Most small business owners don’t think about selling their business until they’re burned out.
That’s a mistake.
If you run a service business — electrician, plumber, window cleaner, landscaper — your business likely depends heavily on you. And that means if you step away… the value drops fast.
Exit planning isn’t about selling tomorrow. It’s about building a business that’s actually worth something when you decide to.
For most small trade businesses in Canada, valuation is simple:
Your business is typically worth 2–4x your annual profit (SDE).
But here’s the catch — that multiple depends on how dependent the business is on you.
If you:
You don’t really have a “business.” You have a job with overhead.
And buyers know that.
Buyers don’t just look at revenue. They look at risk and transferability.
Here’s what increases value:
(If everything lives in your head, your valuation drops substantially.)
This is the big one.
Most of the guys we work with:
Sound familiar?
That’s exactly why exit planning matters early.
Because growth without structure just traps you deeper.
You don’t need to “prepare for exit” later.
You build value by running a better business today.
If someone else can follow it, it has value.
No buyer trusts messy books.
This is where most value gets created.
This is the shift from “job” → “business.”
Earlier than you think.
Even if you don’t plan to sell for 5–10 years.
Because the same things that:
That’s the win.
We don’t just help you “sell your business.”
We help you:
Which naturally increases value over time
You don’t need to exit your business.
But you should have the option to.
Because the best businesses:
That’s what buyers pay for.
And it’s also what makes your life easier today.
Get our Small Business SOPs guide and start building systems that save you time and reduce stress. Simple, practical templates you can implement right away.
