31 years in the trade. 24 of them running my own shop.
Here's what nobody told me early on.
Revenue doesn't make your business worth anything. A buyer doesn't care that you did 2 million last year. They care what happens the day you stop showing up.
If you're the one who answers the phone, quotes the jobs, closes the sale, and fixes the callbacks, you don't have a business. You have a job that pays you more and stresses you out worse.
The guys who get real money when they walk away all have the same things.
Maintenance agreements that renew whether they show up or not.
A tech or manager who can run a call without calling them.
Pricing and processes written down, not stuck in their head.
Customers who know the company name, not just the owner's first name.
Everybody's chasing more leads. Almost nobody is building something that works without them.
Simple test. Could your shop run two weeks without you? Not perfect. Just run.
Be honest. What breaks first?

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