Results
What changed for two real companies.
Both companies depended on one person. Here is what changed once that know-how was put into systems other people could run, and what it was worth. Company names are kept private.
Calgary siding contractor
From $300,000 in the hole to sold in ten months.
Where it started
A residential siding contractor that had never done more than $250,000 in a year. It went into the November off-season $300,000 in the hole. The owner was the business: his name, his face, his cell number, his labour. Prices didn't cover the real cost of the work, business and personal money were mixed, and a spouse's paycheque was quietly covering the gap.
The company was acquired and run on our system, with the owner kept on a guaranteed monthly draw.
What changed
- The numbers came first. A true monthly break-even of $60,000 was set before anything else changed.
- The owner stopped being the business. Sales, quoting, and customer contact no longer depended on him.
- Cash flow was fixed. Jobs were funded before work began, and crews were paid on a schedule that kept them fast and loyal.
- The work changed. Jobs that couldn't reach break-even were turned down, and larger contracts came in.
- The books were rebuilt, recovering thousands in unclaimed credits from CRA.
It was sold in September with $500,000 in contracted work scheduled and deposits in hand. The trucks and the installs weren't where the value came from. The system was.
Results from one business. Not a promise of what yours will do.
Custom window company
The owner offered to sell for $120,000. It was worth about four times that.
Where it started
A custom window and framing business that had peaked at $2 million in revenue, run almost entirely by its owner. He did the design, the customer relationships, and the operations, working 12-hour days. He wanted out, but he was the business. The only buyer he could see was an installer he had trained, so he offered to sell to him for $120,000.
What changed
- What he knew was written down. His design and delivery method became a documented system someone else could run without him.
- He stepped back within one week. His days went from 12 hours to 3.
- Customers stayed with the company. They kept getting his standard of work without him on site.
- The deal protected him. He kept ownership of his method and his customer list until he was paid in full.
It sold for well above his $120,000 asking price, with the business itself funding the buyout. He kept his method and licenses it to the new owner.
Results from one business. Not a promise of what yours will do.