McFarland Group Extends M&A Advisory Timeline to Up to 24 Months for Closely Held Businesses
The McFarland Group is expanding its M&A advisory practice to emphasize longer engagement timelines of six to twenty-four months, aiming to provide owners of closely held businesses with a more deliberate and structured sale process.
The McFarland Group, an advisory firm that has facilitated more than 200 ownership transitions over the past two decades, is placing an expanded emphasis on its M&A advisory practice for closely held business owners considering sales to external buyers. The firm's approach is built around engagements that run from six to twenty-four months, a timeline designed to give owners clarity and preparation before committing to a sale process.
According to the firm, its M&A advisory covers both sell-side and buy-side transactions, including exit readiness assessment, due diligence preparation, buyer identification, and transaction management through close. The practice targets owner-led businesses with revenue between $5 million and $100 million, a segment the firm has served extensively through its management buyout work. The expanded focus reflects a growing number of owner-clients who are evaluating an external sale alongside or instead of an internal transition to management.
Byron McFarland, founder of The McFarland Group, emphasized the importance of a patient approach. "Selling a business to an external buyer is one of the most consequential decisions an owner will make, and it deserves more time than most processes give it," he said. "Our work brings the same calm, structured approach we have built over two decades of ownership-transition advisory. The goal is clarity for the owner, not speed for the dealmaker."
Engagements typically begin well before the business is brought to market, allowing the firm to address readiness, deal structure, and buyer fit sequentially rather than under pressure. "Owners deserve to know what they are walking into before they commit to a process," McFarland added. "When we slow the moment down at the front end, the entire transaction tends to go better at every step that follows."
The firm's M&A advisory follows a senior-led model, with Byron McFarland and the principal team directly involved throughout each engagement, rather than delegating work to junior associates. This structure mirrors the approach that has defined the firm's broader advisory work since its founding.
Across more than 200 ownership transitions, The McFarland Group has supported transactions totaling more than $3 billion. The firm also offers management buyout advisory and performance equity compensation design, both of which complement its M&A practice for owners evaluating multiple paths forward. More information is available at themcfarlandgroup.com/service/m-and-a-advisory-services.