Preparing for a Liquidity Event: How Family Businesses Can Plan for a Sale, Recapitalization, or IPO

This episode is for founders and family business owners preparing for a liquidity event — a sale, recapitalization, or IPO that turns years of work into a new chapter for the family.

Co-hosts Claire Martin and Matt McClintock are joined by Brendan Bybee and S. Craig Stone II, managing partners at Stone Bybee & Associates, who bring over 30 years of combined experience helping families navigate exactly this transition.

In this episode:

• How to start preparing for a liquidity event years before a transaction
• Why treating succession as an ongoing process — not a single event — builds a stronger next generation
• How families can stay ready for whatever comes after the deal closes
• A “fire drill” exercise Brendan and Craig use to help families build real continuity
• Why preserving options early gives families more strength and flexibility down the road

Walk away with a clearer sense of how starting these conversations early, even when they’re hard, helps families build resilience and confidence for the road ahead.