Choose a period that explains seasonality and changing operations while checking the records required for the case. A new company and one with several completed financial years have different available histories. Do not turn an illustrative twelve-month period into a universal E-2 rule.
Set milestones, not a promised date
Set dates for the segment rebuild, the adviser's review, and the final packet, then treat government steps as outside your control: no processing time or outcome can be guaranteed. Remember that a visa's expiry date and the authorized stay recorded on the I-94 are different things, and that intent to depart when E-2 status ends stays relevant while you plan the enterprise's next year.
Use signed agreements and bank records to distinguish a completed commitment from a future intention. Recheck treaty nationality, at least 50% ownership or operational control, substantial capital that is irrevocably committed and at risk, and credible non-marginal operations. With the agreement and escrow in hand, the firm's financial records, licences and contracts are assembled and the business plan written around the buyer's actual role. Sequence the transaction around authentic documents, not a promised government date; E-2 is not a direct permanent-residence route.