Industry guides: what to check in the numbers
How to buy a laundromat, car wash, HVAC company, dental practice and more.
- Buying a NEMT business: what to check before you buyBuying a non-emergency medical transportation business: broker contracts and Medicaid dependence, credentialing, vehicle requirements, trip logs.
- Buying a bakery: what to check in the numbersBuying a bakery: retail vs wholesale accounts, early-morning labor, ingredient costs, owner-baker skill dependence, equipment, recipes and health permits.
- Buying a bookkeeping business: what to check in the numbersHow to buy a bookkeeping business: verify recurring clients, tenure and pricing, staff vs contractors, software access and the handover.
- Buying a coffee shop: what to check before you buyBuying a coffee shop or cafe: ticket count and average ticket by daypart, cup and milk purchases as a sales check, labor, lease, espresso equipment.
- Buying a commercial cleaning business: what to check in the contractsBuying a commercial cleaning or janitorial business: contracts and cancellation terms, concentration, night labor, bonding and contract margins.
- Buying a construction business: what to check in the numbersBuying a construction company: WIP schedule and over/under billings, backlog, bonding tied to the owner, licences, retainage, change orders and key staff.
- Buying a courier or delivery business: what to checkBuying a courier or delivery business: shipper contracts (pharmacy, lab, legal), driver classification, vehicle costs, route density and concentration.
- Buying a distribution business: what to check in the numbersBuying a wholesale distributor: supplier line agreements and territories, inventory turns, gross margin, receivables, warehouse costs and working capital.
- Buying a dog boarding or kennel business: what to checkBuying a dog boarding or kennel business: occupancy and holiday peaks, daycare memberships, zoning and permits, real estate, 24/7 staffing and incidents.
- Buying a dog grooming business: what to checkBuying a dog grooming business: groomer retention and client loyalty, the appointment book, salon vs mobile vans, add-on services, safety and reviews.
- Buying a gym: what to check in the membership numbersBuying a gym or fitness studio: active vs billed members, churn, EFT drafts, prepaid memberships as liabilities, equipment leases and lease.
- Buying a hair salon: what to check before you buyBuying a hair salon: commission vs booth rental models, stylist retention and client ownership, retail sales, licences, lease and booking data.
- Buying a landscaping business: what to check in the numbersBuying a landscaping business: maintenance contracts vs installs, commercial renewals, seasonal labor and H-2B reliance, equipment, snow revenue.
- Buying a liquor store: what to check before you buyBuying a liquor store: licence transfer under state rules, inventory valuation at cost, margins by category, shrink, lottery and tobacco income, and lease.
- Buying a manufacturing business: what to check in the numbersBuying a small manufacturer: customer concentration, margin by product, equipment condition and capex, inventory valuation, key machinists and quality.
- Buying a pest control business: what to check in the numbersBuying a pest control business: recurring service contracts, termite bonds and warranty liabilities, licensed applicators, route density and chemicals.
- Buying a pizza business: what to check in the numbersBuying a pizza shop: delivery vs carryout mix, third-party app fees, cheese and labor costs, ovens, drivers, franchise vs independent, and POS checks.
- Buying a pool service business: what to check on the routeBuying a pool service business or route: price per account, churn, chemical costs, repair revenue, seasonality and how accounts actually transfer.
- Buying a residential cleaning business: what to checkBuying a residential cleaning business: recurring clients, cleaner turnover, contractor misclassification risk, booking platforms, pricing and reviews.
- Buying a trucking company: what to check in the numbersBuying a trucking company: operating authority, safety record, fleet age, drivers vs owner-operators, customer and broker concentration, insurance.
- Buying a vending machine route: what to check firstHow to buy a vending route: location agreements, host commissions, machine age and card readers, cash collection records, and route scams to avoid.
- Buying an ATM business: what to check on the routeBuying an ATM business or route: surcharge and interchange revenue per transaction, location agreements, processor contracts, vault cash and loading costs.
- Buying an Amazon FBA business: what to check before you buyBuying an Amazon FBA business: verify sales in Seller Central, account health, ASIN concentration, ad dependence, inventory and suppliers.
- Buying an HVAC business: what to check in the numbersBuying an HVAC business: service agreements vs installs, the licence qualifier, technician retention, seasonality, warranty callbacks and fleet costs.
- Buying an IT business or MSP: what to check in the numbersHow to buy an IT services business or MSP: verify recurring contracts, per-seat pricing, tool costs, tech retention and security risk.
- Buying an accounting practice: what to check in the numbersHow to buy an accounting or CPA practice: check fees and retention by client, tax-season concentration, firm ownership rules, staff, and the transition.
- Buying an auto repair shop: what to check in the numbersBuying an auto repair shop: car count, average repair order, technician productivity, parts margin, fleet accounts, environmental issues and equipment.
- Buying an ecommerce business: what to check in the numbersBuying an ecommerce or Shopify store: revenue by channel, customer acquisition cost and repeat rate, ad account access, inventory, suppliers, refunds.
- Buying an electrical contracting business: what to checkBuying an electrical contractor: the master electrician or qualifier, service vs contract work, WIP and backlog, bonding, GC concentration and safety.
