Six Months to Sale: What Really Happens

Selling a business is a process with stages, pressure points and moments where everything can fall apart.
Here’s what really happens over six months.

Month 1 – Preparation

Financial clean-up, operational review, risk removal, valuation, positioning, IM creation.

Month 2 – Buyer Targeting

Blind teaser drafted, confidentiality agreements issued, buyers identified and approached.

Month 3 – First Conversations

Questions, clarifications, early offers and negotiation positioning.

Month 4 – Heads of Terms

Structure, price, conditions, exclusivity and timeline agreed.

Month 5 – Due Diligence

Where deals usually die. Buyers dig, sellers scramble. Preparation determines survival.

Month 6 – Completion

Contracts, transfer, onboarding. Or collapse, followed by an expensive restart.

A clean, prepared business makes this process smoother and significantly more profitable.