How To Sell My HVAC Company in California

Selling any company is hard enough. But an HVAC company is a niche entity, and you can’t expect to be able to announce a sale and put it all behind you like if you were selling a car or some other asset. California may be the most populous state with its fair share of enterprising and shrewd business owners, but if you want to sell your HVAC company in California, you’ll have to do some work up front.

Nevermind the fact that there are plenty of rules and regulations governing the sale of any entity, but you might be overlooking details or other important bits of information that could increase the value of your company — or maybe it’ll take you so long to sell that the company that it becomes a drain on your finances instead of an asset.

Step One: Create a Financial Summary

Before anyone will even consider buying your HVAC company in California, you’ll have to prove that it’s a profitable business. After all, who wants to buy a business that isn’t profitable? It may be why you’re selling, but it isn’t why buyers would be lining up, so make sure that you have your financials in order and that you can prove that the company is profitable. 

In addition to the particulars about your company’s finances, you’ll also want to include information about your company’s sales per month, growth expectations and specific profit numbers. Some information on your recurring customers and your company’s customer base will also help buyers make a decision, so the more information you have, the better.

Some may think that excluding all but the most flattering information is a good way to highlight your HVAC business, but the only thing worse than unflattering information is a lack of information, so don’t try to play that game.

Step Two: Set a Sale Price

As the second biggest HVAC market in the United States, California has a significant HVAC need across the state. Indeed, there are almost 28,000 HVAC workers in California, but that also means that there are many HVAC companies in the state, too. If you’re looking to sell your HVAC company in California, you can’t just name your price and wait for someone to show up with bags of money.

To start, you’ll have to check in on the going rate for HVAC companies in your area. You could check websites and other sources, but that doesn’t acknowledge the very real differences that could exist between your company and theirs. Regardless of the price you choose, you’ll still have to convince someone else of the real value. Even things like reputation in the community and existing workforce can dramatically sway a price in the positive or negative direction, so there’s a lot to consider.

Step Three: License an Employee of Trust

For smaller companies that may not have multiple employees with an HVAC license — especially if, as the owner, you’re the only one — you can’t exactly sell a company to someone else without any built-in capabilities. If you are primarily the company, that can make it tough on buyers that want to buy a successful company, not become an HVAC expert. 

The good news is that you can license an employee of trust so that when another buyer does come in, they can hit the ground running with a skilled and licensed employee that can continue to run the business in your absence.

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To learn more about what you need to do before you sell your HVAC company in California, contact the experts at Business Modification Group.