For an MSP or IT services firm, plan on roughly six to twelve months from preparation through close. Breakwater’s public site says a business sale often takes 6 to 8 months, and passing 12 months is not uncommon. That is a planning range, not your calendar.
Stages we actually run
The process page is the sequence this practice uses: prep, blind teaser, NDA, CIM, LOI, diligence, close. The table below is a coarser planning sketch from the earlier version of this article. Durations move when the books are messy or a consent is slow.
| Stage | Often discussed as | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | About 4 to 8 weeks once you start, longer if the MSP is still break/fix-heavy | Financials, MRR schedule, contracts, materials |
| Outreach | About 4 to 8 weeks | Qualified buyers, NDAs, not a public listing |
| Meetings and offers | About 4 to 6 weeks | Meetings, then an LOI you can compare on structure |
| Diligence | About 6 to 12 weeks is a common planning band; some technology-services buyers talk about 45 to 60 days of QoE | The buyer tests earnings, contracts, and cyber |
| Documents and close | About 3 to 6 weeks when nothing is stuck | Definitive agreements and funding |
Preparation is the stretch you control. Time on the books, the contracts, and the owner’s role before a teaser shortens the arguments after the LOI.
When it is faster or slower
One buyer who already knows the MSP, clean statements, and simple ownership can compress a process. A broad auction, or a file with cyber and concentration issues, can run past a year or stop. Speed is a poor goal if it means one untested offer.
If you are thinking about a sale in the next year or two, the exit checklist is the practical start.