Article by:
Rachel Lugo
Two years feels like a long time when you're busy running a business. It isn't — not when you're talking about an exit. The work that determines your sale price, your deal structure, and whether your deal closes at all doesn't happen in the six weeks before you call a broker. It happens in the months and years before that.
The single most time-sensitive piece is your financial history — and it's time-sensitive precisely because you can't manufacture it quickly. Buyers and SBA lenders want to see three full years of clean, consistent financials. Not books optimized to minimize taxes — books that show the real profitability of the business in a way a buyer and lender can verify. If you're 24 months out, you're already a year behind that ideal window, which is exactly why 36 months is the smarter starting point for anyone who has the option.
A workable 24-month sequence looks like this: an honest, buyer's-eye assessment of where you stand (months 1–3), financial cleanup (3–6), reducing owner dependency (4–8), contracts and lease review (6–12), team stability (8–14), building your review and reputation profile (12–18), and an informed conversation with a broker (18–24) — not to list, but to learn what the market looks like while you still have time to respond to it.
The owner dependency piece deserves special attention because it's the longest work and it can't be compressed. If your business depends on you for customer relationships, sales, or day-to-day decisions, that dependency took years to build — and it takes real time to unwind in a way a buyer can actually see.
Already inside two years? Don't panic — prioritize ruthlessly. Financials, owner dependency, and contract assignment move the needle more than anything else. Whatever time you have left, start with the one thing that can't be rushed.
Read the full article at stellaandmain.com/blog-how-far-out-to-sell
