Business Services
We know how to sell business service companies.
Security and alarm, commercial cleaning, waste, transport and other services sold to businesses. They sell on recurring contracts and the team that delivers them. We show buyers both.
We know the buyers
Strategic acquirers adding routes and territory, private equity groups building service platforms, and individual buyers who want a business with recurring contracts.
What drives your valuation
- Recurring contractsHow much revenue repeats under contract, compared with your field (security and cleaning businesses often run 75–80%).
- Contract termsLength, auto-renewal, price increases, and whether contracts transfer to a new owner.
- Client retention and growthHow well you keep clients and grow revenue with them.
- Client concentrationHow much rides on your largest clients.
- MarginsYour profit margin and its trend, compared with your industry.
- Owner dependenceHow much of the business runs without you.
…and the factors that matter in any business: customer and vendor concentration, revenue stability and how well receivables are collected. Buyers will also ask about your team, routes, equipment and licenses; we present those in your marketing materials.
We take the mystery out of multiples
Two businesses that look the same from the outside can sell for very different multiples. We show you:
- how your business grades on every factor buyers pay for
- what would raise (or lower) your multiple, and by how much
- a plan to get there, reviewed with you every six months
Where every sale starts
Hoping a buyer approaches you with a great offer isn't a strategy. Your Strategic Value Blueprint is.
- Know what it's worthNot a back-of-the-napkin number. We rebuild your financials, normalize them the way a buyer will, and score every factor that moves your multiple.
- See what moves itWe walk you through your fair market value and show how changes in your business would raise or lower the price.
- Build the strategySell next month or in five years. We review the plan with you every six months and revalue the business every year, or sooner if you need it.
How we sell a business
A single interested buyer isn't a sale. Working with hundreds of buyers at the same time takes a solid process, so every sale follows the same six steps.
- Valuation and planA detailed valuation of what your business is worth and why, and a plan built around your timeline.
- A dedicated buyer searchWe personally reach hundreds of qualified buyers for every business we take to market. We don't post a listing and hope.
- Round one: offers at the same timeBuyers submit offers by a set deadline. You compare them side by side in your owner portal and pick the strongest five to ten.
- You meet the finalistsYou meet and interview each of the five to ten buyers you moved forward before they go on to round two. Meanwhile they review detailed financials and get their questions answered.
- Round two: leverageFinalists submit letters of intent by a second deadline, and we negotiate until one wins.
- CloseAfter the letter of intent is signed, we guide the transaction through due diligence and the purchase agreement, and keep it on track to closing.
About six months from signing our engagement agreement to closing, for most sales. We never put an asking price on your business. Buyers compete, and the competition sets the number.
The Vista process
Why it works
- It starts with detail. Our valuation takes work. We request a lot of documents, ask a lot of questions and verify the answers. You get an accurate picture of what your business is worth and what's driving that value. When you sell, buyers won't find anything we haven't already found and disclosed. No surprises, no stress, a smooth closing.
- It brings the market to you. Every offer arrives on the same deadline, an average of 46 first-round offers per business. Not one offer every few days, each with a different deadline. We set the deadlines and run the process. You decide who to sell to.
- Competition sets the price. Buyers make their offers knowing they're competing with other buyers for your business. We never put an asking price on it.
- The leverage is yours. Sell on your own and you're usually negotiating with one buyer and one offer, so the buyer holds the leverage. With us you have many offers at the same time, so you hold it. You keep it through the final round: your finalists submit letters of intent by a second deadline, and every one of them knows you have other options.
- You choose the buyer. No lying awake wondering whether the one offer in hand is a good one. You'll see every offer side by side, move the best five to ten forward, meet them by video and interview them for fit (personality, philosophy, plans for your people) before you pick. You're not selling to just anyone.
- It closes. Buyers review the detailed financials before they submit a letter of intent, so there's no "we didn't know" renegotiation in due diligence.
Will people find out I'm selling?
- Buyers see a blind summary first. No name, no location detail that gives you away.
- Your name comes only after a signed confidentiality agreement.
What owners say
“It was great working with Vista. They made the process very understandable and helped alleviate any concerns/worries I had along the way.”
Businesses we've sold: Business Services
Towing & Transporthas been acquired byprivate equityVista represented the sellerA towing and transport company specializing in heavy duty towing and recovery, as well as light duty towing.
Towing & Transporthas been acquired byprivate equityVista represented the sellerA light duty towing & recovery and private impound company specializing in property management services.
Asbestos & Mold Abatement/RemediationKansashas been acquired bya strategic buyerVista represented the sellerA non-union environmental company specializing in asbestos and mold abatement/remediation services, bird dropping cleanup and light, non-structural selective demolition (interior walls, floors, ceilings, etc.).
Alarmhas been acquired bya strategic buyerVista represented the sellerA company specializing in fire alarm system sales & service, installation, inspection, and monitoring.
Our client, a corporate executive, has acquiredan Aggregate Transportation & Trucking companyKansasVista represented the buyerThe company is a short haul aggregate transportation company. The owner was ready to retire and when approached by Vista Business Group agreed to meet with the potential buyer.
ServiceTexashas been acquired byan individual buyerVista represented the sellerThe company serviced, maintained and repaired CNC and related equipment used in manufacturing.
Armored Car ServiceKansashas been acquired bya strategic buyerVista represented the sellerThe company provided armored car and ATM services regionally.