How do I get the most money when I sell my business?

Get the business off yourself before you list. Documented operations, decisions that route to a manager, and relationships owned by the business are what move the multiple, and they are the same work that buys back your week now. The free diagnostic ranks which lever raises your number most.

When should I start preparing to sell?

Two to three years before you want out is the honest answer, because the value work takes time to show up in the books a buyer reads. The sooner you know the number and the discount, the more of the gap you can close. If you are closer than that, the diagnostic still tells you where you stand today.

Sell your service business for what it’s worth

Most owners find out what the business is worth from a broker, after they have decided to sell, when it is too late to change the number. Do it the other way. An owner-dependent business trades near 1.65x SDE and an owner-light one near 3.5x, a $555,000 gap on a $300,000-SDE business. Know the number first, then close the gap on purpose.

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86% of owners have no professional valuation or only a rough estimate.

10 years of BizBuySell Insight Reports (40 quarterly reports, 2016 to 2026)

1.6M+ SBA 7(a) loan records behind the confidence read

1.65x → 3.5x owner-dependent vs owner-light multiple on identical earnings

The order that raises the number before you list

Six steps, in sequence. Each one lifts the multiple, and each is easier to prove in the books than to explain in the deal room.

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Selling by trade

Nine trades, each selling on a different lever. Start with what yours is worth, then the steps to sell it.

HVAC Transfer the maintenance-agreement relationships and get your replacement-job pricing onto paper before you list. How to sell an HVAC business Electrical Solve license transferability early and shift the mix toward commercial service contracts before you list. How to sell an electrical business Plumbing Document the dispatch decisions and shift the mix toward repeatable service work before you list. How to sell a plumbing business Pest Control Protect contract retention and get the routes and relationships documented off yourself before you list. How to sell a pest control business Remodeling Document your estimating and project-management system and move client relationships off yourself before you list. How to sell a remodeling business Roofing Document the estimating and carrier-relationship process and build a steadier repair line before you list. What a roofing business is worth Landscaping Grow and document the recurring maintenance book and get crew routing off yourself before you list. What a landscaping business is worth Garage Door Move the builder and GC accounts onto the business and document estimating and dispatch before you list. What a garage door business is worth Restoration Move the carrier and program relationships onto the business and document the estimating before you list. What a restoration business is worth

Selling a service business: common questions

How do I sell my service business?: Start by knowing the number and what discounts it, then fix the discount before you list. The largest discount is owner-dependence: an owner-dependent business trades near 1.65x SDE and an owner-light one near 3.5x. Selling into that gap leaves the biggest money on the table, so close it first, then take the business to market.
How do I get the most money when I sell my business?: Get the business off yourself before you list. Documented operations, decisions that route to a manager, and relationships owned by the business are what move the multiple, and they are the same work that buys back your week now. The free diagnostic ranks which lever raises your number most.
When should I start preparing to sell?: Two to three years before you want out is the honest answer, because the value work takes time to show up in the books a buyer reads. The sooner you know the number and the discount, the more of the gap you can close. If you are closer than that, the diagnostic still tells you where you stand today.

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Know your number before you list

Three scores, an estimated sale price, and the ranked list of what is discounting your value, so you fix it before a buyer finds it.

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