What I look for
One company. Not five.
I’m looking for one business to buy and run for a long time. Here is exactly what that business looks like, so you can tell in a minute whether it’s yours.
The four things
- Where
- Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama or Georgia.
- What kind
- A business services company. Pest control, HVAC service, commercial cleaning or fire protection.
- How big
- It earns $2 million to $5 million a year in profit.
- Who
- An owner who is ready to retire, or close to it, and cares what happens to the company after.
Why these four trades
Because the work has to get done every year, in good times and bad. Termite and pest service comes due on a schedule. Air conditioners and furnaces need service before summer and before winter. Offices and schools need cleaning every night. Fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems need their inspections.
Companies like that are built on customers who stay and crews who know the routes. That’s the kind of company I know how to look after.
Probably a good fit
- Customers who have been with you for years, many on a service agreement.
- People on your team who have been there ten or twenty years.
- A name people in town recognize on the side of a truck.
- An owner who wants the company to keep going, more than anything else.
Probably not a fit
- Companies outside Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia.
- Companies much smaller or much larger than $2 million to $5 million in yearly profit.
- Trades outside business services, like manufacturing or retail.
- An owner whose first concern is the biggest check on the fastest timeline. A larger buyer may pay that. I’ll tell you so honestly if that’s what you want.
If you’re not sure
Call anyway.
If your company isn’t the right fit for me, I’ll say so on the first call and save us both the time. If I know someone who might be a better fit, I’ll tell you that too.