The clock starts later than you think
When owners hear a median of about 198 days on market, they picture selling in roughly six months. But that clock only starts the day you list, and listing is the finish line of preparation, not the start. The real timeline includes valuation, cleanup, and building the evidence a buyer needs.
Unprepared sales run long or fail
An unprepared business can spend well over a year on the market, or never close at all. Diligence is where these deals die: a buyer finds a number they cannot verify, or a dependency nobody disclosed, and the process stalls while trust erodes. Time on market is not the enemy. Unpreparedness is.
Preparation compresses everything
A prepared business with clean books, documented systems, and multiple qualified buyers moves fast, because there is nothing for diligence to trip over and competition keeps everyone motivated. If you want to exit within two years, the preparation clock should start now, not the day you decide to sell.