Why Manufacturing Owners Should Consider Selling in 2026: The MARC SBA Window of Opportunity
- Dr Allen Nazeri DDS MBA
- Jan 1
- 4 min read
For U.S. manufacturing business owners, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most favorable exit environments in recent history. A rare alignment of capital markets, buyer demand, and federal lending policy, driven in large part by the SBA’s Manufacturing and Access to Revolving Capital (MARC SBA) initiative, is materially improving how manufacturing acquisitions are financed.
For owners contemplating a sale, recapitalization, or partial exit, MARC SBA is not just a financing program—it is a valuation and liquidity catalyst.
What Is MARC SBA? (Manufacturing and Access to Revolving Capital)
MARC SBA is an SBA-backed initiative designed to expand access to revolving credit and acquisition capital for U.S. manufacturing businesses and their buyers.
Unlike traditional SBA programs that focus primarily on term loans, MARC SBA emphasizes access to working capital and revolving credit facilities, which are critical in manufacturing transactions due to:
Inventory cycles
Equipment financing
Customer payment delays
Raw material volatility
In practical terms, MARC SBA enables lenders to more confidently support manufacturing acquisitions and transitions by pairing term debt with revolving capital structures.
How MARC SBA Benefits Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturing Businesses
MARC SBA Improves Buyer Financing Capacity
One of the biggest challenges in manufacturing M&A has always been working capital strain post-acquisition. Even profitable businesses can struggle if buyers lack sufficient liquidity to fund inventory, payroll, or growth.
MARC SBA directly addresses this issue by supporting:
SBA-backed acquisition loans paired with revolving credit
Improved lender comfort with manufacturing cash-flow cycles
More flexible post-close capital structures
This means more buyers can qualify, and qualified buyers can pay more with greater certainty.
MARC SBA Expands the Buyer Universe
With access to revolving capital, buyers are no longer forced to over-equitize deals or rely excessively on seller financing.
As a result, MARC SBA brings in:
Independent sponsors
Operator-entrepreneurs
Family offices
Strategic buyers pursuing add-ons
Succession buyers replacing retiring owners
More buyers competing for fewer quality manufacturing assets leads to better outcomes for sellers.
Why 2026 Is a Strategic Exit Year for Manufacturing Owners
Capital Availability Is a Leading Indicator of Valuation
Manufacturing valuations are not driven solely by EBITDA—they are driven by financing feasibility.
In 2026:
Interest rates are expected to remain stable relative to recent peaks
SBA lenders are actively deploying capital under MARC SBA
Buyers delayed by 2023–2025 uncertainty are re-entering the market
This creates a pricing window where buyers can stretch valuation multiples because they have access to both acquisition debt and revolving capital.
MARC SBA Supports Ownership Transitions, Not Just Growth
A large portion of U.S. manufacturing companies are owned by founders or second-generation owners approaching retirement, many without internal successors.
MARC SBA facilitates:
Management buyouts
Third-party acquisitions
Family transitions supported by external capital
Partial liquidity events
For sellers, this means more exit paths, not fewer.
MARC SBA and Manufacturing Valuations
Why Revolving Capital Matters in M&A Pricing
Buyers consistently discount manufacturing businesses when they fear post-close cash constraints.
MARC SBA reduces this fear by:
Supporting inventory financing
Stabilizing cash flow during integration
Allowing buyers to invest immediately in growth initiatives
When buyers are confident they can operate and scale the business after closing, they are willing to pay stronger multiples.
Sellers Who Prepare Early Benefit the Most
Manufacturing owners who will benefit most from MARC SBA-driven exits are those who prepare ahead of 2026 by:
Cleaning up working capital reporting
Normalizing EBITDA
Documenting operational processes
Reducing owner dependency
Prepared sellers often experience:
Faster LOIs
Fewer financing-related retrades
Higher upfront cash at closing
Why Waiting Beyond 2026 May Increase Risk
MARC SBA is a policy-driven opportunity, not a permanent market condition.
Risks of delaying include:
Changes to SBA lending priorities
Tightening credit cycles
Reduced lender appetite for manufacturing
Buyer fatigue after a surge of 2026 transactions
Owners who wait often discover that capital availability—not business quality—becomes the limiting factor.
Manufacturing Owners Should Exit from Strength, Not Necessity
The strongest exits occur when:
Revenue is stable
Working capital is predictable
Capital is abundant
Buyers are confident
MARC SBA materially improves all four conditions in 2026.
For many manufacturing owners, the optimal strategy is not to rush into a sale—but to position the company so that 2026 becomes an option, not a deadline.
Final Takeaway: MARC SBA Creates a Rare Exit Window
Manufacturing and Access to Revolving Capital (MARC SBA) is reshaping how manufacturing acquisitions are financed.
By improving access to revolving credit and acquisition capital, MARC SBA:
Expands the buyer pool
Improves deal certainty
Supports stronger valuations
Enables cleaner exits
For manufacturing owners, 2026 represents a window where preparation meets opportunity.
The question is not whether MARC SBA will impact the market—it already is.The real question is whether your business will be ready to benefit from it.
Dr. Allen Nazeri, aka "Dr. Allen," boasts over 35 years of global experience as an entrepreneur. He is the Managing Director at American Healthcare Capital and Managing Partner at PRIME exits. Dr. Allen provides strategic growth consulting to leadership teams of both privately held and publicly listed companies, ensuring their preparedness for successful exits. Dr. Allen holds a Dental Degree from Creighton University and an MBA in M&A and Investment Banking from the University of Bedfordshire. He is also a Master Certified Intermediary (M&AMI), a prestigious designation awarded to a select group of M&A advisors who have demonstrated exceptional negotiation skills and successfully led large, complex middle-market transactions to close.
Dr. Allen is the author of "Value Engineering: Strategies to 10X the Value of Your Clinic and Dominate the Market!" and the brand new book "Selling Your Healthcare Company at a Premium". Dr. Allen offers a free valuation to business owners ready for a partial or complete exit strategy. Dr. Allen collaborates with strategic buyers, private equity firms, and institutional investors, taking direct accountability for the annual successful sell-side representation of over $1 Billion in enterprise value across healthcare, Engineering, Manufacturing, Robotics and Automation.
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