How to sell your trades business — and what to expect.

For most home-services businesses, value lands at roughly 3× to 10× annual earnings. Smaller owner-operator shops are valued on SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) and trade nearer 2×–4×; larger, systematized businesses with recurring revenue are valued on EBITDA and reach 5×–10× or more. Trade matters too — HVAC, plumbing, and pest control tend to command the strongest multiples because of recurring demand. The honest answer is that the only real number comes from someone who understands your specific business; use our estimator above for a starting range, not a promise.

Not necessarily. Brokers typically charge 8–12% of the sale price. If you sell to a direct buyer like Chisel, there's no broker — you keep more of the proceeds. If you want to run a wide auction with many competing buyers, a broker can help. Either way, make sure anyone you engage has specific experience with trades businesses, not just 'small businesses' in general.

In almost every deal, no. Confidentiality is standard. Buyers sign an NDA before seeing financials, and the transaction stays private until closing. A good buyer wants your team to hear the news from you, in your words, at the right moment — usually right at or after close. Leaks almost always start on the seller's side, so keep the circle small.

Plan for 3–6 months. The LOI stage is usually 2–4 weeks, due diligence 30–60 days, and final legal docs and funding another 2–4 weeks. The biggest variable is how clean your financials are — messy books slow everything down.

Extremely common, and nothing to be embarrassed about. Preparing for a sale includes 'recasting' your financials — identifying and adding back owner-specific costs like a personal vehicle, cell phone, family on payroll, above-market salary, or one-time expenses. A good buyer has seen it all and handles it professionally. Just be honest about what's there.

Generally, profit on a business owned more than a year is taxed at long-term capital-gains rates (0%, 15%, or 20% federally in 2025), well below ordinary-income rates — but how the deal is structured (asset vs. stock sale, and how the price is allocated) changes the bill meaningfully, and state taxes apply on top. Talk to an M&A-experienced CPA before you sign anything; it routinely saves far more than it costs. Nothing here is tax advice.

Usually for a transition period, but it's negotiable. Most buyers want 30–90 days to ensure a smooth handoff to customers, employees, and vendors. Beyond that it varies — some sellers stay on in an advisory or operating role for a year or more; others walk away on closing day. Be honest about what you want and get it written clearly into the agreement.

In a well-run sale, customers may not notice anything changed. The phone number stays the same, the brand often stays, and the technicians they know stay. What changes is who owns the business behind the scenes. Good buyers know the customer relationship is the most valuable thing they're buying, and protect it carefully.

That's 'rollover equity' — you keep a stake in the larger business instead of cashing out fully. If the new owner grows it, your remaining slice can become a valuable second payday down the road. It's an investment rather than cash, so understand the structure, the people above you, and the likely timeline before you agree.

It happens. Buyers usually look at 2–3 years and weight recent performance most heavily, but context matters. If a down year came from a one-time event — a key employee leaving, major equipment failure, a storm — explain and document it. A single soft year rarely kills a deal if the underlying business is sound. A multi-year decline with no clear reason is harder.

Depends on what you want. A full sale gives you the cleanest exit and the most cash now. A partial sale (keeping rollover equity, or selling a majority while staying involved) can mean more total money over time and a slower handoff — at the cost of staying tied to the business and its new owners. Neither is 'right'; it comes down to your goals for money, time, and legacy.

Ask directly, and check. Ask what happens to your crew on day one, whether the brand and name stay, and how they've handled past acquisitions. Then ask to speak with an owner who already sold to them. How a buyer talks about your people before the deal is the best predictor of how they'll treat them after.