Selling a Specialty Trade Contractors business
Based on hundreds of real buyer-seller diligence calls we’ve helped happen on Rejigg, these are the topics that decide whether a specialty trade deal moves fast, gets repriced, or stalls out when buyers start digging into WIP (Work in Progress), pay apps, retainage, and how the work actually gets run in the field. These are the topics that decide whether a specialty trade deal moves fast, gets repriced, or stalls out when buyers start digging into WIP, pay apps, retainage, and how the work actually gets run in the field.
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What buyers evaluate, and how to prepare
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Pull 10–20 completed jobs and show estimate vs actual hours, materials, approved change orders, and final margin
- Code warranty and callback labor separately so it doesn’t blend into general labor
- Write your labor burden assumptions in plain English and use them consistently
- Save 3–5 “walk-through” job files for buyer calls: daily reports, change backup, closeout notes
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Create a monthly WIP snapshot by job: contract, approved changes, percent complete, cost-to-date, billed-to-date, collected-to-date
- Break out retainage by job so cash timing is obvious
- Document who updates percent complete and how they decide it
- Flag underbilled jobs and explain exactly how you plan to catch up
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- List retainage outstanding by job with aging and expected release dates
- Track pay app cadence and rejection rate, plus the top reasons pay apps get kicked back
- Write a closeout checklist for O&M (Operations and Maintenance) manuals, as-builts, lien waivers, and punch lists
- Identify slow-pay GCs and show actual days-to-collect by customer
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Set a simple field rule for extras: ticket, photo, or daily report before time is spent
- Pull a few signed change orders and the backup that supported them
- Define who can price and submit change orders, and the expected turnaround time
- Track change orders by job: submitted, approved, disputed, written off
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Map your PM–superintendent–foreman chain and name who owns production, quality, and billing inputs
- Write escalation rules for field issues, inspections, and GC conflicts
- Identify the top 2–3 foremen and document retention tools: pay, bonuses, and growth path
- Transfer one owner-held function to a named person before going to market
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Collect 10–20 recent subcontracts and flag clauses that hit cash, change order rights, and backcharges
- Write a short list of terms you negotiate, price for, or refuse
- Pull examples of backcharges or disputes and document what happened and what you changed
- Show your standard scope language and how you avoid fuzzy “handshake plus PO” work
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Summarize workers’ comp history and the EMR trend with notes on major incidents and fixes
- List GL (General Liability) limits and exclusions that matter for your scope of work
- Document routine safety habits: toolbox talks, stop-work authority, incident reviews
- Collect subcontractor COIs (Certificates of Insurance) and keep a consistent onboarding checklist
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Build a fleet and key equipment list with ownership, lease terms, age, and what’s mission-critical
- Separate personal-use items from business fleet costs
- Document maintenance habits and expected replacements in the next 12–24 months
- Confirm shop and yard lease terms, renewal options, and assignment rules
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Break down revenue by top GCs and repeat customers, and explain why they keep calling
- Split backlog into awarded, pending, and verbal, with start windows and crew needs
- Track historical fallout like cancellations and scope shrink, and show how you replace it
- Document estimating controls: bid intake, crew-based production rates, and walk-away rules
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
Straight from buyer evaluations
How buyers value this type of business
Where you land in that range depends mainly on whether the business keeps making money without you in the field every day, the quality of your backlog, and how clean your books are.
What drives a premium
- Work already on the booksA solid backlog of signed contracts and recurring service agreements gives buyers confidence in revenue from day one.
- Clean, organized financialsBooks that are ready for a bank to review speed up deals and prevent offers from getting renegotiated.
- A foreman or manager who runs the crewsWhen your team runs jobs without you on site, buyers see a business they can step into — not a job they'd be buying.
- Customers that come from different sourcesWhen your leads come from multiple channels and no single customer dominates, the business is more stable.
Common add-backs
What the process looks like
- 1ListingThe day your business goes live on Rejigg.
- 2First messageMedian: 4 days laterA buyer requests a conversation by sending a first pitch.
- 3First callMedian: 7 days laterYour first completed call with a buyer to answer questions about your business.
- 4Letter of intentMedian: 59 days laterA buyer submits an LOI and you choose to accept, decline, or negotiate.
- 5Deal closeMedian: 89 days laterAssuming all is well in due diligence, you close the deal.
Common questions about selling a Specialty Trade Contractors business
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