HVAC and trades
Trades companies in BC are among the most sought-after small business acquisitions, because demand is constant and the work cannot be sent elsewhere. They are also among the hardest to value, because so much depends on the owner's licence. We know this sector inside out.
How the money works
- Earnings often depend on the owner's ticket, which buyers discount
- Service agreements outvalue one-off installs because they recur
- Vehicles, tools and inventory carry value and replacement cost
- Seasonality makes full-year earnings and working capital timing matter
The moves we make
- Normalise earnings for the owner's labour at a market wage
- Document the service agreements, technicians and systems that generate work
- Structure a transition long enough for licence and customer handover
- Prepare financing packages that show lenders a business, not a tradesperson
Marketing results from Ali's agencies, published at hvac.agency/case-studies: CombiBoiler.ca 300% ROI and 300+ monthly leads, RomaHeating.ca 400% organic traffic growth, HVACDeal.ca 500+ leads and 12:1 ROI. Marketing outcomes, not transaction results.
What a trades company is worth
Buyers pay for earnings that will continue when the current owner stops answering calls. For a one-truck operation where the owner does the work and holds the only licence, that can be little beyond the equipment. For a company with several technicians, a dispatcher, a service agreement base and a marketing system that produces calls every week, the earnings are a business and are valued as one. The work is mostly normalising the owner's labour and proving which revenue repeats.
Selling to the right buyer
Trades companies in BC attract three kinds of buyer: a tradesperson who wants to own rather than work for someone, a competitor who wants the customer base and technicians, and an investor or consolidator who wants a platform. Each values the business differently and needs a different package. A tradesperson needs financing and a long handover. A competitor needs confidentiality above everything. An investor needs clean financials and systems. We identify which buyers your company suits before we go to market.
Preparing years ahead
The changes that raise a trades company's value take time: hiring and licensing more technicians, converting install customers to maintenance agreements, building a marketing engine that does not depend on the owner's referrals and putting bookkeeping in order so a lender can read it. Ali's agencies have built more than 150 live HVAC websites, which is why we can tell you what a buyer will see when they look at your lead flow. Exit planning here starts with that list.
Questions from hVAC and trades owners
Can I sell if I am the only licensed tradesperson?
You can, but the buyer will need to hold the licence or hire someone who does, and the price will reflect that. Licensing a second technician first widens the buyer pool.
How do buyers finance a trades acquisition?
Typically with their own equity, a bank loan secured on the business and equipment and a vendor take-back. Lenders look hard at whether the work continues without the seller.
Are service agreements worth more?
Yes. Recurring maintenance revenue is predictable, transferable and gives the buyer a customer list to sell installs into. A documented agreement base is valued differently from one that waits for the phone.
Start with a confidential conversation.
Tell Ali where the business is and what you want to happen next. You leave with a straight read on value, timing and the two or three moves that matter, whether or not we work together.