• Arizona Business Brokers AssociationmoderateOthersProfessional association membership providing industry recognition, networking, and credibility within the regional M&A brokerage community. Leadership positions held by firm principals (VP role). Awards received through this association for outstanding sales performance.
• International Business Brokers AssociationmoderateOthersProfessional industry association membership providing international networking, industry standards, credentials (such as Certified Business Intermediary), and professional development resources.
• Association for Corporate GrowthminorOthersProfessional association focused on corporate growth, M&A, and deal-making community networking and education.
• RSM McGladreyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services firm providing certified valuations and accounting services. References from RSM professionals appearing in client testimonials as referral sources and professional advisors to M&A transactions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Morgan & Westfield: Boutique M&A advisory firm focused on the lower-to-middle market with sell-side, buy-side, and business valuation services — directly competitive with The Wheatley Group in deal-size sweet spot and customer profile.
• Benchmark International: Global mid-market M&A advisor providing sell-side, buy-side, and strategic advisory for privately held businesses across multiple industries — comparable in target market and service mix, though at meaningfully greater scale and geographic reach than The Wheatley Group.
• Generational Equity: U.S. boutique M&A advisory firm serving business owners in the lower-to-middle market with sell-side, valuation, and exit planning services — directly comparable in target customer and service mix to The Wheatley Group, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Transworld Business Advisors: Global business brokerage and M&A advisory franchise specializing in main-street and lower-middle-market transactions, providing buy-side, sell-side, and franchise resale services — closely mirrors Wheatley's core service offering to small and mid-market business owners.
• Sunbelt Business Brokers: Large network of independent business brokers handling mergers, acquisitions, and business sales primarily in the lower middle market — directly comparable in target deal size, customer segment, and professional-association participation (IBBA).

Others

• M&A Source: Industry association serving lower-middle-market M&A advisors, intermediaries, and dealmakers — comparable to Wheatley's IBBA/ABBA memberships as a peer in the professional ecosystem rather than a direct competitor for mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Robert W. Baird & Co. Employee-owned, international financial services firm with an active M&A advisory practice serving mid-market companies — comparable in service offering but materially larger in scale, geographic reach, and institutional resources.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a substantial M&A advisory practice covering middle-market and large-cap transactions — operates in the same broad M&A advisory space but serves larger, more complex mandates than The Wheatley Group's regional boutique focus.
• Brown Gibbons Lang & Company: Middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory, capital raising, and financial restructuring — overlaps with Wheatley in mid-market sell-side advisory but operates with institutional scale, sector specialization, and a global footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wheatley Group