- Buying an insurance agency: what to check in the book of businessBuying an insurance agency: commission revenue by carrier and line, new vs renewal, retention, carrier appointments, producer agreements, contingent pay.
- Day care for sale: how to check a daycare business before you buyBuying a daycare: licensed capacity vs enrollment, staff ratios and qualifications, subsidy dependence, licence transfer, waitlist and the building.
- How to buy a FedEx route (and check the numbers first)How to buy FedEx Ground routes: the contractor agreement and FedEx approval, settlement statements as revenue proof, trucks, drivers, and contract risk.
- How to buy a SaaS business (and check the numbers before you do)How to buy a small SaaS business: verify MRR from billing data, measure churn by cohort, review the code and founder dependence.
- How to buy a bar (and check the numbers first)How to buy a bar: liquor licence transfer under state rules, pour cost and inventory checks, cash handling and theft, security, dram shop insurance, lease.
- How to buy a car wash (and check the numbers before you do)How to buy a car wash: verify car counts and memberships, test sales against water and chemical use, judge equipment and land, and spot weak add-backs.
- How to buy a convenience store: what to check in the numbersHow to buy a convenience store without fuel: sales by category, tobacco and lottery at thin margins, licences, shrink and cash, inventory count and lease.
- How to buy a dental practice (and check the numbers first)How to buy a dental practice: production vs collections, payer mix, hygiene recall, active patients, associates, equipment and transition.
- How to buy a dry cleaning business: what to checkHow to buy a dry cleaner: plant vs drop store, solvent and perc environmental history, Phase I, equipment, pickup routes, revenue trend and cash sales.
- How to buy a fast food restaurantHow to buy a fast food restaurant, usually a franchise resale: franchisor approval, royalties and ad fund, remodel requirements, drive-thru data and labor.
- How to buy a gas station (and what to check underground)How to buy a gas station: fuel margin per gallon vs inside sales, branded supply agreements, underground storage tanks, environmental checks.
- How to buy a home health agency: what to checkHow to buy a home health or home care agency: Medicare-certified vs non-medical, the CMS 36-month rule, state licensing, payer mix and caregiver turnover.
- How to buy a hotel franchiseHow to buy a franchised hotel: franchise transfer or new agreement, property improvement plans, brand fees, management contracts, STR data and financing.
- How to buy a laundromat (and check the numbers before you do)How to buy a laundromat without overpaying: test revenue against water bills, read the lease first, price the machines and spot weak add-backs.
- How to buy a marketing agency (and check the numbers first)How to buy a marketing agency: retainers vs projects, client concentration and tenure, founder-led sales, contractors and margins.
- How to buy a med spa (and what's different from a day spa)How to buy a med spa: state medical ownership rules, the medical director, injector retention, prepaid packages as liabilities, products.
- How to buy a motel business: what to check in the numbersHow to buy a motel: occupancy, ADR and RevPAR from the property system, OTA commissions, long-stay guests, deferred maintenance, flags and PIPs.
- How to buy a nail salon businessHow to buy a nail salon: cash and tips, technician pay and classification, licences, ventilation and chemical safety, reviews, lease and booking data.
- How to buy a physical therapy practice: what to checkHow to buy a PT clinic: payer mix, visits per therapist, collections per visit, Medicare change-of-ownership enrollment, credentialing delays and staffing.
- How to buy a plumbing business (and check the numbers first)How to buy a plumbing business: service vs new construction, the master plumber licence, call volume and average ticket, techs and callbacks.
- How to buy a restaurant (and check the numbers before you do)How to buy a restaurant: verify sales from POS and processor data, prime cost, cash, liquor licence, lease, health inspections and owner-chef dependence.
- How to buy a roofing company (and test whether the revenue lasts)How to buy a roofing company: storm and insurance work volatility, lead sources, subcontracted crews, warranty liabilities, licensing and workers' comp.
- How to buy a self storage facility: what to checkHow to buy a self storage facility: physical vs economic occupancy, rent rolls, delinquency and lien sales, expenses and tax reassessment.
- How to buy a veterinary practice (and check the numbers first)How to buy a vet clinic: revenue per doctor, active clients, pharmacy and inventory, DEA registration, state ownership rules, staff and equipment.
- How to buy an RV park or campground: what to checkHow to buy an RV park or campground: long-term vs transient sites, seasonality, utilities and submetering, well and septic permits, zoning and real estate.
- How to buy an existing UPS Store (franchise resale)How to buy an existing shipping and print franchise like a UPS Store: franchisor approval, FDD, mailbox and print revenue, shipping margins and lease.
- How to buy an independent pharmacy: what to checkHow to buy an independent pharmacy: script volume and margin, PBM contracts and clawbacks, DEA registration, permits, inventory, front end.
- How to buy an online business (content sites, newsletters, digital products)How to buy an online business such as a content site, newsletter or digital product: traffic concentration, revenue checks, asset transfer.
- Lawn care businesses for sale: how to check a mowing routeBuying a lawn care or mowing business: route density, spring churn, price per stop, owner-operator dependence, equipment age and customer transfer.