The difference between a 2x exit and a 3x exit isn’t found at the closing table — it’s built in the two or three years before it. This is the construction company exit planning audit: five fixes, each tied to how it moves your multiple, plus the one step to take immediately even if selling is years away.

Most business sales take 6 to 12 months from market to close — and construction deals carry four extra clocks most owners don’t see coming: license transition, surety underwriting, WIP review, and SBA financing. Here’s the phase-by-phase timeline, what stretches it, what you control, and how preparation compresses the whole thing.

Selling a general contracting business requires careful preparation. Learn how buyers evaluate financial records, WIP reports, backlog, management, bonding, licensing, customer concentration, and owner dependence before making an offer.