Insights & Resources

The McFarland Group Blog

Practical guidance for business owners navigating ownership transition, succession, and equity compensation.

John Bruckner, Managing Partner of The McFarland Group

The McFarland Group Names John Bruckner Managing Partner

John Bruckner, who has led the firm's M&A advisory practice for four years and been in partnership with Byron for over a decade, takes on firmwide leadership. Byron McFarland continues as Guide.

September 11, 2026 · 3 min read

Connor Lacy, John Bruckner, and Byron McFarland fly fishing on the Snake River

Exit Planning

Owners Let Go in an Order: First Findings From the Transferable Value Index

August 13, 2026 · 8 min read

Equity Compensation

Equity Compensation for Closely Held Businesses: A Practical Guide

January 8, 2026 · 7 min read

Exit Planning

Exit Planning for Closely Held Business Owners: Where to Start

January 1, 2026 · 7 min read

A weekly meeting agenda on a clipboard beside a coffee cup and a closed notebook

Leadership & Succession

Accountability That Speeds a Business Up

Accountability is doing what you say you will do, by when you said you would do it. How a leadership team builds it week by week, and why it makes a business more transferable.

October 1, 2026 · 8 min read

Two scorecards side by side on a desk, marked in different handwriting

Leadership & Succession

When Co-Owners Score the Same Business Differently

Two owners of the same company can take the same assessment and see two different businesses. Why it happens, what the gap reveals, and why every view belongs in the room.

October 1, 2026 · 9 min read

A quarterly planning binder open to a scorecard, with a pen resting on the page

Exit Planning

What a Business Coach Adds in the Years Before a Sale

A performance coach helps an owner arrive at a sale with projections that were set, tracked, and met. What that adds to the deal, the team, and the advisor bench.

October 1, 2026 · 8 min read

Four ledger folders stacked on a walnut desk, the top one open to a closing statement

M&A

The Hierarchy of Capital in a Seller's Deal

Cash, rollover equity, a carry back note and an earnout each carry different risk for a seller. How to rank them, and what pushes a deal down the list.

October 1, 2026 · 8 min read

A handwritten ten percent figure on a legal pad beside a closed valuation report

Equity Compensation

Know What Your Business Is Worth Before You Promise Equity

An owner who promises key people a percentage without knowing the range of value can give away far more than intended. Why the path and the range come first.

October 1, 2026 · 8 min read

Two folders on a conference table, one marked price and one marked fit, with a set of keys between them

M&A

Price or Fit: How Owners Weigh Who Buys the Business

Is the sale about price, fit, or both? The answer shapes the buyer pool, the list of who gets a call, and sometimes whether an outside sale is the right path.

October 1, 2026 · 9 min read

A partners' meeting table with a printed scorecard and four chairs pulled in close

Leadership & Succession

What We Learned Scoring Our Own Firm on the Transferable Value Index

We ask owners to measure how transferable their business is, so we measured our own. It showed new business concentrated in too few people. Here is what we changed.

October 1, 2026 · 9 min read

A color-coded binder of signed agreements on a boardroom table beside a coffee cup

Business Continuity

Settle the Hard Agreements Before You Need Them

The agreements owners least want to discuss are easiest to settle when nothing is about to trigger them. What to settle early, and what waiting can cost.

October 1, 2026 · 9 min read

A cap table printout in a leather portfolio beside a brass balance scale on a walnut desk

Equity Compensation

The Equity Plan That Makes Your Business Worth More

Equity compensation can raise buyer confidence by tying key leaders to future company value before an ownership transition.

September 22, 2026 · 7 min read