Businesses aren’t built with the buyer's lens in mind. The price you command, the terms you negotiate, the options you have; all of it traces back to decisions made years before the transaction. The owners who exit on their terms didn't get lucky. They got intentional.
Enterprise Value Accelerator FAQ
What is Enterprise Value Accelerator
Enterprise Value Accelerator (EVA) is a 36-month program designed exclusively for landscape business owners who are planning to sell. It combines executive coaching, leadership team development, and rigorous financial analysis to build the kind of business that commands a premium at exit, not just a transaction at whatever the market offers.
Who is the program built for?
EVA is built for landscape business owners who are serious about what their exit looks like and are willing to do the work between now and then. The ideal business for this program is generating meaningful revenue, is four years from a planned sale, and understands that the value they walk away with depends on decisions made well before a broker is ever involved. If you're not sure whether you're ready for EVA, our team can help you figure that out in a short conversation.
.
What does the engagement actually look like?
EVA is a private, structured engagement with a defined beginning, middle, and end — anchored by a valuation at the start and a valuation at the close. It starts with a site visit to your operation, where we assess your business firsthand and build your three-year value acceleration plan. From there, coaching begins, weekly for the first three months, biweekly through the rest of year one. Coaching frequency in years two and three is based on progress made in year one. Your leadership team meets with us monthly. Twice a year you come to our offices in Dallas for a private working session focused entirely on your progress. Financial health assessments happen at the end of Year 1 and Year 2. The engagement closes with a final valuation at month 36.
Who leads the program?
Jason New, a Founding Principal and Executive Coach at McFarlin Stanford, leads the engagement, determining which of our coaches and specialists step in at each stage based on what your business needs. Jennifer Murray, a former private equity professional and Wall Street investment banker, leads the financial health assessments and valuation work. The people who design your plan are the people who deliver it.
What are the financial health assessments?
At the end of Year 1 and Year 2, your business is evaluated across eight dimensions: profitability, growth, asset efficiency, liquidity, leverage, cash flow, risk management, and organizational structure. The assessment tells you where value is being built, where it's being left on the table, and where to focus in the year ahead. It's not a report that sits in a drawer. It drives the next phase of the engagement, which is prescriptive based on the progress improvements made in year one.
What if my financials aren't in great shape right now?
The Enterprise Value Accelerator works best when there is a clear financial foundation from which to build. If your books need work or you don't yet have full clarity on your numbers that's not a disqualifier, but it does affect where you start. Our team can help you assess where you are and whether EVA is the right immediate step or whether there's a better starting point that gets you ready for it. Either way, the conversation is worth having.
.
Does McFarlin Stanford help with finding the right people for my leadership team?
Yes. When gaps exist in your leadership team, recruiting is part of the engagement. We’re not just pointing out where the gaps are. We help fill them with the right people for where your business is going.
Does McFarlin Stanford's success connect to mine?
Our fee structure is designed so that our success is tied to yours. We're not simply collecting fees while you do the work. We have a direct stake in the value this program creates for your business. We'll walk you through exactly how that works.
How do I know if I'm ready for EVA?
The best way to find out is to talk to us. We'd rather have a conversation about fit rather than put you in a program that isn't the right match for where you are. If EVA isn't the right starting point, we'll tell you. And we'll tell you what is.
How do I get started?
Schedule a call with our team. We'll ask a few questions about where your business is today and where you're trying to go. We work exclusively with the landscape industry and are focused on helping other green industry professionals see what the path forward looks like.
Thinking about selling your business in the next few years? Answer four quick questions to find out where you should start.
.
Schedule an Exploratory Call